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Perun's Hammer: A Novel
“One of the best books that I’ve ever read!” -Kent Rominger, former Space Shuttle Commander / NASA Chief of the Astronaut Office
What if you received a video showing exactly what happened to Amelia Earhart?And then similar videos of the Battle of the Little Bighorn and the Tulsa Race Massacre? What would you do if historians and experts verified every detail, and none of the videos showed traces of CGI?
If you’re Rich Penton, lead reporter at the investigative news show, RECON, you’d try to figure out who made the videos, who sent them to you and what you’re supposed to do about them. The only thing you’d know for sure is that the existence of the videos is absolutely impossible.
For humans.
But when the RECON team receives a video showing Chicago destroyed by an asteroid in the near future, they decide they’d better take it seriously. That’s when they feel the full force of the U.S. military and intelligence agencies, which clearly don’t want RECON involved in whatever mess this is, and the Russians send an assassin to ensure that anybody who tries to broadcast the videos winds up dead.
Perun’s Hammer blends exciting and contemporary AI, foreign intrigue, murder, historical mysteries, hazardous asteroids, undercover agents, a bizarre cult, and a mysterious intelligence that seems to be able to see through time.
What if you received a video showing exactly what happened to Amelia Earhart?And then similar videos of the Battle of the Little Bighorn and the Tulsa Race Massacre? What would you do if historians and experts verified every detail, and none of the videos showed traces of CGI?
If you’re Rich Penton, lead reporter at the investigative news show, RECON, you’d try to figure out who made the videos, who sent them to you and what you’re supposed to do about them. The only thing you’d know for sure is that the existence of the videos is absolutely impossible.
For humans.
But when the RECON team receives a video showing Chicago destroyed by an asteroid in the near future, they decide they’d better take it seriously. That’s when they feel the full force of the U.S. military and intelligence agencies, which clearly don’t want RECON involved in whatever mess this is, and the Russians send an assassin to ensure that anybody who tries to broadcast the videos winds up dead.
Perun’s Hammer blends exciting and contemporary AI, foreign intrigue, murder, historical mysteries, hazardous asteroids, undercover agents, a bizarre cult, and a mysterious intelligence that seems to be able to see through time.
- GenresScience FictionFiction
326 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 8, 2025
335 people are currently reading
88 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
May 4, 2025
I highly recommend this outstanding book! As a first-time novelist, the author brilliantly blends history, human drama, sci-fi, and an understandable treatment of contemporary technologies into an engrossing story. I enjoyed the nudge provided by the book to go out and research historical events of which I had limited knowledge. I also liked the reference to Slavic versus more familiar mythologies. The story resolves cleanly, while creating the context for future novels in a series. Can't wait for the sequel!
September 16, 2025
Great Story
Nail biter with more twists than Arkansas backroads. Might be worth a sequel? Great likable characters with thoroughly hateful villains.
Nail biter with more twists than Arkansas backroads. Might be worth a sequel? Great likable characters with thoroughly hateful villains.
January 19, 2026
Interesting SF Concept
A decent time travel mystery with varied characters. The character pacing was a bit hurried overall and character development was marginal. Still, the story is engaging and intriguing enough to invite you along, though with one BIG caveat: tying EVERYTHING to a fault to the author’s present day social mores.
Out of the gate, the cast of characters are introduced as diverse, socially aware and entirely progressive (aside from one who serves as a proxy ideological convert). The author painfully and repetitively speaks essentially through the fourth wall to re-remind you of each character’s social virtue, to the point where it breaks immersion and detracts from the story, and several times almost stopped me in my tracks from finishing the book. This side narrative is so strong and presented as so virtuous, that it leaves no room for the reader to organically chose to side and identify with the characters, and if you don’t, you know right away what the author would think of you. The author uses his voice and characters to write his personal social views into the book at the expense of the story. The narrative effort is not deft, it is heavy handed and increasingly predictable as the story progresses.
The historical and science research is great and well described, but again is undermined by the heavy handed messaging it is meant to convey—with each main character promptly being written to applaud it in every such scene.
The antagonists are two dimensionally evil and presented regularly with scenes of violence and moral depravity. It has very mixed effectiveness and falls into the same narrative messaging, dragging the story down.
Great real world locations and presentation, interesting storyline, decent characters in many ways, but overshadowed by relentless real-life messaging. It’s akin to preparing a great smelling soup and just as you serve it having the top of the salt shaker fall off and dump the whole thing into the pot.
I would rate the story as a solid three-and-a-half if the author had simply let the characters and story speak in their own voices.
A decent time travel mystery with varied characters. The character pacing was a bit hurried overall and character development was marginal. Still, the story is engaging and intriguing enough to invite you along, though with one BIG caveat: tying EVERYTHING to a fault to the author’s present day social mores.
Out of the gate, the cast of characters are introduced as diverse, socially aware and entirely progressive (aside from one who serves as a proxy ideological convert). The author painfully and repetitively speaks essentially through the fourth wall to re-remind you of each character’s social virtue, to the point where it breaks immersion and detracts from the story, and several times almost stopped me in my tracks from finishing the book. This side narrative is so strong and presented as so virtuous, that it leaves no room for the reader to organically chose to side and identify with the characters, and if you don’t, you know right away what the author would think of you. The author uses his voice and characters to write his personal social views into the book at the expense of the story. The narrative effort is not deft, it is heavy handed and increasingly predictable as the story progresses.
The historical and science research is great and well described, but again is undermined by the heavy handed messaging it is meant to convey—with each main character promptly being written to applaud it in every such scene.
The antagonists are two dimensionally evil and presented regularly with scenes of violence and moral depravity. It has very mixed effectiveness and falls into the same narrative messaging, dragging the story down.
Great real world locations and presentation, interesting storyline, decent characters in many ways, but overshadowed by relentless real-life messaging. It’s akin to preparing a great smelling soup and just as you serve it having the top of the salt shaker fall off and dump the whole thing into the pot.
I would rate the story as a solid three-and-a-half if the author had simply let the characters and story speak in their own voices.
February 14, 2026
So I had to sit for several hours in a car dealership waiting room while I had some work done on my car. An ad for this book came across my facebook feed. It sounded interesting and since it was on kindle unlimited, I went ahead and got it. Really glad I did. I read about half of it while waiting and the rest when I got home. A sci-fi story that had some elements of a spy novel and some discussions of actual historical events. I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it if you want a quick and entertaining read.
October 10, 2025
I wish I could give this book 10 stars!
This is a truly excellent story with wonderful characters and a story presented in a believable way. There are so many nuances to the story… it’s not strictly science fiction nor a historical story but there are elements to both in the book. I highly recommend it and look forward to the sequel.
This is a truly excellent story with wonderful characters and a story presented in a believable way. There are so many nuances to the story… it’s not strictly science fiction nor a historical story but there are elements to both in the book. I highly recommend it and look forward to the sequel.
October 22, 2025
Person's Hammer
Wow! What seemed like another catastrophe yarn, became something else entirely by the end of the first chapter. I RARELY give 5 stars to any of the many stories I read. But this one deserves it and I highly recommend it for entertainment.
Wow! What seemed like another catastrophe yarn, became something else entirely by the end of the first chapter. I RARELY give 5 stars to any of the many stories I read. But this one deserves it and I highly recommend it for entertainment.
January 13, 2026
great story
I truly enjoyed this book. The pace, the intrigue, the characters, all were woven together for an exciting read. Thanks Ian for an excellent interesting read!
I truly enjoyed this book. The pace, the intrigue, the characters, all were woven together for an exciting read. Thanks Ian for an excellent interesting read!
October 19, 2025
An exciting story of a meteor (or something!) Streaking toward earth, it is too far away for any sensors to detect it; the only warning is via a mysterious collection of videos that appear out of nowhere. As a group of journalists(?) rush to prove the things existence, various bad guys try to stop them. Interesting twist on disaster stories.
February 20, 2026
It begins with the impossible delivery of an equally impossible video – even if all that Rich Penton and his crew at RECON are certain of at that point is that the delivery shouldn’t have been possible. The video looks like REALLY good CGI of a meteor crashing into downtown Chicago. RECON is a successful, award-winning news magazine TV series (sorta/kinda like 60 Minutes was back in the day) but based in Chicago and set in the mid-2020s.
Meaning that the team at RECON is used to getting unusual pitches for stories. And that they know all about cutting-edge CGI. But it also means that their network security is state-of-the-art, a state that means that videos should not be capable of ‘magically’ appearing in anyone’s email without getting checked. And it certainly means that once such an email is deleted – it STAYS deleted.
The painted picture on this bison hide shows the battle of the Little Bighorn, where the Plain Indians fought Lieut. Col. George Custer’s troops. By Cheyenne artist – Museum of the American Indian
Except this video isn’t behaving the way it’s supposed to.
Not that they can do anything with it or about it except for the security breach. There’s nothing attached to tell them who sent it, how it was filmed, or what the purpose of it might be. They assume it’s a pitch for something – they get those all the time, but usually with a lot more information than this.
Then the second video arrives, just as mysteriously as the first. A video that seemed to have been taken at the Battle of the Little Big Horn as it was happening. In 1876. A video that checks out in every particular except one. In spite of repeated attempts to figure out how it was made, there is ZERO evidence of it being CGI. It seems to be authentic right down to facial recognition of even minor characters – even the angle of the sun and shadows is not just internally consistent but consistent with the date, time and location of the battle.
Tulsa Race Massacre aftermath, June 1, 1921
Which is when Rich and his team at RECON start to really, really dig. Because one way or another, this is one hell of a story. But as videos keep coming in, from Amelia Earhart’s ultimately fatal crash in 1937 to the horrors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre to the tragic 1945 bombing of three German ships, the Deutschland, the Thielbek, and the Cap Arcona, filled to the gunwales with Jewish concentration camp inmates who were either killed by British bombs, or from being clubbed to death by Nazi soldiers and sympathizers waiting for the few survivors to wash up on shore.
As each of the later videos gets a YES in the column for historical accuracy and a NO in the column for being provably some sort of advanced CGI, it brings questions about the purpose of that first video of a meteor or asteroid striking Chicago, into terrible focus. If all the other videos are real recordings of historical events, then what was that first video? Was it a warning?
And if it was a warning – can they get the right people to believe in something so seemingly impossible in time to change the future before it becomes the present?
Escape Rating B+: First of all, in the interests of full disclosure, I received this book in a “friend of a friend of a friend” situation. Which I was honestly a bit salty about as I’m not all that fond of being committed to things by proxy.
Howsomever, (knowing this will completely undercut any and all arguments with the friend who got me into this), I’m not at all sorry about the whole thing. In fact, I’m pretty damn pleased with the result now that I’ve finished the book – and in spite of the quibbles I’m going to throw in near the end.
I had a damn good time reading this. Seriously. It was a thrill-a-minute ride from beginning to end in the best sorta/kinda SF movie thriller tradition. Movies like Armageddon, and Deep Impact.
What made Perūn’s Hammer just a bit different, and a whole lot more fun from this reader’s perspective, is that the story is set recognizably in Chicago. Not New York, not Washington DC, but Chicago. As someone who lived in Chicago for several years, I could picture all the scenes in the story AND just how big the devastation would be.
Which leads directly to the second fun thing. In most disaster movies, the disaster has either already happened or is past the point of no return. A big part of the plot and the point of Perūn’s Hammer is that those videos represent a future that ‘might’ be, not a fixed point in time. The worst of the crisis could be averted – if humanity can get its act together in time.
So the story isn’t the dystopia that comes after, or even the planning vs. panic scenario of an inevitable onrushing catastrophe. Instead, the ticking clock that drives the action is the investigation to figure out the nature of the message and then the mad scramble to act BEFORE it’s too late.
Neither of which could possibly be the job of a single human being – so even though parts of the story are told from Rich Penton’s first person perspective – which admittedly cuts the tension a bit because we know he survived otherwise he wouldn’t be around afterwards to do that telling – much of the story is told from a third person overview in order to follow the workings of the stellar team that make the show – and this story – possible.
Their team dynamic is absolutely top-notch. Each person is at the top of their respective game, and they each do their part to solve the mystery. It’s going to be up to Rich to convince the powers-that-be to put a multibillion dollar asset into space in the hopes of knocking the object off course. But he needs their collective very able assistance to put it all together and the investigation in all its many facets is a joy to follow.
Unfortunately, this is where my two huge quibbles with the story come in, and together they were enough to knock this from an A grade to a B+. Because I was compelled, but also extremely annoyed at this part.
In order for the reader – and the team – to truly appreciate just how high the stakes are in this story, one of the team members had to die. That’s the way thrillers like this work and it wasn’t exactly a shock for the reader when it happened. Especially considering that as far as solving the mystery goes, this particular team member had already completed their role. The problem I had with this was not the death, but the choice of character to die. The team member who was killed was the only gay person in the central cast, and the only character who was not or did not become part of a romantic couple. The “Bury Your Gays” trope is basically a cheap shot that did not need to be part of this story. Or, for that matter, any story.
It also leads directly to my other issue with the story, and that’s ‘villain fail’. There is a villain here. They’re not the ones who launched the object, but they are the ones trying to take advantage of it. In the international political climate of the past few years, the idea that the Russian Federation might be gleeful about an interstellar object flattening Chicago isn’t quite out of the bounds of plausibility. That Russia would engage in a campaign of misinformation and bribery in order to prevent the US from launching countermeasures in time is also not that far-fetched. Nor is the idea that they would have agents in the U.S. working to protect such a plan. However, the idea that all of that happened AND that the specific agent involved embodied all the worst possible racist, homophobic, sexist, psychopathic, sociopathic, violent and outright ‘bwahaha’ villain characteristics that have ever been assigned to a negative portrayal of an enemy agent in a single person put the whole thing way over the top and tripped my willing suspension of disbelief completely. To make a long harangue into a short sentence, the character of the villain of the piece slipped WAY over the line from CHARACTER into CARICATURE.
Amelia Earhart standing under nose of her Lockheed Model 10-E Electra. Gelatin silver print, 1937 by Underwood & Underwood
Very much on my other, and much more fascinated hand, I loved the deep dive into the historical incidents that were part of the vetting process for the videos. I wanted to say ‘happy’, but that’s the wrong word in this case. The historical analysis read as in-depth and extremely well done, which is something that I always love to see. However, I think it is important to note that all of the historical incidents with the exception of Amelia’s Earhart’s most likely sad end, were all true events that were horrifying in the extreme. They were also outright brutal tragedies of human inhumanity to other humans that were swept under the historical carpet because the victims were considered “other” from the perspective of the powers that be at the time.
A lot of the SFnal aspects of Perūn’s Hammer have been done before, in stories that reach as far back as Niven and Pournelle’s Lucifer’s Hammer through Kowal’s Lady Astronaut series and all the way up to last year’s When the Moon Hits Your Eye by way of at least two of the Star Trek movies (TMP and IV) as well as those disaster thrillers I started with. Those familiar SFnal elements blend into a story that will keep readers on the edge of their seats, whether the parts that appeals are the historical mysteries, the technical breakthroughs, the political shenanigans and the spy games, or the surprisingly open-ended conclusion.
In spite of my quibbles, I had a grand time with Perūn’s Hammer. I think those quibbles hit so hard BECAUSE I was having such a grand reading time and those flaws disappointed me in a book that was otherwise really terrific.
All of which means that I’m glad that the author has already promised a sequel, tentatively titled Perūn Rises. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next.
Originally published at Reading Reality
Meaning that the team at RECON is used to getting unusual pitches for stories. And that they know all about cutting-edge CGI. But it also means that their network security is state-of-the-art, a state that means that videos should not be capable of ‘magically’ appearing in anyone’s email without getting checked. And it certainly means that once such an email is deleted – it STAYS deleted.
The painted picture on this bison hide shows the battle of the Little Bighorn, where the Plain Indians fought Lieut. Col. George Custer’s troops. By Cheyenne artist – Museum of the American Indian
Except this video isn’t behaving the way it’s supposed to.
Not that they can do anything with it or about it except for the security breach. There’s nothing attached to tell them who sent it, how it was filmed, or what the purpose of it might be. They assume it’s a pitch for something – they get those all the time, but usually with a lot more information than this.
Then the second video arrives, just as mysteriously as the first. A video that seemed to have been taken at the Battle of the Little Big Horn as it was happening. In 1876. A video that checks out in every particular except one. In spite of repeated attempts to figure out how it was made, there is ZERO evidence of it being CGI. It seems to be authentic right down to facial recognition of even minor characters – even the angle of the sun and shadows is not just internally consistent but consistent with the date, time and location of the battle.
Tulsa Race Massacre aftermath, June 1, 1921
Which is when Rich and his team at RECON start to really, really dig. Because one way or another, this is one hell of a story. But as videos keep coming in, from Amelia Earhart’s ultimately fatal crash in 1937 to the horrors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre to the tragic 1945 bombing of three German ships, the Deutschland, the Thielbek, and the Cap Arcona, filled to the gunwales with Jewish concentration camp inmates who were either killed by British bombs, or from being clubbed to death by Nazi soldiers and sympathizers waiting for the few survivors to wash up on shore.
As each of the later videos gets a YES in the column for historical accuracy and a NO in the column for being provably some sort of advanced CGI, it brings questions about the purpose of that first video of a meteor or asteroid striking Chicago, into terrible focus. If all the other videos are real recordings of historical events, then what was that first video? Was it a warning?
And if it was a warning – can they get the right people to believe in something so seemingly impossible in time to change the future before it becomes the present?
Escape Rating B+: First of all, in the interests of full disclosure, I received this book in a “friend of a friend of a friend” situation. Which I was honestly a bit salty about as I’m not all that fond of being committed to things by proxy.
Howsomever, (knowing this will completely undercut any and all arguments with the friend who got me into this), I’m not at all sorry about the whole thing. In fact, I’m pretty damn pleased with the result now that I’ve finished the book – and in spite of the quibbles I’m going to throw in near the end.
I had a damn good time reading this. Seriously. It was a thrill-a-minute ride from beginning to end in the best sorta/kinda SF movie thriller tradition. Movies like Armageddon, and Deep Impact.
What made Perūn’s Hammer just a bit different, and a whole lot more fun from this reader’s perspective, is that the story is set recognizably in Chicago. Not New York, not Washington DC, but Chicago. As someone who lived in Chicago for several years, I could picture all the scenes in the story AND just how big the devastation would be.
Which leads directly to the second fun thing. In most disaster movies, the disaster has either already happened or is past the point of no return. A big part of the plot and the point of Perūn’s Hammer is that those videos represent a future that ‘might’ be, not a fixed point in time. The worst of the crisis could be averted – if humanity can get its act together in time.
So the story isn’t the dystopia that comes after, or even the planning vs. panic scenario of an inevitable onrushing catastrophe. Instead, the ticking clock that drives the action is the investigation to figure out the nature of the message and then the mad scramble to act BEFORE it’s too late.
Neither of which could possibly be the job of a single human being – so even though parts of the story are told from Rich Penton’s first person perspective – which admittedly cuts the tension a bit because we know he survived otherwise he wouldn’t be around afterwards to do that telling – much of the story is told from a third person overview in order to follow the workings of the stellar team that make the show – and this story – possible.
Their team dynamic is absolutely top-notch. Each person is at the top of their respective game, and they each do their part to solve the mystery. It’s going to be up to Rich to convince the powers-that-be to put a multibillion dollar asset into space in the hopes of knocking the object off course. But he needs their collective very able assistance to put it all together and the investigation in all its many facets is a joy to follow.
Unfortunately, this is where my two huge quibbles with the story come in, and together they were enough to knock this from an A grade to a B+. Because I was compelled, but also extremely annoyed at this part.
In order for the reader – and the team – to truly appreciate just how high the stakes are in this story, one of the team members had to die. That’s the way thrillers like this work and it wasn’t exactly a shock for the reader when it happened. Especially considering that as far as solving the mystery goes, this particular team member had already completed their role. The problem I had with this was not the death, but the choice of character to die. The team member who was killed was the only gay person in the central cast, and the only character who was not or did not become part of a romantic couple. The “Bury Your Gays” trope is basically a cheap shot that did not need to be part of this story. Or, for that matter, any story.
It also leads directly to my other issue with the story, and that’s ‘villain fail’. There is a villain here. They’re not the ones who launched the object, but they are the ones trying to take advantage of it. In the international political climate of the past few years, the idea that the Russian Federation might be gleeful about an interstellar object flattening Chicago isn’t quite out of the bounds of plausibility. That Russia would engage in a campaign of misinformation and bribery in order to prevent the US from launching countermeasures in time is also not that far-fetched. Nor is the idea that they would have agents in the U.S. working to protect such a plan. However, the idea that all of that happened AND that the specific agent involved embodied all the worst possible racist, homophobic, sexist, psychopathic, sociopathic, violent and outright ‘bwahaha’ villain characteristics that have ever been assigned to a negative portrayal of an enemy agent in a single person put the whole thing way over the top and tripped my willing suspension of disbelief completely. To make a long harangue into a short sentence, the character of the villain of the piece slipped WAY over the line from CHARACTER into CARICATURE.
Amelia Earhart standing under nose of her Lockheed Model 10-E Electra. Gelatin silver print, 1937 by Underwood & Underwood
Very much on my other, and much more fascinated hand, I loved the deep dive into the historical incidents that were part of the vetting process for the videos. I wanted to say ‘happy’, but that’s the wrong word in this case. The historical analysis read as in-depth and extremely well done, which is something that I always love to see. However, I think it is important to note that all of the historical incidents with the exception of Amelia’s Earhart’s most likely sad end, were all true events that were horrifying in the extreme. They were also outright brutal tragedies of human inhumanity to other humans that were swept under the historical carpet because the victims were considered “other” from the perspective of the powers that be at the time.
A lot of the SFnal aspects of Perūn’s Hammer have been done before, in stories that reach as far back as Niven and Pournelle’s Lucifer’s Hammer through Kowal’s Lady Astronaut series and all the way up to last year’s When the Moon Hits Your Eye by way of at least two of the Star Trek movies (TMP and IV) as well as those disaster thrillers I started with. Those familiar SFnal elements blend into a story that will keep readers on the edge of their seats, whether the parts that appeals are the historical mysteries, the technical breakthroughs, the political shenanigans and the spy games, or the surprisingly open-ended conclusion.
In spite of my quibbles, I had a grand time with Perūn’s Hammer. I think those quibbles hit so hard BECAUSE I was having such a grand reading time and those flaws disappointed me in a book that was otherwise really terrific.
All of which means that I’m glad that the author has already promised a sequel, tentatively titled Perūn Rises. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next.
Originally published at Reading Reality
October 15, 2025
fantastic writing
This hard science fiction book is among the best I’ve read in many years. These kinds of interesting and fun stories ,I fear are fading away, but this author is exceptional!
This hard science fiction book is among the best I’ve read in many years. These kinds of interesting and fun stories ,I fear are fading away, but this author is exceptional!
October 5, 2025
Excellent combination of character development, action, and hard science.
As I said, there is an excellent combination of character development, solid action, lines, and hard science in this novel. Custer, Greenwood, Nazis and Russians, add a lot of spice to the storyline.
As I said, there is an excellent combination of character development, solid action, lines, and hard science in this novel. Custer, Greenwood, Nazis and Russians, add a lot of spice to the storyline.
April 11, 2025
Easy and fun way to learn!
This book is action-packed with a fascinating plot that will appeal to science and history nerds as well as those just looking for an entertaining read. I loved the creative story hook, which is built around videos of historical events that suddenly begin appearing on phones and computers. The memorable and engaging characters have to work together to try and solve the meaning of the videos, against a ticking clock, with Armageddon-level stakes. Along the way the author teaches us about everything from time travel to quantum theory to “what happened to Amelia Earhart” in an accessible way. Read it. You’ll have fun and likely get smarter in the process. I did.
This book is action-packed with a fascinating plot that will appeal to science and history nerds as well as those just looking for an entertaining read. I loved the creative story hook, which is built around videos of historical events that suddenly begin appearing on phones and computers. The memorable and engaging characters have to work together to try and solve the meaning of the videos, against a ticking clock, with Armageddon-level stakes. Along the way the author teaches us about everything from time travel to quantum theory to “what happened to Amelia Earhart” in an accessible way. Read it. You’ll have fun and likely get smarter in the process. I did.
June 6, 2025
Perun’s Hammer is an inventive, fast-paced read. If you enjoy fact-based science-fiction, you will enjoy this book. Ian Heller has done an amazing job of creating a potentially terrifying plot based on his research and extensive knowledge. I can’t wait for the sequel.
August 5, 2025
I couldn't put this down. I have some qualms. Maybe some plot points felt contrived, or too quickly and neatly dealt with. There were some things tonally that felt off. But overall I enjoyed it a lot, and thought it had an interesting premise, and again it was a hell of a page turner.
February 19, 2026
The best way I could summarize this book is the movie Armageddon animated in Corporate Memphis.
First of all, most contemporary science-fiction I've read has the author self-inserting themselves into the main character in one way or another. It's something I've come to begrudgingly accept.
Engineer in real life? You can bet the hero is an engineer. Mathematician? He's doing some calculations. Biologist? Oh you better believe we're going cellular. Each inevitably contains that specific niche of humor as well.
Corporate management? Uhhh... He's managing, all right.
The main character here is a journalist, in that it's said he is (and he even goes on TV once!), but he's just an office executive. And let me tell you, this is flavored quite corporately. The head honcho gets all the praise (or blame) for how things roll out, regardless of his actual involvement. Oh, and all the workers are good friends with intertwined lives. UGH.
You know how they had oil drillers do the work in Armageddon? Like it'd be easier to train some blue-collar workers to be astronauts than train astronauts to drill a fucking hole?
Well in this story, it's an office manager... uh, I mean journalist, guiding society and the powers that be to save Chicago. I'd assume many more people would be affected, but it's really only concerned with Chicago. Which makes this whole story feel weaker to me.
Even if you focus solely on Chicago, it's a major American commerce and transportation hub, yet no one seems to acknowledge the (potential) catastrophic damage that will destroy said hub. As if the said people in power wouldn't be more concerned with preserving industry over human life. I'm being anal here, but c'mon this is bordering on fantasy territory!
That's all to say I don't think this is a bad book, but I certainly didn't like it.
First of all, most contemporary science-fiction I've read has the author self-inserting themselves into the main character in one way or another. It's something I've come to begrudgingly accept.
Engineer in real life? You can bet the hero is an engineer. Mathematician? He's doing some calculations. Biologist? Oh you better believe we're going cellular. Each inevitably contains that specific niche of humor as well.
Corporate management? Uhhh... He's managing, all right.
The main character here is a journalist, in that it's said he is (and he even goes on TV once!), but he's just an office executive. And let me tell you, this is flavored quite corporately. The head honcho gets all the praise (or blame) for how things roll out, regardless of his actual involvement. Oh, and all the workers are good friends with intertwined lives. UGH.
You know how they had oil drillers do the work in Armageddon? Like it'd be easier to train some blue-collar workers to be astronauts than train astronauts to drill a fucking hole?
Well in this story, it's an office manager... uh, I mean journalist, guiding society and the powers that be to save Chicago. I'd assume many more people would be affected, but it's really only concerned with Chicago. Which makes this whole story feel weaker to me.
Even if you focus solely on Chicago, it's a major American commerce and transportation hub, yet no one seems to acknowledge the (potential) catastrophic damage that will destroy said hub. As if the said people in power wouldn't be more concerned with preserving industry over human life. I'm being anal here, but c'mon this is bordering on fantasy territory!
That's all to say I don't think this is a bad book, but I certainly didn't like it.
December 4, 2025
"Perun's Hammer" is an inventive, highly entertaining thriller by new author Ian Heller. It covers a lot of science, tech, and historical ground as the story unfolds, and I can pretty much guarantee you'll know much more about time travel by its end.
I don't want to risk spoiling the plot, so I'll keep it brief. The city of Chicago is under threat of a catastrophic event that could kill millions, and a highly respected TV producer is the recipient of cryptic video messages warning about the upcoming incident. It's up to him to figure out who is sending the communications, what they mean, why they're being sent, what can be done to prevent the catastrophe... etc. Along the way we encounter techies, historians, law enforcers, space specialists, and a plethora of other characters that contribute to the solution of the mystery and the saving of Chicago.
Perun's Hammer features a propulsive story line, strong characters, solid writing, and a strong mix of science, technology, and history. It's not strictly sci-fi, more of a thriller with a fresh take on a potential 'what if' that I hope never happens. Here's hoping there's a follow up.
I don't want to risk spoiling the plot, so I'll keep it brief. The city of Chicago is under threat of a catastrophic event that could kill millions, and a highly respected TV producer is the recipient of cryptic video messages warning about the upcoming incident. It's up to him to figure out who is sending the communications, what they mean, why they're being sent, what can be done to prevent the catastrophe... etc. Along the way we encounter techies, historians, law enforcers, space specialists, and a plethora of other characters that contribute to the solution of the mystery and the saving of Chicago.
Perun's Hammer features a propulsive story line, strong characters, solid writing, and a strong mix of science, technology, and history. It's not strictly sci-fi, more of a thriller with a fresh take on a potential 'what if' that I hope never happens. Here's hoping there's a follow up.
January 4, 2026
I wish all Kindle unlimited sci-fi were this legitimate
Relatively hard sci-fi with deeper than usual characters. The title is clearly an homage to Lucifer's hammer. Plot and the various aspects of conflict were serviceable. The behavior of various governmental entities and personnel were simplistic and not very believable but I don't care, if I wanted to read about politics I wouldn't be reading escapist fiction. Speaking of which, I think the author did a largely good job of keeping his own political views and observations to a minimum, a super welcome departure from almost every instance of media we hear and read and watch. The only one that irked me was comparing the Tulsa race war/massacre to unspecified events in modern America, which I thought cheapened the horror of the Tulsa events in exactly the way the author obviously intended not to do. Aside from that and one or two other peeves, this book is exactly what I'd like to see more of: old school science fiction in 2025. Well, 2026 now. It's almost like we're living in the future.
Relatively hard sci-fi with deeper than usual characters. The title is clearly an homage to Lucifer's hammer. Plot and the various aspects of conflict were serviceable. The behavior of various governmental entities and personnel were simplistic and not very believable but I don't care, if I wanted to read about politics I wouldn't be reading escapist fiction. Speaking of which, I think the author did a largely good job of keeping his own political views and observations to a minimum, a super welcome departure from almost every instance of media we hear and read and watch. The only one that irked me was comparing the Tulsa race war/massacre to unspecified events in modern America, which I thought cheapened the horror of the Tulsa events in exactly the way the author obviously intended not to do. Aside from that and one or two other peeves, this book is exactly what I'd like to see more of: old school science fiction in 2025. Well, 2026 now. It's almost like we're living in the future.
November 21, 2025
A SIMPLE MAN'S REVIEW:
I don't know what a new author is supposed to do: you have a great idea for a book but haven't gained the skills yet to put it all together in a lasting novel. I'm sure a couple of editors or writing coaches could have helped and maybe, especially for first-time authors, this should be part of the process.
The idea is a fun one, sort of a new take on first-contact. But the characters are ridiculous and the dialogue is juvenile. I found myself having to skim parts just to keep reading. But that's a credit to the plot - I wanted to find out what happened so I didn't put the book away.
I don't know if the book is worth your time, but if you have a high tolerance for mediocre prose, you'll probably like the story.
Your call!
I don't know what a new author is supposed to do: you have a great idea for a book but haven't gained the skills yet to put it all together in a lasting novel. I'm sure a couple of editors or writing coaches could have helped and maybe, especially for first-time authors, this should be part of the process.
The idea is a fun one, sort of a new take on first-contact. But the characters are ridiculous and the dialogue is juvenile. I found myself having to skim parts just to keep reading. But that's a credit to the plot - I wanted to find out what happened so I didn't put the book away.
I don't know if the book is worth your time, but if you have a high tolerance for mediocre prose, you'll probably like the story.
Your call!
November 22, 2025
A Thowback
This was better than the dozens of similarly themed thrillers that went before it. Yet, it also remains a pulp fiction page-turner, if better written than serials I read in the waning days of pulps in the 1950s. No time was wasted on the panic in the streets or the clogged highways out of town. That would have been a cliche. Instead, we have conspiracies to threaten the media team at the center of story and their shadowy protectors. And, there’s a surprise reveal in the final pages.
This was better than the dozens of similarly themed thrillers that went before it. Yet, it also remains a pulp fiction page-turner, if better written than serials I read in the waning days of pulps in the 1950s. No time was wasted on the panic in the streets or the clogged highways out of town. That would have been a cliche. Instead, we have conspiracies to threaten the media team at the center of story and their shadowy protectors. And, there’s a surprise reveal in the final pages.
January 18, 2026
A very enjoyable read.
It's one of the few books I've read that kept my interest from start to finish. It had several interesting characters that kept this reader's attention. One felt that you had to keep reading to find out what was going to happen & how they were going to achieve it. You didn't know until the end chapters how it would end. Especially with the main character & his friend being trapped & what was going to happen to them. I would definitely recommend this book to others!
It's one of the few books I've read that kept my interest from start to finish. It had several interesting characters that kept this reader's attention. One felt that you had to keep reading to find out what was going to happen & how they were going to achieve it. You didn't know until the end chapters how it would end. Especially with the main character & his friend being trapped & what was going to happen to them. I would definitely recommend this book to others!
November 6, 2025
Outlandish, but Fun
Getting the plot to arrive at “ Arrival Day” without letting the reader know whether or not Chicago would be destroyed required some clever gymnastics. Mr. Heller pulled it off, and the good guy won while the bad guys were vanquished.
I’m be interested to read the sequel to learn what the Intelligence has to teach us.
Getting the plot to arrive at “ Arrival Day” without letting the reader know whether or not Chicago would be destroyed required some clever gymnastics. Mr. Heller pulled it off, and the good guy won while the bad guys were vanquished.
I’m be interested to read the sequel to learn what the Intelligence has to teach us.
November 21, 2025
5 Stars. One of the best books I've read this year.
When I first started reading this novel it seemed to be like Phillip Dick’s, The Man in the High Castle, with the detailed videos of something that wasn’t explainable in present terms. Some of the historical background information revealed was interesting (Custer & Ehrhart) and some were distressing (Tulsa & WWII). The explanation given regarding relativity and time travel was easy to understand, and (for me) harkened back to high school physics class.
Throughout the story there is this overarching mystery: Where is this information coming from, who/what is this “intelligence”, and how did these mysterious beings produce these realistic videos? The characters themselves seem like everyday people caught up in a situation they can’t untangle themselves from.
As some reviewers have indicated, they liked this author’s style of writing and look forward to his next book in this series. I concur. I too was impressed. You know it’s great when you read a book that: (1) Really captures your interest throughout the story, (2) Has good to excellent, intelligent dialogue with realistic problem-solving, and (3) Has an intriguing mystery to it. Well done.
When I first started reading this novel it seemed to be like Phillip Dick’s, The Man in the High Castle, with the detailed videos of something that wasn’t explainable in present terms. Some of the historical background information revealed was interesting (Custer & Ehrhart) and some were distressing (Tulsa & WWII). The explanation given regarding relativity and time travel was easy to understand, and (for me) harkened back to high school physics class.
Throughout the story there is this overarching mystery: Where is this information coming from, who/what is this “intelligence”, and how did these mysterious beings produce these realistic videos? The characters themselves seem like everyday people caught up in a situation they can’t untangle themselves from.
As some reviewers have indicated, they liked this author’s style of writing and look forward to his next book in this series. I concur. I too was impressed. You know it’s great when you read a book that: (1) Really captures your interest throughout the story, (2) Has good to excellent, intelligent dialogue with realistic problem-solving, and (3) Has an intriguing mystery to it. Well done.
December 9, 2025
What an absolute mess
The story was intriguing that's why I bought it. As it turns out this is just a rehash of a bunch of old disaster movies that should have never been made in the first place. This book should have never been written this is just silly. Lots of implications no meat don't read this it stinks
The story was intriguing that's why I bought it. As it turns out this is just a rehash of a bunch of old disaster movies that should have never been made in the first place. This book should have never been written this is just silly. Lots of implications no meat don't read this it stinks
December 15, 2025
Really new concept
Loved the fresh look at an alien contact. Superb references to historical replay of events through a perfect rear view looking glass. Neat idea. Great heroes and likeable characters. So many places to go with a sequel, but is is a strong ending as stand alone. Great work!
Loved the fresh look at an alien contact. Superb references to historical replay of events through a perfect rear view looking glass. Neat idea. Great heroes and likeable characters. So many places to go with a sequel, but is is a strong ending as stand alone. Great work!
January 3, 2026
Perun’s Hammer
I have recently been reading a lot of science fiction and this book doesn’t disappoint. Right from the start the chapters roll by as you are swept into this real life situation with a really cool science fiction twist and has everything else I love spies, murder and mayhem. Kudos Mr. Heller this book is awesome.
I have recently been reading a lot of science fiction and this book doesn’t disappoint. Right from the start the chapters roll by as you are swept into this real life situation with a really cool science fiction twist and has everything else I love spies, murder and mayhem. Kudos Mr. Heller this book is awesome.
January 31, 2026
Loved the combination of sci-fi and history!
I’m so glad I gave this book a chance! It totally exceeded my expectations and was just fun to read. I loved that it combined actual historical events with an exciting, action packed sci-fi story. The author did a good job of explaining the scientific aspects while keeping it interesting and engaging.
I’m so glad I gave this book a chance! It totally exceeded my expectations and was just fun to read. I loved that it combined actual historical events with an exciting, action packed sci-fi story. The author did a good job of explaining the scientific aspects while keeping it interesting and engaging.
December 4, 2025
kept me up late
This book was great and truly kept me up reading way past bedtime. Great characters and story that always kept me hooked. Really hoping for a sequel and will start checking out other books by Ian Heller
This book was great and truly kept me up reading way past bedtime. Great characters and story that always kept me hooked. Really hoping for a sequel and will start checking out other books by Ian Heller
December 15, 2025
Nice take on time travel
Enjoyable foray into time travel. Some nice ideas and a few surprises. No major weaknesses beyond all the good guy were really really gods and the bad guys a little close to stereotypes. Still with the read.
Enjoyable foray into time travel. Some nice ideas and a few surprises. No major weaknesses beyond all the good guy were really really gods and the bad guys a little close to stereotypes. Still with the read.
December 16, 2025
A great read
One of the more interesting SF stories have read in awhile. The author sprinkled a lot scientific facts throughout the story which made it all the more enjoyable to read.
The ending did not disappoint
One of the more interesting SF stories have read in awhile. The author sprinkled a lot scientific facts throughout the story which made it all the more enjoyable to read.
The ending did not disappoint
December 28, 2025
Very well done!
First read by this author for me. I will be looking for more. Characters are well defined. Plot twists were amazing. Not the standard sci-fi space opera. Well done!
First read by this author for me. I will be looking for more. Characters are well defined. Plot twists were amazing. Not the standard sci-fi space opera. Well done!
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