The White Mountains

On April 16, 1922, John Christopher was born as Samuel Youd in Lancashire, England. Leaving school at sixteen, Christopher began writing adult science fiction novels, but then a British publisher asked Christopher if he would try his hand at a science fiction novel for young readers.

Quite naively Christopher believed that writing a book for children might be easy and quick. The British publisher wanted one set in the future; Christopher preferred the past. So he imagined a world in which a race of aliens captured Earth, and in the battle with those creatures a type of feudal society has sprung up. In this world Christopher could match his own interests with a futuristic novel.

To control the human race, these aliens place a cap on people’s heads when they become young adults. But thirteen-year-old Will Parker longs for another kind of life, living with the free men in the White Mountains. And so he and two companions, Henry and Beanpole, make a journey from England, over the channel, and through France. In one magical chapter they encounter a devastated Paris, some of it still exhibiting grandeur even in decay. The key to Christopher’s writing lies in his belief in the importance of free will. Again and again, Will has to choose whether he wants a life of ease under the aliens or the possibility of being his own person. With a taut plot, fascinating characters, and interesting philosophical issues, the Tripod series, which began with The White Mountains and appeared in 1967–1968, draws readers in and does not let them go until the saga has been finished.

As an adult science fiction writer, Christopher was accustomed to having his books go into print as soon as he had written them. It was much to his surprise, then, when an American children’s book editor dared to suggest that although the beginning of The White Mountains was quite promising, the entire novel needed an overhaul. He began to realize that this “mere children’s book” would need a great deal more attention to craft than he had ever paid to his other books. In an essay written in 2003 in the paperback edition of The White Mountaisn Christopher credits that American editor, Susan Hirschman, with teaching him valuable lessons about writing for the young – and spurring him on to create books that have lasted.

John Christopher died this year, before he reached his ninetieth birthday. In its day his Tripod series stood as one of the few well-written dystopic series for young readers. Today, of course, there are a multitude of choices for those aged ten to fourteen who want to think about what might happen to the Earth in the future. But Christopher’s work and novels like Lois Lowry’s The Giver remain the standard bearer for this genre; they remind us just how good science fiction novels for young readers can be.

Here’s a passage from The White Mountains: