Rating: 
Summary: Five stars not enough...
Review: When these two writers get together you can bet your bottom dollar that the book will be a non stop read. Don't pass this one up!
Rating:
Summary: HOLY NUTS!!!
Review: WOW!!! I just finished Lucifer's Hammer and it was a ride. The first 100 pages were a bit slow, but they were needed to develop the characters that Niven and Pournelle created. After page 100, though, things really take off. I was reading into the wee hours of the morning, covering 100+ pages every night. By the end of the novel, the only word that is necessary is masterpiece.
Rating: 
Summary: A Great Story Destroyed By Its Own Racism
Review: I gave this novel one star for the science. The science in it actually deserves 5 stars. It's sad that it's such an evil book for the descriptions of the comet slowly approaching across the eons is are wonderful and the outline of the story would be perfectly okay, except that it is permeated by an almost unbelievable level of ugly racism. I don't normally call books evil but the degree of racism in this story is evil because it is throughout the book. It's very sad, really and also frightening. I doubt the authors ever considered for a moment the ugly stereotyping every time a token member of another race shows up. In the same way, it's a little dismaying to see so many readers giving rave reviews to this book without even mentioning the racism. It is why this kind of novel is truly evil in its effect. Because it's a good old-fashioned riproaring adventure story with exceptionally well-done scientific explanations, readers can get involved in the story and ignore the offensive elements and the result is desensitization to an issue that should never be ignored.
Rating:
Summary: "Lucifer's Hammer" a full-impact tale of the Apocalypse
Review: Maybe it was seeing the compelling original cover art for Stephen King's "The Stand" in my parent's book collection when I was five. Maybe it was the siren tests of the local fire station that I somehow always associated with nuclear war. Maybe it was all those old rusty yellow signs I saw on buildings in NYC, with the radiation symbol and one word "Shelter". Maybe it was even watching Jan-Michael Vincent and George Peppard ham around my TV screen in "Damnation Alley". Maybe it was all those reasons, but growing up I always had a fascination with "End of the World" stories. For years, I have read "The Stand" again and again. I bought World War III novels right and left, reading them all. I have watched classics like "The Road Warrior" and "The Day After" and bad ones like "The Ultimate Warrior" and "Ravengers". Hell, I've even made up a couple of listmania lists on the topic, and it was in researching them that I came across "Lucifer's Hammer". How I managed to miss this book for all these years is quite beyond me. The book, though, is a pleasant discovery and a complete revelation. Written by science fiction greats Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, it is a fantastic and fantastically ambitious novel about (obviously enough, if you haven't been skimming this review) the end of the world. More than that, it is a page turner, possessing that magical "je ne sais pas" quality that makes bands into legends, actors into stars, and books into pop culture. As surely as a John Grisham novel or Tom Clancy techno-thriller, "Lucifer's Hammer" compels the reader onward, heedless of time, hunger, or any constraint that would dare suggest putting down the book. The "Hammer" is a comet, delivering the one type of cataclysmic destruction we could reasonably expect to face in our lives. A key trick to the novel is the sense of inexorable, unavoidable doom. Up to the strike (and even beyond), there are a number of comet asides, passages that describe the roiling journey of the comet to its date with destiny and beyond. While man built the pyramids, invented the Printing Press, fought World Wars, the comet in its various stages of travel is described, rendering puny and insignificant that which we call our history. When the "Hammer" falls, no detail is spared in portraying the full scope of the horror unfolding. I've always felt "end of the world" fiction has fascinated the general population for a couple of reasons. We certainly live in an age where it could happen in an instant, but also because (like a moth to a flame) we are curiously drawn to something so vast and alien, it is beyond our ability to grasp. These works offer us a small glimpse and insight into the concept of "global holocaust". In this respect, "Lucifer's Hammer" is truly one of the giants in this genre. It is bleaker than Stephen King's "The Stand", which had at least the assurance that God did exist, but "Lucifer's Hammer" is not without its version of hope either. Faced with annihilation, Niven and Pournelle have a complete cast of fleshed-out and well-written characters whose triumphs and defeats we don't just experience, we feel. There is no promise of victory or survival for these characters, but we empathize with their struggle to not simply pass on without a fight. "Lucifer's Hammer" hits home as a believable work of what might be, and as a meticulously crafted piece of writing. It is well worth a purchase for science fiction and general fiction readers alike.
Rating:
Summary: They Should Make A Movie Out Of This One!
Review: This book is one of my all-time favorites. I have read it so many times that I have destroyed 2 copies and am now purchasing my third! I have always thought it would make an excellent movie....much better than any other comet or asteroid-hitting-the-earth movie that anybody else has ever made! The way it is written could easily translate into a screenplay....but I would rather see it as a TV mini-series so that they would not have to leave out or change any of it. Movie-makers have a tendancy to do that with large novels. Like the way that they mutilated Battlefield Earth!!!!! Steven Kings "The Stand" came out rather well in the TV version, split into three episodes. So if any script writers or movie directors are reading this....take a hint! This would be FANTASTIC if it is done properly. And there is room in the cast of characters for a great list of stars to take part! If I was a screenwriter I would do it up just for fun and send it in to TBS or TNT.... I seriously recommend this novel! It is totally believable as an "end of world" type story...lots of action, intrique and adventure, horror, space, romance, hard choices and even a little humor ....The human spirit comes shining through in the aftermath in both good and bad ways. It is a struggle for survival....will it be all for one or one for all or every man for himself? Will some of civilization survive or will the remnants of mankind sink into the depths of the darkest of dark ages? The Comet impact is only the beginning of this thriller! A MUST-READ!
Rating:
Summary: The best end of the world book ever written
Review: Niven and Pournelle have written, in my view, the best 'End of the World' story ever written. The plot, impact by comet, is utterly believable because it is so heavily based on science. It has characters which are not mere cardboard cut-outs but people whose fate you care deeply about. The story moves at a fast pace, never dull or boring. A wonderful book. One read of this and you will start storing survival rations. My copy, which I bought in 1978, is now falling to pieces. I have read it so many times that I am now having to order a new copy. If you only read one book in your life, this is the one. A must!
Rating:
Summary: Old, but better than certain recent movies!
Review: When you read this awesome end-of-the-world thriller, you will wonder about how accurate(or farfetched) the movies DEEP IMPACT and ARMAGEDDON(and a few lesser chronic efforts like METEORITES) were. One scientific fact(or rather, speculation) that both movies missed was that if a comet impacted in the ocean as happens in the book, it will rain for months. And the disasters that follow the impact are impressively portrayed here! When a comet is spotted nearing Earth's orbit, the scientists have only a short time to warn the world. Mankind naturally misunderstands. Timothy Hammer is the astronomer who spots the Hammer comet first and its - trajectory, Consequently, NASA launches a spacelab into orbit called the Hammerlab. Post-impact - the combined US-Soviet Hammerlab mission is stranded in space(remember this was written in 1978), survivors form into groups and a feudal system takes precedence in California. The world's geography is affected severely - small snippets tell of the devastation wreaked. I won't say anymore, but that why oh why didn't Hollywood film this book instead of making the other two(plus) movies? This is way more accurate(or rather, best speculative) in its portrayal of man under threat of the end of the world. If you enjoy this, also check out Niven and Pournelle's FOOTFALL.
Rating: 
Summary: Racial profiling at its' worst
Review: After I finished this book, I went through every existing posting. Evidently only a few people sufficiently motivated to write a review read the same version as me. I cannot recall picking up a book with greater anticipation and subsequently experiencing greater disappointment than in this case. While LUCIFER'S HAMMER might be the precursor to the apocalyptic suspenseful sci-fi novel genre, it is also a dismal representation of bigoted values. I have few issues with an author asking me to suspend belief. As a generality, I expect infusion of his personal viewpoint. I have no objection to insertion of social commentary, sometimes even when that commentary is misplaced within the context of a given milieu. In this instance, Niven and Pournelle have crossed the line, which is unfortunate because their vision of the cataclysmic ecological events experienced after the comet's impact is riveting, as is their speculative view of the ramifications across existing societal systems. LUCIFER'S HAMMER is less science and more fiction although their descriptives of the cosmological effects were plausible enough for me. It's the fiction I have problems with. Like so many others, I labored through the first 100 pages (closer to 150) while the authors' set the groundwork for the inevitable collision and introduced the core component of predominantly one-dimensional characters. From the appearance of the first ethnic character, I was astounded and later depressed by the totally prejudical portrayals. The resurrected society with only a few non-caucasians Niven and Pournelle envision is worthy of a William Pierce or David Duke. Other than some ambiguity regarding the eventual assistance of a tribe of Native Americans, non-caucasian ethnic groups were uniformly presented in uncomplimentary terms, including only perfunctorily positive treatment of presumptively heroic ethnic protagonists. This isn't about multiculturalism or political correctness. I am not opposed to adverse portrayals of SOME ethnic characters. Let's face it, somebody has to be the antagonist. Initially, I attempted to rationalize their treatment of ethnics - and women - in the context of the era in which the book was written. However, as I worked my way through chapter after chapter, it became an inescapable conclusion, the authors either harbored deep-rooted animus or inexcusable ignorance... or both. Within space constraints here, it would be impossible to reiterate most of the multitudinous examples. In some instances, the authors were subtle such as the Chinese preemptive attack on the Soviet Union, or the Arab Bloc attack on Israel, or stereotypical descriptives of Asians (orientals in the book). Yet, it is with Blacks where their antipathy is most prevalent. Blacks are universally portrayed as militant, unintelligent, diffident, feral, barbarian, cannibalistic, incompetent, sexually obsessed...or assimilated. On at least two occasions, it was implied a Black's leadership skills evolved from his "mixed blood." The preceding allusions are in no way all encompassing, they fail to scratch the surface of the included vituperatives. The ironic part is, I liked the story. I thought it was an outstanding work of science fiction. However the critical mass of bigoted thought makes this book hard to recommend.
Rating:
Summary: Racial profiling at its' worse
Review: After I finished the book, I went through every previous posting. Evidently, few of those sufficiently motivated to write a review read the same version as me. I cannot recall a time I picked up a book with greater anticipation and ended up feeling equally as disappointed as was the case here. LUCIFER'S HAMMER might be the precursor to the apocalyptic suspenseful sci-fi genre, but it is also a dismal representation of patently bigoted values. I have no issue with an author requiring me to suspend beliefs. As a generality I also expect some infusion of personal views and I have few objections to social commentary even when misplaced in the context of a given work. In this instance, Niven and Pournelle have crossed the line, which is unfortunate since their vision of the cataclysmic ecological consequences experienced after the comet's impact is engrossing, just as are their speculations regarding the very plausible ramifications across every existing societal system. The book is less science and more fiction, although their descriptions of the cosmological events associated with the comet were completely informative. It's the fiction I have problems with. Like so many others, I labored through the first 100 pages (closer to 150) while the authors set the stage for the inevitable collision and introduced the core complement of predominantly one-dimensional characters. From the appearance of the first ethnic, I was immediately astonished and subsequently depressed by the omnipresent prejudice. The homogenous restructured world envisioned by Niven and Pournelle was worthy of a William Pierce or David Duke. Other than ambiguity regarding the eventual assistance of some Native Americans, Non-Caucasians were uniformly written in uncomplimentary terms, including only perfunctorily balanced treatment of the minimal numbers among the protagonists. My dissatisfaction is not based on some interpretation of 'political correctness.' As a rule, negative treatment of SOME minority group characters is not in any way disconcerting. I attempted to rationalize the way they handled ethnicity - and women - in the context of the era in which the book was written yet as I worked my way thru chapter after chapter, it became an undeniable conclusion the authors harbored either deep-seated enmity or were inexcusably ignorant... or both. Within space constraints, it would be unreasonable to attempt to reiterate all of the multitudinous examples, wherever a non-caucasian appears, so do the invectives. Occasionally, it was subtle like the Chinese pre-emptive attack on Russia; the Arab initiated resumption of hostilies in the Middle East ( an allied bloc effort); sometimes, it was in the form of stereotypical descriptives of Asians (orientals in the book). But,it was with Black Americans where the antipathy was most prevalent. Blacks are portrayed as militant; libido-controlled; unintelligent; cannibalist; incompetent; feral; and the "good ones" were either assimilated or genetically blended. In two instances, with Mayor Bentley Allen ( arguably, a good guy) and sergeant Hooker ( arguably one of the worst of the "demonized bad guys") clear references to "mixed blood was offered in explanation of their authoritative roles. Another character, Alim Nassor nee George Washington Carver Davis, Black Activist/Thief, had to refer to pictures on account of his limited reading skills. Our Black astronaut hero, Rick Delanty, was conflicted, obeisant, and marginalized but everything was copacetic for him as he states at one point "I have all the equality I ever wanted." The above-noted examples only scratch the surface. As a reader, if you can discount or ignore the rampant bigotry, LUCIFER'S HAMMER is a great end of the world account. However, if ethnic sensitivity is even a remote concern, skip this book.
Rating:
Summary: Not what I expected
Review: Well, I guess I am the only one who did not care for this book but I was strangely dissatisfied when I finished reading it. First of all, I found the characters as written to be one-dimensional and shallow. In the end, I frankly didn't care if any of them lived or died. Also, I kept waiting for a serious treatment of what life would be like for those left behind in a disaster like this but what I got was a soap opera. I kept wondering, how are they going to ensure that they have a safe, clean water supply. This was taken care of by one of the characters saying "At least we have plenty of water." Whew.....that problem is solved. Okay, then I thought, what about sanitary needs. This is glossed over as well by another character saying "Thank goodness the plumbing works." Oh please. Then, I thought, okay, what about the social problems that would arise for the few women left behind with all those men. Again, not addressed. If anybody seriously thinks that the traditional boundaries of marriage would be respected in this situation, they are sadly mistaken. Women would be looked upon simply as breeding stock and would be pursued endlessly. It would be a nightmare existence for the women. I guess I expected this to be a different kind of book but I simply cannot recommend it for anybody interested in a serious study of survival.
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