Mission Earth 4, An Alien Affair [Paperback] Hubbard, L Ron

Book four of L. Ron Hubbard's sprawling satirical space opera drops Soltan Gris deeper into chaos on Earth. The alien agent is supposed to be sabotaging Jettero Heller's mission, but instead he's tangled up with mob bosses, tabloid scandals, and his own spiraling paranoia. Hubbard leans hard into pulp absurdity here — think intergalactic espionage filtered through 1980s New York sleaze, complete with media manipulation and bureaucratic incompetence on a cosmic scale. The Mission Earth series is infamous for its length (ten volumes) and its controversial author, but fans of gonzo sci-fi and over-the-top satire find plenty to enjoy in its sheer audacity. If you're already committed to the dekalogy, this is where the plot thickens and Gris's schemes start collapsing. Best approached as camp space opera with a cynical streak.