The Legend That Was Earth

Rating:
Summary: A refreshingly enjoyable story
Review: They're called the Hyadeans, and they've come to help. They promise to bring order and prosperity to a politically fragmented, often chaotic Earth. But are they really what they seem? Who are they really helping?

As a long-time fan of James Hogan, I pounced on the paperback edition of "The Legend That Was Earth" the day it came out. Forewarned by the negative reviews posted on this site to date, I didn't get my hopes up too much. But I needn't have worried. While the book admittedly isn't among Hogan's greatest, it was still very hard for me to put down. I devoured it within a single 36-hour period.

The story starts out a little slowly. Wealthy socialite Roland Cade leads a comfortable existence as a "fixer", a man who knows how to get Terrans and Hyadeans together to trade often-illicit goods and services. He's the man to see if, say, an off-worlder is interested in procuring exotic Navajo sand art for shipment back to the home world, where everything is utilitarian, drab and grey. He knows how to "go with the flow," not worrying about the Big Picture. He organizes cocktail parties filled with shallow people making insipid conversation. Their phraseology feels stilted, wooden, unnatural. People just don't talk like that in the real world! Are the naysayers right? Has Mr. Hogan lost his edge???

It was enough to really get on my nerves. But not to worry: a few chapters in, Roland gets a rude wakeup call when he comes across his ex-wife, who works for an armed resistance movement. It doesn't take him long to discover the dark side of the alien presence, as his life is turned upside-down. He falls in with people who have a genuine purpose to their lives. They talk like normal people. And he and his new-found friends discover that it isn't a strict conflict between Terrans and Hyadeans. There are "good" and "bad" people on both sides. Who will prevail?

Granted, the themes Mr. Hogan explores are familiar territory for those who, like me, have read most of his works. He is very much a proponent of Libertarianism. At least one of the villains in Hogan books always manages to self-destruct in a spectacularly creative way. The bad guys are into big-time feudalism, and they'll stop at nothing to get their way. The end is somewhat predictable. But that's OK by me: in this crazy, mixed-up world, "predictable" has its appeal. Do we really want the bad guys to win? Just this once?

Picture "Legend" as mental comfort food. Do you complain because you've eaten chocolate a thousand times before?

As has become Mr. Hogan's custom in recent novels, he explores exotic scientific theories. In the case of "Legend", it is the Hyadeans who believe in the Many Worlds Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics, Catastrophism and alternatives to Einstein's Theory of Relativity. Between several of the chapters are little italicized sections describing the theories and their implications. They're not, for the most part, central to the plot, but they make for fun reading. Whether or not they're valid theories I leave to the scientists to hash out.

All in all, I don't regret spending the money on this book. Serious Hogan fans should give this one a chance.

Rating:
Summary: Fiction, with aliens thrown in
Review: This is only the second Hogan book that I have read. The first, "Cradle of Saturn", dealt with somewhat bizarre scientific theories. In this book, he again espouses alternate science theories as the basis of his story.

However, The science fiction is ancillary to the story. Hogan wrote a story of intrigue and suspense. The Hyadeans did not have be aliens for the book to work because the plot doesn't hinge on the alien issue. Rather, the book focuses on development of the action caused by conflict in cultures.

The story reminds me a lot of a Robert Ludlum plot. Cade is the reluctant hero who experiences a life changing paradigm shift. He is thrown into a world of conflict that he refused to beleive existed. Hogan stresses his development, not the alien presence, to create his plotline. The characterization is well thought out and developed. However, the ending is somewhat predictable and contrived.

All in all, it's an enjoyable and easy read.

Rating:
Summary: Fiction, with aliens thrown in
Review: This is only the second Hogan book that I have read. The first, "Cradle of Saturn", dealt with somewhat bizarre scientific theories. In this book, he again espouses alternate science theories as the basis of his story.

However, The science fiction is ancillary to the story. Hogan wrote a story of intrigue and suspense. The Hyadeans did not have be aliens for the book to work because the plot doesn't hinge on the alien issue. Rather, the book focuses on development of the action caused by conflict in cultures.

The story reminds me a lot of a Robert Ludlum plot. Cade is the reluctant hero who experiences a life changing paradigm shift. He is thrown into a world of conflict that he refused to beleive existed. Hogan stresses his development, not the alien presence, to create his plotline. The characterization is well thought out and developed. However, the ending is somewhat predictable and contrived.

All in all, it's an enjoyable and easy read.