The Hammer of Eden

By Ken Follett

Book Overview

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - A young FBI agent fights to stop a catastrophic plot that threatens the Earth itself in this scorching novel hailed as "the model of how a thriller ought to be written" (Los Angeles Times) from the award-winning author of The Pillars of the Earth.

"The Hammer of Eden will nail readers to their seats."--People

The FBI doesn't believe it. The Governor wants the problem to disappear. But agent Judy Maddox knows the threat is real: An extreme group of eco-terrorists has the means and the know-how to set off a massive earthquake of epic proportions. For California, time is running out.

Now Maddox is scrambling to hunt down a petty criminal turned cult leader turned homicidal mastermind. Because she knows that the dying has already begun. And things will only get worse when the earth violently shifts, bolts, and shakes down to its very core.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0449227545
• ISBN13: 9780449227541
• Release Date: November 1999
• Publisher: Fawcett Books
• Length: 448 Pages
• Weight: 0.52 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 4.2" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

I was expecting so little and I was pleasantly proven wrong.

My previous experience with Ken Follett was "The Third Twin", I book I was not too pleased with. So, when I pulled out this book on tape and saw, to my dismay, that it was by the same author I was expecting garbage. Boy, was I wrong. This is a fast-paced thriller with loads of office politics and just a touch of romance to keep the pot stirring. There were laugh out load moments, such as when Agent Maddox busts through her potential boyfriend's door. Was the plot feasible? Doubtful. But, it was still interesting and I enjoyed it thoroughly. The tape was very well-performed by Anthony Heald (perhaps best known as the Assistant Principal on Boston Public). five stars for him.

An engrossing read and highly recommended.

Take a group of communal hippies, held together by a slightly likeable, but desperate, determined and deranged leader, called Priest, then add one smart, relentless female FBI agent. Add a slice of an environmentally insensitive California governor, sprinkle lightly with multiple-partner sex, add good California pot, a vicious back-stabbing at the local FBI office, then throw in a killing or two; shake well with earthquake force, then you will have a gripping Ken Follett novel.Follett is a master of creating conflicts within conflicts, a crisis within a crisis. In "Hammer of Eden" he draws you into the contrasting worlds of a free-love hippy commune and the regimented FBI. Follett enlightens you with some interesting and informative insights on how the FBI uses linguistic analysis to profile suspects. However, I did have difficultly accepting Follett's portrait of the FBI. After the gross intelligence failure of September 11th I believe it will be a long time before any author will, as Follett did, portray the FBI as being a technologically omniscient, an agency that is able to out think the common terrorist. That said, this is a engrossing read and highly recommended

I loved it!

This is the first book I've read by Ken Follett, and I absolutely loved it. I thought it was an easy and very interesting read. I was always wondering what Priest, Melanie, and Star would be up to next. Is it humanly possible to cause an earthquake?

Hard To Put Down...Very Entertaining!!

My first read of Ken Follett, and I was not disappointed. The storyline here is great and very plausible in today's world. The novel will and should make a great movie. The main characters are well-developed and easy to both love & hate.

Thrilling, Shocking, Dazzling, Pure Genius!!!

The impact of this book lasted far after I finished reading. In one of Ken Follett's best works, he portrays the well-roundedness of his writings while still focusing on one clear motive: to thrill the reader!