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John Christopher

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The Pool of Fire (The Tripods Book 3) Kindle Edition

by John Christopher (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.6 439 ratings

Book 3 of 4: The Tripods

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Will must defeat the Tripods once and for all in this third book of a classic alien trilogy ideal for fans of Rick Yancey’s The 5th Wave and Margaret Peterson Haddix’s Shadow Children series.

After being held captive in the City of Gold and Lead—the capital, where the creatures that control the mechanical, monstrous Tripods live—Will believes that he’s learned everything he needs to know to destroy them. He has discovered the source of their power, and with this new knowledge, Will and his friends plan to return to the City of Gold and Lead to take down the Masters once and for all.

Although Will and his friends have planned everything down to the minute, the Masters still have surprises in store. And with the Masters’ plan to destroy Earth completely, Will may have just started the war that will end it all.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John Christopher was the pseudonym of Samuel Youd, who was born in Lancashire, England, in 1922. He was the author of more than fifty novels and novellas, as well as numerous short stories. His most famous books include The Death of Grass, the Tripods trilogy, The Lotus Caves, and The Guardians.

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The Pool of Fire

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00E6QSY98
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Aladdin; Reissue edition (September 10, 2013)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 10, 2013
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1332 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 272 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #273,395 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #82 in Children's Dystopian Sci-Fi Books
- #88 in Children's Dystopian Fiction Books
- #157 in Children's Action & Adventure Sci-Fi Books

Customer Reviews:
4.6 439 ratings

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John Christopher

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Sam Youd was born in Lancashire in April 1922, during an unseasonable snowstorm.

As a boy, he was devoted to the newly emergent genre of science-fiction: 'In the early thirties,' he later wrote, 'we knew just enough about the solar system for its possibilities to be a magnet to the imagination.'

Over the following decades, his imagination flowed from science-fiction into general novels, cricket novels, medical novels, gothic romances, detective thrillers, light comedies ... In all, under his own name and a variety of pen-names, he published fifty-six novels and a myriad of short stories.

He is perhaps best known as John Christopher, author of the seminal work of speculative fiction, The Death of Grass, and a stream of novels in the genre he pioneered, YA dystopian fiction, beginning with The Tripods Trilogy.

'I read somewhere,' Sam once said, 'that I have been cited as the greatest serial killer in fictional history, having destroyed civilisation in so many different ways - through famine, freezing, earthquakes, feral youth combined with religious fanaticism, and progeria.'

Titles published under the pen-name of Hilary Ford and under his own name are also available on Amazon.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5

439 global ratings

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Samuel J Brown

good book

Reviewed in the United States on September 18, 2023

good

Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2021

Verified Purchase

Kindle Edition: I wish the kindle version was cheaper. Still, The Pool of Fire is an excellent, adventurous conclusion to the trilogy. I read the series as a young teenager in the 1970s and it's still just as good today. Spoiler: There is a sad though realistic note in the very end where, after being united against the Masters, humans once again began bickering among themselves and divide into factions. I'd love to see this trilogy be made into movies.

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Doogie

Good tween, young adult story

Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2015

Verified Purchase

Read this series as a young adult and again, recently, in my 50's. It was completely engaging as a "tween," not quite so much as an adult. But it was still nice to revisit the story. I was surprised by how much I had forgotten.

One person found this helpful

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Jim Besso

The great story

Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2020

Verified Purchase

I read these books as they came out when I was a kid. I purchase this set for my son, who is 12, and he thoroughly enjoyed them as well. I enjoyed reading them again, also.

This is a great set of stories, one that I am hoping will spark an increased desire to read insulation point

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Kindle Customer

Epic conclusion of a trilogy.

Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2016

Verified Purchase

I was happy that men had defeated the Masters. In the end I was sad to see the same old arguments that man has with people from other countries. We all need to get along with each other. In the end I was happy to find that Will, Fritz, and Beanpole would work for the betterment of the human race. I really enjoyed this entire trilogy and this last book was well written and made one think about the future of Mankind.

One person found this helpful

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ChicagoHokie

Very Enter

Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2021

Verified Purchase

I read this series as a youngster, and just reread as a soon to be 60 year old and still enjoyed it!

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Robert M.

Satisfying conclusion but a little bland

Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2013

Verified Purchase

I thought this book was ok; not as good as previous two installments... The main complaint is that there wasn't a great deal of buildup or suspense, it all seemed too easy. The main climax comes about halfway through and then there is a fairly long falling action that finishes things off, and has its moments, but still feels like an afterthought. Then the denoument is realistic I suppose but not very satisfying. It's hard to get more specific without giving away details of the story.

Overall I feel like the author was at his best in "The White Mountains" where there was a sense of journey and adventure, and a sense of mystery and unknown about the Tripods. "City of Gold and Lead" lifts the veil on the mystery and is very imaginative and atmospheric. In this book, the mystery is already revealed, and rather than a journey, it's just about getting a job done. Also I found our protagonist more annoying this time around, like everyone else is growing up around him and he's still a bit insufferable

One person found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Really glad I came back to this series after not finishing it in middle school.

Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2021

Verified Purchase

Good ending and valued the book and the journey more with age.

One person found this helpful

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