mhg83

With the recent news about Tom and Katies divorce Scientology has been brought up again. I started reading up on L. Ron Hubbard and was curious if anyone here has read one of his books? Are any of his novels worth checking out? All I've heard is that Dienetics and to avoid those series of books.

brainee

I read a few of his non-Scientology books. If you like the style of "Golden Age" pulp SF/fantasy/horror, there's enjoyment to be found. It's been a while, but I liked the two early novels of his that I read: "Final Blackout" and "Fear".

"Battlefield Earth" and "Mission Earth" (10 book series) were written much later in his career (in the decade before he died), and are probably the things that make up the bulk of the L Ron Hubbard section in any bookstore (at least for fiction). BE is very much a throwback to the earlier style. Though it's really really long. And there's a lot of stupidity in it (many of the dumb things people made fun of the movie for are right there in the source material). I found it ok, I suppose. I enjoyed it when I read it as a teenager. I don't know how well it holds up though.

"Mission Earth" is absolutely awful. Maybe it starts out ok, but the thing just goes on and on and on. It's packed with painfully unfunny satire. And while I didn't notice Scientology doctrine in BE, ME is just loaded with it (psychiatry is evil, didn't you know?)

Wolf359

I've read Battlefield Earth probably three times. I loved it and was hugely disappointed in the movie.

Tried the Mission Earth stuff but it was just silly and ten books?! No thanks.

danwiz

I've read some of his "Stories From the Golden Age" that were quite enjoyable.

benedict

Fear was his, written in his prime and seemed OK to me.

As far as I know, the "Mission Earth" books were ghost-written. Many appeared after his death and there's probably info somewhere as to the culprit...

Alvis

http://www.lermanet.com/cos/MissionEarth.htm

DJLinus

I just noticed this listed on one of the ebook sites I peruse. Hubbard's 1934 book Dead Men Kill is currently free for the Kindle.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003ATPQCK/?tag=afbm-20

I had no idea he wrote pulpy detective stories. Figured why not and just "bought" it.

bippitty

He wrote pulpy everything stories. Well...maybe not 3-legged ninja porn...but pretty much everything else.

BobO'Link

I've read "Battlefield Earth" and enjoyed it very much. Good "golden age" style SF. The film was a waste of time and effort.