Nightfall

Rating:
Summary: One of my all-time favorite science fiction books.
Review: I've read a lot of science fiction in my time. But few can compare to the pure brilliance that is "Nightfall." An excellent character story of the nearly-human inhabitants of Kalgash, "Nightfall" should be read by anyone who wants to write sci-fi. Highest possible recommendation!

Rating:
Summary: An amazing novelization to an even better short story!
Review: I started with the short story, which was about 20 pages long if I recall, and I just loved it! The story introduced some really fascinating ideas and made you think. The novelization took all those ideas and expanded on them, extending the timeline in both directions to shed new light on the questions and bring the story to fuller life. The novel did this very well! But it expanded a short story geared only to make you think and turned it into a fully fledged story which distracted a bit from the original's purpose. Don't get me wrong, the novel is awsome! But I'm only giving it 4 stars because it's based on a much better short story.

Rating:
Summary: Great, but better ending needed
Review: This is a pretty good book, everything works, except the ending. What happened with that? Suddenly it is all over and you have no idea what is going to happen. Probably best to be left as a short story, but it is still very good.

Rating:
Summary: Go Elsewhere...
Review: This one really should have remained as a short story, thats all there is to it. I didn't find that it read slowly or anything, but it had that co-author feel that I don't like, and it took some time to get going. Briefly, near the middle I found it truely interesting, but that only set me up for disapointment at the end.

The characters are indeed boring, I never found myself really attached to any of them, not much a chance for that is given. The concepts are good, the idea of Nightfall is interesting, but by the end you realize that all the ideas are essentially the same ones as in Asimov's Foundation Series and the Robots Series, just not done or devloped as well. The ending sequence is pretty much ripped from Foundation, and the thing about the dark is very similar to how Earthmen feel about the outside from the Robot Series, with the added twist of mass hysteria.

The ending too, is just not done correctly. During reading, you may notice that something is dreadfully wrong when you get toward the end, and notice that the book is going to end in about 15 pages or so. The closer to the end you get, the more obvious a rough landing is likely to be in store. It is. While somewhat interesting, it is not done terribily well.

You could skip this one if you wanted to. Despite all I said, it wasn't that bad. Really though, go read the Foundation Series or Robot Series instead, you get everything Nightfall should have been.

Rating:
Summary: Mixed feelings
Review: This book gives me mixed feelings. On one hand, it _is_ everything I expected from it. It expands the original short story, giving it a longer prelude and a follow up on the events that follow the night. It has likable characters, and does have it's share of adventure. But still, it lacks something.

Perhaps is a certain lack of continuity. This book, while sound and interesting, is not a page turner. Maybe it's a result of being based on a short story, or maybe it's a result of being co-authored. I don't know, something just didn't work.

Still, it's a good book that one is unlikely to repent from acquiring, as long as the expectations are not too high.

Rating:
Summary: Blah
Review: I haven't read the short story but I would recommend it - even if it's terrible at least it's short and terrible, not long and terrible like this waste of trees.

It's everything you would never want in a novel: boring, repetitious, filled with generic writing and dialogues; and all this is heaped onto an idea that probably would have made a good short story - oh wait from what I hear it did.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful journey!
Review: Having found myself among the uninitiated when it comes to either Asimov or Silverberg, I was delighted at this book, and the story that it delivers. A rich world filled with characters that come to life is presented, and the horror and grief can be felt, even by the reader. I have, and will continue to recommend this book where and whenever I can. One of my favorites!

Rating:
Summary: This could have been so much better.
Review: I was expecting a little more from these "greats" of science fiction. I'm impressed that they attempted to write about a truly alien world with no reference to Earth-humans; this is not something which is frequently attempted in science fiction. The interplay between the academics is very amusing, and the exploration of religion vs. a more scientific or pragmatic worldview in the first part is tantalizing. But this is basically totally dropped in the second part of the book. It's an interesting hard-science problem, but this book is totally lacking in the social science department. In the first part of the book, the characters are rich and textured and well-developed; in the second part they are mostly two-dimensional and boring. And this is very odd, because there are all sorts of internal thought monologues that give insight into the characters in the second part, but it's mostly very stereotypical and cliche. "She was glad to give herself up to this man", "Here was a real challenge for him", "They could have a voice in shaping the new world together", et cetera. (Those are paraphrases, by the way, not exact quotes.)

The hardcore fan of either author will probably find this to be a worthwhile purchase for the sake of completion. For the average fan, it may not be more than a mildly interesting adventure story - your mileage may vary. If you don't like loose ends, this novel may infuriate you.

Rating:
Summary: Not Exactly Dissappointing
Review: I must say that I love the concept of a world plunging into darkness and chaos resulting. I also admire the way Asimov and Silverberg manage to explain why everything happens using theoretical science. I also like the way that an astronomer, a psycologist, an archaeologist and a reporter could be linked together amidst a catastrophe. Nevertheless I do not like many things about the book. Mainly, I don't like the ending. As was mentioned in another review, I think that it was too rushed. I don't like the way all the characters turn out to be good and everyone is happy. While this ending is satisfying since you find out what happens to everyone, I find it utterly dull and repetative. I don't like the way the book ties up all loose ends and leaves you nothing to think about. There are no themes to ponder and the characters are not described well enough for you to feel for them. I feel that this book had a great plot, but the story probably could have been better written.

Rating:
Summary: Night could have fallen faster...
Review: If you're looking for this book, just read the short story- it really is good. Its in the collection "the edge of tommorow," and several others.