I really like John Christopher, and I think it's a shame that his books have disappeared so completely. I'm thinking of collecting him. I have some, of course, because my oldest really likes Christopher too, and I found that we had more than I thought when I was moving some books around. So I read The Lotus Caves, from 1969.
In 2068, the Moon colony is doing well. Marty has lived his entire life inside the Bubble; visits to Earth are too expensive, so everyone is there on a 25-year contract, no vacations. Everything is extremely utilitarian, but there's a nice recreation center for sports and fun. When Marty and his buddy Steve play a prank, they're punished with a month's ban from the recreation center, which strikes me as a really bad plan if you're trying to squish a couple of rowdy 13-year-old boys. Marty and Steve find a way to take a crawler out of the Bubble and explore farther than they're allowed, but it should be perfectly safe. Until they fall into an underground cave and discover a giant sentient plant.
The Plant can give them all the food, air, and sustenance they need in its air-tight cave. And it doesn't want them to leave and bring a bunch of scientists out to study it. So pretty soon it's hard to even think about escaping; like the Island of the Lotus-Eaters, it blurs their minds and makes them content to eat and sleep. Marty is having a hard time remembering his life outside the cave, and Steve is perfectly content. Will they remain trapped forever?
Yep, I do love a good John Christopher story! This one was exciting and imaginative. If you didn't spend your childhood reading Christopher, you should give him a try now.
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