The Crossroads

Written by L. Ron Hubbard

Narrated by R.F. Daley and Edoardo Ballerini

Farmer Eben Smith is fed up with big government paying him to bury his crops while folks starve in the streets. He's loading up his fruits and vegetables, and heading for the city. But before he can trade in his turnips, he'll have to deal with something bigger — a break in the space/time continuum — as he plunges into strange new worlds, wreaking havoc in all of them.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Galaxy Audio
• Release date: Apr 29, 2024
• ISBN: 9781592124343

L. Ron Hubbard

With 19 New York Times bestsellers and more than 350 million copies of his works in circulation, L. Ron Hubbard is among the most acclaimed 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.

Reviews for The Crossroads

[tpmcnulty · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Crossroads is a satire dating from the February 1941 issue of "Unknown" magazine. Hubbard was no stranger to satire. Portions of Battlefield Earth were satirical representations, i.e., characters like Rogodeter Snowl and Roof Arsebogger are cut from the fabric of satire while The House of Plunder is Hubbard's satirical reference to a Tolnep legislative center. His final work, Mission Earth, is a satire. The Crossroads is written in the same style as Mission Earth. Farmer Eben Smith, encountering a military officer at a crossroads in a future where gold is banned, is told simply: "...you do not realize that a totalitarian state is far too powerful to be overthrown. You have seen what happens to the enemies of the Greater Dictatorship." Throughout his career Hubbard was consistent in lampooning corrupt public officials and warning of the dangers of a totalitarian society. Such warnings were not merely the imaginative work of a pulp writer, but rather the raw perception of a man who witnessed the polemics that resulted in socialism and communism. And that Hubbard recognized the manifestation of these elements in American culture is a telling point. Readers of fantasy will enjoy this satirical and humorous tale. Included in this reprinting are the stories "Borrowed Glory" which is an acknowledged classic; and "The Devil's Rescue" which deserves a wide audience. As always, I also recommend the audio book. Each audio book features a multicast performance with music and sound effects reminiscent of radio's golden age.

[bruce_deming_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I also saw a live performance of it in Hollywood. Story lines are in other reviews. I do like the whimsical stories of Mr Hubbard quite a lot and Eben the farmer is a hoot in this one. A practical yankee trader with some quite peculiar circumstances at THE CROSSROADS.

Highly recommended for fun and chuckles and surprises.

Very Imaginative! You will laugh!!!