Sixteen-year-old Gilbert Chesterton is thrust from his menial job into the middle of a Martian invasion when he is suddenly hired as a journalist. Along the way he meets the opinionated and highly motivated Herb Wells, the enigmatic Doctor, and the mild Father Brown who has an extraordinary talent for solving mysteries and a gift for changing lives. As the for adventurers run and fight for their lives, Gilbert learns to trust and begins the adventure of faith.

The Tripods Attack! is the first volume of the Young Chesterton Chronicles, a delightfully inventive fiction series for teens to adults that re-imagines the famous Catholic author as a young man living in an alternative Edwardian age of steam-driven wonders.; Imagio Catholic Fiction; The Tripods Attack is a solid science fiction story in its own right. While the general idea is the classic War of the Worlds plotline, McNichol sets the story in a unique "Edwardian" world that also makes the story a work of industrial science fiction in the tradition of Rocket Man and Sky Captain. McNichol manages to balance action, suspense and mystery for a truly enjoyable read.

Young Chesterton is a solid character, but does not much resemble the author whom he's supposed to grow into. He is energetic but a bit naïve. His quirky sense of humor is a bit juvenile. However, he is the perfect character for this storyline. His growth is believable. Young Herbert Wells resembles his adult counterpart a little more closely.

While the alien plot is exciting, Gilbert's struggle to form his worldview is no less engaging. On one side he has Herbert trying to convince him that the universe is truly Darwinian in nature and that people with the right breeding and power deserve to dominate the struggling masses. On his other side sits Father Brown who sees power as an illusion and all men as equal. Father Brown teaches Gilbert to trust in powers that transcend human life. Gilbert's transformation is gradual, but in the end it is complete. He becomes a truly Catholic hero.

The astute reader will catch many allusions to G.K. Chesterton's writings - the Father Brown stories, the Screwtape Letters, his science fiction series, and some of his non-fiction. The allusions are fun, but they sometimes seem forced. It can be difficult to make allusions seamlessly fit your plotline. However, Chesterton fans will enjoy the nod to the master. The author also sets up scenarios that lead the reader to think, "Ah, this is where Chesterton gets the idea for that story!" and then remembers that the situation is completely fictional. That's pretty fun.

The Tripods Attack is a well-written science fiction novel with a great Catholic worldview and a developing Catholic hero. I look forward to seeing how Gilbert develops as this series continues.; 384 pages; 4 currently in stock;

Catholic fiction G.K. Chesterton Father Brown science fiction alien invasion War of the Worlds