I read it around the time it first came out, found it interesting. Sometime later I read it again, as part of my s-f book club. We read it in conjunction with "Alas Babylon", which I would strongly recommend to anyone.
In the s-f group, when we discussed the two, what stood out was the incredible racism in "Lucifer's Hammer".
Don't get me wrong. There is racism in "Alas, Babylon," but it feels far more benign. There's a sort of gentle racism, the kind that implies black people need to be protected, and protected they are in this bokl.
In "Lucifer's Hammer" the racism is up front and very obvious. In that book the blacks are very much the villains, the ones who threaten civilization as we know it.
The first time I read "Lucifer's Hammer" around the time it came out, I was blissfully unaware of the racism (as I was in earlier readings of "Gone With The Wind"
. Then, some years back. I read it alongside "Alas, Babylon" for my science fiction book club in Kansas City. The stark contrast was shocking.
I don't want to discourage anyone from reading "Lucifer's Hammer." I just want to make sure any readers notice the racism.
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