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Bug Park
In a tiny world known as Bug Park, the teenage offspring of a rich, indulgent parent finds that the privileged life holds no weight in a place where everything familiar is the opposite of what it is supposed to be. Reprint.
416 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
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131 people want to read
About the author
James P. Hogan
114 books268 followersJames Patrick Hogan was a British science fiction author.
Hogan was was raised in the Portobello Road area on the west side of London. After leaving school at the age of sixteen, he worked various odd jobs until, after receiving a scholarship, he began a five-year program at the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough covering the practical and theoretical sides of electrical, electronic, and mechanical engineering. He first married at the age of twenty, and he has had three other subsequent marriages and fathered six children.
Hogan worked as a design engineer for several companies and eventually moved into sales in the 1960s, travelling around Europe as a sales engineer for Honeywell. In the 1970s he joined the Digital Equipment Corporation's Laboratory Data Processing Group and in 1977 moved to Boston, Massachusetts to run its sales training program. He published his first novel, Inherit the Stars, in the same year to win an office bet. He quit DEC in 1979 and began writing full time, moving to Orlando, Florida, for a year where he met his third wife Jackie. They then moved to Sonora, California.
Hogan's style of science fiction is usually hard science fiction. In his earlier works he conveyed a sense of what science and scientists were about. His philosophical view on how science should be done comes through in many of his novels; theories should be formulated based on empirical research, not the other way around. If a theory does not match the facts, it is theory that should be discarded, not the facts. This is very evident in the Giants series, which begins with the discovery of a 50,000 year-old human body on the Moon. This discovery leads to a series of investigations, and as facts are discovered, theories on how the astronaut's body arrived on the Moon 50,000 years ago are elaborated, discarded, and replaced.
Hogan's fiction also reflects anti-authoritarian social views. Many of his novels have strong anarchist or libertarian themes, often promoting the idea that new technological advances render certain social conventions obsolete. For example, the effectively limitless availability of energy that would result from the development of controlled nuclear fusion would make it unnecessary to limit access to energy resources. In essence, energy would become free. This melding of scientific and social speculation is clearly present in the novel Voyage from Yesteryear (strongly influenced by Eric Frank Russell's famous story "And Then There Were None"), which describes the contact between a high-tech anarchist society on a planet in the Alpha Centauri system, with a starship sent from Earth by a dictatorial government. The story uses many elements of civil disobedience.
James Hogan died unexpectedly from a heart attack at his home in Ireland.
Hogan was was raised in the Portobello Road area on the west side of London. After leaving school at the age of sixteen, he worked various odd jobs until, after receiving a scholarship, he began a five-year program at the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough covering the practical and theoretical sides of electrical, electronic, and mechanical engineering. He first married at the age of twenty, and he has had three other subsequent marriages and fathered six children.
Hogan worked as a design engineer for several companies and eventually moved into sales in the 1960s, travelling around Europe as a sales engineer for Honeywell. In the 1970s he joined the Digital Equipment Corporation's Laboratory Data Processing Group and in 1977 moved to Boston, Massachusetts to run its sales training program. He published his first novel, Inherit the Stars, in the same year to win an office bet. He quit DEC in 1979 and began writing full time, moving to Orlando, Florida, for a year where he met his third wife Jackie. They then moved to Sonora, California.
Hogan's style of science fiction is usually hard science fiction. In his earlier works he conveyed a sense of what science and scientists were about. His philosophical view on how science should be done comes through in many of his novels; theories should be formulated based on empirical research, not the other way around. If a theory does not match the facts, it is theory that should be discarded, not the facts. This is very evident in the Giants series, which begins with the discovery of a 50,000 year-old human body on the Moon. This discovery leads to a series of investigations, and as facts are discovered, theories on how the astronaut's body arrived on the Moon 50,000 years ago are elaborated, discarded, and replaced.
Hogan's fiction also reflects anti-authoritarian social views. Many of his novels have strong anarchist or libertarian themes, often promoting the idea that new technological advances render certain social conventions obsolete. For example, the effectively limitless availability of energy that would result from the development of controlled nuclear fusion would make it unnecessary to limit access to energy resources. In essence, energy would become free. This melding of scientific and social speculation is clearly present in the novel Voyage from Yesteryear (strongly influenced by Eric Frank Russell's famous story "And Then There Were None"), which describes the contact between a high-tech anarchist society on a planet in the Alpha Centauri system, with a starship sent from Earth by a dictatorial government. The story uses many elements of civil disobedience.
James Hogan died unexpectedly from a heart attack at his home in Ireland.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
September 12, 2024
Who needs Dreams or Jurassics when you can have bugs? This is a YA novel, I believe, (though it wasn't marketed as such), and Hogan just told a good kids'n'spies story with a very interesting setting and didn't allow himself to get sidetracked into political philosophizing. It's a quick, fun read, and though some of the speculative content may be a little weathered about the edges, it's still a good adventure.
June 15, 2008
Did anyone ever read "Tom Swift" while growing up? Tom Swift and His Giant Telescope, Tom Swift and His Planet Stone or Tom Swift and His Sky Train? Well, James P. Hogan has created what I consider the next generation of Tom Swift style story. It is a pity he did not follow up with a subsequent novel.
The basic premise of the story is that a technology is invented called 'direct neural coupling' where an individual can control mechanical devices with their mind. Miniaturized devices called 'mecs' are created and they are placed in an environment with plenty of insects. Big game hunters are going to be invited to 'hunt' creatures that have never been hunted before.
Take this idea, mix in some bad guys and a number of teenage protagonists and you have a thoroughly enjoyable yarn. It is a book that I still have on my bookcase. Not a top 25 novel, but it is still one I enjoy revisiting from time to time. Seems like a good premise for a movie.
Who knows, it could happen. I've seen quite a number of my favorites make it to the big screen. Holes, The City of Ember, The Golden Compass, etc. I've even heard about negotiations for Ender's Game to be adapted for the big screen.
The basic premise of the story is that a technology is invented called 'direct neural coupling' where an individual can control mechanical devices with their mind. Miniaturized devices called 'mecs' are created and they are placed in an environment with plenty of insects. Big game hunters are going to be invited to 'hunt' creatures that have never been hunted before.
Take this idea, mix in some bad guys and a number of teenage protagonists and you have a thoroughly enjoyable yarn. It is a book that I still have on my bookcase. Not a top 25 novel, but it is still one I enjoy revisiting from time to time. Seems like a good premise for a movie.
Who knows, it could happen. I've seen quite a number of my favorites make it to the big screen. Holes, The City of Ember, The Golden Compass, etc. I've even heard about negotiations for Ender's Game to be adapted for the big screen.
August 25, 2019
This is a fairly fun one-off novel that, despite having some fairly serious consequences, reads like something between a caper and a light thriller. It is a science fiction book, but the main science fiction elements are used less to examine what life will be like after the advent of micro-robotics and more to set the stage for something like a corporate thriller. It does seem a bit like the book was written to be adapted into a screenplay, since it would work very well as either a movie or a mini-series.
One thing I found funny was that it suffers from some serious mis-estimations in the near-future course of technology. Hogan posits a world where a direct neural interface with micro-scale robots is possible, but also you still connect to the internet over the phone (the main characters have a second phone line installed because the teenager is always on the phone).
3.5 of 5 stars
One thing I found funny was that it suffers from some serious mis-estimations in the near-future course of technology. Hogan posits a world where a direct neural interface with micro-scale robots is possible, but also you still connect to the internet over the phone (the main characters have a second phone line installed because the teenager is always on the phone).
3.5 of 5 stars
March 9, 2013
I can't understand why this book isn't better known. It's one that has been passed through me and both my brothers again and again. I think its YA, and its not a super sophisticated plot, but the imagery is crystal clear. I still remember it practically scene by scene and I haven't read it in years.
December 18, 2018
I loved this book. No real reason. It was like a funhouse at an amusement park. Each turn was a new surprise, some great, so scary, some funny.
It is one of my top twenty books.
It is one of my top twenty books.
October 15, 2019
A rollicking ride. I always enjoy stories that show how people can work things out with their superlative minds. Great characterizations. Great read.
February 16, 2022
Bug Park (1997) 405 pages by James P. Hogan
Eric Heber was pushing for Direct Neural Coupling rather than the old technology. When Micorbotics went with the latter, he quit and set up his own company. Now his company is doing well and Ohira is thinking of building theme parks with this technology. Ohira was introduced to the idea because his nephew, Taki, is great friends with Eric's son Kevin. But now that this plan is in the works some old unfounded claims against DNC have resurfaced. Almost as if the sensationalized stories are being planted solely to discredit Neurodyne.
The prologue has some unnamed person murdered by a mec. So we know there is someone out there willing to go that level. Eric is a bit naive about the seeing the smear campaign as anything other than media hype, but he has people (Doug Corfe, Michelle Lang, Kevin & Taki) who are looking out for him.
Eighty pages in we find out who the prologue victim was. Before that Hogan is giving us examples of the technology, introducing the characters, while we wonder when the shit will hit the fan. Kevin is the first to stumble on to something to let us suspect some people. The action really picks up, the tension remaining high right up until the epilog. Plots by the bad guys, the protagonists doing their thing, with the little robots playing their part. Of course it looks like the good guys have the upper hand with things, then it looks unwinnable, but maybe there's some way out. 4.6 stars.
Eric Heber was pushing for Direct Neural Coupling rather than the old technology. When Micorbotics went with the latter, he quit and set up his own company. Now his company is doing well and Ohira is thinking of building theme parks with this technology. Ohira was introduced to the idea because his nephew, Taki, is great friends with Eric's son Kevin. But now that this plan is in the works some old unfounded claims against DNC have resurfaced. Almost as if the sensationalized stories are being planted solely to discredit Neurodyne.
The prologue has some unnamed person murdered by a mec. So we know there is someone out there willing to go that level. Eric is a bit naive about the seeing the smear campaign as anything other than media hype, but he has people (Doug Corfe, Michelle Lang, Kevin & Taki) who are looking out for him.
Eighty pages in we find out who the prologue victim was. Before that Hogan is giving us examples of the technology, introducing the characters, while we wonder when the shit will hit the fan. Kevin is the first to stumble on to something to let us suspect some people. The action really picks up, the tension remaining high right up until the epilog. Plots by the bad guys, the protagonists doing their thing, with the little robots playing their part. Of course it looks like the good guys have the upper hand with things, then it looks unwinnable, but maybe there's some way out. 4.6 stars.
August 10, 2025
Kevin’s dad owns a company interested in tiny manufacturing by method of hooking people up to mini mechs. Bypassing regular motor skills, you merely intend for your robot to move and it does. Kevin and his friend Taki are working on much more exciting application—a bug park! However, when Kevin and a family friend uncover a plot to steal the technology, they end up putting their insect-fighters to a more daring use—as spies.
I found this to be a fun but bland YA adventure. Kevin is not actually the main character, as it switches between at least 4 main viewpoints and a few more people, including the villains. So there was absolutely no mystery for the reader to uncover, and I didn’t feel like the characters had any room to grow. They all had the personality of a toothpick. And they weren’t very smart either.
The bug park idea is fun but plays very little role in the story. The mini mechs were very entertaining. The writer failed to realize any other kind of changes in the world, however. Sure, you have great VR and mini robots and……..everything else in life is the same. Yeah, I don’t think so.
[The book description here is just nothing what the book is like. Kevin doesn’t seem particularly spoiled and neither does he learn any lessons from his adventures. And nothing is opposite. ???]
I found this to be a fun but bland YA adventure. Kevin is not actually the main character, as it switches between at least 4 main viewpoints and a few more people, including the villains. So there was absolutely no mystery for the reader to uncover, and I didn’t feel like the characters had any room to grow. They all had the personality of a toothpick. And they weren’t very smart either.
The bug park idea is fun but plays very little role in the story. The mini mechs were very entertaining. The writer failed to realize any other kind of changes in the world, however. Sure, you have great VR and mini robots and……..everything else in life is the same. Yeah, I don’t think so.
[The book description here is just nothing what the book is like. Kevin doesn’t seem particularly spoiled and neither does he learn any lessons from his adventures. And nothing is opposite. ???]
February 25, 2019
Old-fashioned but decent fun.
March 23, 2017
3.5 to 4 stars. It picked up at about 2/3 of the way through when the evildoers' plans were finalized and underway.
August 5, 2016
It's a fun story about miniature robots and the sorts of things you can do with them! Although much of it is spent doing spy work, not exploring the titular bug park (that's ok, there needs to be a plot after all!). There were some issues though, probably because it's pretty old now. Though, I don't know if in 1997 it was still normal to call Asians "orientals", or gawk at the existence of female lawyers. One of the weirder things about this book is that the characters all refer to their pet cat as "it". Why? Does anyone do this in real life? That struck me as the most bizarre.
In the writing side of things, it's ok. I wish the descriptions of the world viewed from miniature size were better and easier to follow. Sometimes I feel like it got wrapped up in describing things and forgot to do so in an eloquent way.
In the writing side of things, it's ok. I wish the descriptions of the world viewed from miniature size were better and easier to follow. Sometimes I feel like it got wrapped up in describing things and forgot to do so in an eloquent way.
March 22, 2012
Great book from a great author. This one is focused on the children of ground breaking engineers. The two boys have taken micro robots cast off by the parent and created a battle game they play against each other.
Troubles arise when the bad guy tries to drive the father out of the business and contemplates/tries using the microbots as tools of assasination.
Themes: Engineer's as heroes, not cannon fodder. Smart children making smart decisions.
Troubles arise when the bad guy tries to drive the father out of the business and contemplates/tries using the microbots as tools of assasination.
Themes: Engineer's as heroes, not cannon fodder. Smart children making smart decisions.
December 23, 2016
A good friend of mine has been wanting me to read this book for a couple of years now, and it's been sitting in my to-read bookshelf on Goodreads since then. I'm glad I finally cracked open the book. It was very entertaining and a delight to read. My wife and I were house sitting for friends and I had hours and hours of time to read, which makes any book that much better, when you can grab the whole story in one fell swoop. I really enjoyed Bug Park and recommend it.
February 17, 2010
I really enjoyed this book. It deals with miniature mecha-type robots and industrial espionage. It had lots of good action and the story kept moving at a good pace. I would love to see this made into a movie.
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January 9, 2010baen ebook
May 24, 2013
While it drags a bit at time with too much detail, this s a fun book with a feel good ending thats hilarious!
February 7, 2014
this book is awesome!!
January 13, 2016
Enjoyable, but mindless.
June 18, 2016
Classic Hogan in many ways but with younger leads than his typical, this is a clever take on the nano idea. Not an outstanding work and he's certainly done better, but I enjoyed it all-the-same.
March 9, 2025
I thought this was a fun read, very entertaining and unique concept, sort of like honey I shrunk the kids, Tron and Avatar combined.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews