Lucifer's Hammer

By: Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle

Narrated by: Marc Vietor

Length: 24 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

The gigantic comet had slammed into Earth, forging earthquakes a thousand times too powerful to measure on the Richter scale, tidal waves thousands of feet high. Cities were turned into oceans; oceans turned into steam. It was the beginning of a new Ice Age and the end of civilization.

But for the terrified men and women chance had saved, it was also the dawn of a new struggle for survival - a struggle more dangerous and challenging than any they had ever known....

©1985 Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Take your earthquakes, waterlogged condominiums, swarms of bugs, colliding airplanes, and flaming what-nots, wrap them up and they wouldn't match one page of Lucifer's Hammer for sweaty-palmed suspense." ( Chicago Daily News)
"Massively entertaining." ( Cleveland Plain-Dealer)

from two Grandmasters of Science Fiction

not to be missed. I had friends that were reading this book in high school but my head was someplace else in different books of Science Fiction and I'm just now getting around to it ever so many years later. it is a little dated but that doesn't matter. it holds up!

If your reading this, get the book

This is my all time favorite science fiction novel. I first read it 10 years ago sitting in a rain drenched fighting position is Helmand Afghanistan. It resonated and I looked forward to every second I could steal away to finish it. I just listened to it on audible ten years later and it still had me the whole way through. To Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, thank you for this masterpiece !

Better than you think.

This book is better than you think. It does a good job telling small stories that weave together later on. I really enjoy the voice acting. Also,… There is a lot happening after the comet hits. Like many post apocalyptic books, there is Cannibalism!

Societal dynamics

Enjoyed reading it in ‘84 when in college. Enjoyed listening just as much. Societal message certainly still applies, not sure we would make the right choices today. Gotta hope.

What a great story

In spite of some slightly dated references, the story was totally engaging and we cared about the characters and what would happen next. My husband and I listened to it together as a bedtime story and it engendered many important discussions about general emergency preparedness and the state of the the world economy and food supply. This is a fascinating look at humans under extreme duress with a balanced view of the good, the bad and the ugly.

Timeless writing

This audiobook, written in 1977, is timeless. The characters and events which take place, could easily take place today. Well worth the listen.

Good

We have Science and we have Fiction.
It could be tomorow or next week.
SF does not need to have a projected capacity behond what is now available.
Only a few years ago I learned that a possible impact was going to hit my geographical area. I had only a few hours to make a personal decision. That was real and not SF. It may have been space junk. Yet for me as an individual, I knew that our experts could not predict where it would it hit.
If our "experts" did know they were not telling me the truth. I had read this book. By chance only I heard the 11am news report. The land fall was 30 minutes away.
This book is not about a thousand years in the future or some odd battle with new WMD. I have always kept a supply of tucker becase I lived in flood prone area. We could eat well for at least a week. If need be we could walk out. A 50km walk none the less. Would I be still flooded out at another river? Thjat was possible. I only kept a weeks supply of food.
This book is well written and well read.
The SF in this book asks you to truly consider what you would do. What skills do you have? What would you save? How?

WHAT IF CHANGES EVERYTHING

This book wil stay with you long after you have read or listen to it

Slow start, but the last half is SO worth the wait

Like many reviewers I found the first half of this book slow and painful to get through. It's kind of nice though because it's an insight into the lifestyle of the 70s, when things like microwave dinners were "high tech".

When the comet finally hits, things get hard and heavy with the quickness.

Get this book.

Mediocre

Any additional comments?

I really wanted to like this book, but it just didn't do it for me. My biggest complaint is you have to read 1/3 of the novel before anything happens. It's okay, very well written and thoroughly researched, and the narrator is fantastic, but it's not a book I'd recommend or listen to again.