Against the Fall of Night (Book Review)
Every parent has a special place in their heart for their firstborn. There's something indescribable, something magical about the moment when a part of you comes into existence for the first time. Be it a child, a work of art, or an invention, the feeling is something you never forget.
So it is with Arthur C. Clarke and his firstborn story, Against the Fall of Night. Often placed in 1956 and listed in bibliographies as his fifth or sixth work, Clarke actually began writing the piece in 1936 and it was finally published in Startling Stories in November 1948, following several rejections. The story was later expanded into a full-length novel entitled The City and the Stars, which was published in 1956.
In the preface to the edition I am reviewing—a special collection that also includes Gregory Benford's sequel Beyond the Fall of Night—Clarke describes in a 1989 letter from his home in Colombo, Sri Lanka, how Against the Fall of Night came into being. It's quite an interesting little story and it's fascinating how great authors get their start. He also gives a little of Benford's background and tells how he came to write the sequel. If you can get your hands on this edition, first published by Orbit in 1992, I highly recommend reading it.
On to the story itself, it's vintage Clarke despite being his earliest work. A sense of wonder abounds as the protagonist, Alvin, searches for lost answers to questions about mankind's past. The formula includes mystery, a journey of exploration, and a reconciliation that is so common to Clarke's work. There are glimpses of his Rama series here, with sprawling transportation systems and major mysteries to unravel.
Speaking of major mysteries, Against the Fall of Night finds mankind several billion years in the future, confined not only to a dried-up Earth but to only a small patch of the globe. How did this happen? Rumors abound of an attack from an alien race known only as the Invaders, but is there more to it than that?
The restlessness of youth pushes Alvin to question the teachings of his people and seek out the truth. He has no idea what this might be, but he's certain that there are things about the past that have been concealed.
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