Greetings From Earth

Battlestar Galactica #8

by Ron Goulart, Glen A. Larson

Greetings From Battlestar Galactica #8 Paperback – 1983.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Media Tie In

183 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1983

About the author

Pseudonyms: Howard Lee; Frank S Shawn; Kenneth Robeson; Con Steffanson; Josephine Kains; Joseph Silva; William Shatner.
Ron Goulart is a cultural historian and novelist. Besides writing extensively about pulp fiction—including the seminal Cheap Thrills: An Informal History of Pulp Magazines (1972)—Goulart has written for the pulps since 1952, when the Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction published his first story, a sci-fi parody of letters to the editor. Since then he has written dozens of novels and countless short stories, spanning genres and using a variety of pennames, including Kenneth Robeson, Joseph Silva, and Con Steffanson. In the 1990s, he became the ghostwriter for William Shatner’s popular TekWar novels. Goulart’s After Things Fell Apart (1970) is the only science-fiction novel to ever win an Edgar Award.

In the 1970s Goulart wrote novels starring series characters like Flash Gordon and the Phantom, and in 1980 he published Hail Hibbler, a comic sci-fi novel that began the Odd Jobs, Inc. series. Goulart has also written several comic mystery series, including six books starring Groucho Marx. Having written for comic books, Goulart produced several histories of the art form, including the Comic Book Encyclopedia (2004).

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 2 out of 5]

Greetings From Earth was one of two books of adaptations of episodes of the original Battlestar Galactica television series that Goulart wrote. (The other one was Experiment in Terra, the ninth book in the series, which appeared a year later.) This one came from an episode of the same title credited to creator Glen A. Larson. Goulart rather faithfully followed the script, though he obviously had to flesh it out a lot in order to make it a novel length work. I didn't think his quirky humorous style fit the tone for which the TV show was aiming too well, not to mention that it wasn't a very good show to begin with. It's a competent book, but I'd only recommend it to fans of the show.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve never watched the original series or read any of the other novelizations. I did watch the revised series something like 15 years ago. That gave me a little understanding of character names, positions, and relationships, but I also understand a lot of things are very different between the two series.
Saying all of that, I don’t think an in-depth knowledge of the story universe is required to enjoy this book. The story is a quick, entertaining, sci-fi adventure. It has spaceships, robots, dystopia, and rival factions. I enjoyed it even without the detailed background of the universe.

[Exanimis · Rating 5 out of 5]

These books are such fun to read, they take me back to my youth.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Following the instructions from the "ships of light" from the last book. The Galactica meets up with a craft with six people in "cold storage" but alive. Realizing that the survivors couldn't live in the atmosphere on the Galactica it is with reluctance Adama allows Apollo and Starbuck to accompany the ship on their journey to the planet Paradeen.

[colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

read 09.15.85