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ANOCHECER
Novela basada en un relato escrito por Asimov en 1941 que permite al lector experimentar el cataclismo que sobre vendrá sobre Kalgash a través de los ojos de un periodista, un astrónomo, un arqueólogo, un psicólogo y un fanático religioso.
El planeta Kalgash está al borde del caos, pero solo unas pocas personas se han dado cuenta de ello. Kalgash conoce únicamente la luz diurna perpetua, pues durante más de dos milenios la combinación de sus seis soles ha iluminado el cielo. Sin embargo, ahora empieza a reinar la oscuridad.
Pronto se pondrán todos los soles, y el terrible esplendor del anochecer desencadenará una locura que marcará el final de la civilización.
«Esta colaboración entre dos veteranos de la ciencia ficción se centra no tanto en la caracterización de personajes como en la exploración de la mente humana ante una inminente destrucción de la civilización.»
El planeta Kalgash está al borde del caos, pero solo unas pocas personas se han dado cuenta de ello. Kalgash conoce únicamente la luz diurna perpetua, pues durante más de dos milenios la combinación de sus seis soles ha iluminado el cielo. Sin embargo, ahora empieza a reinar la oscuridad.
Pronto se pondrán todos los soles, y el terrible esplendor del anochecer desencadenará una locura que marcará el final de la civilización.
«Esta colaboración entre dos veteranos de la ciencia ficción se centra no tanto en la caracterización de personajes como en la exploración de la mente humana ante una inminente destrucción de la civilización.»
411 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
About the author
Isaac Asimov
4,469 books25.8k followersWorks of prolific Russian-American writer Isaac Asimov include popular explanations of scientific principles,
The Foundation Trilogy
(1951-1953), and other volumes of fiction.
Isaac Asimov, a professor of biochemistry, wrote as a highly successful author, best known for his books.
Asimov, professor, generally considered of all time, edited more than five hundred books and ninety thousand letters and postcards. He published in nine of the ten major categories of the Dewey decimal classification but lacked only an entry in the category of philosophy (100).
People widely considered Asimov, a master of the genre alongside Robert Anson Heinlein and Arthur Charles Clarke as the "big three" during his lifetime. He later tied Galactic Empire and the Robot into the same universe as his most famous series to create a unified "future history" for his stories much like those that Heinlein pioneered and Cordwainer Smith and Poul Anderson previously produced. He penned "Nightfall," voted in 1964 as the best short story of all time; many persons still honor this title. He also produced well mysteries, fantasy, and a great quantity of nonfiction. Asimov used Paul French, the pen name, for the Lucky Starr, series of juvenile novels.
Most books of Asimov in a historical way go as far back to a time with possible question or concept at its simplest stage. He often provides and mentions well nationalities, birth, and death dates for persons and etymologies and pronunciation guides for technical terms. Guide to Science, the tripartite set Understanding Physics, and Chronology of Science and Discovery exemplify these books.
Asimov, a long-time member, reluctantly served as vice president of Mensa international and described some members of that organization as "brain-proud and aggressive about their IQs." He took more pleasure as president of the humanist association. The asteroid 5020 Asimov, the magazine Asimov's Science Fiction, an elementary school in Brooklyn in New York, and two different awards honor his name.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_As...
Isaac Asimov, a professor of biochemistry, wrote as a highly successful author, best known for his books.
Asimov, professor, generally considered of all time, edited more than five hundred books and ninety thousand letters and postcards. He published in nine of the ten major categories of the Dewey decimal classification but lacked only an entry in the category of philosophy (100).
People widely considered Asimov, a master of the genre alongside Robert Anson Heinlein and Arthur Charles Clarke as the "big three" during his lifetime. He later tied Galactic Empire and the Robot into the same universe as his most famous series to create a unified "future history" for his stories much like those that Heinlein pioneered and Cordwainer Smith and Poul Anderson previously produced. He penned "Nightfall," voted in 1964 as the best short story of all time; many persons still honor this title. He also produced well mysteries, fantasy, and a great quantity of nonfiction. Asimov used Paul French, the pen name, for the Lucky Starr, series of juvenile novels.
Most books of Asimov in a historical way go as far back to a time with possible question or concept at its simplest stage. He often provides and mentions well nationalities, birth, and death dates for persons and etymologies and pronunciation guides for technical terms. Guide to Science, the tripartite set Understanding Physics, and Chronology of Science and Discovery exemplify these books.
Asimov, a long-time member, reluctantly served as vice president of Mensa international and described some members of that organization as "brain-proud and aggressive about their IQs." He took more pleasure as president of the humanist association. The asteroid 5020 Asimov, the magazine Asimov's Science Fiction, an elementary school in Brooklyn in New York, and two different awards honor his name.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_As...
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January 12, 2021
Fifteen Minutes in the Dark
The best science fiction looks backwards into the past as well as speculating forward into the future, linking things we think (or thought) we’re sure of with things that don’t exist. Comparing the two can be sobering as well as enlightening.
Asimov writes just this kind of inter-temporal story in Nightfall. On the one hand it anticipates things like the debates about climate change and dark matter that wouldn’t emerge more articulately for decades. On the other, it contains historical echoes of philosophical and theological issues from Pascale’s Wager to Galileo’s condemnation by the Church, to the impact of Kantian categories of perception. The story then mixes the anticipatory and the completed into a sort of a theory of Mind and explores the delicate dependency of Mind upon expectations as well as memory - specifically the dependency on light among a species unfamiliar with darkness.
As one of Asimov’s characters says, “Your brain wasn’t built for the conception [of total darkness] any more than it was built for the conception of infinity or of eternity. You can only talk about it. A fraction of the reality upsets you, and when the real thing comes, your brain is going to be presented with the phenomenon outside its limits of comprehension.” A very interesting premise. What then?
The best science fiction looks backwards into the past as well as speculating forward into the future, linking things we think (or thought) we’re sure of with things that don’t exist. Comparing the two can be sobering as well as enlightening.
Asimov writes just this kind of inter-temporal story in Nightfall. On the one hand it anticipates things like the debates about climate change and dark matter that wouldn’t emerge more articulately for decades. On the other, it contains historical echoes of philosophical and theological issues from Pascale’s Wager to Galileo’s condemnation by the Church, to the impact of Kantian categories of perception. The story then mixes the anticipatory and the completed into a sort of a theory of Mind and explores the delicate dependency of Mind upon expectations as well as memory - specifically the dependency on light among a species unfamiliar with darkness.
As one of Asimov’s characters says, “Your brain wasn’t built for the conception [of total darkness] any more than it was built for the conception of infinity or of eternity. You can only talk about it. A fraction of the reality upsets you, and when the real thing comes, your brain is going to be presented with the phenomenon outside its limits of comprehension.” A very interesting premise. What then?
November 16, 2016
“My god, it's full of stars!”
This famous phrase from 2001: A Space Odyssey is also applicable to Nightfall, but with an entirely opposite connotation.
Nightfall was originally a short story by Isaac Asimov, first published in 1941. It is considered a classic sci-fi short story, and often cited as one of the all-time greats (example “best” list). The book being reviewed here is an expansion of this short story, in collaboration of the great Robert Silverberg, a legend among veteran sci-fi readers. When this novelized version of Nightfall came out in 1990 I was not interested in reading it, as I thought the original story is perfect as it is and I could not imagine how expanding or padding it out can improve on it. In a way I was right, this Nightfall novel is not an improvement of the story but I was wrong to assume that it would not be worth reading. The novel, in and of itself, is a very good read.
A view of Nightfall (solar eclipse) on Kalgash.
The main original storyline is quite straightforward; set on a planet called Kalgash which has six suns, with normally up to four appearing in the sky at any one time (five rarely, all six never). With this setup it is always daytime on this planet, some hours are dimmer than others as the suns are of different sizes or distances from the planet. The inhabitants of this planet have no experience of night and have never seen stars in the sky. They even believe that the universe has only six stars and is quite limited in size. Unfortunately for them, exactly every two thousand and forty-nine years the stars align with the planet’s moon in such a way that only one sun appears in the sky and it is blotted out for hours by the shadow of the planet's moon, causing a lengthy total solar eclipse, the planet is then plunged into night and the stars are visible. This does not seem like much for us Earthlings but the Kalgash people cannot cope with such extreme “weirdness”, it is too terrifying and cracks their brains, permanently in many cases.
The original story is only concerned with the impending night and the immediate impact on the people when night and the stars appear. With this novel Robert Silverberg have added on (“bolted on” the detractors say) a section leading up to the Nightfall (called “Twilight”, and another section which follows after the Nightfall event (called “Daybreak”). So it is a novel of three parts:
1. Twilight
This is basically the prequel to the original short story, it takes place about one month prior to the Nightfall event. “Twilight” is interesting enough with some good characterization. I like that a psychologist is investigating mental illness caused by 15 minutes exposure to darkness in a theme park ride. It adds to the believability of the main premise. The tension slowly builds toward the cataclysmic Nightfall; I was, however, impatient to get to the main event myself.
2. Nightfall
The main event, the cataclysmic “Nightfall” solar eclipse. This is basically the original classic short story with some minor alterations to make it consistent with the other two parts but the story remains intact. Not surprisingly, this middle part of the book is the most powerful, it really is absolutely riveting.
3. Daybreak
Clearly the sequel to Nightfall. This final part is basically a post-apocalyptic story, or “post eclipse barbarism” as one of the characters puts it. In some respect it reminds me a little of the movie “28 Days Later” withzombies homicidal maniacs running around attacking people. It lacks the raw power of the classic “Nightfall” part but is more exciting than the “Twilight” part. I feel the post-apocalyptic framework is too commonplace for Silverberg. His best solo books tend to have much more outré plots. There is only so much you can do with this kind of post-apocalyptic setting, I think. Still, “Daybreak” is a compelling read because Silverberg is a great storyteller; it also has a nice little twist that I did not expect.
I suppose you could call the additions a prologue and an epilogue, but they are really too long for that; more of a prequel and a sequel to the original story. I disagree with the detractors that “Twilight” and “Daybreak” are clunky bolted on things. The book, viewed as a whole, is quite cohesive and very readable.
I tend to mention Silverberg more than Asimov in this review because the former did all of the writing of the additional parts, Asimov wrote the original version of the middle (“Nightfall”) part but Silverberg made some minor alterations to ensure consistency with the other two parts. Asimov had the final say in the content of the whole book, anything Silverberg wrote which he did not like was excised†.
The prose style is mostly that of Silverberg's, which means it can be quite eloquent and even fanciful. That said, he seems to be channeling Asimov’s more clear-cut minimalist style at times also. The central characters are well developed but they are dwarfed by the setting and the plot, and they are basically there to move the storyline forward, Nightfall is definitely not about the characters. The two authors seem to have worked very well together and I look forward to reading the other two collaborations from them, namely: The Ugly Little Boy and The Positronic Man.
If you have not read the original “Nightfall” story I urge you to hunt it down and read it post-haste*, it is an unforgettable experience. This novel is also well worth reading for its own sake.
Quotes
“We’ve evolved under conditions of perpetual sunlight, every hour of the day, all year round. If Onos isn’t in the sky, Tano and Sitha and Dovim are, or Patru and Trey, and so forth. Our minds, even the physiologies of our bodies, are accustomed to constant brightness. We don’t like even a brief moment without it.”
“There’s a psychological term for mankind’s instinctive fear of the absence of light. We call it ‘claustrophobia,’ because the lack of light is always tied up with enclosed places, so that the fear of one is fear of the other.”
“Millions of years of evolution shaping us to be what we are. Darkness is the most unnatural thing in the world.”
“Imagine, if you can, a world that has only one sun. As that world rotates on its axis, each hemisphere will receive light for half the day and will be entirely dark for the other half.”
“They hammered at the roots of his being. They beat like flails against his brain. Their icy monstrous light was like a million great gongs going off at once.”
Notes
* There's an audiobook of the short story on Youtube!
† Degree of collaboration between Asimov and Silverberg on Nightfall
This famous phrase from 2001: A Space Odyssey is also applicable to Nightfall, but with an entirely opposite connotation.
Nightfall was originally a short story by Isaac Asimov, first published in 1941. It is considered a classic sci-fi short story, and often cited as one of the all-time greats (example “best” list). The book being reviewed here is an expansion of this short story, in collaboration of the great Robert Silverberg, a legend among veteran sci-fi readers. When this novelized version of Nightfall came out in 1990 I was not interested in reading it, as I thought the original story is perfect as it is and I could not imagine how expanding or padding it out can improve on it. In a way I was right, this Nightfall novel is not an improvement of the story but I was wrong to assume that it would not be worth reading. The novel, in and of itself, is a very good read.
A view of Nightfall (solar eclipse) on Kalgash.
The main original storyline is quite straightforward; set on a planet called Kalgash which has six suns, with normally up to four appearing in the sky at any one time (five rarely, all six never). With this setup it is always daytime on this planet, some hours are dimmer than others as the suns are of different sizes or distances from the planet. The inhabitants of this planet have no experience of night and have never seen stars in the sky. They even believe that the universe has only six stars and is quite limited in size. Unfortunately for them, exactly every two thousand and forty-nine years the stars align with the planet’s moon in such a way that only one sun appears in the sky and it is blotted out for hours by the shadow of the planet's moon, causing a lengthy total solar eclipse, the planet is then plunged into night and the stars are visible. This does not seem like much for us Earthlings but the Kalgash people cannot cope with such extreme “weirdness”, it is too terrifying and cracks their brains, permanently in many cases.
The original story is only concerned with the impending night and the immediate impact on the people when night and the stars appear. With this novel Robert Silverberg have added on (“bolted on” the detractors say) a section leading up to the Nightfall (called “Twilight”, and another section which follows after the Nightfall event (called “Daybreak”). So it is a novel of three parts:
1. Twilight
This is basically the prequel to the original short story, it takes place about one month prior to the Nightfall event. “Twilight” is interesting enough with some good characterization. I like that a psychologist is investigating mental illness caused by 15 minutes exposure to darkness in a theme park ride. It adds to the believability of the main premise. The tension slowly builds toward the cataclysmic Nightfall; I was, however, impatient to get to the main event myself.
2. Nightfall
The main event, the cataclysmic “Nightfall” solar eclipse. This is basically the original classic short story with some minor alterations to make it consistent with the other two parts but the story remains intact. Not surprisingly, this middle part of the book is the most powerful, it really is absolutely riveting.
3. Daybreak
Clearly the sequel to Nightfall. This final part is basically a post-apocalyptic story, or “post eclipse barbarism” as one of the characters puts it. In some respect it reminds me a little of the movie “28 Days Later” with
I suppose you could call the additions a prologue and an epilogue, but they are really too long for that; more of a prequel and a sequel to the original story. I disagree with the detractors that “Twilight” and “Daybreak” are clunky bolted on things. The book, viewed as a whole, is quite cohesive and very readable.
I tend to mention Silverberg more than Asimov in this review because the former did all of the writing of the additional parts, Asimov wrote the original version of the middle (“Nightfall”) part but Silverberg made some minor alterations to ensure consistency with the other two parts. Asimov had the final say in the content of the whole book, anything Silverberg wrote which he did not like was excised†.
The prose style is mostly that of Silverberg's, which means it can be quite eloquent and even fanciful. That said, he seems to be channeling Asimov’s more clear-cut minimalist style at times also. The central characters are well developed but they are dwarfed by the setting and the plot, and they are basically there to move the storyline forward, Nightfall is definitely not about the characters. The two authors seem to have worked very well together and I look forward to reading the other two collaborations from them, namely: The Ugly Little Boy and The Positronic Man.
If you have not read the original “Nightfall” story I urge you to hunt it down and read it post-haste*, it is an unforgettable experience. This novel is also well worth reading for its own sake.
Quotes
“We’ve evolved under conditions of perpetual sunlight, every hour of the day, all year round. If Onos isn’t in the sky, Tano and Sitha and Dovim are, or Patru and Trey, and so forth. Our minds, even the physiologies of our bodies, are accustomed to constant brightness. We don’t like even a brief moment without it.”
“There’s a psychological term for mankind’s instinctive fear of the absence of light. We call it ‘claustrophobia,’ because the lack of light is always tied up with enclosed places, so that the fear of one is fear of the other.”
“Millions of years of evolution shaping us to be what we are. Darkness is the most unnatural thing in the world.”
“Imagine, if you can, a world that has only one sun. As that world rotates on its axis, each hemisphere will receive light for half the day and will be entirely dark for the other half.”
“They hammered at the roots of his being. They beat like flails against his brain. Their icy monstrous light was like a million great gongs going off at once.”
Notes
* There's an audiobook of the short story on Youtube!
† Degree of collaboration between Asimov and Silverberg on Nightfall
August 10, 2020
More to follow tomorrow. I'm still wondering if this should be downgraded to 3 stars.
Now I really enjoy Asimov books, in fact he's probably my favourite author, even if he didn't write my favourite book, all of which is besides the point really as unfortunately I did not find this the best of Asimov's books.
The short story he wrote on which this is based, is a masterpiece, this not so much so. Parts of the book are true Asimov, the characters the settings and a lot of the story driven conversations (which to me he is famous for). But there are also parts of the story that aren't Asimov, .
Now having said all of that I have to obviously admit this book is not all by Isaac Asimov, but also by Robert Silverberg. However, over the years I have read quite a few Silverberg novels, and have always enjoyed them, so what happened here I do not know. I'm still struggling with the end as well.
I think ultimately I am going to leave it at 4 stars, as there are some excellent parts to the novel and it is an amazing and far reaching storyline.
Now I really enjoy Asimov books, in fact he's probably my favourite author, even if he didn't write my favourite book, all of which is besides the point really as unfortunately I did not find this the best of Asimov's books.
The short story he wrote on which this is based, is a masterpiece, this not so much so. Parts of the book are true Asimov, the characters the settings and a lot of the story driven conversations (which to me he is famous for). But there are also parts of the story that aren't Asimov, .
Now having said all of that I have to obviously admit this book is not all by Isaac Asimov, but also by Robert Silverberg. However, over the years I have read quite a few Silverberg novels, and have always enjoyed them, so what happened here I do not know. I'm still struggling with the end as well.
I think ultimately I am going to leave it at 4 stars, as there are some excellent parts to the novel and it is an amazing and far reaching storyline.
May 31, 2020
Real Rating: 4.5* of five
I absolutely adore this story. It's my favorite Asimov story or book. I was delighted to learn that the ancient radio drama, X Minus One, recorded a half-hour dramatization of it. I just can't express the degree to which I love the Asimovian take on relativism's simultaneous necessity and vicissitudes are played out in a hugely amusing manner.
A planet inhabited by intelligent technological species that's lit by five stars is about to experience, for the first time in 2,500 years, a total absence of sunlight. All the suns will be in eclipse at the same time. And, quite naturally, a super-daffy religion has sprung up sometime in the past 2,500 years (that interval is not accidental) to predict The End of Days when this utter, total eclipse occurs. Then the psychologists start explaining what's going on; then there is the eclipse.
Let There Be Light.
Just marvelous! And as of the COVID-19 plague of 2020, eerily timely....
I absolutely adore this story. It's my favorite Asimov story or book. I was delighted to learn that the ancient radio drama, X Minus One, recorded a half-hour dramatization of it. I just can't express the degree to which I love the Asimovian take on relativism's simultaneous necessity and vicissitudes are played out in a hugely amusing manner.
A planet inhabited by intelligent technological species that's lit by five stars is about to experience, for the first time in 2,500 years, a total absence of sunlight. All the suns will be in eclipse at the same time. And, quite naturally, a super-daffy religion has sprung up sometime in the past 2,500 years (that interval is not accidental) to predict The End of Days when this utter, total eclipse occurs. Then the psychologists start explaining what's going on; then there is the eclipse.
Let There Be Light.
Just marvelous! And as of the COVID-19 plague of 2020, eerily timely....
June 2, 2018
Nightfall, Isaac Asimov, Robert Silverberg
Nightfall, is a 1941 science fiction novelette by American writer Isaac Asimov about the coming of darkness to the people of a planet ordinarily illuminated by sunlight at all times. It was adapted into a novel with Robert Silverberg in 1990.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: سال 1995 میلادی
عنوان: شبانگاه؛ نویسنده: آیزاک آسیموف؛ رابرت سیلوربرگ؛ مترجم: حسن اصغری؛ تهران، شقایق، 1374؛ در 326 ص؛ موضوع: داستانهای خیال انگیز از نویسندگان امریکایی - سده 20 م
این داستان در سیاره ای به نام کالگاش که دارای شش خورشید است رخ میدهد، هزاران سال از استقرار انسان در این سیاره میگذرد و نسلهای تازه چنین میپندارند که به غیر از سیاره ی آنها و شش خورشبد آن سیاره، سیاره ی دیگری وجود ندارد، هماره دست کم دو خورشید در آسمان هستند و ... ا. شربیانی
Nightfall, is a 1941 science fiction novelette by American writer Isaac Asimov about the coming of darkness to the people of a planet ordinarily illuminated by sunlight at all times. It was adapted into a novel with Robert Silverberg in 1990.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: سال 1995 میلادی
عنوان: شبانگاه؛ نویسنده: آیزاک آسیموف؛ رابرت سیلوربرگ؛ مترجم: حسن اصغری؛ تهران، شقایق، 1374؛ در 326 ص؛ موضوع: داستانهای خیال انگیز از نویسندگان امریکایی - سده 20 م
این داستان در سیاره ای به نام کالگاش که دارای شش خورشید است رخ میدهد، هزاران سال از استقرار انسان در این سیاره میگذرد و نسلهای تازه چنین میپندارند که به غیر از سیاره ی آنها و شش خورشبد آن سیاره، سیاره ی دیگری وجود ندارد، هماره دست کم دو خورشید در آسمان هستند و ... ا. شربیانی
June 10, 2014
The original short story Nightfall is brilliant and deserves five stars. This novel, based on that short story, only gets 2 stars. It was bloated and forgettable. Don't bother with it unless you're an Asimov completist. If you've never read the short story, you need to go find it. It's in a lot of SF collections and should be readily available.
September 2, 2023
[ESP/ENG]
Esta lectura me llega a raíz de una LC en el grupo de Ciencia ficción en español, y lo primero que me encuentro es el debate de si leer el relato corto en que está basado o no. Al final lo leí primero. Spoiler: mal hecho. Si hay interés legítimo, casi mejor leerlo después del libro. El relato me ha gustado mucho más, y su brevedad es una buena baza.
Relato original aquí, para quien lo quiera.
La Oscuridad no es más que oscuridad, un cambio de circunstancias externas. Estamos condicionados a aborrecerla porque vivimos en un mundo donde la Oscuridad es algo innatural, donde siempre hay luz, la luz de muchos soles.
En esta novela nos encontramos en un planeta situado de tal manera que orbita alrededor de 6 soles, en diferentes conjugaciones, por lo que siempre hay luz natural, nunca hay noche ni oscuridad. Los habitantes de ese planeta están tan biológicamente programados para tener siempre luz que incluso duermen con luces ligeras encendidas. ¿Que pasaría si un día esa conjugación de soles dejase solo 1 visible y hubiese un eclipse? De esto trata la novela (No es spoiler, viene en sinopsis y se llama Anochecer por algo)
Vuelvo a comparar la novela con el relato, y es que en aquel se narra la parte llamada específicamente Anochecer, centrando toda la historia en ese momento. Una novela de 400 páginas no puede hacer eso, por lo tanto se expande hacia atrás y hacia adelante, constando de 3 partes: Atardecer, anochecer y amanecer, o lo que es lo mismo, cómo se llega al eclipse, el eclipse, y el resultado del mismo. La primera parte no está mal, consigue ponerte en situación a todos los personajes y la trama, aunque a mi parecer se alarga en exceso en algunas situaciones. Para el eclipse faltan 14 meses al inicio de la obra, pero esta parte solo cubre 2, y Anochecer es el día E (por Eclipse), así que se saltan un año entero... Sobre la tercera parte hablaré más abajo.
Una de las cosas que me gusta cómo se plantea es el debate Religión vs ciencia. Los miembros de la Universidad de Saro descubren lo que va a pasar, e intentarán poner en aviso a la población. Por contra, un culto religioso llamado Los apóstoles de la Llama también sabe lo que va a pasar y advierte a la gente de un castigo divino por sus comportamientos. El choque está servido. Lo que no me gusta tanto es el papel del periodista, que siendo el que está un poco en medio toma claramente partido y no me funciona en absoluto.
¡A través de ella brillaban la estrellas!
No la una o dos docenas de la lamentable teoría de Beenay. Había miles de ellas, llameando con increíble poder, una al lado de la otra, un interminable muro de ellas, formando un deslumbrante escudor de aterradora luz que llenaba todo el cielo. Miles de poderosos soles brillaban sobre ellos en un esplendor que hacía arder el alma y que era más aterradoramente frío en su horrible indiferencia que el áspero viento que soplaba a través del helado y horriblemente desolado mundo.
Otra de las cosas que me han gustado mucho es la presentación de las Estrellas, nadie sabe lo que son, pero todo el mundo está aterrado por ellas por un motivo u otro. Hay muy buenos pasajes hablando sobre esas cosas "imaginarias", y el momento de la revelación golpea fuerte. Aunque esto a la vez me lleva a un punto negativo. Entiendo que los 6 soles proporcionen luz constante, pero me parece muy extraño que se produzcan las situaciones que tienen lugar durante el eclipse...
En cuanto a la parte final me gusta mucho la ambientación conseguida, pero no me gusta el final en sí. Hay demasiados problemas para los protagonistas y demasiados pocos para los contrarios, y aunque el final es de esperanza, no puedo sino pensar que es falsa.
Es un libro que podría haber dado mucho más de sí, pero que al final se queda en un término medio que no le hace ningún bien. He encontrado similitudes con la reciente película "Don't Look Up", y por tanto con nuestra sociedad. Ojalá nunca lleguemos a un dilema así porque nos vamos al carajo.
Dejo esta bonita imágen que representa el momento clave, aunque echo en falta muuuuuchas más estrellas y oscuridad, pero para hacerse a la idea vale.
--------------------------------
This reading landed as a result of a book club in the Spanish Science Fiction group, and the first thing I find is the debate of whether to read first the short story on which it is based or not. In the end I read it first. Spoiler: it didn't work. If there is legitimate interest, almost better to read it after the book. I liked the short story much more, and its brevity is a good asset.
Read the short story here
Darkness is nothing more than darkness, a change of external circumstances. We are conditioned to hate it because we live in a world where Darkness is unnatural, where there is always light, the light of many suns.
In this novel we find ourselves on a planet located in such a way that it orbits around 6 suns, in different conjugations, so there is always natural light, there is never night or darkness. The inhabitants of that planet are so biologically programmed to always have light that they even sleep with dim lights on. What would happen if one day that conjugation of suns left only 1 visible and there was an eclipse? This is what the novel is about (it is not spoiler, it comes in a synopsis and it is called Nightfall for a reason)
I compare the novel with the short story again, because in that one the part specifically called Nightfall is narrated, centering the whole story at that moment. A 400-page novel can't do that, so it expands backwards and forwards, consisting of 3 parts: Sunset, Nightfall, and Dawn, or to put in in other words, the arrival of the eclipse, the eclipse, and the result of it. The first part is not bad, it manages to put all the characters and the plot in situation, although in my opinion it takes too long in some moments. The eclipse is 14 months away at the start of the play, but this part only covers 2, and Nightfall is E-day (for Eclipse), so they skip a whole year... I'll talk about the third part below.
One of the things that I like how it is raised is the Religion vs. Science debate. The members of the University of Saro discover what is going to happen, and will try to warn the population. In contrast, a religious cult called The Apostles of the Flame also knows what is going to happen and warns people of divine punishment for their behavior. The confrontation is served. What I don't like so much is the role of the journalist, who, being the one in the middle, clearly takes sides and doesn't work for me at all.
Through it the stars shone!
Not the one or two dozen of Beenay's lamentable theory. There were thousands of them, blazing with incredible power, side by side, an endless wall of them, forming a dazzling shield of terrifying light that filled the entire sky. Thousands of mighty suns shone down on them in a soul-burning splendor that was more terrifyingly cold in its hideous indifference than the harsh wind that blew across the frozen and horribly desolate world.
Another thing that I really liked is the presentation of the Stars, no one knows what they are, but everyone is terrified of them for one reason or another. There are very good passages talking about these "imaginary" things, and the moment of revelation hits hard. Although this at the same time leads me to a negative point. I understand that the 6 suns provide constant light, but it seems very strange to me that the situations that take place during the eclipse occur...
As for the final part, I really like the setting achieved, but I don't like the ending itself. There are too many problems for the protagonists and too few for the opponents, and although the ending is hopeful, I cannot help but think that it is false.
It is a book that could have given much more of itself, but in the end it remains in a middle ground that does it no good. I have found similarities with the recent movie "Don't Look Up", and therefore with our society. Hopefully we never get to a dilemma like that because we're going to hell.
I leave this beautiful image that represents the key moment, although I miss many more stars and darkness, but to get used to the idea it's worth it.
Esta lectura me llega a raíz de una LC en el grupo de Ciencia ficción en español, y lo primero que me encuentro es el debate de si leer el relato corto en que está basado o no. Al final lo leí primero. Spoiler: mal hecho. Si hay interés legítimo, casi mejor leerlo después del libro. El relato me ha gustado mucho más, y su brevedad es una buena baza.
Relato original aquí, para quien lo quiera.
La Oscuridad no es más que oscuridad, un cambio de circunstancias externas. Estamos condicionados a aborrecerla porque vivimos en un mundo donde la Oscuridad es algo innatural, donde siempre hay luz, la luz de muchos soles.
En esta novela nos encontramos en un planeta situado de tal manera que orbita alrededor de 6 soles, en diferentes conjugaciones, por lo que siempre hay luz natural, nunca hay noche ni oscuridad. Los habitantes de ese planeta están tan biológicamente programados para tener siempre luz que incluso duermen con luces ligeras encendidas. ¿Que pasaría si un día esa conjugación de soles dejase solo 1 visible y hubiese un eclipse? De esto trata la novela (No es spoiler, viene en sinopsis y se llama Anochecer por algo)
Vuelvo a comparar la novela con el relato, y es que en aquel se narra la parte llamada específicamente Anochecer, centrando toda la historia en ese momento. Una novela de 400 páginas no puede hacer eso, por lo tanto se expande hacia atrás y hacia adelante, constando de 3 partes: Atardecer, anochecer y amanecer, o lo que es lo mismo, cómo se llega al eclipse, el eclipse, y el resultado del mismo. La primera parte no está mal, consigue ponerte en situación a todos los personajes y la trama, aunque a mi parecer se alarga en exceso en algunas situaciones. Para el eclipse faltan 14 meses al inicio de la obra, pero esta parte solo cubre 2, y Anochecer es el día E (por Eclipse), así que se saltan un año entero... Sobre la tercera parte hablaré más abajo.
Una de las cosas que me gusta cómo se plantea es el debate Religión vs ciencia. Los miembros de la Universidad de Saro descubren lo que va a pasar, e intentarán poner en aviso a la población. Por contra, un culto religioso llamado Los apóstoles de la Llama también sabe lo que va a pasar y advierte a la gente de un castigo divino por sus comportamientos. El choque está servido. Lo que no me gusta tanto es el papel del periodista, que siendo el que está un poco en medio toma claramente partido y no me funciona en absoluto.
¡A través de ella brillaban la estrellas!
No la una o dos docenas de la lamentable teoría de Beenay. Había miles de ellas, llameando con increíble poder, una al lado de la otra, un interminable muro de ellas, formando un deslumbrante escudor de aterradora luz que llenaba todo el cielo. Miles de poderosos soles brillaban sobre ellos en un esplendor que hacía arder el alma y que era más aterradoramente frío en su horrible indiferencia que el áspero viento que soplaba a través del helado y horriblemente desolado mundo.
Otra de las cosas que me han gustado mucho es la presentación de las Estrellas, nadie sabe lo que son, pero todo el mundo está aterrado por ellas por un motivo u otro. Hay muy buenos pasajes hablando sobre esas cosas "imaginarias", y el momento de la revelación golpea fuerte. Aunque esto a la vez me lleva a un punto negativo. Entiendo que los 6 soles proporcionen luz constante, pero me parece muy extraño que se produzcan las situaciones que tienen lugar durante el eclipse...
En cuanto a la parte final me gusta mucho la ambientación conseguida, pero no me gusta el final en sí. Hay demasiados problemas para los protagonistas y demasiados pocos para los contrarios, y aunque el final es de esperanza, no puedo sino pensar que es falsa.
Es un libro que podría haber dado mucho más de sí, pero que al final se queda en un término medio que no le hace ningún bien. He encontrado similitudes con la reciente película "Don't Look Up", y por tanto con nuestra sociedad. Ojalá nunca lleguemos a un dilema así porque nos vamos al carajo.
Dejo esta bonita imágen que representa el momento clave, aunque echo en falta muuuuuchas más estrellas y oscuridad, pero para hacerse a la idea vale.
--------------------------------
This reading landed as a result of a book club in the Spanish Science Fiction group, and the first thing I find is the debate of whether to read first the short story on which it is based or not. In the end I read it first. Spoiler: it didn't work. If there is legitimate interest, almost better to read it after the book. I liked the short story much more, and its brevity is a good asset.
Read the short story here
Darkness is nothing more than darkness, a change of external circumstances. We are conditioned to hate it because we live in a world where Darkness is unnatural, where there is always light, the light of many suns.
In this novel we find ourselves on a planet located in such a way that it orbits around 6 suns, in different conjugations, so there is always natural light, there is never night or darkness. The inhabitants of that planet are so biologically programmed to always have light that they even sleep with dim lights on. What would happen if one day that conjugation of suns left only 1 visible and there was an eclipse? This is what the novel is about (it is not spoiler, it comes in a synopsis and it is called Nightfall for a reason)
I compare the novel with the short story again, because in that one the part specifically called Nightfall is narrated, centering the whole story at that moment. A 400-page novel can't do that, so it expands backwards and forwards, consisting of 3 parts: Sunset, Nightfall, and Dawn, or to put in in other words, the arrival of the eclipse, the eclipse, and the result of it. The first part is not bad, it manages to put all the characters and the plot in situation, although in my opinion it takes too long in some moments. The eclipse is 14 months away at the start of the play, but this part only covers 2, and Nightfall is E-day (for Eclipse), so they skip a whole year... I'll talk about the third part below.
One of the things that I like how it is raised is the Religion vs. Science debate. The members of the University of Saro discover what is going to happen, and will try to warn the population. In contrast, a religious cult called The Apostles of the Flame also knows what is going to happen and warns people of divine punishment for their behavior. The confrontation is served. What I don't like so much is the role of the journalist, who, being the one in the middle, clearly takes sides and doesn't work for me at all.
Through it the stars shone!
Not the one or two dozen of Beenay's lamentable theory. There were thousands of them, blazing with incredible power, side by side, an endless wall of them, forming a dazzling shield of terrifying light that filled the entire sky. Thousands of mighty suns shone down on them in a soul-burning splendor that was more terrifyingly cold in its hideous indifference than the harsh wind that blew across the frozen and horribly desolate world.
Another thing that I really liked is the presentation of the Stars, no one knows what they are, but everyone is terrified of them for one reason or another. There are very good passages talking about these "imaginary" things, and the moment of revelation hits hard. Although this at the same time leads me to a negative point. I understand that the 6 suns provide constant light, but it seems very strange to me that the situations that take place during the eclipse occur...
As for the final part, I really like the setting achieved, but I don't like the ending itself. There are too many problems for the protagonists and too few for the opponents, and although the ending is hopeful, I cannot help but think that it is false.
It is a book that could have given much more of itself, but in the end it remains in a middle ground that does it no good. I have found similarities with the recent movie "Don't Look Up", and therefore with our society. Hopefully we never get to a dilemma like that because we're going to hell.
I leave this beautiful image that represents the key moment, although I miss many more stars and darkness, but to get used to the idea it's worth it.
May 28, 2021
2,5*
#lerosclássicos2021
Participar no projeto Ler os Clássicos é algo que faço pelo segundo ano com uma perna às costas, porque ler clássicos já é o habitual quando pretendo um livro que dificilmente me desiluda. A única excepção, o meu calcanhar de Aquiles, é a categoria Ficção-Científica/Fantasia. Depois de três DNF numa manhã, agarrei-me desesperada a este minúsculo livro de Isaac Asimov, que inclui dois contos, e continuo convencida de que este género de literatura é um longo bocejo.
“O Mestiço” é uma história de racismo aplicada a um cenário futurista. A ideia é interessante, mas é condescendente e protagonizada por um bonzinho da raça dominante, tipo “white saviour”.
Em “Cair da Noite” há vários sóis e espera-se o eclipse iminente do último astro, o que lançaria o planeta numa escuridão apocalíptica. Uma aula de Ciências da Natureza com fanáticos de cultos à mistura.
- Interessa-me que apoie uma concessão aos Tweenies, até agora considerados mestiços sem quaisquer direitos; igualdade absoluta com os Terrestres e Marcianos nos campos político, legal, económico e social.
- Não vai ser fácil. Há certos preconceitos , porventura justificados, contra eles, e enquanto não convencermos a Terra de que merecem essa igualdade...
#lerosclássicos2021
Participar no projeto Ler os Clássicos é algo que faço pelo segundo ano com uma perna às costas, porque ler clássicos já é o habitual quando pretendo um livro que dificilmente me desiluda. A única excepção, o meu calcanhar de Aquiles, é a categoria Ficção-Científica/Fantasia. Depois de três DNF numa manhã, agarrei-me desesperada a este minúsculo livro de Isaac Asimov, que inclui dois contos, e continuo convencida de que este género de literatura é um longo bocejo.
“O Mestiço” é uma história de racismo aplicada a um cenário futurista. A ideia é interessante, mas é condescendente e protagonizada por um bonzinho da raça dominante, tipo “white saviour”.
Em “Cair da Noite” há vários sóis e espera-se o eclipse iminente do último astro, o que lançaria o planeta numa escuridão apocalíptica. Uma aula de Ciências da Natureza com fanáticos de cultos à mistura.
- Interessa-me que apoie uma concessão aos Tweenies, até agora considerados mestiços sem quaisquer direitos; igualdade absoluta com os Terrestres e Marcianos nos campos político, legal, económico e social.
- Não vai ser fácil. Há certos preconceitos , porventura justificados, contra eles, e enquanto não convencermos a Terra de que merecem essa igualdade...
January 18, 2013
To start with, I thought the original 1941 novelette was absolutely fascinating. People experiencing a world-wide event that had never occurred before in their entire history, trying to prepare for it and being horrified as it actually occurs. The end is an absolutely masterful span of writing, ever-increasing suspense and dark madness as a mob descends, cut off so abruptly, it's almost certainly the reason the story is so popular.
And then Silverberg brings us to the new world, and spends a hundred pages detailing the hopelessness of the post-apocalyptic world and the self-pity the protagonists wallow in. It's very unfortunate that he decided to expand the novel, because his verbose meandering is so jarring compared to Asimov's succinct prose. The original short story is included almost whole as the middle third, with a few obvious and unnecessary interjections by Silverberg, providing a unique contrast on the power of a short versus a novel.
The characters are what drive this story, much more than in the original. The pacing is slow and drawn out, letting them discover, ponder, agonize, reflect, and discuss. Much of the mundane could have been left out, included either to hammer home the idea that these people are identical to us or just that Silverberg didn't have the skill to create an approachable alien, and the writing desperately needed an editor's judicious efforts. Still, the only truly jarring parts were the long flashbacks stitched into the beginning of the short.
Although the plot has a definite "fluff" feel, the masterful writing and ideas of Asimov keep it from becoming stale. Silverberg manages to paint a very convincing picture of a fresh post-apocalyptic world, full of fire and distrust and petty warlords and above all, ever-increasing despair and loss. By the end, the heros' failure is absolute, and even the twist (but not so surprising) ending can't eliminate the sense that the survivors are doomed. That kind of emotional downer is rare in science fiction.
I kind of liked it. I don't think it's nearly as rereadable as the short story, when nearly all of the forward motion hinges on the original, but the character interaction and explorations of an old culture clashing and morphing into new provide a passtime for an afternoon.
And then Silverberg brings us to the new world, and spends a hundred pages detailing the hopelessness of the post-apocalyptic world and the self-pity the protagonists wallow in. It's very unfortunate that he decided to expand the novel, because his verbose meandering is so jarring compared to Asimov's succinct prose. The original short story is included almost whole as the middle third, with a few obvious and unnecessary interjections by Silverberg, providing a unique contrast on the power of a short versus a novel.
The characters are what drive this story, much more than in the original. The pacing is slow and drawn out, letting them discover, ponder, agonize, reflect, and discuss. Much of the mundane could have been left out, included either to hammer home the idea that these people are identical to us or just that Silverberg didn't have the skill to create an approachable alien, and the writing desperately needed an editor's judicious efforts. Still, the only truly jarring parts were the long flashbacks stitched into the beginning of the short.
Although the plot has a definite "fluff" feel, the masterful writing and ideas of Asimov keep it from becoming stale. Silverberg manages to paint a very convincing picture of a fresh post-apocalyptic world, full of fire and distrust and petty warlords and above all, ever-increasing despair and loss. By the end, the heros' failure is absolute, and even the twist (but not so surprising) ending can't eliminate the sense that the survivors are doomed. That kind of emotional downer is rare in science fiction.
I kind of liked it. I don't think it's nearly as rereadable as the short story, when nearly all of the forward motion hinges on the original, but the character interaction and explorations of an old culture clashing and morphing into new provide a passtime for an afternoon.
August 10, 2023
Pues la idea era buena pero... se me ha hecho muyyy largo, sobre todo la parte del anochecer, parecía que no llegaría nunca , jajaja.
Luego la parte del amanecer me ha recordado a the walking dead, jeje, si es cierto que parece un mundo nuevo surgido de la cenizas y la destrucción con lo que eso conlleva, del retraso en todos los aspectos y el intentar recuperar la condición inicial de la sociedad tal como era, lo cual parece que llevará un tiempo en conseguirlo.
Valoración: 6.75/10
Sinopsis: Novela basada en un relato escrito por Asimov en 1941 que permite al lector experimentar el cataclismo que sobre vendrá sobre Kalgash a través de los ojos de un periodista, un astrónomo, un arqueólogo, un psicólogo y un fanático religioso.
El planeta Kalgash está al borde del caos, pero solo unas pocas personas se han dado cuenta de ello. Kalgash conoce únicamente la luz diurna perpetua, pues durante más de dos milenios la combinación de sus seis soles ha iluminado el cielo. Sin embargo, ahora empieza a reinar la oscuridad.
Pronto se pondrán todos los soles, y el terrible esplendor del anochecer desencadenará una locura que marcará el final de la civilización.
Luego la parte del amanecer me ha recordado a the walking dead, jeje, si es cierto que parece un mundo nuevo surgido de la cenizas y la destrucción con lo que eso conlleva, del retraso en todos los aspectos y el intentar recuperar la condición inicial de la sociedad tal como era, lo cual parece que llevará un tiempo en conseguirlo.
Valoración: 6.75/10
Sinopsis: Novela basada en un relato escrito por Asimov en 1941 que permite al lector experimentar el cataclismo que sobre vendrá sobre Kalgash a través de los ojos de un periodista, un astrónomo, un arqueólogo, un psicólogo y un fanático religioso.
El planeta Kalgash está al borde del caos, pero solo unas pocas personas se han dado cuenta de ello. Kalgash conoce únicamente la luz diurna perpetua, pues durante más de dos milenios la combinación de sus seis soles ha iluminado el cielo. Sin embargo, ahora empieza a reinar la oscuridad.
Pronto se pondrán todos los soles, y el terrible esplendor del anochecer desencadenará una locura que marcará el final de la civilización.
July 28, 2021
For a science fiction novel, this wasn't bad; however, I expected much better from the late Mr. Asimov. Hopefully, the other books of his I checked out from the library will stack up to the legendary Foundation series, which I recently read and enjoyed immensely.
September 26, 2019
"Imagínese ahora las Tinieblas... por todas partes. Ninguna luz, nada de luz, ni el menor punto luminoso. Las casas, los árboles, los campos, la tierra, el cielo... todo se ha convertido en una mancha negra, vacía. Excepto las Estrellas que estarán en lo alto, que ni siquiera sabemos cómo son. ¿Puede concebirlo?"
Asimov, de 21 años, escribió esta historia inspirado en la cita de Ralph Waldo Emerson que le fue mostrada por John W. Campbell, Jr, el editor de Astounding Science Fiction:
"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?"
Fue, en aquella época, el mayor pago que recibió por una historia y con la que se ganó la portada de Astounding Science Fiction en la edición de setiembre de 1941. Pero creo que lo más importante fue lo que pasó después:
"I was suddenly taken seriously and the world of science fiction became aware that I existed".
En 1968, la Science Fiction Writers of America votó a favor de "Nightfall" como el mejor cuento de ciencia ficción. En la actualidad, no creo que sea el mejor cuento de Asimov pero, definitivamente, es uno de los mejores que he leído hasta el momento.
Lagash, un planeta con seis soles que no conoce la oscuridad y que haría llorar como niñitas a los trisolarianos (apostaría lo que sea a que Cixin Liu debe parte de su inspiración a este cuento), ha alcanzado el final de un nuevo ciclo, un ciclo de 2,000 años en el que un eclipse deja en completa oscuridad al planeta. Pero eso no es todo, los habitantes, al no conocer la oscuridad, sufren de ataques de histeria que les provoca daños mentales y los hace actuar como desquiciados en busca de alguna fuente de luz.
Asimov, de 21 años, escribió esta historia inspirado en la cita de Ralph Waldo Emerson que le fue mostrada por John W. Campbell, Jr, el editor de Astounding Science Fiction:
"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?"
Fue, en aquella época, el mayor pago que recibió por una historia y con la que se ganó la portada de Astounding Science Fiction en la edición de setiembre de 1941. Pero creo que lo más importante fue lo que pasó después:
"I was suddenly taken seriously and the world of science fiction became aware that I existed".
En 1968, la Science Fiction Writers of America votó a favor de "Nightfall" como el mejor cuento de ciencia ficción. En la actualidad, no creo que sea el mejor cuento de Asimov pero, definitivamente, es uno de los mejores que he leído hasta el momento.
Lagash, un planeta con seis soles que no conoce la oscuridad y que haría llorar como niñitas a los trisolarianos (apostaría lo que sea a que Cixin Liu debe parte de su inspiración a este cuento), ha alcanzado el final de un nuevo ciclo, un ciclo de 2,000 años en el que un eclipse deja en completa oscuridad al planeta. Pero eso no es todo, los habitantes, al no conocer la oscuridad, sufren de ataques de histeria que les provoca daños mentales y los hace actuar como desquiciados en busca de alguna fuente de luz.
October 20, 2022
Kalgash es un mundo con seis soles: Onos (el más grande y cercano), Trey/Patru (estrellas binarias) más lejanas, Siitha/Tarno (estrellas binarias) también más lejanas y Dovim (pequeña y aún más lejana). En cualquier momento, dos o cuatro soles están en el cielo, lo que da como resultado una luz diurna constante. Los habitantes de Kalgash nunca han experimentado la oscuridad, por lo que cuando los astrónomos descubren un cuerpo planetario oculto del tamaño de Kalgash que provocará un eclipse, les preocupa el efecto que la oscuridad total durante medio día tendrá en los habitantes de Kalgash. Los resultados están más allá de sus peores imaginaciones. Afortunadamente la ciencia detrás del eclipse es escasa en el mejor de los casos, y la conversación constituye la mayor parte del libro, con lo que la lectura es bastante amena.
Tanto a Asimov como a Silverberg les gusta plantear preguntas interesantes para que las consideremos y aqui lo hacen de una manera no muy sutil pero su historia es divertida de leer.
Tanto a Asimov como a Silverberg les gusta plantear preguntas interesantes para que las consideremos y aqui lo hacen de una manera no muy sutil pero su historia es divertida de leer.
October 2, 2021
Πανέξυπνη ιδέα της κεντρικής ιστορίας, ωραίοι ήρωες, αλλά προσωπικά περίμενα ένα τέλος αντάξιο της εξέλιξης!
February 25, 2011
Nightfall isn't that bad. The plot advances at a nice pace. It all breaks down in the end, though. At points I was close to giving Nightfall three stars. The bad delivery of the ending, and the overall pulpiness of the story, are what drop the rating.
The story is fun, but has a full time job holding itself together just on the surface level. This leaves no room for any depth.
The final resolution of the story is not that bad in itself, but the way it is told is anti-climactic. Some people say there is not enough here for a novel, that Asimov should've kept it a short story, but I disgree. If anything, the book should have been longer, to let the ending play out in a more dramatic fashion.
The story is fun, but has a full time job holding itself together just on the surface level. This leaves no room for any depth.
The final resolution of the story is not that bad in itself, but the way it is told is anti-climactic. Some people say there is not enough here for a novel, that Asimov should've kept it a short story, but I disgree. If anything, the book should have been longer, to let the ending play out in a more dramatic fashion.
December 23, 2018
Nightfall begins with a promising premise, but the overall narrative suffers fatally from inconsistent and implausible internal logic. Beyond the intriguing world-building segment at its onset, the novel becomes unremittingly bleak and stagnant.
The story's framework relies upon an indispensable notion that an entire planet's human population harbors a critical psychological vulnerability to any exposure to darkness; however, it is never sufficiently explained how this problem could be compatible with a technologically advanced civilization that would necessarily require the everyday employment of people in structural crawlspaces, utility corridors, underground mines, and so forth.
Characters remain underdeveloped and one-dimensional, though they occasionally demonstrate irregular behavior whenever the writers find such aberrations to be useful to the action of a particular moment. In general, the reactions of individuals and institutions to story developments appear to be informed more by narrative convenience than by cogent rationality.
Nightfall shares some of the primary themes of Asimov's Foundation series, though the tone here is much darker (literally and figuratively) than in those works. Other interesting ideas are briefly introduced but then abruptly abandoned without full exploration, such as the interaction between rational skepticism and religious fanaticism. Given the lack of actual substance, it is surprising that the novel manages to fill as many pages as it does.
In the final analysis, this book is unremarkable except for its disappointing failure to capitalize on a tantalizing initial concept. Nightfall serves as an example of exceptional mediocrity.
The story's framework relies upon an indispensable notion that an entire planet's human population harbors a critical psychological vulnerability to any exposure to darkness; however, it is never sufficiently explained how this problem could be compatible with a technologically advanced civilization that would necessarily require the everyday employment of people in structural crawlspaces, utility corridors, underground mines, and so forth.
Characters remain underdeveloped and one-dimensional, though they occasionally demonstrate irregular behavior whenever the writers find such aberrations to be useful to the action of a particular moment. In general, the reactions of individuals and institutions to story developments appear to be informed more by narrative convenience than by cogent rationality.
Nightfall shares some of the primary themes of Asimov's Foundation series, though the tone here is much darker (literally and figuratively) than in those works. Other interesting ideas are briefly introduced but then abruptly abandoned without full exploration, such as the interaction between rational skepticism and religious fanaticism. Given the lack of actual substance, it is surprising that the novel manages to fill as many pages as it does.
In the final analysis, this book is unremarkable except for its disappointing failure to capitalize on a tantalizing initial concept. Nightfall serves as an example of exceptional mediocrity.
January 7, 2023
من البته داستان کوتاه اینو از آسیموف خوندم ولی نیافتم اونو مجبور شدم اینو بزنم تو گودریدز(البته ثبت یه کتاب 300 صفحهای جای 30 صفحه کاملا شیرین بود:))
داستان درباره یه روزنامهنگاره این موضوع خودش خیلی برام جذاب بود.
اولین علمیتخیلی سختی بود که خوندم و الحق لذت بردم و دوستش داشتم.
داستان برای من حول محور امید و ناامیدی چرخید و همینطوری هم تموم شد. چقدر امید تو زندگی ما مهمه.
گفته بودن تا مدتها بهترین داستان کوتاه عت بوده و این خودش لذتمو چند برابر کرد.
متاسفانه این داستان کوتاه ترجمه خیلی خوبی نداره و پیشنهاد میدم اینو زبان اصلی بخونید.
آیزاک اسیموف بعدا با سیلوربرگ این داستان کوتاهو گستردهتر میکنن و بهصورت رمان هم منتشر میشه.
امیدوارم رمانشم با ترجمه خوب منتشر بشه.
خلاصه بخونید و لذت ببرید، خدانگهدار.
داستان درباره یه روزنامهنگاره این موضوع خودش خیلی برام جذاب بود.
اولین علمیتخیلی سختی بود که خوندم و الحق لذت بردم و دوستش داشتم.
داستان برای من حول محور امید و ناامیدی چرخید و همینطوری هم تموم شد. چقدر امید تو زندگی ما مهمه.
گفته بودن تا مدتها بهترین داستان کوتاه عت بوده و این خودش لذتمو چند برابر کرد.
متاسفانه این داستان کوتاه ترجمه خیلی خوبی نداره و پیشنهاد میدم اینو زبان اصلی بخونید.
آیزاک اسیموف بعدا با سیلوربرگ این داستان کوتاهو گستردهتر میکنن و بهصورت رمان هم منتشر میشه.
امیدوارم رمانشم با ترجمه خوب منتشر بشه.
خلاصه بخونید و لذت ببرید، خدانگهدار.
March 29, 2019
Nightfall contained three parts; Twilight, Nightfall and Daybreak, therefore I feel compelled to rate and review them separately.
Whilst at first it took a small while for me to slowly warm up to the slow paced narrative that was Twilight, about halfway through I was completely engaged. The build up was amazing. The science used to back up the storyline was fascinating and highly believable. I would give Twilight a rating of 4/5.
Nightfall was fast paced, incredible, addictive and thrilling. It had me wanting more and it blew my mind. So much was happening at once and all of the storylines converged perfectly. It was pure chaos, in a most ordered sort of way. A rating of 5/5 would be appropriate for Nightfall.
Daybreak started off strong and stroked my curiosity, but it quickly meandered off to nothingness. Certain characters were almost forgotten about, whilst others acted in ways that seemed to go against the personality that had been developed for them. The ending was incredibly anticlimactic, considering just how engaging the middle of the novel had been. Daybreak would get a rating of 2/5 from me.
Whilst at first it took a small while for me to slowly warm up to the slow paced narrative that was Twilight, about halfway through I was completely engaged. The build up was amazing. The science used to back up the storyline was fascinating and highly believable. I would give Twilight a rating of 4/5.
Nightfall was fast paced, incredible, addictive and thrilling. It had me wanting more and it blew my mind. So much was happening at once and all of the storylines converged perfectly. It was pure chaos, in a most ordered sort of way. A rating of 5/5 would be appropriate for Nightfall.
Daybreak started off strong and stroked my curiosity, but it quickly meandered off to nothingness. Certain characters were almost forgotten about, whilst others acted in ways that seemed to go against the personality that had been developed for them. The ending was incredibly anticlimactic, considering just how engaging the middle of the novel had been. Daybreak would get a rating of 2/5 from me.
October 31, 2022
An excellent short story that does a brilliant job of showcasing Asimov’s ability to make the human condition obvious without beating us over the head with it.
The story revolves around a planet that lives in eternal daylight, but rumor has it that every 2050 years it’s 6 suns disappear from the sky and something called stars appear driving people insane.
To say this story is well written is to state the obvious, but it does a wonderful job of pointing out the danger of fear gone wild, unfounded or motivated by a religious fervor that doesn’t require rationality. Well paced this is a short that will stick with you long after being read.
The story revolves around a planet that lives in eternal daylight, but rumor has it that every 2050 years it’s 6 suns disappear from the sky and something called stars appear driving people insane.
To say this story is well written is to state the obvious, but it does a wonderful job of pointing out the danger of fear gone wild, unfounded or motivated by a religious fervor that doesn’t require rationality. Well paced this is a short that will stick with you long after being read.
May 23, 2020
Estos tiempos no son los más adecuados para leer novelas apocalípticas pero aún así disfrute este libro. Fue muy agradable reencontrarme con uno de los autores que me hizo aficionarme a la ciencia ficción.
August 4, 2014
been a long time, esse.
i see you, central park east secondary school library reading nook circa 1991.
i see you.
i see you, central park east secondary school library reading nook circa 1991.
i see you.
March 22, 2021
Ένας ψυχολόγος, μια αρχαιολόγος, ένας δημοσιογράφος και μια ομάδα αστρονόμων προσπαθούν να ανακαλύψουν αν στον πλανήτη τους πρόκειται να συμβεί ένα επικίνδυνο φαινόμενο. Στην προσπάθεια τους αυτή έρχονται αντιμέτωποι με μια θρησκευτική οργάνωση, η οποία φαίνεται να έχει μια εντελώς διαφορετική οπτική σχετικά με το γεγονός.
Ένας πλανήτης που έχει συνέχεια ημέρα, που οι κάτοικοι του έχουν όλη τους τη ζωή συνηθίσει να βλέπουν 6 ήλιους, που δεν έχουν πλήρη εικόνα για το υπόλοιπο σύμπαν, πως θα αντιδράσουν όταν έρθουν σε επαφή για πρώτη φορά με το σκοτάδι;
Η "Νύχτα" γράφτηκε το 1941 ως μια μικρή ιστορία, και εμπλουτίστηκε σε συνεργασία με τον Σίλβερμπεργκ.
Μου άρεσαν πάρα πολύ το "Λυκόφως" και η "Νύχτα" - τα δύο πρώτα τμήματα του βιβλίου - αλλά δυστυχώς με το ζόρι κατάφερα να διαβάσω τη "Χαραυγή", το τρίτο και τελευταίο μέρος, το οποίο ήταν ιδιαίτερα κουραστικό.
3.5/5
Ένας πλανήτης που έχει συνέχεια ημέρα, που οι κάτοικοι του έχουν όλη τους τη ζωή συνηθίσει να βλέπουν 6 ήλιους, που δεν έχουν πλήρη εικόνα για το υπόλοιπο σύμπαν, πως θα αντιδράσουν όταν έρθουν σε επαφή για πρώτη φορά με το σκοτάδι;
Η "Νύχτα" γράφτηκε το 1941 ως μια μικρή ιστορία, και εμπλουτίστηκε σε συνεργασία με τον Σίλβερμπεργκ.
Μου άρεσαν πάρα πολύ το "Λυκόφως" και η "Νύχτα" - τα δύο πρώτα τμήματα του βιβλίου - αλλά δυστυχώς με το ζόρι κατάφερα να διαβάσω τη "Χαραυγή", το τρίτο και τελευταίο μέρος, το οποίο ήταν ιδιαίτερα κουραστικό.
3.5/5
November 6, 2021
Ինձ ինչքան ժամանակ է, ինչ աթեիստ եմ համարում, բայց էս գիրքը կարդալ, վերջացնելուց հետո մի պահ հարց տվեցի ինձ։ Մտածում եմ, թե ինչքան վատ կզգամ ինձ, որ մահանալուց հետո պարզվի, որ աստված կա։
Մեր «համոզմունքների» ու «օբյեկտիվ փաստերի» հակամարտության մասին էր։
Լավն էր, ես, որ ընդհանրապես թե՜ ֆիլմերի, թե՜ գրքերի առումով sci-fi ժանրը չեմ սիրում, էս փոքր, ≈ 40 էջանոց գիրքը մի շնչով կարդացի։ Կուզենամ հետագայի համար ֆիքսեմ, որ հիմա 06.11.2021, 05:14 է, ես էլ հերթապահության մեջ եմ, ամբողջ գիշեր չեմ քնել։
Մեր «համոզմունքների» ու «օբյեկտիվ փաստերի» հակամարտության մասին էր։
Լավն էր, ես, որ ընդհանրապես թե՜ ֆիլմերի, թե՜ գրքերի առումով sci-fi ժանրը չեմ սիրում, էս փոքր, ≈ 40 էջանոց գիրքը մի շնչով կարդացի։ Կուզենամ հետագայի համար ֆիքսեմ, որ հիմա 06.11.2021, 05:14 է, ես էլ հերթապահության մեջ եմ, ամբողջ գիշեր չեմ քնել։
February 22, 2023
I have to say that was an interesting story. What would happen to you if you had never experienced darkness before?
January 9, 2012
I was and still am a big Isaac Asimov fan, both of his fiction and his non-fiction. I was in particular a big fan of his short stories and I loved the original short story version of Nightfall, however when I read the long extended version that was made into a book, I wasn't as thrilled.
I was, however, only 8-years-old, when I read the book version, but I still remember thinking this is too long, too wordy and that Isaac Asimov is right in the assessment that Golden Age science fiction writers weren't so good at characterization (but good in plotting) and his writing in this book also reflects that criticism. I was only eight, someone who mindlessly still watched endless reruns of the "Brady Bunch" and "Three's Company" on TV, however I also remember at the time that, perhaps, oh by the 1000th episode of "Three's Company" that I made another critical realization, that every episode of the show is always the same, always following the same formula of one of the roommates getting into trouble over a misunderstanding.
I don't know if it was "Three's Company" or Isaac Asimov that was the key into giving my young self the first awareness of being able to critically judge entertainment, instead of mindlessly consuming it. I'd like to think it was Asimov, but I have a suspicion that it took watching a really bad show like "Three's Company", something so formulaic that an eight-year-old mind could finally see through it, and realize, "hey, not everything I watch (or read) rocks, and that some things might actually suck."
I was, however, only 8-years-old, when I read the book version, but I still remember thinking this is too long, too wordy and that Isaac Asimov is right in the assessment that Golden Age science fiction writers weren't so good at characterization (but good in plotting) and his writing in this book also reflects that criticism. I was only eight, someone who mindlessly still watched endless reruns of the "Brady Bunch" and "Three's Company" on TV, however I also remember at the time that, perhaps, oh by the 1000th episode of "Three's Company" that I made another critical realization, that every episode of the show is always the same, always following the same formula of one of the roommates getting into trouble over a misunderstanding.
I don't know if it was "Three's Company" or Isaac Asimov that was the key into giving my young self the first awareness of being able to critically judge entertainment, instead of mindlessly consuming it. I'd like to think it was Asimov, but I have a suspicion that it took watching a really bad show like "Three's Company", something so formulaic that an eight-year-old mind could finally see through it, and realize, "hey, not everything I watch (or read) rocks, and that some things might actually suck."
April 20, 2010
Много увлекателна история за планета, която е огряна денонощно от няколко слънца и на която веднъж на 2000 години се случва катаклизъм (слънчевата светлина изчезва и се появяват Звездите), което кара всички жители буквално да полудеят.
Чудесно описан е сблъсъкът на фанатизма и лудостта с науката.
Книгата е разширение на разказа "Падането на нощта", който си струва да се прочете преди това.
Чудесно описан е сблъсъкът на фанатизма и лудостта с науката.
Книгата е разширение на разказа "Падането на нощта", който си струва да се прочете преди това.
January 9, 2017
Um conto que faz jus a fama da Asimov: ficção científica com alto apelo filosófico.
Aqui a ciência e a fé debatem e se criticam mutuamente, enquanto buscam compreender o maior fenômeno natural de suas épocas: o sumiço dos seis sóis e o extermínio do dia de luz constante.
Não quero falar sobre o que há de melhor neste conto, já que isso seria um spoiler, mas o final é poderosamente crível. Nós, seres humanos, poderíamos facilmente protagonizar algo assim, se é que já não o fizemos.
Aqui a ciência e a fé debatem e se criticam mutuamente, enquanto buscam compreender o maior fenômeno natural de suas épocas: o sumiço dos seis sóis e o extermínio do dia de luz constante.
Não quero falar sobre o que há de melhor neste conto, já que isso seria um spoiler, mas o final é poderosamente crível. Nós, seres humanos, poderíamos facilmente protagonizar algo assim, se é que já não o fizemos.
December 1, 2015
An amazing short story, rewritten as a novel by popular demand. Or maybe just Asimov's determination to keep 'improving' perfectly good work. Sadly, this is exactly the same short story as the original Nightfall, just with more words to slow it down a bit and the 'assistance' of another author who isn't Asimov anyway...
January 14, 2021
Another masterpiece of Issac Asimov. Pure genius!!
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