Growing Up Weightless

Ford offers a hard SF novel that is supposed to have a soft, touchie-feelie center. Unfortunately, this story of a lost generation coming of age in a sterile lunar colony is hollow. Matt Ronay and his posse of hacker friends pass the time in the 21st century by playing virtual reality games and making fun of Terran tourists, while dreaming about future employment on starships. They're a spirited, funky bunch, like their ancestors who declared independence from Earth years ago. Although they speak in a Russian/English/Japanese jive--passed down from the settlers--the sound of self-pitying adolescence rings true. The portrayal of self-absorbed teens is the novel's strongest aspect. Matt's father, Albin, is a lunar bureaucrat (in charge of negotiating water rights for the population) who still manages to let his son know that he honestly cherishes him. But the narcissistic youth doesn't notice and ultimately finds a job that whisks him off the moon. Does Ford ( The Dragon Waiting ) envision a resurgence of careerism over family ties? Long before this, however, despite the occasional vivid description or teenage witticism, the lack of tension and tepid narrative contrive to lull the reader into apathy. (Oct.)