As once described by Isaac Asimov himself, Nightfall (is) the tale of a world with eternal sun that is suddenly plunged into total darkness and utter madness. Hailed as one of the greatest Science Fiction stories ever written it tells how, in preparation for the potential end of their civilization, a group of forward-thinking scientists have created a safe place to store their world’s accumulated knowledge and hide a select group of “survivors”. Themes: science vs superstition (cultism), having the courage of one’s convictions, sensory deprivation, insanity, mob hysteria, scientific hubris.
The scientist’s hubris is an often overlooked theme of the story. The available evidence leads them to conclude that the “end” will come as insane mobs burn up everything flammable in order to escape the darkness. Other theories, including the existence of what cultists refer to as “stars”, are rejected out of hand. (Perhaps the story’s Tunnel of Mystery is a metaphor for “tunnel vision”!) With six suns, the population have never experienced nightfall and therefore never seen a night sky. They are so convinced that their universe is tiny, with Lagash as its focal point, that suddenly seeing thousands of stars upsets their version of reality. This, coming on top of the darkness, is the major cause of the madness.
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