FootfallFootfall
Score Classic
What it's about
A strange spacecraft arrives in orbit around Saturn and heads for Earth. Its crew, the Fithp, are herd creatures who look like small elephants, and they've come to conquer. When they attack, with orbital weapons and then a devastating asteroid strike, humanity must fight back, with the help of a group of science fiction writers recruited by the government to think like aliens.
Why it's worth reading
It was a Hugo finalist. Written with Jerry Pournelle, it's one of the great alien invasion novels, huge in scope.
You'll love it if you liked
The War of the Worlds
The Forge of God
RingworldGood to know
It's long, with many characters. It's from the Cold War era.
By the numbers
- Readers29 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics25 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller13 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #256 of the 313 science fiction books we rank
- #708 of the 762 classics we rank
- #2496 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Dark, Thought-provoking, Adventurous
More by Larry Niven
If you like this, read next
The Lord of the Rings
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The Dispossessed
Foundation
Ficciones
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Quick answers
Is Footfall worth reading?
Yes. It was a Hugo finalist. It ranks #2,496 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 58.6 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Footfall about?
A strange spacecraft arrives in orbit around Saturn and heads for Earth. Its crew, the Fithp, are herd creatures who look like small elephants, and they've come to conquer. When they attack, with orbital weapons and then a devastating asteroid strike, humanity must fight back, with the help of a group of science fiction writers recruited by the government to think like aliens.
How long does it take to read Footfall?
About 13 hours (524 pages), or about 4 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Footfall?
If you liked it, try The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells, The Forge of God by Greg Bear or Ringworld by Larry Niven.