Bug Park

Rating:
Summary: A Good "Tom Swifty" Juvenile, "Jurrasic Park" in Miniature
Review: Although somewhat lacking in serious plot and character developement, and in technical details (admittedly there couldn't be a lot,as this is an excursion into "fantasy techno"),it still makes a good read to fill a few odd hours with nothing better to do.A great gift for Christmas or a birthday for the younger set, but a little shallow for the adult reader. Hogan might have done a little better with more action sequences in "Bug Park" itself.

Rating:
Summary: Good juvenile hard-science sf
Review: As I was reading this novel I thought, "This reminds me of Heinlein's juveniles." Sure enough, a few pages later Hogan uses the word, "Heinleinesque." Even though this book is ostensibly aimed at teenagers, it can be enjoyed by adults. Hogan does a wonderful job of describing reality from a bug's point of view. The hard science is good, and there is a great scene where the two boys, using nanorobots, attack a centipide the way a couple of knights would attack a dragon. And they're even saving a damsel in distress, although, since she is using a nanorobot, her body is safely someplace else. There's budding love, evil
villains, murderous nanorobots, two teenage heros, and all kinds of goodies.

Rating:
Summary: Spielberg, make this into a movie!
Review: Bug Park was a really fun read. As usual, Hogan comes from a base of hard science, which helps makes the premise believable. The only thing I found that bothered me was the contrived bit with one of the kid's tie to organised crime. Still, loved the book and it would make a great family movie. Someone needs to give a copy to Steven.

Rating:
Summary: Telepresence in an Insect Microcosm
Review: In Charles Scheffield's excellent novel, THE NIMROD HUNT, micro-miniaturized man-shaped mechanoids battle live spiders and warrior ants. The human controllers become immersed in attacks on nests or anthills via telepresence. The electronic sensorium provided by the mechanoids' sophisticated sensors temporarilly replaces normal human senses.

In BUG PARK, James P. Hogan updates the same idea to create a futuristic amusement park game. People battle insects by putting their controlling 'consciousness' inside tiny bug-sized, man-shaped "mecs". When a mec is seriously damaged or rendered inoperable by an ant, the human operating that mec is unceremoniously thrown out of the game for "dying."

Hogan uses DNC, direct neural coupling, a technology yet to be invented, to pull this off. DNC shuts down our normal senses and replaces them with sensory input from the mecs. DNC allows Eric Heber, one of the teenage protagonists, to control the movements of the "Taki" mec as if its limbs were his own.

I have been an avid reader of James P. Hogan's works since his classic first novel, INHERIT THE STARS. Even though BUG PARK is a juvenile novel, the science and technology are as fully explained as anyone would ever want and most adults will also enjoy this book,

Readers will love the rapid, breath-taking pace of BUG PARK. Indeed, I can easily see how this novel could become a major blockbuster motion picture with its exciting mix of cutting-ege technology, kids in peril and corporate corruption.

(Are you listening DISNEY Corp.?)

Rating:
Summary: Telepresence in an Insect Microcosm
Review: In Charles Scheffield's excellent novel, THE NIMROD HUNT, micro-miniaturized man-shaped mechanoids battle live spiders and warrior ants. The human controllers become immersed in attacks on nests or anthills via telepresence. The electronic sensorium provided by the mechanoids' sophisticated sensors temporarilly replaces normal human senses.

In BUG PARK, James P. Hogan updates the same idea to create a futuristic amusement park game. People battle insects by putting their controlling 'consciousness' inside tiny bug-sized, man-shaped "mecs". When a mec is seriously damaged or rendered inoperable by an ant, the human operating that mec is unceremoniously thrown out of the game for "dying."

Hogan uses DNC, direct neural coupling, a technology yet to be invented, to pull this off. DNC shuts down our normal senses and replaces them with sensory input from the mecs. DNC allows Eric Heber, one of the teenage protagonists, to control the movements of the "Taki" mec as if its limbs were his own.

I have been an avid reader of James P. Hogan's works since his classic first novel, INHERIT THE STARS. Even though BUG PARK is a juvenile novel, the science and technology are as fully explained as anyone would ever want and most adults will also enjoy this book,

Readers will love the rapid, breath-taking pace of BUG PARK. Indeed, I can easily see how this novel could become a major blockbuster motion picture with its exciting mix of cutting-ege technology, kids in peril and corporate corruption.

(Are you listening DISNEY Corp.?)

Rating:
Summary: No Bugs : Johnny Quest vs. The Evil Step-Mother
Review: Mr. Hogan did a fantastic job with the physics in this book. That is the one thing that kept me reading more than anything else. What I was disappointed in, is that fact that with a title of "Bug Park", there are so few insects/arthropods of any kind in the story, it is like eating a McD's cherry pie, and finding only one cherry...very disappointing indeed. The story should be re-titled.

Also, one point to nit-pick, for scientific names of any organism, when spelling the binomial name out, the genus is capitalized and the species is *always* lower case. On page396, "Limenitis lorquini"is what I am referring too, and the editors should be ashamed of themselves, because this is not the author's fault.

The story was enjoyable, the plot moves well, but the family structure was almost a direct parallel to Johnny Quest, including Bandit, I mean Batcat. I kept becoming distracted from the story as I read "Hoggi" instead of Taki etc., and like any good J.Q. story, the villain perishes in their own nefarious trap, leaving the hero's hands clean.

Finally, I enjoyed the little "Microcosm" joke at the end, I'm sure you will too.

Rating:
Summary: No Bugs : Johnny Quest vs. The Evil Step-Mother
Review: Mr. Hogan did a fantastic job with the physics in this book. That is the one thing that kept me reading more than anything else. What I was disappointed in, is that fact that with a title of "Bug Park", there are so few insects/arthropods of any kind in the story, it is like eating a McD's cherry pie, and finding only one cherry...very disappointing indeed. The story should be re-titled.

Also, one point to nit-pick, for scientific names of any organism, when spelling the binomial name out, the genus is capitalized and the species is *always* lower case. On page396, "Limenitis lorquini"is what I am referring too, and the editors should be ashamed of themselves, because this is not the author's fault.

The story was enjoyable, the plot moves well, but the family structure was almost a direct parallel to Johnny Quest, including Bandit, I mean Batcat. I kept becoming distracted from the story as I read "Hoggi" instead of Taki etc., and like any good J.Q. story, the villain perishes in their own nefarious trap, leaving the hero's hands clean.

Finally, I enjoyed the little "Microcosm" joke at the end, I'm sure you will too.

Rating:
Summary: Bug Park a Fun Ride
Review: This book was nothing like I expected. There may not be a lot of character development, but what fun! I could not put it down. From a Murder story, to advance technology theme parks and corporate espionage. This is fast paced. A good light read. Hogan knows how to take you on a rollercoaster ride. Get this book for fun. And just relax and enjoy....