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Cover of Footfall by Larry Niven

Book · Adult

Footfall

by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle

608 pages · 1986

Honors

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About the book

“Nobody does it better than Niven and Pournelle. I loved it!”—Tom Clancy

They first appear as a series of dots on astronomical plates, heading from Saturn directly toward Earth. Since the ringed planet carries no life, scientists deduce the mysterious ship to be a visitor from another star.

The world's frantic efforts to signal the aliens go unanswered. The first contact is hostile: the invaders blast a Soviet space station, seize the survivors, and then destroy every dam and installation on Earth with a hail of asteroids.

Now the conquerors are descending on the American heartland, demanding servile surrender—or death for all humans.

Praise for Footfall

“Rousing . . . The best of the genre.”—The New York Times Book Review

“Fast-paced.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer

For parents

No age or grade range recorded.

Grade ranges are editorial guidance. Every reader is different.

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