The Lotus Caves
 First edition | |
| Author | John Christopher |
|---|---|
| Genre | science fiction, young adult literature |
| Publisher | Hamish Hamilton |
Publication date | 1969 |
| Pages | 156 |
The Lotus Caves is a juvenile science fiction novel by John Christopher, first published in 1969.[1]
It is clearly inspired by the Lotus-eaters of Greek Mythology.
Plot synopsis
Two teenage boys, Marty and Steve, live in a colony on the Moon, "The Bubble", in the year 2068.[2] Exploring outside the dome of "The Bubble" is strictly controlled. The boys grow bored and decide to explore outside the proscribed area in a borrowed lunar vehicle, and discover someone has forgot to take out the keys that makes it possible for them to both go outside in spacesuits and travel outside the limited area they would otherwise be restricted to. They go on a journey to an old and abandoned base, where they find the diary of Andrew Thurgood, a missing early lunar settler. The diary contains the coordinates to a place where Thurgood claimed he saw something that looked like a huge flower, and the boys decides to go there and do some investigations themselves. They crash through the moon's surface into a series of underground caverns containing fluorescent plants, many of them able to move, which is a part of and controlled by a single intelligent alien life form. They also meet a man, the missing settler, which came to the caves decades ago when trying to find evidence for his claims, who has become enthralled by the alien. Neither does he seem to have aged during all these years. The boys are torn between staying in the caves, within which the alien provides for their needs, and escaping. The longer they stay, the more their minds are affected. They eventually escape, but the man decides to stay, having lost any desires beyond worshipping the alien.
Theme
The novel's main theme is that of the development of a young person's will and independence, and the conflict between benevolent authority and individual conscience.
Adaptations
Film
A film adaptation of the book was in development in 2007, from Walden Media, to be written by Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal and directed by Rpin Suwannath.[3][4]
Television
In 2010, the US television network Syfy ordered a pilot episode based on the story.[5] They finally commissioned a series in 2012.[6] The series was called High Moon. Principal photography for the pilot began on August 26, 2013, in Vancouver. The episode was directed by Adam Kane and was written by Jim Gray from an adaptation by Bryan Fuller and Gray.[7]
Syfy ultimately passed on the series, but the pilot was released as a TV movie and aired on September 15, 2014.[8]
See also
References
- ↑ Fantastic Fiction
- ↑ JC Cavern
- ↑ Monsters and Critics
- ↑
- ↑ TrekMovie.com
- ↑
- ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (August 22, 2013). Syfy Unveils Additional Casting for Upcoming Drama Pilot 'High Moon'. TV by the Numbers via Syfy press release. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
- ↑ Bryan Fuller on his repurposed High Moon TV movie: 'I think we imagined too great' Retrieved September 18, 2014
External links
- The Lotus Caves title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database