Cover Image: Battlefield Earth

Battlefield Earth

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

L. Ron Hubbard, classic from the golden age of Science fiction, you either like this style or you don't.

Was this review helpful?

Before he invented a science fiction religion that Hollywood seems to think is real, L. Ron Hubbard wrote science fiction novels. Battlefield Earth is a massive effort that takes a good long time to read. The story pits aliens against humans, although by the time the story starts the aliens have pretty much prevailed. Will freedom-loving humans eventually turn things around? The story follows sf traditions but adds little to them. Peter Hamilton's more recent Salvation trilogy covers much of the same ground with more complex characters and a better plot. Some of Hubbard's novel is entertaining but it doesn't do enough to justify the word count or the investment of reading time that it demands.

Was this review helpful?

A great read - a true science fiction classic! I could hardly put it down.

Was this review helpful?

A unique and interesting tale of a future where Earth is just a resource mine for aliens and humans have become an endangered species, fighting against impossible odds to regain their home. If they can gain some alien sympathizers, they might just have a chance, but the odds will still be against them. Absolutely thrilling!

Was this review helpful?

To properly review this novel in its own right, one must first divorce oneself from controversy surrounding the person that wrote the book, L. Ron Hubbard, the founder Dianetics and Scientology. Whilst I most certainly don't subscribe to his belief system, I can still appreciate that this novel remains unadulterated science fiction in the finest sense on an epic and grand scale.

As a 14 year old English schoolboy living at a hostel amongst the great oaks of Stellenbosch, a small rustic town nestled in the heart of the winelands of South Africa, I read Battlefield Earth for the first of many times. I was drawn into this dystopian future world where mankind, at the edge of extinction, rises up and ultimately defeats their cruel alien overlords.

The ultimate rags to riches story with Jonnie "Goodboy" Tyler, who begins as no more than a caged animal and eventually becomes the saviour of mankind. Terl, the merciless Psychlo security chief, is the perfect foil for our protagonist, the conniving villain that every space opera requires. Yes, Terl may be your stock baddie, but don't you just love to hate him and eagerly anticipate his eventual downfall.

Clearly there are many parts of this novel where you must be willing to suspend your disbelief and simply enjoy the wild ride that you are taken on. One particular scene that defied belief was the ease at which our heroes were able to learn to pilot sophisticated fighter jets by virtue of time spent in the flight simulator.

My biggest criticism though is that the end of this massive tomb felt rather rushed and incongruent. Only towards the end of the novel are we properly introduced to the grey man and the sudden emergence of the intergalactic bank as a power broker which plays out to far-reaching consequences in a rather unsatisfactory manner.

Nonetheless, a highly enjoyable read of epic proportions.

Was this review helpful?

Science fiction classic that should be on EVERYBODY's book shelf.

Was this review helpful?