cover image Battlefield Earth

Battlefield Earth

L. Ron Hubbard, read by Josh Clark and a full cast. Galaxy Press, unabridged, 44 CDs, 47.5 hrs., $89.95 ISBN 978-1-59212-962-1

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. (July)