The Tripods Attack! The Young Chesterton Chronicles: Volume 1, by John McNichol. Manchester, New Hampshire: Sophia Institute Press, 2008. 384 pages, Softcover, $17.95.
When I first heard that a new book featuring a teenaged Chesterton in a radically re-invented version of the Edwardian era was going to be published, I felt that this novel could go one of two ways. It could be a wonderfully imaginative, action-packed fantasy series, or it could be a humongous disappointment. Happily, John McNichol’s The Tripods Attack! falls squarely into the former classification.
The first point that needs to be made is that since this book is a fantasy, it is NOT faithful to the true autobiographical facts of Chesterton’s life. Don’t leap out of your chair and scream indignantly, “Chesterton never did THAT!” It’ll ruin the whole book for you. Just accept that the world described in this book is an alternative universe, and just go along with everything. Chesterton was not a skinny, orphaned teenager in the middle of the Edwardian era. Chesterton was not raised in rural Minnesota, did not narrowly miss drowning on the Titanic, and did not start his career slaving away doing engineering work. This is a fantastical work that takes the bare bones and a fair amount of the meat of Chesterton’s life and pads the rest with all sorts of creations. The political state of the United States in this novel is radically different from what it was at this time in real life. And of course, Chesterton never battled a horde of mechanical monstrosities. At least, not as far as we know.
As the novel opens, the adolescent Gilbert Chesterton is drudging away in a dead-end job as a “clacker,” which involves poking holes in punch cards and trying not to get fired. Suddenly, an unexpected twist of fate places Chesterton on a fast-tracked path to success as a newspaper reporter, set to investigate the mysterious appearance of gigantic robots. Clueless in the ways of the world, Chesterton is easy prey to roving London street gangs. Thankfully, a fellow reporter, H.G. Wells, joins our hero to help him track down the story. As the two young newspapermen sniff out adventure, they meet a number of new acquaintances, including a mysterious red-haired woman, a sinister and calculating figure known only as the Doctor, and everyone’s favorite crime-solving British priest, Father Brown. Chesterton, Wells, the Doctor, and Father Brown soon discover that a vengeful alien race is threatening the Earth, and it’s up to the foursome to save the world.
Though Chesterton’s life is radically fictionalized, it’s clear that McNichol loves and respects Chesterton. Each chapter opens with a quote by Chesterton, and other snippets from the work of Chesterton and Wells make their way into the narrative. Chesterton is presented as a hero in the making, unschooled and low on street smarts, but full of intelligence and more importantly, bravery and virtue. Hungry for adventure and trying to learn how to read his moral compass, McNichol’s version of Chesterton can stand toe to toe with the best heroes of young adult literature. Wells is seemingly amiable, but his racist adoption of eugenicist theory and stark adherence to scientific materialism set him apart from our more empathetic protagonist. The Doctor’s suavely cultured veneer hides the selfish coldness of an almost sociopathic wannabe ubermench. McNichol’s Father Brown falls a little short of the wit and acuity of the original version, but his warmth and wisdom allows him to serve as an Obi-Wan Kenobiesque mentor, guiding young Gilbert on his road to faith. Elements from the Father Brown mysteries, The Man Who was Thursday, and The War of the Worlds appear in the book, just to name a few.
It is a very hopeful sign that McNichol clearly identifies this book as “Volume 1” of the Chronicles. The ending chapters set the stage for future entries in the series as much as resolve the events of Tripods. The ultimate fate of one of the characters may seem crushing, but despite the fact that I found this point extremely unsatisfactory, I must concede that it is completely in line with the traditional format of mythical adventure storytelling, as defined by Joseph Campbell. The slightly confusing cliffhanger ending makes me wonder what precisely McNichol has in mind for future installments in this series.
It’s rare that a novel leaves me simultaneously exhilarated and wanting a lot more, Will Flambeau, Innocent Smith, Adam Wayne, McIan, Turnbull, Professor Lucifer, and the Central Anarchist Council make their ways into the series? Will Chesterton and Hilaire Belloc team up to expose the Marconi Scandal, which turns out to be instigated by the malevolent conspiracy introduced in Tripods? Can Chesterton and Bernard Shaw join forces to investigate how malevolent alien forces are causing societal injustice on the technologically overdeveloped streets of London? Will Chesterton solve a baffling murder case with Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and the rest of the Detection Club? One can only hope so.
I’m not trying to tell McNichol how to write his series, but the possibilities are so vast that I cannot wait to see how he continues Chesterton’s coming-of-age tale. Now that the Harry Potter series is over, I’m hoping that the Chronicles can take its place in providing me with imaginative fiction that I find myself eagerly awaiting for years between installments.
This review originally appeared in Gilbert!
