On the planet Kalgash, an archaeologist, an astronomer, and a news paper reporter begin to realize that life as they know it is facing one of the most horrifying things the planet could ever know: Darkness. Kalgash knows only light, but evidence now points to a recurring event that happens every 2000 years - a solar eclipse that will plunge the world into night and the world into madness and terror.
The blurb on the back of the book reads: Isaac Asimov's short story "Nightfall" first appeared in 1941. It has since become recognized as a classic, its author a legend. But the short story isn't the whole story. Now, Dr. Asimov has teamed with multiple Hugo and Nebula Award winner Robert Silverberg to explore and expand one of the most awe-inspiring concepts in the history of science fiction.
In this novel, you will witness Nightfall—and much more.
You will learn what happens at Daybreak.
What I learned was this would have been better kept as a short story than a novel. By the time "Nightfall" came, I was seriously wishing the characters would do themselves in and just end the story.
This was also a lot like Lucifer's Hammer by Niven. The exception 1/3 of Nightfall is build up to Doom's day, 1/3 IS Doomsday, and 1/3 is post-civilization downfall. It was all tedious. I couldn't sympathise with any of the characters - they were just too two dimensional. No empathy. I also found there was just too much exposition. After a while my eyes just glossed over and I found myself skimming.
An interesting premise, but should have stayed a short story.
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