Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000
by L. Ron Hubbard
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Book Summary Information
Author: L. Ron HubbardEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2002-10-01
ISBN: 1592120539
Number of pages: 1004
Publisher: Galaxy Press
Book Reviews of Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000
Book Review: One of the best Sci-fi novels
Summary: 5 Stars
Now that Republican Presidential Candidate Romney has listed this novel as his favorite, Battlefield Earth is being discussed again. I'm reviewing it simply because most of the reviewers get caught up in Scientology debates or John Travolta's movie.
This book has nothing to do with Scientology. (And that's the last word you'll hear from me on the subject. I assume you're all smart enough to make up your own minds about Scientology - but I may be wrong given the silly reviewers here who see hidden messages in this novel.) This book should also not be judged by John Travolta and his movie. This book is 1000 pages and epic in plot, so it would be impossible, in my opinion, to do it justice on the little movie screen.
One thing this book lacks (refreshingly, in my opinion) is long-winded political posturings. Anyone who has read classic sci-fi and much of the garbage produced today will quickly see that today's writers are the ones trying to indoctrinate their readers, not Hubbard.
I must admit, I'm giggling as a write this review thinking of how many "serious" reviewers complain of the "science" in this FICTIONAL work. I'm also giggling about the life or death aspects of some of these reviews that not only attack the book but call anyone who likes the book idots and worse. (So, if you must, put me down as an idiot, because I really liked the book, and here's why.)
The plot is epic in that humans are dying out on Earth after being conquered by aliens called Psychlos. (And Hubbard making fun of various cultural mores is one of the great parts of this book.) A particularly evil Psychlo enslaves one of the few remaining humans and teaches him technology so that he can mine a gold vein in an area that has readioactivity, which is deadly to Psychlos. The human turns the tables and uses his new-found knowledge to unite the few remaining humans in a last-ditch effort to gain their freedom once again. No sooner do the humans dispose of one enemy, than the rest of the universe's races (just as psychotically evil as the Psychlos) descend to try and figure out how the humans managed their victory. How does it end? Read it and see. I confess I've read this at least a dozen times over the years because it is such rollicking good, adventurous fun. If I had to compare this book to anything, I would compare it to the Star Wars franchise where Good triumphs miraculously over Evil, only this book has more humor. I find it amusing that the Star Wars "Force" that does everything from make Obi-wan disappear to allowing Luke Skywalker (nothing hokey about that name) to pile rocks on top of one another seems perfectly acceptable to many while they revile this book that has no "force" of any kind.
Besides the interesting plot, the characterizations in the novel are equally well done. There are very few ambiguous characters, but who wants a good guy who isn't so good? Hubbard is really a great writer, something that surprised me at the time I read this because I had never heard of him before. And given that his Mission Earth series of 10 long books with little plot and less character development and lots of obscene jokes and happenings was so inferior, it still surprises me how good this book is.
One of the most entertaining parts of this book is the humor that Hubbard uses in describing various characters and happenings. Hubbard makes fun of government, education, patriotism, religion, politics, Nazi's, tribalism, banking, economy, etc. Of course certain character names are silly, and of course certain sub-plots are silly - Hubbard is heaping scorn on these institutions. He is also parodying science fiction novels and science fiction writers (including himself) as he goes. So laugh and enjoy the absurdities - that's why Hubbard put them there!
All in all, this is simply a wonderfully amusing and inspiring novel where the good guy rides away victorious in the end.
Summary of Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000
The 20th Anniversary Edition.A towering masterwork of science fiction adventure and one of the best-selling science fiction novels of all time, L. Ron Hubbard's "Battlefield Earth" opens with breathtaking scope on an Earth dominated for a thousand years by an alien invader -- and man is an endangered species. From the handful of surviving humans a courageous leader emerges -- Jonnie Goodboy Tyler -- who challenges the invincible might of the alien Psychlo empire in a battle of epic scale, danger and intrigue, with the fate of Earth and the universe in the balance.
A breakaway New York Times and perennial international bestseller, "Battlefield Earth" has been voted among the top three of the best one hundred English language novels of the twentieth century by the Random House Modern Library Readers Poll, and has won worldwide critical acclaim, including the U.S. Golden Scroll and Saturn Awards, Italy's prestigious Tetradramma d'Oro (for the story's inherent message of peace), and France's Gutenberg Award for the novel's exceptional contribution to the genre.
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