The Green Trap / Ben Bova

The Green Trap

(category: thriller)
by

Ben Bova

published by Forge / Tom Doherty in 2006
Nick read a library book, in March 2010

Nick's rating: 5 out of 10

Nick's opinion:

This is a thriller based on a scientific breakthrough. A cheap and easy process for the production of hydrogen means that the oil/energy industry will be ruined. Energy moguls want the new information suppressed. They are supported by the politicians in their pockets. Scientists succumb to pressure, lust and greed. Only the hero --an unworldly, friendless scientist -- wants to release the new knowledge to the world. Past half-way and some terrorists appear. They hate Russia and want to release the cheap hydrogen technology so that Russia -- earning heaps of money from its oil -- will be financially ruined. "At last!" I thought, "Some people who know what they are doing!" The concept of this book is fine; the characters are ridiculous... For example: as soon as there is a physical threat, the hero completely forgets about the personal alarm which he carries.

Strangely enough, though, my main criticism of the book is in the use of email... The secret of the hydrogen extraction process is on CDs. The hero puts it all into a zip file and sends copies to friends. The baddies then steal the PCs from the friends -- and believe that they now have every single copy of the data! Good grief! Look in "Sent mail"... look on any server between sender and receiver... download another copy of the email... Once sent, it's almost impossible to remove all copies of an email -- yet the baddies think that they can steal a few PCs and destroy all of the evidence! The stupidity of the main characters made this a difficult book to enjoy. The misunderstanding of email and the internet are an embarrassment.

Come to think of it: The new hydrogen extraction process is done by genetically modified bacteria. Everyone is fighting to control the notes which explain what was done. Meanwhile -- the bacteria are happily sitting in a tank, growing, breeding and producing hydrogen. Who needs the notes on their creation?!

..o0o..

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