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The Hammer of Darkness
by
Martin Martel is an exile in trouble with the gods in this SF novel by the bestselling writer L. E, Modesitt, Jr, now back in a new trade papeback edition from Tor.
After finding out that he has unusual powers, he is banished from the planet Karnak. Martin is thrust into the tranquil world of Aurore, vacation paradise for the galaxy. There he finds that the reality of Auror ...more
After finding out that he has unusual powers, he is banished from the planet Karnak. Martin is thrust into the tranquil world of Aurore, vacation paradise for the galaxy. There he finds that the reality of Auror ...more
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Paperback, 288 pages
Published
May 30th 2006
by St. Martins Press-3PL
(first published 1985)
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Community Reviews
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Slow, brooding, boring.
Sigh.
Još jedna knjiga od gosn Modesita koja mi nije legla. Ideja je originalna, i ima jako puno stvari koji vode ne razmišljanje ali sama knjiga je dosta naporna za čitanje. Glavni lik je tu glavni krivac pošto je on po meni klasičan primer emo lika. Tih, povučen, prepun samožaljenja, neodlučan i stalno teško melaholičan. Sjedne stvare to omogućava da knjiga ima vrlo jedinstvenu atmosferu ali posle 50tak strana počinje već da smara.
A nije mi se ni svidela rezolucija knjige ...more
Sigh.
Još jedna knjiga od gosn Modesita koja mi nije legla. Ideja je originalna, i ima jako puno stvari koji vode ne razmišljanje ali sama knjiga je dosta naporna za čitanje. Glavni lik je tu glavni krivac pošto je on po meni klasičan primer emo lika. Tih, povučen, prepun samožaljenja, neodlučan i stalno teško melaholičan. Sjedne stvare to omogućava da knjiga ima vrlo jedinstvenu atmosferu ali posle 50tak strana počinje već da smara.
A nije mi se ni svidela rezolucija knjige ...more
A disappointing and largely dull book which suffers from many flaws.
It's not science fiction, but probably better referred to as "science fantasy". When I read the blurb on the back cover I was hoping for something similar to Zelazny's "Lord of Light" (or maybe "This Immortal"), but beyond a similar basic premise (a planet in which a few powerful beings have set themselves up as arrogant gods), this book falls far short of those works.
The main character is simply too powerful, and so morose an ...more
It's not science fiction, but probably better referred to as "science fantasy". When I read the blurb on the back cover I was hoping for something similar to Zelazny's "Lord of Light" (or maybe "This Immortal"), but beyond a similar basic premise (a planet in which a few powerful beings have set themselves up as arrogant gods), this book falls far short of those works.
The main character is simply too powerful, and so morose an ...more
I forced myself to keep reading, despite early struggles with the disjointed style. The story staggered forwards unannounced months, then years, then centuries, and parachuted important details in as afterthoughts without prior set up, leaving me floundering time and again.
Fair enough, maybe this was intended to be a clever intellectual exercise, but IMO if you want to play mind games teasing your reader like that, then at least have the decency to make it a good and entertaining story. This one ...more
Fair enough, maybe this was intended to be a clever intellectual exercise, but IMO if you want to play mind games teasing your reader like that, then at least have the decency to make it a good and entertaining story. This one ...more
It's written in a mythological style, about Martel, a man with the powers of the gods but with the conscience they don't have. Because he refuses to be like the gods, he refuses to use the powers that could have saved people who live on the gods' world. Until the time comes. When that time comes, the whole of their universe is overturned and begun again. With great carnage among the innocents -- the reason I rated it so low.
The conflict between power and conscience is a favorite theme of Modesit ...more
The conflict between power and conscience is a favorite theme of Modesit ...more
This book very much blurs the line between fantasy and sci-fi. It's also very similar to a later book, Adiamante that also features powerful telepaths in a science fiction world and explores a similar philosophy.
This book, like many of Modesitt's works, is mostly about philosophy and actually seems more hopeful about the possibility of a grey path than most of Modesitt's books. I found it to be a short, quick read with engaging ideas and an engaging world.
I liked the idea of gods and the use of ...more
This book, like many of Modesitt's works, is mostly about philosophy and actually seems more hopeful about the possibility of a grey path than most of Modesitt's books. I found it to be a short, quick read with engaging ideas and an engaging world.
I liked the idea of gods and the use of ...more
The is probably the most difficult to get into Modesitt books one can read. It suffers from a disjointed and fractured pace and writing style that fails to keep the story flowing -- I even wonder if the main character possibly schizophrenic. Despite this it is filled with conflict concerning power and how it corrupted a whole pantheon of apparent godlike humans. Somewhat tedious given just how painful the reading experience is, but still worth the reward upon completion when it finally all comes
...more
I can see the seeds of themes that would later appear in other works like the Recluce saga in this. However, I've tried to read this twice, and it feels like an early, clumsy effort compared to so much of Modesitt's later work that I enjoy so much. The dialogue feels stilted and unrealistic, and the narrative is pretty jumpy.
...more
I hace read over 15 books by this author and enjoyed most of them. I found this book to be over the top and rather pointless. I know that others have found meaning in this work. So don't use my opinion as a reason to NOT read it. Try it if you like and hopefully you will get more from it than I did
...more
Omg this is painful to read, it is a poor me, to be or not to be, I can't continue this drivel.
...more
Oddball, slow telling, man is banished to a planet that is governed by 'gods'
...more
This book was weird, even for Modesitt. I'm used to his heroes philosophizing, but usually they make some sort of sense!
...more
I’ve read a lot of L.E. Modesitt’s books and enjoyed all of them. Except for this one. The Hammer of Darkness just confused me. I don’t understand the main character, one Martin Martel. I don’t understand his motivations or his goals.
Okay. So. There are gods and demi-gods and terrified worshipers. Odd, for a sci-fi novel. They have really mental powers, I get that. But the mental powers, the energy field they use, their god-like immortality, none of that is explained. It bothered me.
It’s also pr ...more
Okay. So. There are gods and demi-gods and terrified worshipers. Odd, for a sci-fi novel. They have really mental powers, I get that. But the mental powers, the energy field they use, their god-like immortality, none of that is explained. It bothered me.
It’s also pr ...more
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I was sadly disappointed with this book. The writing style was disjointed. I don't know how else to describe it. It didn't flow.
I felt like I had to force myself to read it. I've read all of Modesitt's other books and have enjoyed almost all of them. He normally writes in such a way, that I can't wait to find out what happens next. However, this one felt like it stopped moving forward.
Perhaps it was one of Modesitt's earlier works and he still hadn't developed his award winning writing style. ...more
I felt like I had to force myself to read it. I've read all of Modesitt's other books and have enjoyed almost all of them. He normally writes in such a way, that I can't wait to find out what happens next. However, this one felt like it stopped moving forward.
Perhaps it was one of Modesitt's earlier works and he still hadn't developed his award winning writing style. ...more
I bought this in a book also containing the story Haze. I liked that one much better so I separated the reviews. This story really left me with no insight about the main character. I have no idea why he's vastly different than the others like him and can accomplish things they can't. Anything he can't do seems arbitrary and doesn't have much impact on his goals - goals I have no idea as to why he even has. I didn't find it fulfilling.
...more
Aug 14, 2010
Kallierose
added it
I'm about 2/3 of the way done. It's an interesting read, but I feel like the story is sort of stuck. The main character has been doing basically the same tap-dance since about 1/3 of the way into the book and I keep waiting for something to happen.
Okay, I'm done now. Yeah, I was ready for this book to be done long before it was. It started strong but by the time it ended I was VERY ready to move on. ...more
Okay, I'm done now. Yeah, I was ready for this book to be done long before it was. It started strong but by the time it ended I was VERY ready to move on. ...more
This book was schizophrenic. The chapters were so disjointed as to be disorienting. My main gripe however is that few (if any) of the why's got explained. Why does Martel have powers? Why do gods exist? Why does Aurore augment those powers? It just seems as if the author expects us to take for granted that some characters have unlimited powers, and others are just human.
Well, I didn't buy it. ...more
Well, I didn't buy it. ...more
This is a very strange book. Somewhat disjointed, lots of ellipses in the text, and all that. Often, I wasn't sure why Martel was doing something, or even what he was doing. And the time travel always complicates things.
Martel may be an example of a too powerful character...at the end, there, just about nothing was any threat. ...more
Martel may be an example of a too powerful character...at the end, there, just about nothing was any threat. ...more
This book had some very interesting ideas on the nature of gods, power and humanity, and the main character was fascinating, with his own sense of morals, opposed to those around him, with the powers to alter reality.
Interesting study in the twists one man will put themselves through to be with one particular women. Not fast-paced, but reasonably satisfying.
Jan 08, 2010
Lynn Calvin
added it
Amazon preorder
17
Intriguing, the author took the book to a weirdly fascinating direction. I only wish he had left an actual opening for more books set in the same universe...
It's both scifi and fantasy in one book.
...more
Aug 04, 2011
T.I.M. James
added it
Not the best book of late, but bits of it were quite spectacular.
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L. E. (Leland Exton) Modesitt, Jr. is an author of science fiction and fantasy novels. He is best known for the fantasy series The Saga of Recluce. He graduated from Williams College in Massachusetts, lived in Washington, D.C. for 20 years, then moved to New Hampshire in 1989 where he met his wife. They relocated to Cedar City, Utah in 1993.
He has worked as a Navy pilot, lifeguard, delivery boy, u ...more
He has worked as a Navy pilot, lifeguard, delivery boy, u ...more
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