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Book Review of Footfall

Footfall
cyndij avatar reviewed on + 1032 more book reviews


A solid alien-invasion story, with believable alien characters and society. However, it's pretty drawn-out, with a huge cast of characters only about half of whom have anything to do and another one-fourth are way too familiar. Niven and Pournelle seem to have taken their previous book Lucifer's Hammer and said, "Okay let's write it again as an alien invasion story!" Pournelle's political leanings shine through like the lasers so lovingly described. As I write this in 2017, the book feels a bit dated with its references to the Soviet Union and the space shuttles. Still, while it takes a while to get going, the action picks up nicely, our weapon is ingenious, and the ultimate battle is pulse-pounding.