The Tomorrow People in Three In Three

by Roger Price

© 1974 Roger Price
Three in Three contains three original Tomorrow People stories, incorporating three Tomorrow People, John, Liz, and Stephen hence the name. In general terms the events occurring must have happened in 1974. sometime between The Doomsday Men (which is mentioned in the first story), and Secret Weapon (Tyso has not yet appeared.

I will handle each story individually and will keep spoilers to a minimum.

The Man Who Knew Too Much

"I am one of the new species of Man. One day we'll be as common on Earth as Homo Sapiens is now. We call ouselves the Tomorrow People."
-Stephen Jamison

This story concerns the Tomorrow Peoples efforts to find a missing scientist who has disappeared after coming up with an idea which can be used in war - an idea so powerful and dangerous it could devastate the world.

To this end, Stephen is sent undercover into a Scottish boarding school for the second time in his life, in order to gain the confidence of the scientist's son. But, naturally, the Tomorrow People are not the only ones interested in this discovery.

The Great Mothers Of Matra

"Suffering sunbursts, a whole planet of frustrated mothers and I'm the last kid left alive!"
-Stephen

After disobeying John's insructions Stephen finds himself in deep, deep trouble, stranded and with no way of letting the other Tomorrow People know where he is. It is a race against time to save him, and in the process save the lives of an entire species.

The Guru

"TOMORROW PEOPLE MASSACRE TOWN"
- Newspaper Headline

This story is an interesting one in terms of the series continuity. At the time it was written and published it fitted quite well into the series, but it was later contradicted by an television serial. The only way to resolve it is to assume it took place in an alternative dimension.

The Tomorrow People must deal with one of their oldest adversaries and prevent him from conquering the United States, and in the process bringing their name into disrepute.

They are not alone - they have a little help from the President of the United States. But in the end, only the Tomorrow People can triumph.

Is The Book Worthwhile?

Naturally getting old of any of the TP books can be difficult so if you see it, get it. Of the three stories, in my opinion, only The Man Who Knew Too Much is particularly good. The other two are adequate (and The Great Mothers of Matra is very funny and reminiscent of A Man For Emily. Like all the original TP books, this one is virtually unobtainable - I got a copy through the generosity of a member of TPDIS. At the time of publication, it retailed for 30p in the UK and 95c in Australia, but obviously you can expect to pay more today.

This review © 1997 Shaun Hately, but pleasse feel free to link to it, or copy it.
Thanks to Jeremy Rogers
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