Fortune Of Fear

Mission Earth #5

by L. Ron Hubbard

Gris continues his quest to kill Heller and Countess Krak.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Humor, Aliens, Audiobook, Fantasy

395 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

With 19 New York Times bestsellers and more than 350 million copies of his works in circulation, L. Ron Hubbard is among the most enduring and widely read authors of our time. As a leading light of American Pulp Fiction through the 1930s and '40s, he is further among the most influential authors of the modern age. Indeed, from Ray Bradbury to Stephen King, there is scarcely a master of imaginative tales who has not paid tribute to L. Ron Hubbard. Then too, of course, there is all L. Ron Hubbard represents as the Founder of Dianetics and Scientology and thus the only major religion born in the 20th century.

source: Amazon

Reviews

[NICK · Rating 1 out of 5]

Parody or not, rape-love conversion therapy is not okay. Gross.

[Jim Neville · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't like An Alien Affair (Mission Earth #4) and I didn't like this either. There is scarcely little content in this book about Jettero Heller. Most of this story is about Soltan Gris - a man who can no longer get any dumber, but now seems mentally unbalanced. Soltan Gris should be given the Dumbass of Voltar award. (Keep in mind, he reached the highest levels in the Apparatus.)

Gris was played for a fool (imagine that) and he must now flee Turkey. He covers his tracks by leaving a trail of bombings in his wake (smart move Griss. They'll never find you now). He returns to NY and rapes the Lesbian couple, Miss Pinch & Candy Licorice. Surprise, surprise, they are no longer lesbians after Gris is done with them (Give me a break. Can anyone say "misconceptions" or "male ego?")

We finally get back to Jettero near the end, but this is no longer interesting or entertaining. I now know why I never purchased any copies of this series after book 5 (thank goodness for the Library system, for I would berate myself for decades if I spent a cent on another book in this series.). I will, however, continue to read this series (it's a quest). It can't possibly get any worse - or can it?

[Harsh Tyagi · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the fifth installment, the battle between Jettero Heller and Soltan Gris takes a surprising turn when both men find themselves facing a very earthly problem: lack of money. Heller heads to Atlantic City armed with a gambling strategy he believes can't fail. Meanwhile Gris discovers a far stranger source of income, his body. It all leads to some truly outrageous situations. Meanwhile, the return of Countess Krak adds another layer of unpredictability to an already chaotic story, ensuring that nothing remains straightforward for long.

Five books into the Mission Earth series, I’ve come to expect chaos, satire, absurdity, and larger-than-life characters. Fortune of Fear delivers all of that. At this point, the series feels completely comfortable embracing its own madness, throwing interplanetary schemes and bizarre situations into the same blender and somehow making it work.

One thing this series consistently does well is character dynamics. The characters are entertaining. The satirical take on greed, power, ambition, and human behaviour made this book an entertainer for me. I've made it this far into Mission Earth, this volume gave me plenty of reasons to keep going.

[Little Timmy · Rating 2 out of 5]

While not as totally horrible as the Battlefield Earth book these aren't that great. There are some good plots themes and a sorta pulpish feel to the characters, but overall it seems to fall short of what it could be. The story seems to ramble and could have been cut by 1/3 and still got the point across. The random sex and sadistic events just seem to be placed in there not for storyline but for shock value. Not recommended

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Barely three stars. This is just the same book as the last couple with some settings changed. There’s no real tension or change. It isn’t even that entertaining. Gris is too perpetually doomed and Heller is too perpetually ultimately victorious. I wish at least something new would happen.

[Vidhika Yadav · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Review: Mission Earth, Volume 5: Fortune of Fear

Fortune of Fear is the fifth book in the Mission Earth series. It combines science fiction, satire, political commentary, and dark humor.

The plot revolves around the Voltarians Heller and Gris. Their mission gets more complicated with the introduction of money, power, and manipulation. At the heart of the story is a seemingly perfect gambling system that promises guaranteed winnings. This draws readers into a world fueled by greed, deception, and high-stakes schemes. Just when things seem to spiral out of control, Countess Krak returns. She is a larger-than-life character, both feared as a murderess and loved by Heller. Her return adds energy, unpredictability, and plenty of entertainment to the tale.

What sets the book apart is its sharp satire. Through alien characters, the author explores human civilization, revealing the corruption, political maneuvering, and hypocrisy often hidden within powerful nations. The extraterrestrial viewpoint allows familiar institutions and behaviors to be seen in a new light, making the critique both humorous and thought-provoking.

The Mission Earth series thrives on mixing outrageous comedy with social and political commentary. This volume continues that tradition well. The situations are often exaggerated and absurd, yet they reveal truths about how power is wielded and manipulated in reality. The characters, with their quirky personalities and conflicting motives, bring these themes to life while keeping the story enjoyable.

More than a sci-fi adventure, this book lets readers reflect on global politics, human greed, and the games played by those in power. Its mix of satire, action, and humor offers both entertainment and insight.

For readers who appreciate science fiction that moves beyond spaceships and alien worlds to provide sharp social commentary, the whole series is entertaining and thought-provoking read that keeps the series' unique spirit alive.

[Ag · Rating 5 out of 5]

Science fiction? Check!
Dark humor and satire? Check!
A touch of mystery and thriller? Check!
Psychology and human behavior? Check!
Fast-paced? Check!
Complex antiheroes? Check!
The 5th book in the series? CHECK!

See? This book checks all the boxes!

There is suspense, there are twists and turns, there are futuristic/speculative fiction elements, there is in-depth exploration of human psychology, and then there is so, so, so much dark humor, and the morally ambiguous characters with their very complex motivations. LRH created yet another action-driven masterpiece.
Did I mention dark humor? I did, I know. more than once. Let me mention it again. Because this book is FILLED with it, I feel like DARK HUMOR best describes it.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much more straightforward than the last books. Literally made me laugh out loud at the ridiculousness. Utter nonsense and it's brilliant. Anyone who takes seriously Soltan Gris and anything he says and does might not be understanding that he is probably the most unreliable narrator in the history of unreliable narrators. The dude is an absolute buffoon and not a word he says can be trusted. He isn't wrong on many levels - he's wrong on every single level, and it's endlessly entertaining. He is the biggest deflector and projector, to be psychological, I've ever read in a book. I'd say this is the best volume since 2.

[Claude Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! I read it 4 times now. Just amazing. It has everything. Aliens, the CIA, FBO, Rockefeller, the Illuminati, Mafia, Nazis, KGB, finances, the stock market, Wal street, PR, press, fake news, media, Homosexuality, sex, politics, intergalactic warfare -- earth in its fullest picture. YOU NAME IT. It is there!

The hero is awesome, and his girl is a bombshell (but you better do not mess with her).

It is all there - everything you would ever want from such an Epic! A 1.1 million words series -- 996 characters in 10 volumes! Wow! Fantastic! I lost a lot of sleep! It is that good!

[Delphine Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fifth volume in the Mission Earth series does not disappoint and continues at a fast-pace with its laugh-out loud moments. The satire does not relent, with more twists and turns than you can shake a stick at.

If you are a lover of sci-fi or are thinking of starting reading sci-fi, this series is for you. It also happens that it is written extremely well without the need for a thesaurus or dictionary at every paragraphs unlike so many other sci-fi books. So you can keep the entertaining momentum.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this volume because the Countess Krak comes back into the story in a big way. Although she is tough as nails she is also one of the good guys in this story and is an engaging character. Because this story is told mainly from the viewpoint of the villain we are seeing the escalating frustration of Soltan as he blames all his troubles on the successes of Jet and the Countess. In a typical story the villain is a genius but here we are seeing a more realist picture of the incompetence of evil. It is satire that reveals a bit more about the world than we may have expected.

[Rob · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is my final Mission Earth book. I honestly tried to be open minded and give this series some attention. After this latest book, I'm done.
The first three quarters of the book were fine in that the adventures from the prior stories pick up. However, there was so much talk of rape in the last quarter that I choose not to go any further with this series. The repeated use of the topic was very unnecessary and completely derogatory within this story, especially, around "deserving" women.
I'm usually a completest but in this case I don't mind switching my interests elsewhere.

[Evelyne Bartczak · Rating 4 out of 5]

The thing I remember most about this one, was that I was happy Hubbard got the Countess Krak to Earth. I like Heller's and her romance, and as she is a tough cookie, there is even more going on as she never fails to help her man and she has some wild ideas of going about it.
With the number of Voltarians growing on Earth, maybe we should start looking in our environment for any possible aliens, as they apparently look like us.

[Jon Mackley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Positive. It doesn't take long to read through, and as a story teller, it's an interesting device showing how a first person narrative can have multiple viewpoints.

But


It's really disturbing on what used to be considered acceptable norms. Much of this is adolescent fantasies and prejudices. It's not gratifying. It's just vulgar.

[Stella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captivating !!!! Can't put these books down

There's a lit happening here, a lot of unexpected twists. Some of the material is very dramatic . though it wax written 4 decades ago, its very applicab!e to our present days and the future. I love the sense if humor and the suspense!!!

[David Ong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Counters is the best woman of the hero

Hubbard wrote a good yarn of a woman helping her hero resolve his goals
In ways that a person would not think so

[Mr Roy Davidson · Rating 1 out of 5]

390 pages

[Barker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hubbard is a bizarre author. But it is like driving by a accident you got to watch. In this case read

[Andrea Grant-Webb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume is not yet half-way through this SF saga but it gallops along with aliens gambling at Atlantic City. It casts a tongue-in-cheek spotlight on Earth.

[Jeannette · Rating 2 out of 5]

The beginning of the book. But the main character was not what he seems. It became very violent and sickening.

[Anthony Norelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Series was fun to read. Nothing all that serious, but fun nonetheless.

[M · Rating 2 out of 5]

weird amounts of statutory and just straight up rape. like, entirely too much. it didn’t do anything for the story, it was just so much rape.

[David Sarkies · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another one of his books
1 April 2012

I kicked myself a little when I wrote my last commentary, which was on David Malouf's Imaginary Life, namely because I did not actually read any of the other comments on Goodreads beforehand. Normally I do do that, but this time I didn't, which was really naughty of me. Just because I didn't take any notes in English I does not necessarily mean that nobody else did. However, that is really beside the point because I am beyond an Imaginary Life, and back to the Hubbard Decology. Mind you, there are pretty much no reviews on this book, but maybe it is because everything that needed to be said on this series has already been said, so we simply get to the point when we simply mark the book as read, give it a rating, and move on. However this is not something I plan on doing because I am endeavouring to write something on every book that I have read, and the only books that I haven't done so are the books on investing that. The reason for this is that I do not want anybody treating my comments as investment advice (which can be a bad thing here in Australia).

Anyway, two books ago I was writing about the concept of psychology, mind control, and sin. Now, I need to be clear that in these comments I am not specifically targeting any religion, and in particular I am not targeting Scientology. First, let us put behind all of the jokes that Scientology came about because a science-fiction writer (and not a good one at that) decided that he would become a millionaire by starting a religion, and did so. A lot of people criticise Hubbard for that, but I am going to say that he is not the first, and he is definitely not going to be the last. In fact the Christian Church has been riddled with people throughout history using the church to feather their own nests, and many of them have got away with it. Personally, it still happens today, and all we need to do is to point at the TV Evangelists of the 80s. One of the biggest concerns that I have with the church is the matter of tithing. While I do not have a problem with tithing (it is biblical) I am seriously concerned that it is being abused. I have seen Christians quit their jobs (and be applauded by the congregation) and in turn begin to raise money from the congregation to support them and their families. They claim that they are freeing up their time to serve God, but I am actually starting to question the need for this. While there is space for fulltime ministry, I am beginning to question whether we actually need so many people doing so. Foreign Missionaries yes, but fill time workers supported by the church in a developed society, I think not.

As such, my position is that, sadly, there is no difference between Scientology and many of the other Christian sects out there. Granted Scientology is not Christian, but there are lots of similarities. My understanding is that it is a belief that we are possessed by a telepathic race called the Thetans, and as long as they possess us then we will never reach our potential, so the whole idea of Scientology is to banish these Thetans from us. This is Christianity with another name, because Thetans are pretty much sin and Satan. However our full potential is not on this world but in the world to come. Some have suggested that Scientology entraps its congregations in the church, but guess what, so does Christianity.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Mission Earth series is a big, bloated, fun and funny dekalogy* of pulp and satire and non-stop action. It's not a serious work, nor was it intended to be; I believe Hubbard wrote it simply out of fondness for the field, the way it was when he was beginning his career. He surely didn't need the money. It lampoons everything from economics to law enforcement to crime to space opera to science and all stops in between. It's not a particularly well-written work of literature, but is engaging and interesting and, despite the length, fairly fast-paced throughout. It was de rigueur in the publications of the field when it first appeared to vilify it entirely, I suspect both because of who Hubbard was and the old-fashioned themes and tropes of the work... not to mention the ubiquitous advertising campaign that surrounded the publication with the ever-present asterisk definition that I just couldn't resist reproducing here. However, I decided to see what all the fuss had been about and gave it a shot, thought it was fun, and read the whole thing straight through one summer. It was fun; I liked it.

*A series of ten books.

[Nonethousand Oberrhein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Our savior comes from Voltar
Split in ten volumes for editorial (and practical) reasons, the Mission Earth series can be seen as a continuous narrative whose chapters are identified by the different books. This “space operatish” saga (not a lot of space travels, but alien technological gizmos are everywhere!) will follow the comically clumsy actions of corrupted Voltarian agent Soltan Gris as he narrates his attempts to sabotage and destroy the brave Jettero Heller, another native from planet Voltar, bent on “cleaning” the polluted planet Earth to meet voltarian colonial standards. The extremely grotesque way used to paint earthlings' corruption and other... “faults”, however, becomes rapidly a double-edged weapon for reader’s appreciation and may cause some annoyance if the comments read are not thought coming from the corrupted alien venting in his journal, but from the author himself trying to slip his personal (Scientology's) propaganda into the narrative. The suggestion here is to forget the author and have a long light-hearted read, laughing at alien stupidity and their lack in understanding human complexity!

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this series several years ago with a friend. It was a daunting task at 10 books but we were determined. It's not the usual sort of series I read but I had heard a lot about it and had some highschool friends who loved it.

It's tough to review just one book in the series because the full story is told in all 10 books. You have to read all 10 to find out what happens.

Certainly some of the books were better than others, more exciting and adventurous, but its rare that a 10 book series doesn't have some boringness at some point in all those thousands of pages!

I liked the story and I liked how the books put in perspective some of the craziness you find on Planet Earth with the CIA, drugs, the media, etc.

Overall, I found it a fun romp through our planet from the eyes of an outsider....Mr. Jettero Heller. I think it's a great read!

[Jamison Spencer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The pulpiest of pulp, I'm almost ashamed to admit I enjoy these books. This is the first one Ive read as an a adult, and if you take it seriously at all it's definitely extremely offensive in gender and sexuality areas. The best decision he made was to tell the story from the villain's perspective, which not only gives it an interesting POV, but also provides some cover to all of the offensive thoughts (not enough though). Read to today it could be taken for a funny unintentional critique of American foreign policy, as the villain spends the entire series excecuting complicated evil plans that inevitable only make matters worse, without ever realizing that he spends all of his time running around dealing with the consequences of his own actions.

[Denis · Rating 1 out of 5]

Take all ten of these books and boil 'em down all night... no, leave it on the burner for a whole week. Reduce it too a thick dense sticky sauce. And still, this will have very little flavour.

There was the seed of a decent parody in there within the first two books then the joke was over. The joke became, "...let's make it ten books, just so we could call it a "dekalogy".

[Attila Benő · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this series of books because I wanted to read something longer, not just a single book. The sci-fi genre, and the book description got my attention, so there I was, taking all the books in the series home, and...... quite frankly not liking it too much. It was okay, but this was one of the rare purchases that I regretted.

[Jason Sta. Maria · Rating 2 out of 5]

The scenes on this book was calm compared to the previous Mission Earth books that I have read. The Countess Krak was the main character on this book and they didn't focus much on Jettero Heller. It was just a plain read but I enjoyed reading it a little bit.