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)

Good story from front to back

I read Lucifer's Hammer when it first came out, and couldn't resist ordering it in audio. The authors do a solid job of storytelling. The hardest part of any end of the world story is maintaining a worthwhile story for the aftermath. Destroying the world is easy. Making the aftermath both credible and engaging is harder. Niven and Pournelle create characters with enough depth that you can care about them and they place them in credible and interesting situations. The narration is solid. As one reviewer noted, there are a lot of characters. In print, Niven and Pournelle provide a "program" at the front of their books so you can easily refer back and identify characters in the early going until you have them straight. That is missing here (it would be meaningless to read aloud.) Still, it doesn't take that long to place all the characters and the book is well paced.

It's an enjoyable listen that I'll return to from time to time. Worth the credit.

Great listening

I read this book twenty years ago, and it's always been one of my favorite "Apocalyptic" novels. I was so happy to see it released as an audiobook.
While some novels of this ilk don't stand up to the "technology test of time" -- written before the proliferation of cell phones and computers -- this one does, for the most part.
Niven and Pourelle's great characterizations make this a wonderfully compelling read, and one that is hard to put down. However, there are a LOT of characters, so it may help to go to a website that allows you to "look inside the book," and print out the beginning pages that list the "Dramatis Personae." Easier to jog your memory on a long listen like this one.

If You Flush Your Goldfish...

Finally I got around to this one, and though I may have missed out on a real blockbuster back in '77, I have to say it was a gas reading this in 2013! Being a teenager in '77, it was like reliving those *unenlightened days*--hippies, women libbers, politically incorrect Popeye cartoons. What dates it now doesn't hurt the story at all, but rather makes it kind of kitschy and well worth going back. Just like all the dings and scratches give an antique its character--the 70's give this a great patina you couldn't get from a modern day apocalyptic tale. Not better or worse--just wonderfully different.With the limited gore, sex, and bad language, this is a good novel for even a young SF fan to pick up, and learn about where modern apocalyptic literature (including the current zombie culture) started. (I hope all those Doomsday Preppers have this one under their belts.) Long, but easy, steady-paced listening that is still entertaining and a little unsettling.

well worth it

I was intrigued by the title and found out that it was a clever play on a central character's name. I really enjoyed this audiobook and would highly recommend it. Check it out and you will see!!!!!

Pre-hammer fall was too long and too boring

Would you try another book from Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle and/or Marc Vietor?

Maybe

Would you recommend Lucifer's Hammer to your friends? Why or why not?

I will, if they can persevere the boredom of the first half

What does Marc Vietor bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He brought the intensity to the story especially when the story itself was flat!

Any additional comments?

As one of the other reviewers mentioned, the first half of the story was simply dragging. The writers spent far too much time in character development which, when you look at it, wasn't all that necessary. I got the book to read more about the dystopian world, what I got was more of the back story of the characters, and what it seemed like, lasted for more than half the book. But I don't want to say that the story was all bad, I liked it when it finally picked up after the hammer struck the earth. I liked the story even more when the writers finally portrayed the end of the world scenarios.

An old favorite that's still relevant

I've read Lucifer's Hammer a couple of times, and loved it so much I wanted to try the audiobook. It was just as compelling, electrifying, and thought provoking as ever. Given the state of the world today, this is a book that could some day save your life.

Very Long

The nostalgic value almost made it worth the effort. Written in the '70's there are references to the Cold War and the racial tension of the day. However, the story dragged on and on. A credible antagonist finally appeared at the last fifth of the book. Just a long book, exhausting.

I'd rather listen to it than live through it!

Great book. Well narrated. Has all the intensely human characters Niven is famous for with a gripping plot, well timed. Never a dull moment.

Superb voice acting!

Half of the book was boring, but the narrator and the second half make it up.

Interesting

a lot of foul language but I suppose it's necessary to portray the characters. some insights can be learned about preparing for a disaster emergency.