Battlefield Earth

May 30, 2016
In 3000 C.E., Earth has been ruled for 1,000 years by an alien race known as the Psychlos, while the remaining humans live in tribes around the world. When human Jonnie Goodboy Tyler is captured by a Psychlo named Terl—who wants to use the young man to leverage his way off Earth—Jonnie organizes clans of the remaining humans and leads a rebellion against the alien overlords. In terms of production value, this new audio edition is intense. Narrated by Josh Clark, the multicast performance features R.F. Daley—a frequent performer in Hubbard audiobooks—as well as Scott Menville as Jonnie Goodboy Tyler and Charlie Davis as the villainous Terl. Because this is Hubbard’s biggest book, it makes sense that the audio publisher would want to pull out all the stops. There are copious sound effects—the swirl of wind, the humming of a flute, etc.—and while this does add atmosphere, it can be distracting. But Hubbard devotees will find a lot to like in this new action-packed blockbuster of an audio production. A Galaxy paperback.

Jonnie Tyler isn't like the rest of his small, isolated tribe. He wants to know what lies beyond his little valley in what was once called the Rocky Mountains. When he stumbles on a domed mining town run by the alien Psychlos, little does he know he is destined to lead a revolution to free the human race from a thousand years of oppression. Galaxy Press's adventuresome audiobook employs 67 actors reading 198 parts, sound effects, and original music. This animation-style soundtrack impressively dramatizes Hubbard's massive and controversial 1982 vision of bringing together Golden Age science-fiction, Western, air-war, and adventure themes in a work of more than 1,000 pages. The result is a vivid movie of the mind. B.P. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine


This first-class adventure novel is imbedded in mediocre science fiction, which contains no trace of Hubbard's Scientology. One thousand years after his sadistic race nearly destroyed humanity, an alien teaches a human too much, and we prevail. McDowell's voice is perfect with accented voices and passionate narration. The text is not burdened by music or sound effects though tape turning instructions would have been appreciated. Recommended for all popular collections. D.W. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine