Was L. Ron Hubbard a good Science Fiction writer?

[Mr. Scott]

That's the question, was L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology a good writer? Would he have been a good Trek writer? (outisde the Scientology bit)

Was things like Battlefield Earth could have been saved if someone could have done it well, or was the movie very real to the book, which was crap to begin with?

 

[AJBryant]

In short:

No.

He was the one who famously said, after all, that writing doesn't pay, and if you really want to make money, start a religion.

The fact that he went on to actually start a religion, and NO ONE in it ever took a second's thought about *why* he did so (given that quotation of his) speaks volumes about gullibility.

 

[Klaus]

no... hell, Berman & Braga can write better and would probably make a better religion!

...next question?

 

[barnaclelapse]

Not especially, no. Any good writing in his work was usually undone by him probably realizing he had come up with a good line and then stretching that good line out to roughly six or seven thousand pages of overwrought imagery, verbose narration and more run-on sentences than an unedited Anne Rice "novel."

 

[stj]

I have vague memories of "Fear" and "Typewriter in the Sky" as being quite good. But they are early, short pieces. The longer pieces of fiction, like Dianetics, I can't say I've read.

 

[FluffyUnbound]

Battlefield Earth was wretched.

Given the dates he was writing, his lack of scientific knowledge was astounding. It reads like what someone in the 30's would have considered science fiction.

 

[Nardpuncher]

I read that whole 10 book Mission: Earth thng when I ws 14 or 15.
I liked it a bit then. I'd never even think of reading it again now.
I got about 200 pages into Battlefield: Earth but put it down. I'm not saying it was awful, but I just lost interest.

 

[Checkmate]

Isn't the big joke about Scientology is that it is a big joke based on some bet Hubbard and a few other writers made? Something about trying to create a religion and, no matter how ridiculous it was, getting people to believe it? And the fact that so many people do believe it despite it's insanity is the wonderful irony of it all?

I seem to remember something along those lines on the Discovery Channel or some such from a long time ago. But I dunno.

Anyway, you'd think people would get the fucking joke once the "truth" was revealed to them. I mean, the parts that lure people in are fairly sane if somewhat extreme, but Jesus... when he gives you the punchline, you're supposed to smack yourself upside the head and move on. Not sit there and believe it as gospel!

 

[C.E. Evans]

I remember reading both Mission: Earth and Battlefield Earth in my leisure time during college and I remember liking them well enough, but definitely not enough to really recommend either to anyone.

I think Mission: Earth ran a couple of volumes too long and Hubbard really kind of dialed it in towards the end, IMO.

 

[SiorX]

I thought what I read of his stuff was shite.

But...

I really wish I'd read some of Hubbard's sci-fi before I knew about the Church of Scientology, because I'd really like to be able to consider it objectively. Trying to read a collection I realised no matter what I did I couldn't ignore what I knew about he man behind the curtain.

I generally try to be all Barthesian and Death of the Author, but there are some cases where my brain just won't shut up reminding me that the creator was a shitty human being (cf. Roman Polanski films).

Maybe someday I'll run across some of his stuff not knowing it's his and can judge it on its own merits.

(I suspect I'll still find it shite.)

 

[Admiral Shran]

No.

 

[ngc7293]

The part about religion is crap. Have you noticed the only people who are scientologist are in Hollywood? It's not a religion, it's a fad. I managed to read only part of Mission: Earth because I was reading the Hard covers and I couldn't afford the books. I think I got as far as book 4 or 5. I loved Battlefield Earth. The movie was a poor adaptation of the book. Even if you wanted to just call it an action movie, it was still bad. The movie was poorly written.

 

[Nerys Myk]

The part about religion is crap. Have you noticed the only people who are scientologist are in Hollywood? It's not a religion, it's a fad. I managed to read only part of Mission: Earth because I was reading the Hard covers and I couldn't afford the books. I think I got as far as book 4 or 5. I loved Battlefield Earth. The movie was a poor adaptation of the book. Even if you wanted to just call it an action movie, it was still bad. The movie was poorly written.

Pretty sure the Scientologists who would come to my bookstore to make sure we were stocking Dianetics were not famous or from Hollywood. They did get mad when we wouldn't put it in the Religon section, though. Finding it in Pop psychology really ticked them off.

I read Battlefield Earth, it sucked. Mission Earth sucked too. Having to place them in the Bestseller area pained me.

 

[The Master of Tarquin Hill]

Hubbard's writing epitomizes PULP fiction.

I've read plenty of his stuff and he just doesn't hold a candle to the other writers of the Golden Age.

 

[Nardpuncher]

I think it was Heinlein he made the bet about starting a religion with.

 

[The Master of Tarquin Hill]

I think it was Heinlein he made the bet about starting a religion with.

Yup.

BTW, there a still people who do the whole "water brother" thing from "Stranger In a Strange Land".

And, quite frankly, I think it makes for a much cooler cult than the scientologists.

 

[Mistral]

His The Final Blackout wasn't bad. battlefield was popcorn reading-I didn't take it too seriously. Never read any of his other stuff.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

I read Battlefield Earth and it didn't leave much of a lasting impression. There's no flair or excitement in his writing. It's very dull. He had an eye for detail and could set a scene well, but his characterization and dialogue are abysmal. I remember the pacing being very erratic, too.

 

[Brikar99]

I sort of vaguely recall the second half of 'Battlefield Earth' losing me entirely when it started talking about alien bankers or some such.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

I sort of vaguely recall the second half of 'Battlefield Earth' losing me entirely when it started talking about alien bankers or some such.

Yeah, it was like two different books. The first half, focusing on the human rebellion against the Psychlos, was passable enough. The rest of it was just kind of and like an entirely different book.