Lucifer's Hammer

My brother in law mentioned this book to me (without having read it) because he heard it was set in Springville and surrounding areas, having grown up in Springville and living in porterville I immediately jumped on it. The editing could use some help but it's easy enough to figure out. Having roamed the hills surrounding lake success and the south and north fork of the tule river and the areas around springville I was delighted in this book even though I'm not 100% sold on his Geographical research. All in all a good read with a good storyline that keeps the readers interest. Vivid imagery without losing the reader in technical mumbo jumbo. And a fascinating take on the end of the world looking into scenereos that may be over looked when day dreaming but are very logical once presented. I recommend this book.

I enjoy action-packed books, but this one seemed manic at times. So many characters and subplots. I liked Dr. Forrester and his actions and ideas. I didn't see much use for the Jesus freak. I was actually glad to be done with it.

My second reading of Lucifer's Hammer will not be my last. Unlike so many end of civilization novels, it concentrates on the multiple main characters for nearly the first half its pages. By the time disaster falls, you are so perfectly attuned to these people they are like your neighbors and coworkers, allowing you feel everything they feel. They are so well defined that, in spite of their large number, you are never left wondering "who is this guy again?" I can't speak to the authenticity of the technicalities, but they certainly seem more than realistic. If you enjoy reading what might happen if we lost all the electronic devices we have come to depend on, including even simple electricity, you will place this book at the top of your list.

A newly discovered comet calves and some of the splinters hit earth changing the landscape forever. Coastal regions are flooded are completely swept away. Dangerous weather patterns are formed. A new ice age approaches. For those that have survived civilization is setback over a hundred years. Will they have what it takes to survive the new old way of life? And, what about the lawless?

Niven and Pournelle came together in the late 1970s to give us Lucifer’s Hammer, a story about survival before and after a major disaster. Because I am a fan of dystopia and post-apocalyptic novels everyone told me that I should read the original that started it all. I had such high expectations for this book. And, it was only okay. Not bad, but not great.

First, it is a long book – over 600 pages. At times I had to force myself to keep reading due to the slow pacing. Second, it had a couple of plot inconsistencies that could have been easily fixed. Either your neighbor lives next door or across the street. And, no one I know has their pregnancy show at two to three months. Third, some of the subplots were not believable. Fathers do not abandon their fourteen year old sons during a disaster just because the kid says I am not going with you. Finally, there were too many characters too keep up with and some with similar names – Hardy, Harvey, and Harry.

3 out of 5 stars.

Great images and characters. Predates by a decade another plausible story: "One Second After". Different catastrophe but same sociology. Prepare for community defense groups. Store the medicine you need. Stay close to home. Ants survive, grasshopper doesn't.

I read this every 5 years or so ... wonderfully depicted and rational apocalyptic response. Just enough details and no boring descriptions of gun handles and ammunition loads. GREAT STORY WITH ACCURATE SCIENCE.

Fans of Post-apocalyptic fiction will not want to miss this one. The book gets off to a slow start building up to the catastrophe, but the action is nonstop once it gets started and hard to put down. The book is somewhat dated. Technology and cultural attitudes have changed tremendously since this book was written, but this really has no bearing on the dark side of human nature in the face of lawlessness which is the story being told here. I enjoyed the book and recommend it to all fans of the PA genre.

The strength of other collaborations by Niven & Pournelle is the elaborately crafted settings. They develop a new universe so well that it becomes not just believable but natural. Building on our existing society and playing "what if" takes some of the magic out of their writing here.
However, it is still an enjoyable read......even if it does feel a lot like a typical 70s disaster epic out of Hollywood.

An extremely well conceived scenario that will keep you enthralled from cover to cover Realistic human reactions and thought provoking critical decision making that challenge the reader's sense of morality and humanity. Not a story for faint of heart do-gooders. Survive or die. Brutally.
Would make a fantastic movie! Highly recommend.

Too many characters; pace too inconsistent; it will go very slowly for many pages and then speed along for a while. However it is a great preparation for a post apocalyptic society and what is required to survive. Given our current presidential candidates and a madman with nuclear capabilities in North Korea this is a must read for all who expect and hope to survive.

My second favorite book. Ive read it a dozen times in 30yrs. Now with the kindle I don't have to find my copy. Get lost in the end of the world and party like its 1999. Drive your Travelall on the RR tracks. Have your friends to dinner. Surf the biggest waves. "And I Feel Fine"

Lucifer's Hammer is a great and easy apocalyptic read. Kind of sorry it was set in the 70s, but once the comet hits, does it really matter? Do yourself a favor though and start reading at around 25% or skip ahead liberally when you feel boredom induced sleep encroaching. The book is over 600 pages long so you still get your money's worth, but you don't have to suffer through the interminable back stories of every character that makes even a passing appearance. Once hammer falls, it starts rocking. Good stuff.

The biggest things that stood out to me were that there were too many characters (a few only introduced for a chapter or two) and then were never heard from again. I understand why they were put in the book but since the beginning of the book dragged on and on it made it that much worse. There are a few spelling and grammar mistakes but it isn't too bad.

Character development was pretty good. The plot was well thought out and their weren't any holes that I could think of. I liked the story line but didn't really get engaged in the book till the end. There was just not alot of action in the first 1/3 of the book. And for that I would say its good, but not great.

The explorations of various satelites leave little doubt in anyone's mind that we're not the only rock out here. It certainly doesn't take much imagination to envision a scenario like this and we all dred the idea of coming to an end similar to the dinosaurs. You should keep these things in the back of your mind as you read this book. The telling is very well presented and keeps the reader deeply involved.

One of my favorite post-apocalyptic novels. It explores how people could react in an extreme life-changing environment: some maintain their humanity, and some regress to their most animal instincts in the name of survival (and all without feeling "preachy"). Wonderful writing.

I understand that this is a classic but the first couple hundred pages were a real "yawn". A book would have to be awful for me to stop reading it but this one I had to force myself through the first 2/3's to finish. I far and away preferred Frank's "Alas Babylon" within this genre.

This is a great book about servival after a asteroid hits the earth causing fires and tsunamis, and then everyone deceides that they need to nuke everyone else just to make sure not only mankind is destroyed but also mother earth. The people coalece around to seperate leaders . One a government official and the second a doomsday preacher, as the servivors try to get to high ground the good guys are heading for the last form of government left in the U S and the bad guys are coalecing around the preacher. There is food shortages, no power, and to make things a little more interesting there are cannibals to contend with. A great read for disaster addicts as it is something that could actually happen.

This is an excellent novel. Very tense for most of the book. I guess there was controversy over racism and sexism, but I don't see it. One of the characters is a street thug, and the role of women post-apocalypse is one of the plot points that will make you think. The ending seems a little too pat and coincidental, but that does not diminish an excellent sci-fi novel and a must read.

Having read "Lucifer's Hammer" several times since originally purchased in '77-'78 timeframe,I was discouraged to find my copy in such terrible condition.
Therein lies the beauty of E-books...I was able to purchase a "new" copy which will last a very long time, probably longer than I will.
Enjoyed re-reading it on my Kindle and have started going back into the library of my memory to download other old favorites.

Tom H

I had read this book many years ago and forgotten much of it. When I saw it as an audiobook, I immediately bought it. I'd always wished they had made a movie from it during the comet/asteroid hits the earth phase of a few years ago. (Armegeddon, etc) An audiobook, I figured, would be the next best thing, and I was right. I don't remember the narrator's name, but he was very good. Got both male and female characters right, as well as a few dialects and accents. In general, one of my favorite books of the End of the World as we Know it genre, and I read a lot of that genre, so think I'm a decent judge.

Father of all the end of the world novels, Lucifer’s Hammer is a bit dated, but still immensely enjoyable for all that. And what a pleasure to read a book still enthralled with space travel, instead of the socialist/communist mumbo jumbo preached today. Everyone must be the same and have the same, with exceptionalism frowned upon is, I’m not sorry to say, the biggest pile of horse manure ever preached, and I’m shocked so many Americans have fallen for it. Reach for the stars because this Earth can be pulverized at any time, and if we stop reaching, we’ll never have the knowledge to save it or get our species off it in time to survive.

This is a perfect read for anyone who enjoys apocalypse novels and this is one of my favorites as I have read it twice. It raises questions of again how would I react in a similar situation? Great believable scenario and strong believable characters.

This book is one of my favorite apocalypse books (second to One Second After). It wasn't really a problem for me, but pointed out by friends who I suggested this book to, was that it is a slow start to the "adventure" and the characters are not very well developed. You just don't feel bad for that many of them. Not like in One Second After. Still, very entertaining read.

One of the most well known apocalyptic fiction books.
A little slow in the beginning before the comet hits but really picks up during and after the comet strike.
It appears the authors must have done their research as several real survival books are mentioned within.
I would point out several key scenes in the book that I liked but I do not wish to spoil anything.
Well worth reading on many levels.

THE end of the world story - still well written and motivated 30+ years later. Armageddon? Deep Impact? ELE? This was the first real modern story of ELEs caused by solar objects. The characters can seem a bit wonky, you can tell an engineer or a working scientist was involved here.

I've just finished rereading Lucifer's Hammer. The first time was in about '79-80, and it's been on my list of all time favorites ever since. Times were different thirty-five years ago and I'm thirty-five years older. Looking back retrospectively, I've been more enthralled than the first time. Now it's not just about the apocalypse itself, but the post apocalypse! The sociology and psychology of rebuilding a society were very well researched and developed for these characters, I think. Attributed quotes and references were also thought provoking. Prepping is addressed as well military maneuvers in a primitive post comet and devastated earth environment. There's good and evil abounding, just as nature would provide in such a setting. I'm glad this wasn't a 300 page novel. That wouldn't have been nearly enough to do what these authors found important enough to cover. You should make this book a must read on your winter list! And if you buy it in paperback, you'll want to hold onto it to reread with your older and newer eyes like I did!

If the characters had been 'fleshed out' or given more depth I would have given it five stars. The ending seemed a tad rushed, but I read the novel in two evenings and overall, really enjoyed it. The scary part about this novel is that events could happen exactly as laid out in the book.

I like Niven's vision where some people actually have plans for surviving an apocalypse, and he details how it might actually work. I also think he presents a more hopeful picture of survivors of a catastrophe than many do. Not everyone wants to see the complete collapse of the civiized world, but some think it is worth trying to hold onto.

A gripping story, though you could be forgiven for being annoyed at the presence of some of the minor characters - it's hard not to say "wait, who the heck is Colleen" at some point.

The accusations of racism I saw on other reviews surprise me. There are bigoted white characters and bigoted black characters. There are white heroes and black heroes (well, one black hero) as well, and none of the bigots are heroes.

I was not alive during the 70s so I can't speak to the accuracy of the race relations depicted but I didn't see anything indicating racism on the part of the author.

This was an interesting plot. Could this really happen to Earth? I am enjoying these kind of novels, which surprises me. I have expanded my interests from mystery, romance, and war novels to catastrophe stories. Variety is the spice of life. My library is growing and I hope my family will partake of all of these novels. This novel is one of my favorites

The first 130 pages deal with getting to know the large cast of characters before TSHTF. You get to see the disaster from the point of view of about a dozen people, most of whom I could care less about. It's overkill in every sense, a total collapse of everything but somehow crazy evil people survive with enough excess energy and high-functioningness to wage complex forms of war. It doesn't ring true at several levels.

The best part of the story had to do with how they dealt with refugees and trying to husband scarce resources. There was some vaguely interesting stuff about how to defend a stronghold, and a Deux Ex Machina point of view of Astronauts (Gods!) that seemed unnecessary. At 629 pages it really should have contained two or three novels, only one of which would have been worth the read.

There were a few snippets of how to prepare, including one warning that store clerks were paying attention to WHO prepared so they could go boost your supplies when TSHTF. Another interesting thing was how little people were enjoined to prepare for an imminent disaster. No evacuations, no contingency planning, it was as if everyone in New Orleans were told to come out to the beach to watch Hurricane Katrina coming in because it would be exciting to watch. Sadly, that part rang true. Don't expect Leaders to tell you when you should Get Out Of Dodge.

Although the disaster wasn't particularly dated, being geologic in nature, there were some pretty weird things going on in this novel including a lot of crowing about the instant death of the Feminist Movement and some male-fantasy versions of the breakdown of family. In short, women get to be a commodity for tending the ill, feeding the hungry and providing a moist vagina. Having been a young woman in 1977, I'd say this story said more about Larry Niven than it did about 1977.

Personally, I wish that more time had been spent on the science and cosmology of an asteroid impact, but the pseudo-apocalyptic tale and foresight beyond the impact event was interesting and evocative. We can't know exactly how something like this would play out, and it definitely depends on the skills of the people involved; it made me consider my own abilities in terms of post-apocalypse living, and resolve to strengthen them.