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. Download high resolution version (400x679, 75 KB)Scan I made of the cover of Nightfall (Isaac Asimov) - fair use claimed This image is a book cover. ... Download high resolution version (400x679, 75 KB)Scan I made of the cover of Nightfall (Isaac Asimov) - fair use claimed This image is a book cover. ... Daniel Defoes Robinson Crusoe; title page of 1719 newspaper edition A novel (from French nouvelle, new) is an extended fictional narrative in prose. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... This article is in need of attention. ... Isaac Asimov, photographed by Jay Kay Klein Dr. Isaac Asimov (c. ... An anthology, literally a garland or collection of flowers, is a collection of literary works, originally of poems, but in recent years its usage has broadened to be applied to collections of short stories and comic strips. ... Science Fiction Writers of America, or SFWA, (SFWA is pronounced seff-wah) was founded in 1965 by Damon Knight and James Blish. ...

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: Astounding Stories was a seminal science fiction magazine founded in 1930. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Columbia University is a private university in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City and a member of the Ivy League. ... Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803 – April 27, 1882) was a famous American author, poet, and philosopher. ...

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!

The story is set on a fictional planet, Lagash (Kalgash in the novel adaptation), located in a stellar system containing six stars, such that the whole planet's sky is continually illuminated; total darkness is unknown to most people, as are more distant stars. The "nightfall" of the title occurs only once every 2,049 years when the sole sun on one side of the planet is eclipsed for half a day by a planetary body whose existence can only be inferred by the relatively new understanding of gravity and orbital mechanics. Past occurrences have coincided with the collapse of civilization, which has risen and fallen close to a dozen times, since the complete cessation of light results madness and panic on the part of 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. The exploration of other worlds is one of the most enduring themes of science fiction. ... The French 1999 eclipse An eclipse (Greek verb: ekleipô, to vanish) is an astronomical event that occurs when one celestial object moves into the shadow of another. ...

Adaptations

In the 1950s, the story was adapted on radio programs Dimension X and X Minus One. The 1950s were a decade that spanned the years 1950 through 1959. ... Dimension X was an old-time radio program broadcast April 1950 to September 1951 on NBC. Dimension X was the first notable adult science fiction series on radio, preceded only by the short-lived Two Thousand Plus, scattered episodes of anthology dramas, and juvenile fare, such as Flash Gordon. ... Some listeners to Robert Heinleins Universe had previously read the story in Dells 1951 paperback edition. ...

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, whose fate was not any better than the first, was produced in 2000. See also: 1987 in film, other events of 1988, 1989 in film, list of years in film. // Events Michael Jacksons first film was Moonwalker Top grossing films Rain Man, starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise Who Framed Roger Rabbit Coming to America Big, starring Tom Hanks Crocodile Dundee II... Film refers to the celluloid media on which movies are printed. ... This is a list of film-related events in 2000. ...

The movie Pitch Black, released in 2000, takes its concept from this story. Pitch Black is a 2000 science fiction movie, directed by David Twohy. ... This is a list of film-related events in 2000. ...

In 1990, two years before Asimov's death, he collaborated with author Robert Silverberg on a novel-length revision of the original story. In 50 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.) This article is about the year. ... At the 63rd World Science Fiction Convention in Glasgow, August 2005 Robert Silverberg (January 15, 1935, Brooklyn, New York) is a prolific American author best known for writing science fiction, a multiple winner of both the Hugo and Nebula Awards. ...

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 similary 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 protaganist Isak and naming a historical figure Lagash (the name of the planet in Nightfall.) Astounding Stories was a seminal science fiction magazine founded in 1930. ...

Philosophy

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. It is similar to Occam's Razor and is possible that Asimov simply renamed Occam's Razor for his book. William of Ockham Occams razor (also spelled Ockhams razor) is a principle attributed to the 14th-century English logician and Franciscan friar William of Ockham. ...

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

The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about actors, films, television shows, television stars, video games and production crew personnel. ... The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about actors, films, television shows, television stars, video games and production crew personnel. ...

Nightfall and Other Stories is a book of short stories by Isaac Asimov. ... C-Chute was a 1951 short story by Isaac Asimov, originally collected in The Best of Isaac Asimov. ... Sally is a short story by Isaac Asimov about a future where the only cars allowed on the road are those that contain positronic brains, so they dont require a human driver. ... The Machine that Won the War is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. ... Segregationist is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov, included in the collection Nightfall and Other Stories. ...