''The Lotus Caves'' is a juvenile

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

novel by

John Christopher Sam Youd (16 April 1922 – 3 February 2012), was a British writer, best known for science fiction written under the name of John Christopher, including the novels ''The Death of Grass'', ''The Possessors'', and the young-adult novel series ...

, first published in 1969. It is clearly inspired by the

Lotus-eaters In Greek mythology, the lotus-eaters ( grc-gre, λωτοφάγοι, lōtophágoi) were a race of people living on an island dominated by the lotus tree, a plant whose botanical identity is uncertain. The lotus fruits and flowers were the primary ...

Greek Mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities ...

Plot synopsis

Two teenage boys, Marty and Steve, live in a colony on the Moon, "The Bubble", in the year 2068. Exploring outside the dome of "The Bubble" is strictly controlled. The boys grow bored and decide to borrow a lunar vehicle. They discover someone has forgotten to remove their key, which makes it possible for them to explore beyond proscribed boundaries without restriction. 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 coordinates to a place Thurgood claimed he saw something that looked like a huge flower, and the boys decide to go there and do some investigating themselves. They crash through the Moon's surface into a series of 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 from 70 years earlier, who has become enthralled by the alien. He does not seem to have aged during all those years. The boys are torn between staying in the caves, within which the alien provides an idyllic life fulfilling all 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 Walden Media, LLC or Walden Media is an American film investor, distributor, and publishing company. Its films are based on children's literature, biographies or historical events, as well as documentaries and some original screenplays. The corpo ...

, to be written by

Brian Klugman Brian Klugman (born September 15, 1975) is an American actor, screenwriter, and director. In 2012 he debuted as a co-director with Lee Sternthal on the film '' The Words'', which they both co-wrote as well. Early life Klugman was born in the s ...

and Lee Sternthal and directed by Rpin Suwannath.

Television

In 2010, the US television network Syfy ordered a pilot episode based on the story. They finally commissioned a series in 2012. The series was called ''High Moon''. Principal photography for the pilot began on August 26, 2013, in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

. The episode was directed by

Adam Kane Adam Kane is an American cinematographer, film director, television director and producer. Since the 1990s, Kane has amassed cinematography credits for the films '' Hail Caesar'', ''The Boondock Saints'', '' The Man'', '' Skinwalkers'' and a n ...

and was written by Jim Gray from an adaptation by Bryan Fuller and Gray. Syfy ultimately passed on the series, but the pilot was released as a TV movie and aired on September 15, 2014.Bryan Fuller on his repurposed High Moon TV movie: 'I think we imagined too great'
Retrieved September 18, 2014

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lotus Caves, The 1969 British novels 1969 science fiction novels 2068 Fiction set in the 2060s Novels set on the Moon Children's science fiction novels British science fiction novels Works published under a pseudonym Novels by John Christopher Hamish Hamilton books