Helpful Score: 3
In the year 3000, there are no countries, no cities... Earth is an empty wasteland. In eight domed mining installlations scattered across the globe, vicious Psycho aliens grind out the mineral resources of the planet whose population they utterly destroyed a millenium ago. The scant few remnants of humanity hide in villages and remote areas, an endangered species on the brink of extinction. Apathy and superstition have suppressed all hope when one man, Jonnie Goodboy Tyler, dares to leave his village in search of a better life. Against all odds he marshals the last survivors to join him in a desperate attempt to drive the alien Psychos from this world before man is lost forever.
This book was a marvel of sci-fi writing. I don't think L. Ron Hubbard wrote this book. All of his books before this one were rubbish. He only started writing good books when he founded that stupid cult(scientology) and got all of those followers. I think one of his followers probably wrote all of L. Ron's books for him. That having been said, the story of this book is epic. Johnny Good boy Tyler is one of the surviving humans after an alien slaughter. He has grown up in a world damaged by warfare and controlled by evil alien dominators bent on mining our planet to an empty shell.
Allison S. (kshanholtzer) reviewed Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000 on + 9 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
This is an amazing book for Sci-Fi fans! It's over 1000 pages and it's a page turner! DON'T COMPARE THIS BOOK TO THE MOVIE!! The movie was a horrible translation of the book. I've read this book three times and loved it all three times!
It's the story of one hero's struggle to overcome the enslavement of the human race on Earth by an alien species. Set in the year 3000.
This is L Ron Hubbard's acclaimed achievement!
It's the story of one hero's struggle to overcome the enslavement of the human race on Earth by an alien species. Set in the year 3000.
This is L Ron Hubbard's acclaimed achievement!
Helpful Score: 2
I know that many people will pass up this book because they saw the movie first. This book is great, one of my favorites. I was deeply disapointed when the movie came out. It's hard to belive that one is based on the other. Give it a try....
Helpful Score: 2
Rating: 4.75/5
Please don't be turned off by Scientology, because this book contains none of it. This is a huge, epic, sci-fi masterpiece.
Set in the future on our very own planet, this story involves whole universes full of diverse alien life, some of which have taken over our planet. The story is about a solitary, primitive human, who will overcome great odds to free humanity and the rest of the universes from the evil clutches of an alien overlord race.
This book contains not only action and bravado, but also probes the aftermath of revolt including economics, foreign policy, manufacturing, banking and integrating cultural diversity. A really great book with tons of imagination, ingenuity and lovable characters.
Please don't be turned off by Scientology, because this book contains none of it. This is a huge, epic, sci-fi masterpiece.
Set in the future on our very own planet, this story involves whole universes full of diverse alien life, some of which have taken over our planet. The story is about a solitary, primitive human, who will overcome great odds to free humanity and the rest of the universes from the evil clutches of an alien overlord race.
This book contains not only action and bravado, but also probes the aftermath of revolt including economics, foreign policy, manufacturing, banking and integrating cultural diversity. A really great book with tons of imagination, ingenuity and lovable characters.
Helpful Score: 1
In the year 3000, there are no countries, no cities...Earth is an empty wasteland. In eight domes mining installations scattered across the globe, vicious Psychlo aliens grind out the mineral resources of the planet whose population they destroyed a millennium ago. The scant few remnants of humanity hide in villages and remote areas, an endangered species on the brink of extinction.
Apathy and superstition have suppressed all hope when one man, Jonnie Goodboy Tyler, dares to leave his village in search of a better life. Against all odds he marshals the last survivors to join him in a desperate attempt to drive the alien Psychlos from this world before man is lost forever.
this is a classic! DO NOT base this book on the movie!
Apathy and superstition have suppressed all hope when one man, Jonnie Goodboy Tyler, dares to leave his village in search of a better life. Against all odds he marshals the last survivors to join him in a desperate attempt to drive the alien Psychlos from this world before man is lost forever.
this is a classic! DO NOT base this book on the movie!
Survival, determination, good and evil, Hope, despair, hope again, and finally triumph.
The good guys are very good, and the bad guys are very bad. I loved it.
The good guys are very good, and the bad guys are very bad. I loved it.
I echo alot of other people on Battlefield Earth. This is one of the best Sci-fi novels I have read. It was a big page turner,hard to put down. I could not wait to see the movie which was very disapointing. Thank goodness Travolta pulled it through.
Alot of people are very weary of the scientology aspect but there was not a hint of that here.
Alot of people are very weary of the scientology aspect but there was not a hint of that here.
I recommend it to anyone that enjoys science fiction. It is quite entertaining, maybe little long, but otherwise a good read.
Julie L. (maighdline) -
Don't be fooled by the B Grade movie made from this novel. And don't be fooled by whatever strange stories you might hear about the author. This is a GREAT science fiction book. I didn't expect to love it, but I did.
There isn't much to say about this book. I guess you would have to be familiar with Hubbards writing to understand what is going on, because I was up in the clouds with this book. It was dreadfully long, and although thought out, was dull.
I really liked the book, the movie was terrible.
In regards to the "love-it vs. hate-it," "Scientology vs. critics" reviews of Battlefield Earth seen here, I should state that I have been an outspoken critic of Scientology for the past several years. Nevertheless, I will still say that Battlefield Earth is an entertaining book â" it's far from the "greatest science fiction saga ever written," and it really bogs down in the middle, but it's an enjoyable read nonetheless. In fact, it was the first of Hubbard's books that I ever read: I picked it up and read it for the sheer challenge of finishing a thousand-page paperback book. Much of the book is juvenile and laughably silly (such as the evil Brown Limper Staffor and his obsessive hatred for the superhero Johnnie Goodboy Tyler), and some of Hubbard's "science" is so implausible as to be laughable. In one section of the book, the good guys teleport a satellite to a point one light-year away from the planet Psychlo, and they use video enhancement technology to enlarge the image at "six trillion power" magnification to get a view of the planet. Then there's the idea that by placing five nuclear bombs next to each other, they will all go off, one after the other. I'll leave it to better writers than I to point out the obvious flaws to theseâ¦but despite their being crucial to the plot, they don't detract from the fact that I enjoyed the book. About half of it is full of rollicking action and intrigue (dampened somewhat by ludicrous stereotypical "good guys" and "bad guys"). Hubbard's Scientology ideas are there within the book, but they're deeply hidden. You'd have to know about Hubbard's obsessive hatred of psychiatry and the way Scientologists refer to psychiatrists and psychologists as "psychs" to understand why he chose "Psychlos" as the name for the evil alien overlords of the whole universe; likewise, the Scientology belief that "man is basically good" is what ensures that the final victory of the book will not leave humanity open to corruption on its own, after the story has ended.
The writing varies from a furious, energetic pace (when the battles and double-dealings are taking place) to tediously slow (when Hubbard plays the material for more additional sub-plots), and as has already been said, the overall tone of the book is that of a junvenile pulp fiction novel. To compare this silliness with grand space opera like E.E. "Doc" Smith's Lensman books would be sacrilege, but Battlefield Earth does stand on its own as an entertaining story. I had trouble getting started with it, and it did bog down, but the final third of the book is fast reading to the very end. This book inspired me to go out and learn more about L. Ron Hubbard and his worksâ¦but if you do want to read more, be warned that most of Hubbard's writings are far sillier than what you'll see in "Battlefield Earth." After this book, I worked my way through his ten-book Mission Earth seriesâ¦which are nothing but a blatant commercial for Scientology, and which are so unbelievably awful that you may want to read them just to see if they live up to their reputation as one of the worst pieces of "science fiction" drivel ever published. Battlefield Earth is an entertaining, fun readâ¦but after this, you may want to read Hubbard's other good book, "Fear." And then you can visit the Introduction to Scientology Web site and learn about his most famous science fiction creation: the "church" of Scientology.
The writing varies from a furious, energetic pace (when the battles and double-dealings are taking place) to tediously slow (when Hubbard plays the material for more additional sub-plots), and as has already been said, the overall tone of the book is that of a junvenile pulp fiction novel. To compare this silliness with grand space opera like E.E. "Doc" Smith's Lensman books would be sacrilege, but Battlefield Earth does stand on its own as an entertaining story. I had trouble getting started with it, and it did bog down, but the final third of the book is fast reading to the very end. This book inspired me to go out and learn more about L. Ron Hubbard and his worksâ¦but if you do want to read more, be warned that most of Hubbard's writings are far sillier than what you'll see in "Battlefield Earth." After this book, I worked my way through his ten-book Mission Earth seriesâ¦which are nothing but a blatant commercial for Scientology, and which are so unbelievably awful that you may want to read them just to see if they live up to their reputation as one of the worst pieces of "science fiction" drivel ever published. Battlefield Earth is an entertaining, fun readâ¦but after this, you may want to read Hubbard's other good book, "Fear." And then you can visit the Introduction to Scientology Web site and learn about his most famous science fiction creation: the "church" of Scientology.
L. Ron Hubbard is known for more than Scientology. He is considered by many one of the founding fathers of science fiction. This massive book is one of the best Sci-Fi epics; which he wrote prior to his 10 volume Mission Earth series.
Barbara H. (babshayes) reviewed Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000 on + 45 more book reviews
great sci fi book.
In the year 3000, there are no couuntries, no cities...Earth is an empty wasteland, In eight domed mining installations scattered across the globe, vicious Psychlo aliens grind out the mineral resourses of the planet whose population they utterly destroyed a millennium ago. The scant few remnants of humanity hide in vilages and remote areas, an endangered species on the brink of extinction.
Apathy and superstition have suppressed all hope when one man, jonnie Goodboy Tyler, dares to leave his village in search of a better life, Against all odds he marshals the last survivors to join him in a desperate attempt to drive the alien Psychlow from this world befor man is gone forever.
Apathy and superstition have suppressed all hope when one man, jonnie Goodboy Tyler, dares to leave his village in search of a better life, Against all odds he marshals the last survivors to join him in a desperate attempt to drive the alien Psychlow from this world befor man is gone forever.
Janice H. (damonjanice1) reviewed Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000 on + 13 more book reviews
MAN THE ENDANGERED SPECIES
Earth has been dominated for one thousand years by the giant, gas breathing invaders for the planet Psychlo. Now, at the bleak dawn of the third millenium, Jonnie Goodboy Tyler, one of the handful of human beings that have survived ten centuries of alien conquest and near annihilation, decides to bravely venture out of his dwindling, stricken community in the Rocky Mountains.
Initially captured and enslaved, Jonnie enlists the aid of a small band of tough Scots, in the final daring challenge to the invincible Psychlo power.
Awesome book, nothing like the movie!
Earth has been dominated for one thousand years by the giant, gas breathing invaders for the planet Psychlo. Now, at the bleak dawn of the third millenium, Jonnie Goodboy Tyler, one of the handful of human beings that have survived ten centuries of alien conquest and near annihilation, decides to bravely venture out of his dwindling, stricken community in the Rocky Mountains.
Initially captured and enslaved, Jonnie enlists the aid of a small band of tough Scots, in the final daring challenge to the invincible Psychlo power.
Awesome book, nothing like the movie!
apathy and superstation have surpressed all hope when one man dares to leave his village in search of a better life.
Stephen P. (thelad48) reviewed Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000 on + 495 more book reviews
I was pleasantly surprised as to how good a writer L. Ron Hubburd is or was. Much, much better book than the movie was.
Some great sci-fi. Liked it even better than the movie, which I liked well enough. Great detail, but without bogging down. Interesting concepts.
