Customer Reviews

The Legend That Was Earth

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4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
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1 star:		(3)

 

 

This is only the second Hogan book that I have read. The first, "Cradle of Saturn", dealt with somewhat bizarre scientific theories. In this book, he again espouses alternate science theories as the basis of his story.

However, The science fiction is ancillary to the story. Hogan wrote a story of intrigue and suspense. The Hyadeans did not have be aliens for the book to work because the plot doesn't hinge on the alien issue. Rather, the book focuses on development of the action caused by conflict in cultures.

The story reminds me a lot of a Robert Ludlum plot. Cade is the reluctant hero who experiences a life changing paradigm shift. He is thrown into a world of conflict that he refused to beleive existed. Hogan stresses his development, not the alien presence, to create his plotline. The characterization is well thought out and developed. However, the ending is somewhat predictable and contrived.

All in all, it's an enjoyable and easy read.

They're called the Hyadeans, and they've come to help. They promise to bring order and prosperity to a politically fragmented, often chaotic Earth. But are they really what they seem? Who are they really helping?

As a long-time fan of James Hogan, I pounced on the paperback edition of "The Legend That Was Earth" the day it came out. Forewarned by the negative reviews posted on this site to date, I didn't get my hopes up too much. But I needn't have worried. While the book admittedly isn't among Hogan's greatest, it was still very hard for me to put down. I devoured it within a single 36-hour period.

The story starts out a little slowly. Wealthy socialite Roland Cade leads a comfortable existence as a "fixer", a man who knows how to get Terrans and Hyadeans together to trade often-illicit goods and services. He's the man to see if, say, an off-worlder is interested in procuring exotic Navajo sand art for shipment back to the home world, where everything is utilitarian, drab and grey. He knows how to "go with the flow," not worrying about the Big Picture. He organizes cocktail parties filled with shallow people making insipid conversation. Their phraseology feels stilted, wooden, unnatural. People just don't talk like that in the real world! Are the naysayers right? Has Mr. Hogan lost his edge???

It was enough to really get on my nerves. But not to worry: a few chapters in, Roland gets a rude wakeup call when he comes across his ex-wife, who works for an armed resistance movement. It doesn't take him long to discover the dark side of the alien presence, as his life is turned upside-down. He falls in with people who have a genuine purpose to their lives. They talk like normal people. And he and his new-found friends discover that it isn't a strict conflict between Terrans and Hyadeans. There are "good" and "bad" people on both sides. Who will prevail?

Granted, the themes Mr. Hogan explores are familiar territory for those who, like me, have read most of his works. He is very much a proponent of Libertarianism. At least one of the villains in Hogan books always manages to self-destruct in a spectacularly creative way. The bad guys are into big-time feudalism, and they'll stop at nothing to get their way. The end is somewhat predictable. But that's OK by me: in this crazy, mixed-up world, "predictable" has its appeal. Do we really want the bad guys to win? Just this once?

Picture "Legend" as mental comfort food. Do you complain because you've eaten chocolate a thousand times before?

As has become Mr. Hogan's custom in recent novels, he explores exotic scientific theories. In the case of "Legend", it is the Hyadeans who believe in the Many Worlds Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics, Catastrophism and alternatives to Einstein's Theory of Relativity. Between several of the chapters are little italicized sections describing the theories and their implications. They're not, for the most part, central to the plot, but they make for fun reading. Whether or not they're valid theories I leave to the scientists to hash out.

All in all, I don't regret spending the money on this book. Serious Hogan fans should give this one a chance.

Many of the reviews state that, in their opinion, this book is not science fiction at all. In my mind it is one of the best sorts of science fiction. It gets you thinking "What if things worked this way?" I don't agree with all of his conclusions. But the best science fiction gets you thinking. If you read science fiction from some of the best authors of the 50s and 60s, there is a lot that they got wrong. But there was also a lot that they got right. The important thing was that they felt free to speculate.
The action is definitely there in the book too. It was a wonderful story to read. The only reason I didn't rate it 5 stars was that the end was a bit "deus ex machina", but I still enjoyed it.

If You've never read Hogan, don't start with this one.
If you've enjoyed some of his other Titles, go for It.

I have bought all of Hogan's novels and enjoyed them all - except this one. I could not believe that this was written by him. It reads like a 1st novel - infact, I would bet that this was a draft from years earlier that he dusted off and brought to market on his name alone because it was not because of the plot or characters.

I got all the way throught to the last 30 pages and quit reading the novel. I could not take it any more. I purchase Sci-Fi by authors. I may try Hogan again but I think that I will check the ratings before I do.

For years I've been a fan of James P. Hogan. The man's "Giant" novels are teetering on the brink of being classics. His work has consitently shown immagination, wit and intelligence.

Unfortunately his last several novels have fallen far short of his earlier promise. I won't review the plot of "Legend." Suffice it to say that it is much like many SciFi movies. A good idea ineptly handled.

Hogan's world view can be best described as new age libertarianism. He has based his last few novels on premisises that would leave an orthodox scientist rolling on the floor in laughter. His proofs? The government denies. How can one doubt?

Jerry

I have to admit right off that I only got as far as page 168 in this novel. I was just too bored to continue with it. It is difficult to believe that James P. Hogan wrote some of my favorite science fiction novels, "Code of the Lifemaker" (1983) for one, and then wrote this novel.

"The Legend that was Earth" does have space aliens but they really are just another class of people in this novel. There are a few futuristic ideas that are interesting but not many. This is really just another would be political adventure novel. I don't recommend it for science fiction fans.

Hogan's at his usual stuff, caring more for the weird tech the characters find than for the characters themselves. The tech itself is a bit interesting, but in recent years he's gone into psuedoscientific theories and that really shows in the "ether" t aliens use to travel between stars. I noticed a bit of plagiarizing from "Guns, Germs and Steel" as well. Read only if you're a diehard Hogan fan.

I am prohibited from presenting my initial review due to the overabundance of spiteful remarks that it contained. Suffice it to say that overall I did not like the book. I feel passionate enough about this to warn off others from buying it in any published form.

What I liked:
1) Cover art was ok.
2) Hmmmmm....

What I did not like:
1) Book seemed sketchy.
2) Book was carrier for author's latest left-wing socio-economic-political ideals. And it shows.
3) Book preached author's ideals over and over and over and over......(ad nauseum).
4) Author's use of limited omniscience is inconsistent and leaves threads dangling by end of book. (Please do NOT interpret this as a request for a sequel!)

I don't read fantasy or science-fiction with the yearning desire to know the author's every ill-conceived opinion about how governments stink and oppress the masses.

Keep it to yourself, James.