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Lucifer's Hammer

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Lucifer's Hammer

By: Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle
Narrated by: Marc Vietor
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About this listen

 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. Adventure Fantasy Fiction Hard Science Fiction Science Fiction Classics

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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)
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The first third of this book is pretty boring. Once things start to happen then the next third starts to become interesting as they realise what's going to happen and deal with the initial impact.

It's the final third which gets good.

A book of three parts - boring, ok and good

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A very 70s, very "pro-tech" story. Cringed a little bit at some of the female and racial characterisations ( lots of helpless little women and PoC who seemed to be straight out of Starsky and Hutch). Also it's set mid cold war, so you have to take the geopolitics of the era into consideration, too. One of the mainstays of the plot is that, above all, they need to save the nuclear power plant, because, post apocalypse, that's what the world really needs (as opposed to solar panels and wind turbines). It's of it's time, though, so you can't really argue too much. Well performed, entertaining story.

Dated but fun

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It's VERY 1970s. The science is strong, but there are few surprises in the plot.

classic, but not essential

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great story telling by a great narator. It nwver surprises me that humans are only "good people" as long as they are fed and comfortable. This book shows both sides, and maybe paints too nice a picture if anything.

The human animal vs human ideal

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Really enjoyed this book. Fair bit developed leading up to the impact with chances of strike 10,000 / 1 falling to 100/1. Plenty of character development and good performance.

Solid story and performance

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the real human feel of the story. the way so many of the simple characters grow and changed, being stronger better people!

the descriptions

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this book was a bit slow to start but overall a very good book to listen too

slow to start but a very good book

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Been a fan since first published, only slightly dated now even after all these years, engrossing performance. I Loved it.

excellent performance of a great novel

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Great "end if the world as we know it" story that comes across very realistic despite the age of the book. it's a very slow start, but get past the first quarter, which is all character building and scene setting, and it becomes a very thought provoking, nail biting at times, story of epic breadth. loved it.

Makes you think...

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As believable today as when it was first written. Completely believable characters, and a realistic storyline. Larry Niven never fails to satisfy.

First class storytelling!

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