Rating: 
Summary: This book is great!
Review: This book has got to be one of the best of Clarke's works, it is iin-depth, and yet very intense. I recommend it to any fan of science-fiction!
Rating:
Summary: Vintage Clarke
Review: This book was a one day read for me, particularly because I'm such a Clarke fan. Before the last 100 pages, the story
takes a long time to establish itself. It alsmost seems as if
Clarke is going to great extremes to characterize the dramatis personae, which didn't seem necessary. In the 2001
and Rama series, Clarke develops complex character histories
right in front of our eyes. Here, we see mere glimpses of the pasts of these characters. Overall, the characters take
a backseat to the drama. We know Earth will be spared. The book is under 240 pages. Being a Clarke fan, I got what I was expecting: hard science with a futuristic sense, just like
the 2001 series and Imperial Earth.
Rating:
Summary: TYPICAL CLARKE !
Review: This is a very good book, typical of Clarke's style. In this one, he utilizes the technique of brief chapters, what turns the reading of the book a relaxing experience, and leaves the reader wandering for more. The final outcome of the narrative is dark (like CHILDHOOD'S END).
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty Good Sci-Fi
Review: This is my second novel by Arthur C. Clarke and this book was not bad, but it wasn't as good as other science fiction novels that I have read. "The Hammer of God" would have been much more enjoyable if it was cut down to the size of a novella, or even a short story. The book is very, very heavy on science, which is a wonderful thing as I learned a lot. But ultimately, the book is not as good as it promised to be. Hopefully rhe following will give you an understanding as to why I feel this way. This novel takes place in 2110 in a future that is very possible. An asteroid that is about the size of the state of Colorado is flying towards Earth and if nothing is done to stop the asteroid mankind on planet Earth will probably be no more. Captain Robert Singh and his crew on the space shuttle "Goliath" have been given the task to steer the asteroid out of its course towards Earth. This plot is very interesting and fun but it takes a very long time to finally get to the good parts. The whole novel starts off well and Clarke is a very skilled writer so the book is a pleasure to read because of his writing skills. However, during the first half of the book all that you read about are scientific facts, which are fun, but it gets to a point that you want some action and you are not getting any. That is why I think that the book would have been much better if it was cut in half. If this was done their still would have been lots of science in the book and the plot and characters would have been more focused on. One great thing about the book is all of the scientific facts that are present in the book. You mostly learn about astronomy in the book, but you also learn a little on subjects such as physics and geology. The novel is mildly entertaining but don't go into this science fiction expecting a tour de force. A loyal fan of the genre would mostly enjoy this book. The book is fun when you get to the plot, but if you want to be entertained from start to end steer away from this. Happy Reading!
Rating:
Summary: Pretty Good Sci-Fi
Review: This is my second novel by Arthur C. Clarke and this book was not bad, but it wasn't as good as other science fiction novels that I have read. "The Hammer of God" would have been much more enjoyable if it was cut down to the size of a novella, or even a short story. The book is very, very heavy on science, which is a wonderful thing as I learned a lot. But ultimately, the book is not as good as it promised to be. Hopefully rhe following will give you an understanding as to why I feel this way. This novel takes place in 2110 in a future that is very possible. An asteroid that is about the size of the state of Colorado is flying towards Earth and if nothing is done to stop the asteroid mankind on planet Earth will probably be no more. Captain Robert Singh and his crew on the space shuttle "Goliath" have been given the task to steer the asteroid out of its course towards Earth. This plot is very interesting and fun but it takes a very long time to finally get to the good parts. The whole novel starts off well and Clarke is a very skilled writer so the book is a pleasure to read because of his writing skills. However, during the first half of the book all that you read about are scientific facts, which are fun, but it gets to a point that you want some action and you are not getting any. That is why I think that the book would have been much better if it was cut in half. If this was done their still would have been lots of science in the book and the plot and characters would have been more focused on. One great thing about the book is all of the scientific facts that are present in the book. You mostly learn about astronomy in the book, but you also learn a little on subjects such as physics and geology. The novel is mildly entertaining but don't go into this science fiction expecting a tour de force. A loyal fan of the genre would mostly enjoy this book. The book is fun when you get to the plot, but if you want to be entertained from start to end steer away from this. Happy Reading!
Rating:
Summary: A quicky
Review: This is probably the quickest reads ever. If you just need something to kill an afternoon or something to amuse you on a plane flight, this is it. I dont recommend this be your first Clarke book. Like the last reviewer stated, its not as complex or structured as well as most Clarke works. There are several interesting ideas in this book but when it comes down to it, this book does little to fully capture you. But in no way was this a poor read, just a quick one.
Rating:
Summary: Clever Plot and Good Hard SiFi, but not such a good novel!
Review: This novel is written in some kind of documentary format rather than on the classical novel style. It looks as if Mr. Clarke just pulled together a series of notes. There is even science facts on the subject at the begining of several chapters. However, if you are a fan of hard science ficction or if you like the "rocks hitting Earth" genre (just like me), you are going to like "The Hammer of God". The plot is clever, but if you read "Lucifer's Hammer" and/or "Shiva Descending", you may wonder whether this is an updated version, specially of the latter. Even in the religious aspects, you will find some resemblance with the previous novels. In the hardcopy version, Mr. Clarke recognizes he might have been unconsciously influenced. The main difference with the previous novels is that this one was written after the end of the cold war, after the Alvarez' paradigm (Dinasour Extinction theory), and just before we witnessed SHL-9 hitting Jupiter, which makes the theme and the plot not so much of science fiction anymore. If you loved this novel, I recommend you read "Lucifer's Hammer" (7) and "Shiva Descending" (9). There are also some good science fact books too on this subject (Check "Asteroid: Earth Destroyer or New Frontier?" (10).
Rating:
Summary: Average book of an average writer
Review: Well, as you can see I am not one of the Clark's fans out there, I rather call myself mindless idiot who brags about the books a lot more than he is worth of :)
I hate to write here about what is going on in the books, about that you can read in blurbs that are posted all around the web. I much more prefer to comment. Now what we have here is the average story. When I say average I mean that you will not fall in love with the characters, you will have feeling that you read that story before and that it isn't anything new about it, and mere development and it's deus ex machina ending will not satisfy you. This book does not stand out of the crowd...
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