REVIEW: "Moon flower", James P. Hogan

["Rob, grandpa of Ryan, Trevor, Devon & Hannah" <rmslade () shaw ca>]

BKMNFLWR.RVW   20080703

"Moon flower", James P. Hogan, 2008, 978-1-4165-5534-6,
U$23.00/C$26.99
%A   James P. Hogan jamesphogan.com
%C   P. O. Box 1403, Riverdale, NY   10471
%D   2008
%G   978-1-4165-5534-6 1-4165-5534-X
%I   Baen Publishing Enterprises
%O   U$23.00/C$26.99 jim () baen com www.baen.com
%O  http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/141655534X/robsladesinterne
  http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/141655534X/robsladesinte-21
%O   http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/141655534X/robsladesin03-20
%O   Audience n+ Tech 1 Writing 3 (see revfaq.htm for explanation)
%P   308 p.
%T   "Moon flower"

James P. Hogan is one of the few authors of fiction who can be counted
upon to get technology "right."  He's done a great job with "Bug Park"
(cf. BKBUGPRK.RVW) and others, although "The Immortality Option" (cf.
BKIMMOPT.RVW) made some mistakes with computer viruses, and "The
Multiplex Man" (cf. BKMLPXMN.RVW) was a disappointment, in technical
terms.

His writing seldom disappoints.  It's fairly simple, but clear and
with sympathetic characters.  Personally, I'm simplistic enough that
the reliability of a happy ending is relaxing.

"Moon flower" has little technology that is real.  We have a working
"hyperspace" star drive, and some reliance on being able to detect
events in the future.  This last does lean on some recent models of
quantum physics, although the ability to build a working crystal ball
is still a ways off, if it's possible at all.  Fortunately, the author
doesn't have to deal with the difficulties of the physics or
engineering involved, since we have the titular flowers to do that for
us.

What is interesting about the book is Hogan's view of the type of
society that would result if everyone had a bit of an insight into
what would work out "best" for them.  People who could (admittedly
fuzzily) foretell the future apparently would be fairly socialistic. 
They also would have no interest in religion, although they would
appear to have a reason for not caring about it that would seem to be
as faith-based as any religion.  Oddly, they also seem to have a
belief in, and reliance upon, the benevolence of The Great Being-Ness-
Iddity-Hood.  It's all rather NewAge.

No, being a professional paranoid, and, of course, not having access
to the fortune-telling ecosystem, maybe I don't understand these
things.  However, I'm just a wee bit concerned.  Maybe the flowers
aren't really concerned about the best outcomes for us homonids. 
Maybe the flowers are, possibly, more concerned about what actions are
best for *them*.  Should we *really* be taking advice on how to govern
our lives from them?  After all, they end up prospering along with us-
-for the moment.  But what about when we come into contention?

Maybe we'd better listen to the words of wisdom from the musical
"Little Shop of Horrors": whatever they offer you, don't feed the
plants!

copyright Robert M. Slade, 2008   BKMNFLWR.RVW   20080703


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