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147th out of 2,947 books
—
12,435 voters
Footfall
"NOBODY DOES IT BETTER THAN NIVEN AND POURNELLE.
I LOVED IT!"
--Tom Clancy
They first appear as a series of dots on astronomical plates, heading from Saturn directly toward Earth. Since the ringed planet carries no life, scientists deduce the mysterious ship to be a visitor from another star.
The world's frantic efforts to signal the aliens go unanswered. The first contact is...more
I LOVED IT!"
--Tom Clancy
They first appear as a series of dots on astronomical plates, heading from Saturn directly toward Earth. Since the ringed planet carries no life, scientists deduce the mysterious ship to be a visitor from another star.
The world's frantic efforts to signal the aliens go unanswered. The first contact is...more
Paperback, 524 pages
Published
June 23rd 1997
by Del Rey
(first published 1985)
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Audiobook is 24 hrs. About 4&1/2 hours in. There's a zillion (well 124) characters, lots of women and sexual intrigue, and it's set nearly in the present, with an oncoming alien attack. I guess they were going for a mainstream bestseller like Lucifer's Hammer (8 years earlier), and apparently they succeeded, back in the 80's. It starts slow. I'm listening in the car, and get confused as to who's talking. There's a lot of Russian/Cold War stuff that we don't worry about much these days. At le...more
More catastrophe survivalist misogyny from Niven and Pournelle. Maybe it's because I just recently read Lucifer's Hammer, or maybe I'm getting older, but I'm finding my earlier affection for Niven's work fading.
I'm sure there's a literary term for what the author's have done in Footfall and L.H., but I'm going to have to describe it- All of the characters we meet (and there are a lot) make the right decisions and are clearly superior to the common people who we don't ever really get to know. Pu...more
I'm sure there's a literary term for what the author's have done in Footfall and L.H., but I'm going to have to describe it- All of the characters we meet (and there are a lot) make the right decisions and are clearly superior to the common people who we don't ever really get to know. Pu...more
3 likes · like · see review
This is probably the best alien invasion book I have ever read. This involves an alien ship that arrives in earth orbit and immediately starts a war with humanity, and they have far superior technology. The aliens are similar to Earth's elephants, but not really the same. That's probably the only thing I do not like about the book, because the book never really comes up with any good explanation (unless I missed it) of how that evolved. But aside from that, this makes for a really cool alien ene...more
Niven's second post-apocalyptic tale and I think not quite as good as the other (Lucifer's Hammer). But it's got a lot to recommend it. The Fithp are are a subtle and well-conceived creation--both endearing and repellent. They seem doomed by both their commendable qualities (ethics) as well as their deficiencies (instinctual aggressiveness), and their similarity to humans gives their story a nicely satirical flavor. Their herd-animal behaviors are really not that different from human's, although...more
Footfall was written at the peak of the cold war during the 80's but is set in a slightly futuristic earth. Footfall describes mans first encounter with an alien species known as the Fithp; an elephant like quadrapedial creature that has taken to spaceflight and has come to earths solar system to conquer Terra. The Fithp are heard creatures and consequently are bound by heard like behavior. They use technology that has been passed down to them to toss rocks to earth to pacify the two super power...more
Dec 31, 2012
Marcelo
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Marcelo by:
Audible.com
I must start saying that's virtually impossible for a human mind to conjure up a trully alien species. All we can do is to base on life and matter as we know it, so all the attempts ever tried will invariably end up with a more or less exotic version of a mixture of life as we know it — life that evolved in a planet that had to have phases, troubles and eras so absurdly similar to Earth's that the math would fry Mr. Spock's ears. That said, Niven and Pournelle generally make a more than satisfyi...more
I was hooked on Niven and Pournelle ever since I read A Mote in God's Eye, which hit every right button for a space-based alien contact epic. Footfall told a story closer to home, asking what if the aliens came to us at Earth, what would we really do, how would different groups of people react, and how would the aliens respond to the alien-ness of us?
Though it's familiar territory, Footfall really delves into the human aspect, extrapolating from hard science and politics to paint a very plausib...more
Though it's familiar territory, Footfall really delves into the human aspect, extrapolating from hard science and politics to paint a very plausib...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Footfall is an intelligent attempt to postulate a non-human society, provide them with a non-human psychology, and create a scientifically accurate and rational case of interstellar invasion. Hollywood is populated by those who do not understand the professional military. Niven and Pournelle do. Hollywood doesn't understand how the US strategic nuclear forces could be employed in combat. Hollywood gushes about the impossibly lucky idiot who saves the day. N&P understand that such luck is mor...more
1 like · like · see review
Man – what an exciting book! From the moment it begins we’re launched into a world imperiled by a newly discovered alien spacecraft decelerating towards the Earth. Have they come in peace? Nope. The story of conquest and destruction amid orbital bombardment, airborne invasion and nuclear war is told through several dozen American, Soviet and alien characters who struggle to survive in the new order. For once humanity is enslaved by a, yes, inferior race, depicted as elephant-like herd animals (c...more
I thought long and hard about giving this one 4 stars. It was really a toss-up...I think on a different day, I might have done so. I really enjoyed this book, but sometimes it felt like there was a lot of "fluff" in it. I listened to the audio of the book, hoping to finish in time to discuss it with the SFF Audio crew. Unfortunately, I didn't quite finish in time. Their podcast episode was pretty good, it summed up a lot of my feelings.
One thing mentioned on the podcast was that this book wasn't...more
One thing mentioned on the podcast was that this book wasn't...more
Compulsively readable page turner. Perhaps the most "realistic" aliens invasion of earth novel I have ever read. My second time around reading this, 15 years later, left me with nearly the same high level of delight as last time.
And the importance of science fiction writers to the war effort? Maybe less realistic, but still a lot of fun.
Of course, aliens invading earth is really the perfect setup for what is a pro-military somewhat "conservative" world view. Endless accumulation of nuclear weapo...more
And the importance of science fiction writers to the war effort? Maybe less realistic, but still a lot of fun.
Of course, aliens invading earth is really the perfect setup for what is a pro-military somewhat "conservative" world view. Endless accumulation of nuclear weapo...more
Jan 22, 2011
Marvin
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
autographed,
science-fiction
I read this awhile back and remembered it as a fun if not very substantial read. It reads like a novelization of an epic disaster movie like Independence Day. The aliens look like elephants which is kind of goofy. Niven and Pournelle will never be mistaken for great literary writers, They hail from the pulp fiction side of sci-fi and their Libertarian views tend to be heavy-handed and often weight down their books. But ti was fun so I'll give it a cautious three stars.
Written in the mid-80's, this book originally aimed to be a "near-future" story of alien invasion. However, in the 20+ years since its publication, the "near-future" aspect of the book sorely dates it. I can forgive the ongoing Cold War between the US and the Soviets. I mean, who really saw the fall of the USSR coming? but it's the other things that I find jarring at worst and extremely humurous at best.
the Russians have a huge space station? Okay. Americans and Soviets have competitive moon bas...more
the Russians have a huge space station? Okay. Americans and Soviets have competitive moon bas...more
May 31, 2007
Mont'ster
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
SF fans
Shelves:
got-it,
science-fiction
Footfall is a good "the aliens have landed - now what?" story. The ultimate outcome is not too hard to guess but the twists and turns that the story takes make for a fun ride. Another interesting thing is the invaders resemblance to a species native to Earth and the author uses this well for occassional comic relief. He is able to keep the book from becoming too dark without getting silly about it.
I loved Niven and Pournelle's classic Lucifer's Hammer and this sounded like another enjoyable trip down much the same lane. Those who have read Lucifer's Hammer know that Niven and Pournelle don't get things rolling at a good pace until they're good and damn ready and have established a large stable of main and supporting characters. Unfortunately, Footfall just isn't as enjoyable as Lucifer's Hammer was once things start happening. You don't connect with any of the characters throughout the en...more
Another winner by a great team.
Niven and Pournell have to be the greatest writing team in science fiction, and this is another of their winners. At first glance it's just another alien invasion story. But the aliens have no backup and the Earth fights back. Some of the best parts of the book are the description of the alien families going through the pounding their enormous starship is receiving from the ground. Hard science fiction with real physics and a well developed alien culture. Some of t...more
Niven and Pournell have to be the greatest writing team in science fiction, and this is another of their winners. At first glance it's just another alien invasion story. But the aliens have no backup and the Earth fights back. Some of the best parts of the book are the description of the alien families going through the pounding their enormous starship is receiving from the ground. Hard science fiction with real physics and a well developed alien culture. Some of t...more
Slightly dated and, in spite of 'tokenistic-strong-female-character' Jenny, a fairly mysoginistic narrative that left me feeling a little alienated (if you'll excuse the pun) as a female reader. I still, however, found much to enjoy about this book.
I really loved the sweeping epic feel that came from the generous timeline given to tell the tale and the numerous characters and locations used. That being said, there were so many storylines that started out quite promising before sort of dwindling...more
I really loved the sweeping epic feel that came from the generous timeline given to tell the tale and the numerous characters and locations used. That being said, there were so many storylines that started out quite promising before sort of dwindling...more
Similar in scope and story to Lucifer's Hammer this book contains a wide range of fully fleshed characters and is presented not only from the human point of view but that of the aliens as well. The aliens are some of the most original extraterrestrials I have ever come across. They are presented with a cultural outlook very different from that of the Earth peoples they are attempting to dominate. They are also not presented as single-mindedly evil. The weapons and technology employed by both sid...more
Niven/Pournelle do a good job on creating interesting aliens but fail doing the same with the (too) many human characters.
The story is told from both alien and human perspectives, there is no central character and it only gains momentum a long way in. It starts with an almost classic alien invasion scenario, however even though the aliens are technologically superior to humans they aren't very innovative and rather dim-witted compared to the tool-using, warmongering humans.
The aliens are 'herd'...more
The story is told from both alien and human perspectives, there is no central character and it only gains momentum a long way in. It starts with an almost classic alien invasion scenario, however even though the aliens are technologically superior to humans they aren't very innovative and rather dim-witted compared to the tool-using, warmongering humans.
The aliens are 'herd'...more
Although I generally enjoy Niven and Pournelle's work, this one was just too heavy handed. Footfall was everything I dislike about sci-fi condensed into one book: self-gratifying and self-absorbed writers writing themselves as heroes, ridiculous aliens, extreme nationalism, sexism up the whazoo, and a complete disregard for character development. Some of these are explainable (though not justifiable) from a context-sensitive reading. Indeed, maybe I wouldn't have hated this book if I'd read it i...more
1 like · like · see review
Jun 26, 2008
Michael
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
people who like aliens
Recommended to Michael by:
people who like reading about aliens
this book is great for reading in short (very short) installments. I think I averaged about a page or two a day. Luckily, there are clear stopping points every page or two.
Truly a book convenient to my schedule.
Truly a book convenient to my schedule.
Two of my favorite literary themes combine in Footfall: survivalism and first contact.
I enjoy books about first contact because each one envisions a different reason for contact, and the myriad ways in which humanity, as a group entity, is likely to meet that cultural challenge. In Footfall, humanity falls into two different and distinct categories in the face of an alien race bent on conquest.
Imagined with realistic characters and an almost ridiculous yet remarkable believable alien race which...more
I enjoy books about first contact because each one envisions a different reason for contact, and the myriad ways in which humanity, as a group entity, is likely to meet that cultural challenge. In Footfall, humanity falls into two different and distinct categories in the face of an alien race bent on conquest.
Imagined with realistic characters and an almost ridiculous yet remarkable believable alien race which...more
They don’t write ‘em like this anymore! Admittedly, some would say with good reason…. but it brought back memories of all the fat paperbacks I sat up nights reading in the 80s. Cold War… teletypes… cassette tapes… Betamax machines… the Space Shuttle Challenger plays a key role in the final battle scene. I thought this book was a real hoot, like War of the Worlds written by Tom Clancy. (My copy had a blurb from Clancy on the cover!)
OK, OK, it *is* almost impossible to keep track of the hundreds o...more
OK, OK, it *is* almost impossible to keep track of the hundreds o...more
This was perhaps the most tedious science fiction book I've ever read... or listened to (I had the audio book). The book had way too many "main" characters, most of whom had no bearing on the outcome of the book. Some seemed completely pointless. The alien names were unnecessarily complex and having a section of the book describing their language and its construction seemed self indulgent (of the authors) and tedious.
The book suffered from a lack of coherent story line, uninteresting characters,...more
The book suffered from a lack of coherent story line, uninteresting characters,...more
This was a fun book to read. I actually had a little bit of a hard time getting into it at first. I appreciate that the author has to introduce us to all of the characters but I felt like a lot of the first part of the book was given over to this. I was ready for the action way before it started in earnest. Once is got started though it was really good. I loved the story and I always wonder how people come up with such great stories. I guess that is why I'm not a writer but I am a reader. I had...more
I read this many years ago during a blitz of Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle books. I am jealous of the shelf space I give to books, especially paperbacks, and I am ruthless in removing those I find lacking in some way. This is one of those books that has earned a bit of shelf space because it is so well done. The characters are compelling, both alien and human. The issues of environment, a conflict centered on two very different understandings of what a society or community really means, and th...more
Getting used to the alien language is difficult but sort of fun.
The aliens morphology is silly but their instincts are interesting.
The books is an answer to the question:
"How can a race travel between stars without being peaceful?"
Sagan might argue any such race must have survived cultural adolescence.
They managed not to destroy themselves before reaching the space age.
This can be done through cooperation and peace.
But it could also be accomplished by an instinct to submit once defeated!
With su...more
The aliens morphology is silly but their instincts are interesting.
The books is an answer to the question:
"How can a race travel between stars without being peaceful?"
Sagan might argue any such race must have survived cultural adolescence.
They managed not to destroy themselves before reaching the space age.
This can be done through cooperation and peace.
But it could also be accomplished by an instinct to submit once defeated!
With su...more
This is a serious "meh" read from Niven. I sometimes wonder (perhaps others have expressed this already) if Niven's collaborations with Pournelle were really a good idea. Maybe I'm forgetting some amazing book they wrote together, but so far, after revisiting this book and The Mote in God's Eye, I'm less than enthused. Both seemed to show far too much of Pournelle's political ideas drifting into what otherwise might have been a good story. Oh well, it was still an overall enjoyable read, but not...more
Mar 01, 2010
Nnwest
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2010,
cr_bn_sf_book_club
Several (male) people, who loved Footfall when they read it 20+ years ago, heartily recommended it, so we read it for our book club.
In today's light, it's pretty offensive to my inner feminist. It doesn't even pass the Bechdel Test. I wouldn't go as far as calling it misogynistic as other reviewers have, but it's clear the authors can not or do not care to write believable or interesting female characters. The women in this book are only there to sleep with and be rescued by the male characters...more
In today's light, it's pretty offensive to my inner feminist. It doesn't even pass the Bechdel Test. I wouldn't go as far as calling it misogynistic as other reviewers have, but it's clear the authors can not or do not care to write believable or interesting female characters. The women in this book are only there to sleep with and be rescued by the male characters...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| footfall by niven and pournelle | 10 | 67 | Apr 18, 2013 10:44am |
Laurence van Cott Niven's best known work is Ringworld (Ringworld, #1) (1970), which received the Hugo, Locus, Ditmar, and Nebula awards. His work is primarily hard science fiction, using big science concepts and theoretical physics. The creation of thoroughly worked-out alien species, which are very different from humans both physically and mentally, is recognized as one of Niven's main strengths...more
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