Rating: 
Summary: A book that made a Deep Impact
Review: After seeing the movie "Deep Impact" on TV recently, I decided to re-read an old favourite: "Lucifer's Hammer" by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. And while "Deep Impact" was certainly a better effort than the simultaneously released "Armageddon", "Lucifer's Hammer" was so much better again.The book describes the discovery of a new meteorite by a millionaire astronomer, Timothy Hamner. Its orbit is calculated to bring it very close to Earth and speculation starts that it might actually hit. The authors vividly describe two sets of events with a very different timescale: the gradual changing of the meteorite's orbit over a period of millions of years, and the very rapid change in human society from almost universal indifference to total obsession with this particular meteorite. A joint US-USSR Spacelab mission is launched (the book is from 1978) to monitor and record the passing of the meteorite. When the meteorite hits Earth in a series of strikes ranging from the Mediterranean to the eastern Pacific, the crew is left stranded in space. The book gives a brilliant and well-founded description of events following the meteor strikes: the giant tsunamis, the earth quakes and volcano eruptions, the mud rain, the onset of an Ice Age. It describes even better man's reaction to these events, told through a multitude of short tales. The story of a young surfer who decided to ride a tsunami created a picture that I found indelible. The book then focuses on a number of survivors in California, gradually coalescing into three main groups: a community in a valley trying to re-establish an agricultural society; a band of society's outcasts led by a preacher who urges the destruction of all things technical; and the construction and operation personnel of a nuclear reactor that has withstood the strike impacts. The authors are very good in their portrayal of the initial panic and "everyone for themselves" mentality, followed by a need to restore some form of order in a world that has changed beyond imagining. Amongst all of this there are snippets of information on what is happening around the globe, showing the fragility of our civilisation to an event of this nature. And somewhere in all of that, the crew of Spacelab makes it back to Earth. The book starts slowly because it introduces such a large number of characters who later are woven together in a quite intricate plot. The book falls into the category of "natural disaster science fiction", but is much better than the average offering in this genre, not because it so well represents the technical issues about a meteor strike, but because it meets the definition of good literature: it tells us a little bit more about ourselves. Niven and Pournelle have collaborated on a number of good books ("The mote in God's eye" is recommended as a sample of well thought-out classic SF), but in my opinion this is their best. I found myself wondering why Hollywood had not used this book instead of the "Deep Impact" script. I suppose that like "Lord of the Ring" it would need a highly motivated director and producer to bring this to the screen, and compressing it into the usual three hours or less could be quite difficult. But it could be sooo good, if done well.
Rating: 
Summary: GOOD BOOK/BAD BOOK
Review: The book itself is great, I have read it before. But the actual book is a mess. Every time I turn the page it falls off in my hand. I have a "bookfull" of loose pages!!
Rating:
Summary: Guide to the Apocalypse
Review: First off, certain "idealistic" folk proclaim this book racist. It is not, these are the same people who call Huck Finn racist, the uninformed and confused. In fact, the books greatest hero is an african american man. Groups of people will stick together during tragedy for survival, that happens here: valley locals, farmers, scientists and yes even a group of black people. Quotas go out the window when a sandwich is worth more than you. This book was thought out in every way you could imagine and the authors have created a very realistic scenario. The new dark age won't be pretty and here it's given to you straight , right down to the last sewage saving detail. A great book about our fragile world, the shortcomings and strengths of what we've created. I give it a 92%, becuase the first 150 pages were slow and name ridden, and because I didn't want it to end! A fiction and sci-fi must.
Rating:
Summary: We should never lose hope.
Review: This is a great book people. If you're looking for something different, something that after you've read it your world and values change for a week or two, this is that book. We've all seen the 90's asteroid, end of the world movies and how they are somewhat lacking in taste and depth. Well, don't expect anything but the best from this work. This pair of authors carefully put together a tapestry of lives that run together to form a complete world. The tattered remains after civilization is ended is deeply described and how those lives cling to the tatters in hope of a new beginning.
We should never lose hope.
Rating: 
Summary: A great story and not as racist as has been claimed
Review: There have been so many reviews accusing this book of being racist that I guess I'll have to address that issue before I can even talk about my opinion of the book. What a lot of people don't seem to realize these days is that there's a differnce between portraying racism (e.g. in a novel) and actually supporting racism. In my opinion Niven and Pournelle weren't trying to stereotype blacks or make any kind of political statement, they were simply depicting something that could likely take place. It's not all that far fetched to believe that an inner city LA gang of African-Americans would band together after an apocalypse and might hook up with a radical fanaticist army promising them power, plenty to eat, and no racial barriers. And they weren't the only ones doing this. As I remember, they weren't even the ones who started the cannibalism. That was an army platoon mainly composed of white guys who did that, and forced everyone else to come on board or else starve or be killed. As I see it Niven and Pournelle gave a fairly accurate depiction of race relations as they stood in 1970. If I thought they were deliberately targeting one group or another and trying to negatively stereotype them, I could just as easily complain that this book is biased against Christians since it displayed the leader of the cannibals as an insane preacher. But I don't complain because I know they weren't trying to take potshots at Christianity, they were merely portraying what could happen, same as they were portraying what could happen to an inner city gang after the end of the world. That being said. I do think that this book was one of the best end of the world stories I have read yet. It is riveting and you won't be able to put it down after the Hammer actually falls. In these kinds of stories I always like best the parts about what kind of society would develop after the apocalypse, and I thought this portrayal was very accurate. The cannibalism (far from being a racist device against blacks) is probably an accurate picture of what some people will be forced to when all the food is wiped out. And the new feudal system which quickly develops is almost certainly the way things would have to be structured for survival and protection, in the early days at least. I would give one warning. The book is not at all interesting until about 100 to 150 pages into it. It moves very, very slowly at first as the authors introduce each of numerous character in depth. You will probably need to use the character list in the front of the book just to keep everyone straight at first. I almost gave up on the book at first, but trust me, every character is important and will figure into the story at some later point. This can be a clue to the plot if, when you're being introduced to a character in the beginning, you think about how they might figure in later. At any rate, the action greatly picks up and doesn't let up from the moment the comet hits till the end of the book. If you're a fan of apocalyptic fiction this is a must read. It's a classic in the genre on the same level as "On the Beach" or "A Canticle for Liebowitz".
Rating: 
Summary: The Big One
Review: This novel will be a tough one for faith-based people. The comet that destroys the earth is a starkly "random" event. One more orbit, one less piece of debris, and we could have had a miss. I enjoyed the science aspects of the book, which is unusual for me. Almost all the astronomy is clearly presented and easy to understand. "Lucifer's Hammer" is the first apocalyptic novel I have read that takes up famine as a major factor in surviving. It is explained convincingly and is horrific in its implications. The general behavior of the survivors (poor) seemed much more realistic to me than the God-like heroism in most such novels. Cannibalism would not be unusual at all, but it would probably be done in a clandestine way, everybody's "dirty little secret," not an article of faith, as depicted in the book. The horrendous geographical upheavals-earthquakes, tidal waves, and volcanic eruptions are handled expertly and realistically. The start was slow and the setting of characters was haphazard. There were too many, and the similarity in names was confusing: Hardy, Harry, Harvey-and the two major females Maureen and Eileen-give me a break here! Some reviewers have painted the authors as racist, particularly objecting to a black leader flaunting cannibalism and discussions of "slaves" in the new world order. No one black, white, yellow or brown behaved with complete honor or integrity. It is realistic to imply that no one performs well when they are terrified, whatever their racial makeup. A good point was made when one character vehemently objected to the use of the word "slave," but agreed that "prisoners of war" would have no rights and would have to undertake the most menial and disagreeable tasks. Ah, what a difference a "word" makes! The paperback copy I purchased (new) fell apart, so I now have a collection of unbound pages. Most irritating. I found the writing somewhat uneven, often the case where there are collaborators, rather than one author. Overall, "Lucifer's Hammer" is a rewarding read, clear in its intent, and often thought provoking.
Rating: 
Summary: racism ignored by readers
Review: I suppose it says something about America that a book
as blatantly racist as this one can be enjoyed by
all these reviewers (with only a few exceptions), and
the racism ignored! Blacks portrayed as cannibals,
and forced into slavery? What's "uplifting"
about that?
Rating:
Summary: racist depictions of blacks spoil this book
Review: Lucifer's Hammer begins as an entertaining book -
The parts about the comet striking the earth,
and how almost everything is wiped out holds
the reader's attention - But then, what to
we get? A group of black people who are
depicted as CANNIBALS...- and led by a deranged white
man, at that! Even here, black people can't act
on their own! Not only that, by the end of
the book, they end up being forced into slavery
and beaten into submission by some sadistic
Russian character - and this is something I
should accept? - As a black reader, I found
this grossly offensive - no matter how inter-
esting the rest of the book might me. these
sections of it make the entire thing unaccept-
able (By the way, it was years ago when I first
read this book, and I can still remember how
offensive it was, and still is!)
Rating:
Summary: When these two authors team up...
Review: You can bet that there's gonna be some fantastic science, and some really well-thought out plot, and a whole lot of exposition to explain it to everyone just a bit more than is absolutely necessary, and characters that are essentially cardboard cutouts with little signs around their necks saying, "Useless Hot Chick", "High-minded scientist," "Practical Scientist," and so forth. Please understand that this isn't really the genre that I'm used to. I don't read hard SF very often, and to me character is a bit more important. I WAS impressed by the science in the story, but I wanted more characterization that some cliched lines about how the reporter's wife was useless and so it's okay that he slept with someone else. I'd consider it sexist, but the characterizations are soft all around. It's just that the female stereotypes are more obnoxious. It would have been nice to have a female scientist.
Rating:
Summary: Action Packed End Of The World Thriller!
Review: The two authors of this book were well ahead of Hollywood's apocalyptic endeavors with this classic. I found the characters to be well developed and the action non-stop, once you get into it. Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle take care to spend the first section of the book carefully detailing characters and relationships before enacting Doomsday upon them. The time they do spend on the beginning is not wasted as the bond you build with them from the start helps to root your excitement in their escaping the comet's fury. I think that they have, fairly accurately, detailed how humanity society would splinter under the duress of such an ordeal. How some would try with all their might to hang onto what they've been living with and create their own small society and others would abandon their humanity resulting in chaotic murder, unremorseful theft and cannibalism. Overall, I couldn't put this book down. And of course, it being about Doomsday and the destruction and triumph of the human spirit didn't hurt either.
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