Unbelievably inept
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If you're going to write an old-school pulp-style slam-bang sci-fi novel that deliberately sets out to ignore the increasing sophistication, psychological realism and attention to literary style that has characterised the genre since the 1960s, then the least you can do is pay attention to scientific accuracy. In this novel, the late L. Ron Hubbard couldn't even be bothered to do that. Among the many implausibilities of this novel is the idea that humans can breathe the Psychlos' atmosphere if they wear a breath mask containing a filter full of salt. Hubbard appears not to have noticed that since human blood is already full of salt, we wouldn't need a breath mask; our blood would do the job for us. In the meantime, the plot of the book is almost insultingly stupid. A caveman-like supposedly heroic human has to defeat the evil baddie aliens, but it's implausible that he could possibly acquire the skills to do so, so Hubbard contrives a bizarre plot in which one alien fiddles with our hero's brain in order to enable him to learn things quicker. But if that's the case, how come the hero survives the process with his allegiances intact? How does the process not cause massive brain damage? For that matter, what sort of brilliant evil alien (who have supposedly been ruling Earth for 1000 years) deliberately makes his own slaves more intelligent? And if the Psychlos are as corrupt and screwed-up as Hubbard's plot requires them to be, how come they all this cool learning technology hasn't made them superior? Doesn't it work? And if it does work, how come it works on humans too? Oh, but never mind, it's only fiction...
A genre that has produced such stirring, strange and beautiful things as the best work of Alfred Bester, Philip K. Dick, Neal Stephenson, Ursula LeGuin and William Gibson should not be judged by the drivel of one of its more cynical and less gifted exponents. SF at its best is some of the finest writing around. This, however, is dreck.
'Battlefield Earth', or at any rate the first half of it, also gave rise to a movie which is a strong contender for Worst Film Ever. The blame for that can be laid squarely at the feet of John Travolta, whose vanity project it was in the first place. The blame for the witless and inane novel that inspired it belongs to entirely to Lafayette Ron Hubbard - the pulp writer who created a pulp religion.
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Hubbards best work yet!
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Like his books on Dianetics and Mental Health all of this was made up. At least this is marked as 'fiction' though. You need to buy this book to see what an active imagination this guy had.
The fights with the aliens were really exciting. I was on the edge of my seat. I stayed up all night reading this epic novel.
I just wish the author had stuck with sci-fi instead of bringing misery to the lives of so many vulnerable people .
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A Great Sci-Fi Epic
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Seems to me that many of the reviewers below are using their reviews to register their opinions on Scientology, rather than simply offering an insight into a sci-fi classic.
If I found myself reading a 1000 page stonker that offended me on multiple levels, I would abandon it and never finish it. I just wouldn't put myself through the punishment. And I certainly wouldn't then seek out the title on Amazon and put myself through the bother of writing a review.
For myself, I know nothing of Scientology but know lots of science-fiction writing - from Greg Bear to Arthur C. Clarke, from Iain M. Banks to Isaac Azimov via William Gibson. And I can assure you that I enjoyed Battlefield Earth enormously. I read such books for mental stimulation and escapist enjoyment, and BE offers both in spades.
Indeed, I enjoyed the book in many different ways - the plot, the characters, the atmosphere, the differing races, the technical content, the epic scale, the underlying pathos, etc etc. And when I got to the end of the book, I immediately reread large chunks of it, so stimulating and thought-provoking it was. And it stayed in my mind for ages afterwards - in fact, I have found that the mental landscapes generated by this book have even provided imagined backdrops for subsequent sci-fi stories I've read.
If finesse of plot, profundity of characterisation and literary sophistication are what you're after, then read Austen or Hardy. If you're after a gripping, ripping tale of high drama and adventure, with a futuristic, sci-fi setting and an exquisitely satisfying dose of extreme revenge, then Battlefield Earth will go a long way towards fulfilling your requirements.
In my opinion as a well-read fan of sci-fi, this book is a great classic of the genre, and will appeal to anyone who's imagination has not yet been entirely calcified by political correctness. I sincerely hope there will be another attempt to make a worthy film of this book - the John Travolta film is dire; NOT because the project was only inspired by his subscription to Scientology, but for the usual reasons that films often fail to live up to great books.
Please overlook the overly-critical attitude of certain other reviewers (how many other works of fiction would they apply such stringent standards to?) and permit yourself a large, satisfying meal of classic, epic, sci-fi adventure with many original and innovative elements.
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One of the best - ever
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One of the few books I have that is falling apart from being re-read so many times. This book is superb and really deserves to be read many times because the story is so complex you will not 'get' everything the first time. I really wished that this was a series like 'Mission Earth' - which I also enjoyed, but not as much As Battlefield Earth. This is so well thought out and constructed it prompted me to search out other books by Hubbard. Unfortunately, he was not that prolific... I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Science Fiction.
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An exellent book!
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It is very important when reading this book that you seperate your oppinion of the book from the oppininon of the the author.
L Ron Hubbard is a scientologist a group of people who I have no love for what soever. But that really has no baring on how good the book is. Whether hate or love scientology should have no impact on whether you love or hate this book.
This story starts 1000 years after Earth has been conquered by an invading alien force and tells the story of how one human, a mere savage named Tyler, is captured by an alien, named Terl, who wishes to use humans in an illegal mining operation. You follow Tylers path as he goes from slave to rebel leader, uniting the reamining pockets of mankind in attempt to reclaim the earth from the aliens. And follow Terl's plan to become rich backfire into the greatest enemy he has ever faced.
Battlefield earth is great for many reasons, but one main one is the level of detail. The author creates a whole world in which to immerse yourself in and as much of the story is seen through the eyes of the alien invaders you are immersed in a full unique alien culture with it's own political systems and technologies.
This book is exellent, exciting, intriguing and well thought out. I would honestly have to call it my favourite book that I have ever read.
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