Tripods

The story of The Tripods was the basis of a popular BBC television series in the 1980s, where humanity has been conquered and enslaved by "the tripods", unseen alien entities that travel about in gigantic three-legged walking machines.

In the first book of John Christopher's classic series, it is the year 2100, and the world is controlled by the machines called Tripods. Life goes on largely as it had in the pre-industrial era, as all of humanity is subject to mental controls which prevent anyone from challenging the established order.

In the second book of John Christopher's classic series, Will Parker and his cohorts have spent a year living among the free men in the White Mountains. The Resistance charges them, now wearing realistic yet harmless caps, to infiltrate a Tripod city by competing in a sporting exhibition called "the Games" (very similar in nature to the Summer Olympics), in which the winners of the events are to be offered to the Tripods for service.

In the final book of John Christopher's classic series, Will Parker returns to the headquarters of the Resistance after several months in the City of Gold and Lead. He travels to Eastern Europe and the Middle East to set up resistance cells with young boys who question the power of the Tripods. When they are able to capture one of the Tripod 'Masters', they unlock a secret that they use in attempt to finally wrest control of the earth from the Tripods, and maybe - just maybe - save humanity.