Science fiction is often unfairly compared with fantasy books for educational uses. This is a weak analogy because the two genres are so very different. The two are only related in that they both fall under a larger genre known as speculative fiction and are found in the same section in bookstores.
We decided to approach Terl for his suggested back to school list of books to read, and we were surprised when he agreed to provide his list.
We are very excited to be heading back to Atlanta for Dragon Con 2017. In preparation for this and for the very BIG surprise we are bringing with us—quite in addition to the new mass market paperback release—we thought we would recap on last year’s event.
Battlefield Earth was dedicated by L. Ron Hubbard to Robert A. Heinlein, A. E. van Vogt, John W. Campbell, Jr. and “all the merry crew,” a list of over 80 names! Hubbard states, “They are all worth rereading, every one.” This blog is to help shed some light on A.E. van Vogt’s contribution to that “golden age of science fiction.”
“We think nothing of going into an area and taking out minerals at the expense of the plant and animal life. So what would it be like if an advanced race of aliens viewed the entire planet of Earth in the same way?
“It is also a story of superstition and fear and how it is overcome—by children.” —Rocky Mountain News interview with L. Ron Hubbard
As the author stated in his Rocky Mountain News interview after the book’s publication, “In Battlefield Earth, there is an advanced technology but it is the technology of the aliens and virtually wiped out humanity. Pitted against this is the human spirit. I don’t think I would be giving anything away to say that the human spirit prevails.”
“In Battlefield Earth, I present a situation where mankind has almost been wiped from the face of the Earth by advanced technology and is now imprisoned not so much by the aliens who dominate the planet but by superstition….”
Following the very successful 2016 re-release of Battlefield Earth as a trade paperback and the Audie Award winning full-cast audiobook, both of which went to the #1 spot in the US, we are now preparing for our fall release (September 5th) of the mass market paperback edition. In talking with many of our Battlefield Earth fans both online and in person at conventions, we know they love how the characters come to life in the novel through L. Ron Hubbard’s storytelling ability. So, with that in mind, we assembled some of the principal characters from the book for a photo shoot and we thought you would like a sneak peek.
In 1983, L. Ron Hubbard gave his last public interview to the Rocky Mountain News upon publication of Battlefield Earth. He was asked, “What, really, was that period now described as “the golden age of science fiction?”