Battlefield Earth

by L. Ron Hubbard

I found BATTLEFIELD EARTH, by L. Ron Hubbard, for 50 cents at a used bookstore. I had seen the movie in High School, and heard the book was much better. I kind of knew what to expect but the book had so much more. There are some many cool ideas with it that I would have never thought of. The races and societies are unique and refreshing. It is also hard science. Though I didn’t understand all of the technology, it was presented in a way that I could almost believe in the year 3000 some of it could be around.

The idea is that mankind is an endangered species. An alien race known as the Psychlos has enslaved the humans so they could mine the Earth and retrieve the minerals. Jonnie Goodboy Tyler is a human who is taken by the Psychlos. From there he is given the opportunity of a lifetime. He learns everything, including how to defeat the Psychlos. The Psychlos are the only race who have the technology of transshipment, teleportation. Even after the humans get the technology, there troubles are far from over.

I can see why some people may not like this book. It isn’t so much action as science and political. (For those of you who have seen the movie, there are significant differences. The biggest difference is that the end of the movie is only halfway through the book.) If you like science fiction and haven’t read this, than you are missing a work that has influenced a lot of other authors. I am glad that I bought this book and it will be one that I reread occasionally, just because I know each time I read it, I will understand another piece of the puzzle.