emfiliane reviewed Nightfall by Isaac Asimov
Review of 'Nightfall' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
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 …
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.
