The Guardians is a highly readable but thematically complex novel. Perhaps in part because the book was originally conceived as a novel for adults, Christopher explores his characters' psychological struggles more fully than he does in his other novels for young readers.

Christopher defines maturation as the process of recognizing the moral implications of the various roles society invites one to play, and then making responsible choices. The device of focusing The Guardians on two young boys from different backgrounds, each of whom must overcome convention and social manipulation to see things from the other's perspective, works well.

Christopher is also a master of carefully controlled suspense. By delaying the novel's climactic moment—in which Rob understands the full import of his situation—Christopher allows readers to become seduced by County life along with Rob.

The Guardians is, in a sense, a quest story...