Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
6th out of 6 books
—
2 voters
The Hammer Of God
In the year 2110 technology has cured most of our worries. But even as humankind enters a new golden age, an amateur astronomer points his telescope at just the right corner of the night sky and sees disaster hurtling toward Earth: a chunk of rock that could annihilate civilization. While a few fanatics welcome the apocalyptic destruction as a sign from God, the greatest s...more
Paperback, 263 pages
Published
1995
by Orbit
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
3,000)
It's certainly a short story. I read the whole thing on my morning commute with time to spare. In fact, I'll need to be careful that this review doesn't end up longer than the story. The story describes the eponymous asteroid, heading towards Earth, expected to be an extinction event for humanity. Comparisons are made to the previous such event which wiped out the dinosaurs. A team is dispatched to attach an engine to the asteroid to push it out of the collision path. Unfortunately religious ext...more
Vintage Clarke: fast-paced, fun, clever, occasionally mischievous, full of interesting speculation, and scientifically sound.
Why isn't this a movie?
Why isn't this a movie?
2 likes · like · see review
The climb to higher pedestals of scientific achievement has made man snug in his confidence. A confidence that erroneously makes him think that most if not all the challenges that nature throws at him can be averted by his technical toys. Let's now take help from a talented sci-fi author and fast forward into a technically much more advanced future. Mars and Moon have been colonized and man is perhaps at the Zenith of his technical prowess. Now take one of the oldest points of terror of humanity...more
I went to the library looking for "Lucifer's Hammer"--it was out--after writing a flash fiction piece about a meteor strike and wound up picking this off the shelf for a quick read instead.
Written in 1993, this one of Clarke's last works and it clocks in at a relatively short 212 pages. It was actually a perfect length for the amount of story Clarke has to tell, which wasn't much.
Getting the basics out of the way, Clarke is a legendary writer, but his skills were more suited to the Golden Age of...more
Written in 1993, this one of Clarke's last works and it clocks in at a relatively short 212 pages. It was actually a perfect length for the amount of story Clarke has to tell, which wasn't much.
Getting the basics out of the way, Clarke is a legendary writer, but his skills were more suited to the Golden Age of...more
1 like · like · see review
I thought that the plot of the book was better than average. And I liked the science fiction theme. It was about 150 years in the future with a "megaton" bomb dropped 100 years ago allowing the space protection program to see every thing with the signal bouncing back off of everything that it hit going faster than the speed of light allowing space-guard (protection) to see everything coming towards all the inhabited places (Earth Moon and Mars). However on one night a rookie astronomer became th...more
Jul 31, 2011
Alexander Arsov
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
arthur-clarke
Arthur C. Clarke
The Hammer of God
Bantam, Paperback, 1994.
12mo. x, 240 pp. Sources and Acknowledgments [pp. 225-240].
First published, 1993.
================================
I have the temerity to disagree with the guys from The New Your Book Review who, as quoted on the front cover, call this novel "Vintage Arthur C. Clarke." Well, vintage certainly it is not, but it is incredibly fascinating and thought-provoking read none the less for that. Keeping in mind that Arthur Clarke finished this novel...more
The Hammer of God
Bantam, Paperback, 1994.
12mo. x, 240 pp. Sources and Acknowledgments [pp. 225-240].
First published, 1993.
================================
I have the temerity to disagree with the guys from The New Your Book Review who, as quoted on the front cover, call this novel "Vintage Arthur C. Clarke." Well, vintage certainly it is not, but it is incredibly fascinating and thought-provoking read none the less for that. Keeping in mind that Arthur Clarke finished this novel...more
Well, I'm getting behind in my reviews. One of my favorite sci-fi books is Clarke's Childhood's End, which I will probably reread this year to see if I still like it.
I liked Hammer because each 'chapter' was only a couple of pages...I like feeling like I'm progressing when I read a book. Context-wise, I liked that the Hammer was explained right away in being the asteroid, Kali, and that its path was directly towards Earth.
The book jumps around in time, but follows the captain, Robert Singh, mo...more
I liked Hammer because each 'chapter' was only a couple of pages...I like feeling like I'm progressing when I read a book. Context-wise, I liked that the Hammer was explained right away in being the asteroid, Kali, and that its path was directly towards Earth.
The book jumps around in time, but follows the captain, Robert Singh, mo...more
1 like · like · see review
My friend Rob and I went halves on this one at a bookshop while trekking, Rob having run out of books and me being a fan of Sir Clarke. As it happens this short and rather light novel had been adapted from a Time story on future scenarios – and it shows. Usual Clarke themes are invoked – space is colonised and becomes routine, religion evolves more hydra-like heads to threaten the stability of the globe, and the human race becomes entirely populated by stiff and characterless yet keen-as-mustard...more
I didn't find myself immersed in this title as I have in Clarke's other books, and I'm not sure exactly why. There was something about his storytelling in this one that didn't quite work for me. I found myself getting a little frustrated with the exposition, and wanting more of a human touch to the story -- more "show vs. tell" -- instead of so much intellectual description.
Perhaps it was because -- even though this book was written 20 years ago, and I'm just now getting to it -- so many "kille...more
Perhaps it was because -- even though this book was written 20 years ago, and I'm just now getting to it -- so many "kille...more
A short read but a good story. Believable characters. The plot moves smoothly. In the 22nd Century, A giant asteroid, named Kali, is on a collision course with Earth. Its impact would wipe out all life on the planet. A science survey ship tries to stop it while dealing with religious fanatics who see the asteroid's arrival as a revelation of the Apocalypse. The story relies more on science fact than, say Star Trek or Star Wars does. There are no transporters or tractor beams. There are no faster...more
As good as always, it felt like reading early Clarke (though it's one of his last ones). Want to say that every time I read Clarke's novels I feel somehow cosy and totally absorbed by the book. I've read this one in three days, wich is both bad and good (good - 'cause it was fucking brilliant, bad - 'cause it's finished for now). It's the first time I've read one of his books after his death, and I'd like to say that we've lost a truly prominent person, his vision of the future is quite unique a...more
Not bad. This book was well executed, well written and engaging. My complaint is often that contemporary SF books are way too long, this book does not suffer from that. I'd say this book isn't bulky enough. I was expecting a more in depth look at the effects of a potentially deadly Big Dumb Object on the people of earth, but there is very little discussion about this. In fact there is very little philosophical discussion at all. It's a pretty straight ahead narrative.
Clarke tells the story well...more
Clarke tells the story well...more
[Author: Arthur C Clarke] writes a good science fiction story. I'm pretty sure that was decided long ago. The Hammer of God is certainly a good book.
The story of a captain who must save the world from an asteroid heading to wipe off all life on the planet is no longer an original story in the common era. We've all seen the one with Bruce Willis. But Clarke did it first. He did it long before those movies were made and he made it engaging. Set hundreds of years into the future, mankind still suff...more
The story of a captain who must save the world from an asteroid heading to wipe off all life on the planet is no longer an original story in the common era. We've all seen the one with Bruce Willis. But Clarke did it first. He did it long before those movies were made and he made it engaging. Set hundreds of years into the future, mankind still suff...more
Arthur C. Clarke always has his finger on sci-fi's pulse!: And this book proves it again when early in humanity's twenty-second century, after all "ills" have been more or less taken care of, including starvation, an astronomer learns that the death of this "perfect" human civilization is hurtling toward it. A fascinating read, even if it is much shorter than other Clarke novels. Add it to such books as: "Stranger in a Strange Land", "Puppet Masters", "2001", "2010", "Rendezvous with Rama", "Rin...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Non-stop sci-Fi action, Constantly intriguing, and packed with excitement; The Hammer of God by Arthur C. Clark is all of those things. The story follows a giant meteor that is hurtling towards earth in the near future. Humanity acts fast, assembling a team of highly skilled individuals to attach an engine to the asteroid in hopes of pushing it off course before an earth's destruction. I thoroughly enjoyed The Hammer of God with it's intense and creative story line and i would DEFIANTLY recommen...more
In the year of 2110, all of our concerns have all been solved. Then, scientists discovered that there is a chunk of rock, Kali, will hit earth in two years. When Kali is about to hit Robert Singh, the captain of the spaceship Goliath uses the ship as a thruster to change Kali's course. The world Government gathered all the great scientists to make a powerful nuclear weapon to cracked Kali in half.
I picked up this book because the title of the book sounded very interesting, and I liked the sto...more
I picked up this book because the title of the book sounded very interesting, and I liked the sto...more
2.5 stars for The Hammer of God by Arthur C Clarke. I’d like to give it more but can’t. This has to be the basis for both Deep Impact and Armageddon movies. Asteroid is discovered heading for Earth. Team is sent by spaceship to adjust the orbit slightly. They have to improvise due to problems and face the choice of sacrificing their lives to accomplish the mission. Hope he got royalties from both movies. Nice short chapters but he includes extraneous stuff that doesn’t support the storyline (lik...more
Hammer of God, was in my opinion neither Clarke’s best work or among my favorite novel of his. Still, it was a higher grade of writing and intelligence then a large number of science fiction novels out there. The plot was highly readable and the characters were interesting (I like how Clarke used the back stories to create a bit more depth). I appreciated Clarke’s articulation of the effects of an asteroid hitting earth, the plausibility of the system developed to detect asteroids, and the actio...more
This is fairly typical of Clarke's shorter novels, in that the world and the concept are the primary hook and the character development is secondary or non-existent. The Hammer of God is a vehicle for Clarke's vision of the future-- interesting, but not unlike the vision of his other novels-- and his insights to how humanity would react to a potential catastrophe. As is always the case with Clarke novels, the science is top notch and the fiction is eminently plausible, even if cases where histor...more
This book amuses me if for no other reason than it is clearly the granddaddy of all the asteroid impact movies that littered the box office in the 1990's and 2000's. Every single plot device Clarke uses showed up on the big screen, despite the lack of a direct adaptation.
Clarke, of course, proved himself a visionary once again with this novel. Not 2 years after it was published, comet Shoemaker-Levy flew within Jupiter's Roche Limit, was torn apart, and bombarded the planet in one of recent astr...more
Clarke, of course, proved himself a visionary once again with this novel. Not 2 years after it was published, comet Shoemaker-Levy flew within Jupiter's Roche Limit, was torn apart, and bombarded the planet in one of recent astr...more
This is an especially important Clarke novel because its central plot is mitigating the threat of an asteroid impact. The prospect of such an event, which many scientists regard as inevitable, plays out as a subplot in other Clarke novels, including
Rendezvous with Rama
. But here it is what the novel is all about.
While I felt this novel lacked the philosophical depth of 2001: A Space Odyssey or Childhood's End , I enjoyed the science in it and Clarke's concise approach to plot development. T...more
While I felt this novel lacked the philosophical depth of 2001: A Space Odyssey or Childhood's End , I enjoyed the science in it and Clarke's concise approach to plot development. T...more
Mar 30, 2008
Shivesh
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
a coast to coast flight
Shelves:
science-fictional
Not one of Clarke's best but as usual with his books this is an incredibly fast read - one weekend afternoon took me from cover to cover, endnotes included. All about Kali, an asteroid which head straight for Earth in the next century. Poor on characterization but the novel is really concerned with how a civilization comes around to spotting a death asteroid like this and how we could plan on destroying it. So a multitude of characters flit through the narrative, many of them which Clarke himsel...more
Largely based on a short story, The Hammer of God is hardly more substantial. Always with the potential to excite and shock, its big issues are hampered by brevity. Nevertheless, a fast and fun read, charting the mission to deflect the asteroid Kali from its course which is hellbent on Earth.
Read as the June contribution to my Arthur C Clarke 2013 Reading Challenge. Review: http://forwinternights.wordpress.com/...
Read as the June contribution to my Arthur C Clarke 2013 Reading Challenge. Review: http://forwinternights.wordpress.com/...
Sometimes a little pure science fiction is just what a hot summer weekend needs. I love Clarke for his pure-science approach (no magic or sorcery, just a science-based view of what could be), and his optimism about the future of mankind. It's fun to read science fiction written in the 1980s and see what was right and what was wrong in the view of the millennial era. At its core, this is just good fun reading. There's nothing like a little Arthur C. Clarke to get the imagination churning.
Although this is no RENDEVOUS WITH RAMA, I admire Clark's ability to try and see into the future. Colonization of the planets. A Space Guard that protects Earth from Asteroids. The Lunar Olympics. Etc. After finishing this book, you can see where the films ARMAGEDDON and DEEP IMPACT borrowed a lot from this book. That said, Clark was a very intelligent man and effortlessly translates 'science and physics gibberish' into something that this meathead can easily comprehend.
Has nothing to do with the asteroid about to impact Earth. It’s a book about how the world has changed in the time leading up to the asteroid, the main character’s history, plus a detailed account of a new religion. All take forever to describe and don’t mean anything. The business with the asteroid happens in the last 30 pages; introduced and resolved in the same breath. This is world-building without story.
Apparently this is the book that Armageddon was "based on".
I have to say that it read like Art took a bunch of unfinished short stories and crammed them into one book. he was all over the place. I mean the moon olympics? what the fuck was that Arthur? Thats the type of shit you publish in 1953 not 1993.
Parts of it were superbly written but would have made good magazine pieces. He's done tons of better stuff.
I have to say that it read like Art took a bunch of unfinished short stories and crammed them into one book. he was all over the place. I mean the moon olympics? what the fuck was that Arthur? Thats the type of shit you publish in 1953 not 1993.
Parts of it were superbly written but would have made good magazine pieces. He's done tons of better stuff.
Jul 10, 2009
Mark
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
A.C.C. and hard SF fans would like this one
Recommended to Mark by:
me
How would we respond if we know an asteroid was on a collision course
heading toward Earth? This novel is set in a not-too-distant future
in which humanity is faced with this reality. A mission is launched to
try to deter the astroid's collision course with Earth and prevent
armageddon ... A.C.C. engages in a lot of ther speculations about the future; this is another of his many hard SF and potentially realistic novels.
heading toward Earth? This novel is set in a not-too-distant future
in which humanity is faced with this reality. A mission is launched to
try to deter the astroid's collision course with Earth and prevent
armageddon ... A.C.C. engages in a lot of ther speculations about the future; this is another of his many hard SF and potentially realistic novels.
This is a novella or short story, fleshed out. It contains a lot of real information concerning asteroids and their threat to earth. Many have hit the earth and in the future many more will threaten our world. This story gives one solution to the problem.
Arthur Clark is one of my favorite SF writers so I was happy to find this book in my little book store where I volunteer.
Arthur Clark is one of my favorite SF writers so I was happy to find this book in my little book store where I volunteer.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Big Unanswered Question | 1 | 13 | 11 de May 19:57 |
Arthur C. Clarke was one of the most important and influential figures in 20th century science fiction. He spent the first half of his life in England, where he served in World War Two as a radar operator, before emigrating to Ceylon in 1956. He is best known for the novel and movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, which he co-created with the assistance of Stanley Kubrick.
Clarke was a graduate of King's Co...more
More about Arthur C. Clarke...
Clarke was a graduate of King's Co...more
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
27 de Feb 08:14