Nightfall - Isaac Asimov > Reviews > Let the Darkness Swallow You Whole

Author's product rating:   

Would you listen to it again?	Absolutely
Story	Outstanding
Characters	Outstanding
Listenability	Once you start it, you won't be able to switch it off!
How does it compare to audio works by the same author?	Excellent

Advantages:	one of the most iconic stories of the genre ever written
Disadvantages:	excelnt, but nowhere as great as the original short story

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

This is one of Asimov's best ever tales, and is based upon a short story he wrote by the same name. That short story was to be one of the most famous and influential short stories of the genre for all time, actually being named as the best science fiction short story ever written. The original short story was written in 1941, and appeared in the September issue of Campbell's Astounding Science Fiction magazine.We have more than just that to thank Campbell for, however, as the story was conceived after Campbell quoted Ralph Waldo Emerson to Asimov one day. The quote was, " If the stars should appear one night in a thousand years, how would men believe and adore and preserve for many generations the remembrance of the city of God! "

Asimov's response was very apt. What we get in the short story (and the expanded novel version), is a tale of a world that is ringed by multiple suns, so that at no time is it ever in natural darkness. Various professionals from Saro University come across anomalies that give them pause however. We have Sheerin501, a psychologist, who studies the effects being plunged into darkness has on his subjects, Beenay the astronomer who discovers irregularities in orbit of one of their heavenly bodies, and Siferra89, an archaeologist puzzled by the obvious cycle of utter destruction followed by rebuilding to higher technological standards in an ancient city ruin. It becomes apparent that a religious sect may hold the secret, for they tell of a time of darkness that falls roughly every 2,000 years and that destroys the world. Saros University ponders all this, and calls back its best minds, as they realise in horror that the heavenly anomaly will cast utter darkness upon the world as it causes a solar eclipse, and unleash psychological horror. Then, day breaks and the light returns so the full extent of the falling of the night is revealed....

The storyline is actually three intertwined stories that all dovetail into one another, dealing with each of the professors and their discoveries. We get good characterisation, and the first part of the book makes an excellent read. BUT...and I say but.....the second half of the novel dealing with the daybreak suffers a bit. Not that it is not enjoyable, or poor quality, but rather it suffers from what I call collaboratoritis. That is, you can tell this is where Silverberg stepped in, as the change of style from Asimov's uncluttered style changes, and the flow is not nearly so smooth. Looking at it critically, I can tell you that it is obvious a visitor to Asimov's created world wrote it, and while he can imagine it quite well, he did not make it nor could he mould it quite so well. Having said all that, it is a worthy treatment to that original short story, though I do think the original outstrips it in overall quality. The short story is iconic and straddles perfection; the novel is merely a great story.

It is a book that you should make time to read, though as the story is gripping and you will no doubt find as I did, that yet again Asimov has made it near impossible to put down. By its subject, be warned it is a bit bleak, so not one to read when feeling particularly down as this is not one to uplift you with rip roaring feel good space swashbuckling. It is thoughtful, idea driven science fiction, in the trademark Asimov style (with a bit of Silverberg meddling at the end), and if you have access to it, not a bad read. I would advise reading the much superior short story, which is available in various anthologies as well as online, before reading this expanded version, as otherwise, you will miss out on one of the most important science fiction literary woks of all time.