Recently was working a local con as a vendor and before the show starts I go around to the other vendors and buy whatever comics or books to add to my collection. This guy had Battlefield Earth for 50 cents. I saw the movie at a dollar theater when I was in the Air Force and thought it was lackluster to put it nicely. I’ve had people insist the book is much better so I’ll give it a read. I’ve avoided his sci-fi due to who he was but are any worth a read? Just out of curiosity I think I’ll read Dianetics one day since I remember those commercials as a kid.
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From what I remember when I lazily thumbed through one it was thoroughly unimpressive. Not hilariously bad like the movie, but generic and boring sci-fi without anything to really set it apart from the crowd.
The most unique parts are the barely concealed political/ideological stuff that would be repurposed into Scientology doctrine anyway.
There is a reason why even his cult doesn't use his books are a soft sell recruiting tool, because they aren't interesting enough to bait anyone. Instead they use the nonsense babble like Dianetics which can use pure confusion and "just thinking about it" to reel idiots instead.
True. Those commercials were on like crazy in the mid to late 80s
They knew how popular that kind of pseudo intellectual drivel can be, and as books like The Secret proved still are. Its a great bait to get people in and let them do their little mind games.
I think they really only stopped because "Scientology" became a household name instead of a bomb they could drop on you, so the bait stopped being effective.