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)

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.

Great TEOTWAWKI

Spent to much time on building characters, but half way through it got really good. Great story about "the end of the world as we know it".

Holds Up Well!

There is a long buildup with back story and character development before the collision but for a science fiction novel first published in 1977 it still holds up quite well.

Wow, there are so many WOKE reviews.

PEOPLE The book was published in 1977. Sure, it's not going to be up to date now with so many woke people in the US. Take it with a grain of salt and enjoy the story. That was life in the 70s. When do you think womens lib started? No one can see into the future. I listened to I think it was Battlefield Earth (which is absolutely fantastic), and he was talking about programming aircraft with punch tape. Google it, Millennials. I'm sure you don't know what that is. But that's what top of the line programming was when the book was written. it doesn't take away from the quality of the story. So get over your WOKENESS and stop being so sensitive. I'm sure I hurt somebody's feelings. Bottom line don't pay attention to the woke reviews. The story was engaging. if I had one complaint, it would be that the buildup to the hammer falling was too long. Other than that, the characters were believable, and most of what happened would probably be real life if it did happen.

Outstanding, but a touch incomplete

Outstanding story, outstanding performance. Really enjoyed this listen. I learned something, felt a wide array of emotions and was always looking forward to starting my hour a day. Would liked to have seen a few more story lines develop a bit more. Would liked to have seen the epilogue expanded. Well done overall. Highly recommend.

Still Great After All These Years

A must read. Couldn't stop until the end. You will never forget this book which will leave you pondering every time you hear about a comet's near miss to our planet.

dark warning

a dark warning of a future event that will happen.
will we be ready? not yet

Best of the best.

Nothing more to say here. Don't wonder about it, just read or listen to this book.