Introduction
I was introduced to the world of Science Fiction through a novel by the name of ’’I, Robot’’. Starting that day I became an avid fan of Isaac Asimov and to this day all his novels hold a strange kind of intrigue and hold on me. Isaac Asimov is the only author in the history of Sci-fi to have won the Hugo of the Hugo award which he won for his Foundation Series. Apart from his Foundations Series, the Robots series and Empire series are also hugely popular. One amazing fact is that Asimov through the years has managed to connect each of his book in a time spanning eons of time.
Nightfire is a novel that is slightly away from the other series of the Asimov novels and concerns a planet with an unique problem.
The Problem
Imagine a planet with Four Suns such that at any point of time in the day at least one Sun is on the horizon. The residents of the planet have never seen the night in centuries. Suddenly all the suns vanish and the night falls. What will follow?
The Story
As mentioned above this is a story of a planet surrounded by four suns where at two suns are present on the horizon at almost all times. Once in a while though there is only one sun, but that is the least.
But there are some sudden disturbing aspects just recently on the planet.
An archeologist discovers that the civilizations on the planet are burnt out every 2000 odd years. If this history is true then the planet should be destroyed at the end of that year.
A fanatic cult predicts that the planet would come to an end that year. What a timing!!
The scientists in the university discovers that the planet is going to have an eclipse in which all four suns are going to disappear from the planet.
You might want to ask what is the big deal in a solar eclipse? The problem is that in this planet no man alive has lived a single day without the sun. Their experiments with a dark chamber had been disastrous with almost all the people mentally traumatised.
So the university sets up a bunker, where in it volunteers to keep people during the time of the Nightfall. Similarly the cult people also set up a bunker for the followers of their cult.
Enter a super reporter. He feels that the university people and the cult are making a mockery of the people and trying to gain power by these kind of stunts. So he publishes articles in his newspaper that all this is mockery and not to side with either the University or the Cultists.
The Night Arrives
Finally the night does arrive and only a handful of people are in the university bunker and another handful in the cultist bunker. The remaining people are out there in the dark. Then the catastrophe starts. People start getting mad and then it turns into a mob and then the killing and burning and rioting starts. Only a few survive the dreadful night.
The After Effects
Now we have two handful of sedate people in two bunkers and a lot of insane people roaming around the planet. What do the two sides do? Does the university prevent the cultist from grabbing the power?
Read this masterpiece novel from the master himself.
Highlights
1) The plot is brilliant to say the least.
2) The pacing of the novel is brilliant.
3) The interplay of emotions amongst the various parts of the society is potrayed brilliantly.
4) The climax and the conclusion of the novel is too good.
5) In all a masterpiece in all effects.
Conclusion
This is a gripping narration of human tendencies. One of the masterpieces of Science fiction. It is surprising how many Sci-fi masterpieces can Asimov pull one after the other.
A definite jewel in any Sci Fi fan’s bookshelf.