Nightfall

I hate Science Fiction!!

All these Sci-Fi authors start writing junk under garb of science and it starts looking like some mythological or cult crap.

I have a friend and he was hellbent that i read this Isaac Asimov fellow. He gave me second volume of Isaac Asimov’s short story collection. I had to read it coz he started reading Harry Potter after my pursuasion.

I was traveling this weeknd and thought lets have a look. Since my college days, i see 2 things in a book if it follows chapter-pattern:

• 1) How many pages are there in a chapter?
• 2) Importance of that chapter.

Well, they say that Nightfall is the best Sci-Fi story ever(criterion # 2). Quite a statement to make. Hmm??? 50 odd pages (criterion # 1). Lets give it a shot. And boy this is what i call a story.

Setting is simple. There is an imaginary planet named “Lagash” and it has 6 suns. These 6 Good Fellas take care that it never NIGHTS on Lagash. And after 2.5K years, owing to some planetary arrangementes, finally Night falls on Lagash and wrecks havoc.

This story has everything. Right from Cult-Science conflict to women oppression (You never see a girl in this whole story. I think the psychologist Sheerin could have been a beautiful dame) to a newshound.

Positives:
Writing is simple and Asimov takes care that sceince is spoon-feeded. For example gravitational pull is better explained here than it was in M.P. Board’s high-school books. Under the garb of Sci-Fi, it still remains a story of humans, their 3 primary fears (noise, fall and dark) and their indomitable spirit. And boy, there is this description of Night and Stars. I have seen over 10,000 nights and still it scared me. All the poetic proses go out of window and you can sense that how lucky you that Night Falls every day on mother earth.

Negatives:
Sometimes it reads pretty stupid. For example the way one character comes up with the explanation of starts. I was looking out for new words (after all we are talking about Lagash here) and i must say that i was disappointed. All you get here is a new meaning to the word “Claustrophobia”.

Overall:
A must read, especially if you are not big fan of Sci-Fi and want to take first baby steps.