Lucifer's Hammer: A Novel

“The first satisfying end-of-the-world novel in years . . . an ultimate one . . . massively entertaining.”—Cleveland Plain-Dealer

The gigantic comet had slammed into Earth, forging earthquakes a thousand times too powerful to measure on the Richter scale, tidal waves thousands of feet high. Cities were turned into oceans; oceans turned into steam. It was the beginning of a new Ice Age and the end of civilization.

But for the terrified men and women chance had saved, it was also the dawn of a new struggle for survival—a struggle more dangerous and challenging than any they had ever known. . . .

“Take your earthquakes, waterlogged condominiums, swarms of bugs, colliding airplanes and flaming what-nots, wrap them up and they wouldn’t match one page of Lucifer’s Hammer for sweaty-palmed suspense.”—Chicago Daily News

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Published May 12, 1985

640 pages

Average rating: 7.5

12 RATINGS

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Dallas Sci-Fi Book Club

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Community Reviews

wdkilpackiii
Mar 05, 2026
10/10 stars
This is a gritty, dark look at human nature, when we are at our worst, fighting for survival and trying to maintain some semblance of humanity. You have to be smart to survive after an asteroid strikes the planet but, at the same time, there are instances where there is no replacement for some brutal negotiation on the other end of a gun. A great read, with some chilling moments that leave you wondering, "What would I do in that situation?" Highly recommended!

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