However, Niven soon found himself too busy with Lucifer's Hammer, on which he was already co-writing with Jerry Pournelle. Forward wrote the first draft himself, but several publishers suggested the story should be rewritten by Niven or Pournelle – who were still busy.
Meanwhile, Niven found himself overwhelmed with Lucifer's Hammer, a novel he was collaborating on with Jerry Pournelle. Forward took the lead in writing the first draft, but several publishers suggested that it would be better if Niven or Pournelle were to rework the story – as they were already committed to their own project.