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Summary: Lucifer's Hammer was a good book over all, it's just slow.
Review: Lucifer's Hammer was a good book, but it starts out too slow for me. The first 100 pages or so are boring.I have not read many of his books but the ones I have read were better than this one. Still, you should read Lucifer's Hammer, it makes you wonder.
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Summary: It doesn't get ANY better than this!
Review: I agree that this is the best book of all time. This in spite of the fact that it would at first seem to have two strikes against it: first, all the major characters come from the decadent, anything-goes culture of 1970s California; second, it is a disaster novel, which puts it in a genre which has been mined to death. It gets both of these strikes commuted to balls and hits a grand slam to win the world series. Harry Randall, Tim Hamner, and Maureen Jellison, oversexed decadent slobs that they are, seem positively heroic, ESPECIALLY because of where they came from. The disaster novel theme is turned on its head, as the authors show beyond a doubt that with the help of technology, we can not only survive but TRANSCEND a comet's collision with earth. You'll be turning pages frantically all the way up to an ending guaranteed to bring tears to your eyes. Also, I appreciate the fact that Niven and Pournelle put in an epilogue to show the readers what became of the characters' final decision. I sincerely hope that this story will join the ranks of Hamlet and A Tale of Two Cities as one of the all-time classics of literature.
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Summary: If you liked King's The Stand, you'll like this one.
Review: The first part of this novel is riveting and realistic. After seeing both Armageddon and Deep Impact, all I could do was compare them to Lucifer's Hammer--and both came up woefully short. Women's roles suffer a bit from the '70's perspective, but this is still a gripping story which deserves wider readership.
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Summary: Had to buy a new copy, AGAIN
Review: I am in awe. After being away from this book for a couple of years I decided to reread it on the recommendation of a friend who is a Y2K expert. He recommends this book as a primer in what could (he believes will) happen come 1/1/00. Even though it is set in LA and the surrounding area it gives me enough background so that I could have walked the trails that the charectars did. I recommend this book to any reader of any genre to get an idea of what can/will be happening in a little over a year from now (as of this writing). I agree with another reviewer, Larry and Jerry, tell us how the new world turns out!!
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Summary: A page turner each time I read it
Review: I have read this book at least 4 times. I recently watched Deep Impact and compared it to the memory of Lucifer's Hammer. Deep Impact came up short. The description of the decay of society, and the evil lurking beneath the surface of many weak individuals is insightful. Ask yourself the question, "What would you do, if you didn't think you would ever have to pay society's consequence?" I believe there are many who only obey the law out of fear of the consequences, far more than those who break the law. Witness the riots in LA after the King trials. Hammer brings it all into perspective. I loaned my copy out and never got it back. Will read it again soon.
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Summary: Please direct people in bookstores to other disaster novels.
Review: WAY too outdated. The book is all 70's, and glorifies sex. The characters are believable, I suppose, but half of them die anyway. Starts out boring, then finally gets a heartbeat, but then you have to cover it with a sheet. Unrealistic after the comet's impact.Some people thought 'Deep Impact' was a bad movie because it stayed directly within the United States. 'Lucifer's Hammer' doesn't take a step beyond Los Angeles, except when telling of space scenes or the comet's destruction. Don't buy this book. There are better ones.
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Summary: LIVE FOR TODAY FOR TOMORROW WE DIE!
Review: This book deserves 10 Stars. The characters are realistic, believeable, credible, and if my one- line summary was meant to read like a sensational tabloid headline, good. I grabbed your attention. Lucifer's Hammer is about a comet that's on a collision course with Earth. What happens in the ensuing three days, shows the best and worst of us. There's Johnny, an astronaut who's carrying on an affair with more than one woman, (very 70s. This was, after all, written before AIDS.) One of whom is Maureen--the daughter of a U.S. Senator from California. There are also a host of supporting characters. The main character, Tim Hamner, is an amateur astronomer who co- discovered the Hamner-Brown Comet. Remember four years ago when the Shoemaker-Levy Comet slammed into Jupiter? What if it had slammed into Earth instead? Don't think it can't happen, America. An asteroid with a diameter of 6 miles slammed into Earth 65 million years ago and made the dinosaurs extinct. The question is: Are we next? Maybe we are. Ninety years ago, what might have been a comet, slammed into Siberia near the town of Tunguska.
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Summary: One of my favorite books
Review: This book is "Armageddon" and "Deep Impact" and "The Postman" all rolled into one, written years before any of the others. I was surprised that "The Postman" didn't list Lucifer's Hammer as the novel it was based upon. However, LH is so much more that any of the movies. Social commentary about the dregs of our society turns some liberal stomachs but rings true. Gripping page-turner that will challenge your ability to read a BIG book in one sitting, but you will WANT to.
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Summary: A Deeper Impact
Review: Far better than the summer movie offerings, "Armageddon" or "Deep Impact," the novel is a readable story with a raft of characters. The standard "good vs. evil" battle at the end leaves a bit left to be desired. The best writing surrounds the post-impact mess. For fans of the apocalyptic genre, one could do much worse.
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Summary: Best book I have ever read
Review: When I first read this book nearly 25 years ago, I thought it was not only the best Sci-Fi book I had ever read, but the best book period. A quarter of a century later, I still have not read anything that would change my opinion. A diverse cast of characters is developed in enough depth to become truly interesting. Best of all, the science is spot-on. There are no embarassing gaffes (like seeing Alpha Centauri from the northern hemisphere) and the characters' reactions to the events surrounding them is not only believable but probable. Every time I re-read this book, I get a knot in my stomach from the tension that escalates continuously right to the end of the book.
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