Rating: 
Summary: A 1940 classic by L. Ron Hubbard
Review: "Final Blackout" is a story about a war ravaged Europe that a small band of soldiers wade their way through. The group makes their way from the continent to England, and overthrows the military government there. However, the newly established government runs into trouble as a new foe moves in that threatens it.This futuristic war novel by L. Ron Hubbard was first published in 1940 (serialized in 3 parts), in the pulp magazine Astounding Science Fiction. Nonetheless, the book could still be describing a post WW-III society. This book reads quickly and is hard to put down for long.
Rating:
Summary: A 1940 classic by L. Ron Hubbard
Review: "Final Blackout" is a story about a war ravaged Europe that a small band of soldiers wade their way through. The group makes their way from the continent to England, and overthrows the military government there. However, the newly established government runs into trouble as a new foe moves in that threatens it. This futuristic war novel by L. Ron Hubbard was first published in 1940 (serialized in 3 parts), in the pulp magazine Astounding Science Fiction. Nonetheless, the book could still be describing a post WW-III society. This book reads quickly and is hard to put down for long.
Rating: 
Summary: Let's Be Glad L. Ron Hubbard Isn't Running Things
Review: "Final Blackout" was written in the 1930's, and it is an adventure story written for fascists, by a fascist. Here's the set-up: a world war, started by weak, democratically elected elitists, has been dragging on for decades. A courageous soldier known simply as "The Lieutenant" overthrows the corrupt military power structure and takes matters into his own hands. He defeats all challengers and installs himself as a military dictator, bringing peace and prosperity to war-ravaged Britain. This new regime's torture and execution of dissidents is mentioned only in passing -- but I guess you can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs. "Final Blackout" is sneeringly contemptuous of democracy, and the character of "The Senator" is one of the most ridiculous straw men you will ever find within the pages of a book. This is an interesting relic, but not much more. I don't think Hubbard's defenders ought to be crowing about this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Good read...
Review: 1) As always, Roddy McDowall is probably my favorite audiobook reader. He is what other actors should strive to be. 2) As a student of writing, most books recommend that the protagonist have failures caused by his/her own strengths and weaknesses. This was different and I'm not sure if the difference was because it was the abridge audiobook version. Here, every obstacle encountered was overcome. I liked it because the protragonist was this smart, unstoppable force even though this was a different flow than most fiction. 3) Here is where I'm divided...the only time the protagonist really, really speaks in the story (abridged audiobook) and lets us see some of him as a character, is all in the context of him preaching about government as an institution. I didn't quite like this but it seems to be very common amongst of the great writers of the early 1900's to use their writing as blatant platforms for sharing thier views.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best Sci-Fi books I've ever read
Review: A brilliant story about a nameless Lieutenant who is amongst the last survivors on the planet and who leads a band of good guys against the bad guys with an uncanny skill that makes for a very exciting saga
Rating:
Summary: In my unbiased opinion, I rather liked it....
Review: Hubbard, in this book written BEFORE the end of the Second World War shows what might have been. This book was writen when he was very young and that is shown in the writing style, which is very straightforward and well done. It is relatively short and an excellent read for anyone who enjoys books of the genre by a master of Science fiction.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Reading
Review: Hubbard, in this book written BEFORE the end of the Second World War shows what might have been. This book was writen when he was very young and that is shown in the writing style, which is very straightforward and well done. It is relatively short and an excellent read for anyone who enjoys books of the genre by a master of Science fiction.
Rating:
Summary: In my unbiased opinion, I rather liked it....
Review: I am not a Scientologist, but I do like pulp fiction. FINAL BLACKOUT was an innovative tale for its time, and does a fairly good job standing on its own today. The story's general cynicism towards governments seems rather atypical of the patriotism in pre-WW II America. The characters are interesting, but a little stiff. There is a fair amount of action; the main character's strategies make for interesting reading (although some of the Lieutenant's tactics are a bit of a stretch). Final Blackout's main strength is its "post-apocalyptic" scenario, written well before that genre was synonimous with apes and Mel Gibson. Not the greatest pulp novel ever written, but a good, solid read. Even if you disagree with Hubbard's "religion", the man could spin a decent yarn.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Lesson in Integrity
Review: I have read many many books over the years and have found that the type of book I like best is one that entertains and teaches without preaching. _Final Blackout_ is such a book. The protaganist (known as The Lieutenant) teaches us a real lesson in integrity while the story is set in a classic Science Fiction manner "after the war." The auhor's style is extremely easy to read and displays the ultimate test of good writing -- when I was done reading the book, I found myself wondering how the sequel could have been written. I think you'll like this one ...
Rating: 
Summary: Final Blackout for the Lt. in FINAL BLACKOUT was hilarious.
Review: Okay guys, I regret to say that although I found the morals and certitude of the Leutenant admirable as well (there's a pun in that statement somewhere, I just know it), I found the apparel and demeanor of the character to be laughably amateurish. What with the Leutenant's sullen, tight-lipped, Napoleonic-loner demeanor, coupled with his Shakespearian cape and facially obscuring helmet, along with a psychotic dedication to some obscurely delineated ideal, my overall picture of the man was lamentably reduced to some laughable cardboard stage character that, say, an eight-year old kid might be forced to play in some dippy grammar school play. This sense of the tale coming from some unconscious memory of a dull grammar school play, is also a less than savory element that I also found as an all too pervasive flavor in the story itself. I mean, come on! You've got this taciturn twit wandering around the countryside, wearing a melodramatically long cape, and with the full complement of his merry, mindless, homicidal band of ragtag soldiers. This is almost too rich for the Monte Python crew to chew on as well! All I can say to the late LR Hubbard about this novel is this: "Blow it out your ___, Ronnie Baby! This Leutenant character actually belongs in an institution for delusional buffoons, or retired clowns, take your pick. Certainly not a character anybody should model themselves after, that's for certain." Cheers!
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