portlandcat's review against another edition
3.0
Great Sci Fi novel, but it’s about three times longer than it needs to be. Maybe there were no line editors back in 1980.
housegnome's review against another edition
3.0
The first half of this book was a lot of fun and could stand alone as a novel in itself. The second half was kind of meh and not what I was interested in.
charlibirb's review against another edition
4.0
What a great read! Really liked the complexity of the plot, the number of characters, and the epic proportions of the alien worlds. It got minus a star, because it was a bit unrealistic to have a barbarian human who doesn't know how to read, within a couple years, learn how to read, speak several languages, learn about diplomacy, explosives, mining, advanced mathematics... the list goes on. Also, he never lost, so it wasn't surprising when he won. Fun story, though, and way better than I expected of L. Ron Hubbard!
olityr's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This book really should have been a trilogy, not one long novel.
markazarnie's review against another edition
5.0
I brought this book when it tirst came out in the 80s, but could never get more than the first few chapters. Then I got ill and neded something to while away the time, so I started reading it again. I'm now on my 7th copy of it(the rest fell to bits from over reading) and I reread it every 6 months. The first is basically a battle of wits between the twn main characters, and it goes from there. Yes to cal the film a peice of crap is being nice, and L Ron was definately different but this book is good
togashisan's review against another edition
5.0
I have always been a sucker for post apocalyptic tales. While this book is by L. Ron Hubbard, don't think that it has anything to do with Scientology. The story takes place 1000 years in the future, after mankind has been conquered and nearly completely exterminated. The story is epic in scale, and so is the book clocking in at damn near 1000 pages. The tale is well crafted, albeit at times the story slows down considerably and sort of wanders a bit, but in the end, everything is tied up well.
abbotsford1234's review against another edition
I read this years ago. No stars AT ALL.
jcooper221's review against another edition
1.0
It had a nice plot, but after the first 200 pages it began to feel like it wasn't really going anywhere. I also didn't like the author's style of writing, it's not very artistic or descriptive as I usually like it. The majority of description I find is about science and technology stuff, the kinds of things that I usually just skip over and really bore me. I can't understand the characters, as they seem to move however the author wants them to and not as though they were real, which is crucial to me if I want to get drawn into the book at all.
lovelyliterary's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you to Galaxy Press for graciously sending me a copy of Battlefield Earth to review in lieu of the novel's anniversary. All opinions are my own.
I'd like to begin by noting that very few fantasy novels pique my interest; if they do, many fail to keep my interest, especially if they are long (...which most fantasies are, haha). But that wasn't the case with Battlefield Earth at all. The reader is spared no detail, but - in my opinion - at the same time, the book never gets boring. The world is engaging and the writing captivating, demanding the reader's attention 100% of the time.
I consumed this book via audiobook, which is a new media format for me. I was wary 'reading' such a large/long book, but I'm so glad that I did. Yes, it's quite literally 48 hours of audio, but it's worth every second. The story is further enriched by a cast of talented voice actors that really brought the characters to life, as well as 150,000+ sound effects. I was completely engrossed in the world Hubbard crafted.
I'd like to begin by noting that very few fantasy novels pique my interest; if they do, many fail to keep my interest, especially if they are long (...which most fantasies are, haha). But that wasn't the case with Battlefield Earth at all. The reader is spared no detail, but - in my opinion - at the same time, the book never gets boring. The world is engaging and the writing captivating, demanding the reader's attention 100% of the time.
I consumed this book via audiobook, which is a new media format for me. I was wary 'reading' such a large/long book, but I'm so glad that I did. Yes, it's quite literally 48 hours of audio, but it's worth every second. The story is further enriched by a cast of talented voice actors that really brought the characters to life, as well as 150,000+ sound effects. I was completely engrossed in the world Hubbard crafted.