Battlefield Earth [Hardcover]

L. Ron Hubbard (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Bridge Pubns; Reissue edition (February 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0884041905
• ISBN-13: 978-0884041900
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (492 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

86 of 105 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very entertaining, a real page turner, July 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000 (Paperback)

The book is always fun to read. I've gone through it 3 times over 12 years. Each time I read it cover to cover, straight through. The style is deliberately over-the-top, and very humorous. Hubbard creates many outrageous scenes of high tension, bigger than life and melodramatic. It can't help but bring a smile to your face, as this book presents innumerable good vs. evil conflicts in the classic tradition.

The "Psychlos" are bumbling alien psychotics, so intent on guile and treachery they can't even grab a goo-food stick without provoking a knock down, drag out fight. Through sheer luck, they've stumbled upon technologies which empower them to rule most of the know universes (all 16 of them). The ponderous, overwhelming Psychlo bureaucracy, replete with the cruelest and pettiest, middle level paper pushers imaginable, sets up the perfect "evil empire" that Johnny Good Boy Tyler defeats at every turn, overcoming incredible odds and triumphing over treachery with intelligence, bravery, and unbelievable luck. The almost stereo-typical conflicts in the book are a basis for it's humor and entertainment value, given the author's talent for creating conflicts of epic, even galactic, proportions.

Although I normally read more intellectualy structured fiction, Hubbard somehow has the knack of creating an entertaining story that is fun to read despite it's intentionally low-brow approach. If you like funny, adventure/sci-fi, you will probably like this book a lot.

I liked this book more than the Hubbard "Dekaology". Battlefield Earth is pretty long, but generally holds my interest throughout. It's almost like (2) books, with an initial phase related just to earth, and a final phase, involving the 16 known universes. The Dekalogy in contrast had a lot of underlying bitterness, and was REALLY long, perhaps because Hubbard was near the end of his life, and his goal was to write the longest sci-fi book, not necessarily the best.

I can think of many "serious" sci-fi authors I prefer to L. Ron Hubbard, but I'm hard pressed to think of one who is more entertaining. I look at Battlefield Earth as equal parts Douglas Adams, Tom Swift, and Asimov. Hubbard is from the same generation of classic sci-fi authors as Heinlin, Clark, Asimov, et. al., but in Battlefield Earth, employs a more humorous and easy-going style, without the dated idealism and self-importance found in many older sci-fi classics.

117 of 152 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A Review of Reviews, May 16, 2005

By 

DonAthos - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Battlefield Earth (Mass Market Paperback)

This is one of the worst books I've ever read (though sadly, not the worst). If it's not too late for you (i.e., you haven't yet attempted a read), allow me to try to save you some pain. I suggest you skim through the reviews here on Amazon. Read the one star reviews, and consider. As for the five star reviews (and there aren't many between these two extremes), allow me to pull some choice quotes so that you don't have to strain through each one:

"Lovable characters, hatable baddies. You always know what to think of a character."

"The villains are really horrible - no bones about it. You just want to watch the hero wipe 'em all out, with no second thoughts. These elements are really pretty fairy-tale-ish. Most modern-day books don't have such black-and-white heroes and villains, and I found it a refreshing change."


"[...]it is not what ud call ground breaking[...]"

"It isn't very deep and is not meant to be."

"I noticed on some of the other reviews critism about a 'juvenile' writing style: I beg to differ - I find it's refreshing! I am as literate as anyone but when I read a story I like to read a story, not a jumble of often extraneous words or ponderous thoughts."

"Hubbard writes at an average 15 year-old reading level, which makes it slightly awkward, but the feeling of the novel can reach out to any aged reader. There are subtle points in the novel that are a little hard to notice and are quite ridiculous.[...]The story drags on a little long and you can get bored with it rather quickly if you're not interested in sci-fi before you read it."

"Granted the names of the characters and most of the events are absolutely ludicrous but Hubbard wrote it like that intentionally. It's a wonderful pulp sci-fi satire. And to those of you who think it's too far-fetched, it's sci-FICTION for god's sake."

"Admittedly, the science in this book is very weak. If you come to this book looking for a world that could actually happen... look somewhere else, you won't find it here.[...]If you are looking for a serious story, the light, cheesy narrative might turn you off."

"...the last 100 or so pages are not needed...who cares if its entirely impossible...since when does a FICTION novel have to be possible[...]"

"Don't read this looking for great literature."

"I actually like the hit on psychology at the end. It's a fake science at best!"

"i understand the bad reviews, you need to approach it with a tongue-in-check attitude."

"That said, there are some things about it that may turn off some people. Namely, some of the things in the book are incredibly cheesy.[...]Also, there are some rather poor stereotypes in this book."

"I thought that I would get tired of the cheesiness of some of the things in the book, like the names of things (Johnny Goodboy Tyler, the Basher Bash Your Way to Glory Battle Tank, etc.), but somehow it just didn't stop being fun. The only thing I disliked were a few minor plot holes."

"Some of the phrasing is a little odd, I get a sense that Hubbard was fumbling a bit as he tried to tell the story, and a few of the scientific issues I find somewhat suspect, but it's still a good read though quite long."

"Yes, it istrue that this book relies on rather tired cliches, (Johnny Tyler is good, the aliens are bad, aliens lose, humans triumph, etc.)[...]It won't change the way you like at the world, or even give you a deep emotional connection to the characters[...]"

"It is not a book if you want rich character development or profound social messages."

"It's definitely a 'guy' book, though, not as unisex as Tolkien's Lord of the Rings[...]"

"Read it for the sci-fi, not for any inner enlightenment as it's not there."

"Somewhere in my literary education I was imbued with a prejudice against 'popular literature,' and was taught to 'appreciate' the classics - Homer, Chaucer, Shakespeare, Cervantes, Jane Austen, Tolstoy, Balzac, Conrad, Henry James, James Joyce and so on.[...]And then I found and read Battlefield Earth! Oh, my goodness! I had to rethink my whole education![...]Here was a book that defied all my precepts of literature!"

"...yes, it defies 'proper' writting. Just because it's different doesn't make it bad.[...]To say the least, this book is unlike any novel you have ever read. Just because the book isn't full of useless literary techniques, and other things only English teachers would find, doesn't mean it's not good."

"[...]it's not the deepest Sci-Fi ever (Or even close)[...]"

"While there are many plot holes through the book and many inconsistencies in character development, including poor writing in parts, predictability of certain situations, etc. it is nonetheless a great read[...]"

"Although I normally read more intellectualy structured fiction, Hubbard somehow has the knack of creating an entertaining story that is fun to read despite it's intentionally low-brow approach."

"This book was not meant to be a 'deep' sci-fi novel like Asimov's and others."

"Its simplicity makes it intense."

"Who cares if he doesn't have verb agreement? Just read the books and enjoy them, stop dissecting them."

"Battlefield Earth isn't too subtle, and if you like your sci-fi 'deep' you might be a little turned off by BE."

"A no brainer to read."

These only represent the serious 5-star reviews, not the joke ones like:

"One of the most enlightening books I have read since Al Gore's Earth in the Balance. The movie is even better only Waterboy was more insightful."

(I'd also like to note the suspicious similarities between many of the five-star reviews, especially the early ones, usually short, written anonymously. Many compare the villain, Terl, to Darth Vader saying "Terl makes Darth Vader look like (fill in the blank)." No conspiracy theorist here, just saying...)

What I think you'll notice is that the 1-star and 5-star reviewers tend to agree on the basics: shallow characters, unbelievable plot, weak science, etc. It's just that one group cares about that sort of thing and the other does not. I know what camp I'm in; you decide where you stand.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Battlefield Earth, May 12, 2000

By 

ebad "e" (Kansas City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000 (Paperback)

I tried to read this book but could not finish it. Like all L. Ron Hubbard books, and those attributed to him by his followers, this one was not very good. Hubbard, and those who write in his name, do not seem to be able to tell a coherent story. They are always filled with absurd silly characters and even worse dialogue. One gets the feeling that Hubbard was one of those people who simply thought too much of his skills. When one becomes a religious icon, it's hard to edit the words they produce. All the words springing from the mind of such an individual are sacred aren't they? In Hubbrd's case, no. All of his works are in great need of editing. Though I must admit, this book in particular would have made an OK comic book. Maybe.

Erik