Nightfall (Isaac Asimov)

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Nightfall (1990), a novel which Robert Silverberg produced by expanding and updating Asimov's original story.

"Nightfall" is an influential science fiction short story (later adapted into a novel) by author Isaac Asimov, about the coming of darkness to the people of a planet ordinarily illuminated at all times on all sides. Considered a classic of the genre, "Nightfall" has been anthologized no fewer than four dozen times, and has appeared in at least another half-dozen collections of Asimov's older stories. In 1968 the Science Fiction Writers of America voted "Nightfall" the best science fiction short story ever written.

[edit] Short story

The short story was first published in the September 1941 issue of Astounding Science Fiction magazine under editor John W. Campbell. It was the 32nd story by Asimov, written while he was working in his father's candy store and studying at Columbia University. According to Asimov's autobiography, Campbell ordered Asimov to write the story after discussing with him a quotation from Ralph Waldo Emerson:

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!

[edit] Plot summary

The fictional planet, Lagash (Kalgash in the novel adaptation) is located in a stellar system containing six stars, which keep the whole planet continuously illuminated; total darkness is unknown, as are more distant stars. "Nightfall" occurs once every 2,049 years, when the sole sun on one side of the planet is eclipsed for half a day by a planet whose existence has been inferred by scientists with a relatively new understanding of gravity and orbital mechanics. Past occurrences had coincided with the collapse of civilization, which has risen and fallen close to a dozen times, since the darkness results in madness and panic among Lagash's populace. The story deals with the conflicting agendas of scientists - including astronomers and a psychologist - who wish to understand and explain the phenomenon for future generations, and "Cultists" whose holy book contains an apocalyptic account of "Darkness" and "Stars" from the last occurrence and who welcome it as a spiritual event. The central character is a journalist who is at first skeptical that the event will even take place.

[edit] Major themes

Thargola's Sword is a philosophy, discussed in the book, that dictates what one should do when faced with a series of hypotheses. The hypothesis that is the most complex is stricken and considered too complicated for consideration. This is a thinly veiled reference to Occam's Razor^{[citation needed]}.

[edit] Allusions/references from other works

In 1990, two years before Asimov's death, he collaborated with author Robert Silverberg on a novel-length revision of the original story. In fifty years, much about the original—despite its classic status—had become dated both scientifically and in terms of literary style. The novel significantly expands upon and updates the original premise. It was a commercial success but received mixed reviews. One notable change is the introduction of more "alien" names such as for the system's suns, called simply "Alpha", "Beta", etc. in the short story to avoid confusing the reader with irrelevant information. (Though this seems in keeping with Asimov's generally "unornamented" style, in this case he details his reasons explicitly, in the prologue printed in the collection Nightfall and Other Stories.)

Dean McLaughlin's novel Dawn (published in serialized form in the April–July 1981 issues of Analog) was in several ways an answer to Asimov's Nightfall. It posits a similar society on a similar planet surrounded by similarly named stars. But Dawn is a more optimistic story, wherein society advances rather than collapsing. McLaughlin pays homage to Asimov not only in the names of the stars, but also by naming the protagonist Isak and naming a historical figure Lagash (the name of the planet in Nightfall.)

[edit] Film, TV or theatrical adaptations

In the 1950s, the story was adapted on radio programs Dimension X and X Minus One.

In 1988, a low-budget movie was produced based upon the story. However, its script, while retaining the story's basic premise, deviated wildly from the original plot, and the film was roundly dismissed by critics and ridiculed by science fiction fans. Asimov himself disowned it. Another film version was produced in 2000. Pitch Black is partially based on Nightfall, in combination with other stories.

[edit] External links

• Nightfall at the Internet Movie Database (1988 version)
• Nightfall at the Internet Movie Database (2000 version)
• John Jenkins's "spoiler-laden reviews" of the short story and the novel
• Emerson's essay from which the quote above comes: Nature. In The Early Asimov: Book Two, p. 64, Asimov laments that he was not able to find the quotation!
• Nightfall - Read by Stephen Eley on the 100th episode of Escape Pod.