Asimov
in: Fiction, Short Story, Standalone, The Asimoverse

Nightfall (short story)

Sign in to edit

Nightfall is a science-fiction short story by Isaac Asimov.

It was first published in the September 1941 issue of Astounding Science-Fiction. It was later collected in 1969's Nightfall and Other Stories, 1973's The Best of Isaac Asimov, 1985's The Edge of Tomorrow, 1989's The Asimov Chronicles, and 1990's The Complete Stories Volume I. It was also extended and republished as the 1990 stand-alone book Nightfall.

Summary[]

On the planet Lagash, a world bathed in perpetual daylight from its six suns, civilization faces an imminent and cyclical apocalypse. A team of scientists has made a terrifying discovery: archaeological evidence shows that their society, like countless others before it, collapses into fiery ruin every 2,049 years. Their research, combined with the scriptures of a doomsday cult, points to a single cause: "Nightfall."

The scientists deduce that Lagash has an unknown, unseen moon. Their calculations predict that this moon will soon cause a total eclipse of the one sun in the sky, plunging the entire planet into darkness for the first time in over two millennia. Since Lagashians have evolved with an intense, pathological fear of the dark, exposure to the prolonged eclipse is expected to drive the entire population insane. The scientists theorize that past civilizations were destroyed by maddened citizens who set their cities ablaze to create light.

In a desperate attempt to preserve knowledge, the scientists prepare a sanctuary with artificial lights to weather the coming darkness and observe the event. However, they are intellectually unprepared for the true horror of the eclipse. As darkness falls for the first time, the veil of their sunlit sky is lifted, revealing a sight no Lagashian has ever seen: the true night sky, filled with the terrifying, brilliant light of 30,000 stars.

The psychological shock, combined with the overwhelming darkness, proves too much. The scientists, along with the rest of the planet, succumb to madness. The story ends with the glow of spreading fires on the horizon, signaling that the cycle of destruction has begun once again.

Characters[]

  • Aton 77
  • Sheerin 501
  • Beenay 25
  • Faro 24
  • Yimot 70
  • Theremon 762
  • Latimer 25
  • Sor 5:
  • Genovi 41
  • Vendret 2

Places[]

  • Giant Star Cluster
  • Lagash System
    • The Six Suns
      • Alpha
        • Lagash
          • Saro City
          • The "Experiment House"
          • Saro University
            • The Dome
            • Saro University Observatory
          • The Hideout
          • Trigon
          • Jonglor
            • Jonglor Centennial Exposition
            • Tunnel of Mystery
        • The Moon
      • Beta
      • Gamma
      • Delta
      • Two Companion Pairs

Organizations and Factions[]

  • Scientists
  • The Cult
  • Outsiders
  • Saro City Chronicle

Technology and Items[]

  • Solarscope
  • "Snapping Bertha" ( nickname for one of the cameras)
  • Torches

Concepts and Theories[]

  • Book of Revelations
  • Cyclic Catastrophe
  • Nightfall (the eclipse)
  • The Cave of Darkness
    • The Claustrophobia
    • The Darkness
    • The Madness
    • The Fires
  • Law of Universal Gravitation

Adaptations[]

It was adapted into a film twice, in 1988 and 2000.

See Also[]

List of short stories by Isaac Asimov

External Links[]

  • Full text (pdf - Astounding Science-Fiction, September 1941 issue)



Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.