Product Description

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 scientific minds of Earth desperately search for a way to avoid the inevitable. On board the starship Goliath Captain Robert Singh and his crew must race against time to redirect the meteor form its deadly collision course. Suddenly they find themselves on the most important mission in human history--a mission whose success may require the ultimate sacrifice.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #455788 in Books
• Published on: 1994-10-01
• Released on: 1994-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Clarke's SF novel concerns an asteroid on a collision course with 22nd-century earth.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
As an asteroid named "Kali" hurtles toward earth on a collision course that spells the end to life on the planet, a lone spaceship armed with a weapon to alter the asteroid's path attempts to carry out its perilous mission--unaware that others are simultaneously working for earth's destruction. In the capable hands of science fiction veteran Clarke, a standard cosmic disaster plot becomes a lucid commentary on humanity's place in the cosmos. A good choice for science fiction collections.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
"Clarke is still at the top of his  game."--The Detroit News.  

"As good as any anything he's written.  . .for a hard-science-fiction treat, I suspect  The Hammer Of God won't be  topped."--Star Tribune, Minneapolis.  

"Classic Clarke. . .a good  story."--The Denver Post.

"Entertaining. . .[Clark] handles both ideas  and characters with deftness and wit; in short,  the outstanding living science fiction writers is romping."--Chicago  Sun-Times. -- Review

Customer Reviews

A good read, but not a classic
Just to declare my interest up-front, I'm a professional astronomer who observers comets and asteroids and has observed quite a few asteroids of the type that could impact the Earth. That's why I bought this book!

I've read a number of books that use well-aimed comets and asteroids to bring universal doom - it's a subject which has been well-exploited in the last few years. Some books, like "Lucifer's Hammer" (by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle) are far superior in detail, although set in the present, rather than Clarke's far future. Compared to some of the books that I have read, the Hammer of God was disappointly light-weight.

What I will acknowledge it the future setting which Arthur C. Clarke invents and which is far more interesting and realistic in many senses than the Earth-impact part of the plot.

I'd settle for Rendezvous with Rama over this book any time. I enjoyed the read, but as light entertainment. It isn't one of Arthur C. Clarke's great books, but it's fun if you don't take it too seriously. Frankly though, I don't understand the multiple 5-star reviews that appear above.

Major disappointment from a Master
There's no doubt Arthur C. Clarke is a master of the sci-fi genre, especially when it comes to 'hard' sci-fi. I rank '2001,' the Rama series and even 'Fountains' among the true classics of modern literature. That said, Clarke fell far short of his own high standard in 'Hammer'. The plot consists of a re-hash of the doomsday asteroid scenario popular today (although he conceived it in the 1970s). There is minimal character development. The writing style (brief, 1-page snipets resembling news bulletins) produces boredom, as I kept waiting for some real action. Finally, the end is simply atrocious, and utterly predictable. Some commenters have stated they enjoyed "learning some science" from this book. I would respond that even the scientific background is lacking, and there are much 'harder' comet stories out there.

For those seeking end-of-the-world-from-an-asteroid stories, I recommend 'Lucifer's Hammer,' another tale set in the 1970s but one which thoroughly explores the concept and aftermath. Try Clarke's other novels, but steer clear of this one.

An enjoyable story of a possible future disaster
First of all, this is a light, but interesting story about an asteroid heading straight for earth. By light, I mean not a bloated, boring look at all the technological aspects of such a story. I like Clarke for his "hard" science fiction. I also like his concise style. I thought some of the background on the main character was a bit dull, but I agree that the second half is more interesting. I was also hoping for more on the environmental effects of such an encounter with an asteroid, but all in all it's still a worthwhile read.