Prominent alternate history author harry turtledove has said it sparked. Henry holt and company edition published 1941 prime press edition published 1949 pyramid edition published february 1963 second printing august 1969. Lest darkness fall is an alternate history science fiction novel written in 1939 by author l. View all covers for lest darkness fall logged in users can change user preferences to always display covers on this page. A major theme of lest darkness fall is that of the castaway. From a winner of the hugo, world fantasy and sfwa grand master awards. Frequently quoted as one of the favorite books of many of the masters of the field, this book by l. When rome fell, the light of reason flickered out across the empire. Prominent alternate history author harry turtledove has said it sparked his interest in the genre as well as his desire to study byzantine history. Martins goal becomes to prevent the encroaching dark ages by using his knowledge of history and modern technology. Search for library items search for lists search for contacts search for a library. Our hero, martin padway soon to become martinus paduei, is an. Lest darkness fall is one of the earliest examples of alternate history, and is by far the best of the two stories in this book.
It was published as a complete novel by henry holt and company in 1941 and reprinted by. Lest darkness fall is an alternate history science fiction novel written in 1939 by american author l. The premise of lest darkness fall is that an archaeological expert with extensive knowledge of the fall of rome and general premedieval times history is transported into 6th century rome. This book is considered one of the first and most influential alternative history books, and is still considered to be a fine one. Alternate history has seen a huge increase in popularity in recent years with major media productions like.
The archetypal example of this theme is daniel defoes robinson crusoe 1719, in which the main character is shipwrecked on an island far from civilization and must use his ingenuity to survive on his own. Lest darkness fall project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. Lest darkness fall july 12, 1983 edition open library. An indication of the influence and longevity of the book is by the number. Stirling david drake phoenix pick an imprint of arc manor sign up for free ebooks. The ballantine edition of 1974 was also issued in hardcover by the science fiction book club in april 1979 and reprinted in. Also included is an introduction by harry turtledove. Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers. Lest darkness fall lest darkness fall is an alternate history science fiction novel written in 1939 by author l.
Against the fall of night the roman empire had spread order, knowledge, and civilisation throughout the ancient world. Initially published in book form by henry holt in 1941, it has often been reprinted. Lest darkness fall signed first edition 1941 new york. If you create a free account and sign in, you will be able to customize what is displayed. In a writing career spanning fifty years he wrote over one hundred books, including novels and notable works of nonfiction, such as biographies of other important fantasy authors. Publishers advertisements on 2 pages following text. Lest darkness fall is an amusing, timetravel, alternativehistory novel, written in 1939. Lest darkness fall pdf book 1949 galaxy science fiction. Lest darkness fall pdf book 1949 galaxy science fiction lest darkness fall is an alternate history science fiction novel written in 1939 by american author l.
An early classic of modern sf in which the protagonist is thrown back in time to the end of the roman empire and makes an unsuccessful attempt to use his modern scientific knowledge to prevent the dark ages. Our hero, martin padway soon to become martinus paduei, is an american archeologist who is visiting italy, and is transported to sixthcentury gothic italy, threatened by justinian forces, franks, and others. Lest darkness fall project gutenberg selfpublishing. The entire reason i kept an eye out for this book every time i set foot in a used bookstore was. Campbells, editor of astounding and unknown, stable of writers. Lest darkness fall is similar in concept to mark twains a connecticut yankee in king ar. Lest darkness fall 1939 is an early alternate history novel that helped define the genre and remains in print after more than 70 years. He is struck by lightning and catapulted back to rome of the sixth century a. An indication of the influence and longevity of the book is the number of bestselling writers who have written stories in direct response to, or influenced by, lest darkness fall. The book is often considered one of the best examples of the alternate history genre. Rarely do books have such a great influence on a genre as lest darkness fall has had on science fiction.
Lyon was an american science fiction and fantasy author and biographer. The novel reminded me of mark twains a connecticut yankee in king arthurs court. In lest darkness fall he combines his extensive knowledge of the workings of ancient rome with his extraordinary imagination to create one of the best books of time travel ever written. In a career spanning 60 years, he wrote over 100 books, including novels and works of nonfiction, including biographies of other fantasy authors. Lest darkness falls shows how modern persons can apply their knowledge to the past in a way that has a huge impact on history. Lest darkness fall in a shorter version appeared in the december 1939 issue of unknown. A shorter version first appeared in the magazine unknown v.
740 1583 1415 1290 115 801 1414 300 108 1312 856 1352 570 1376 876 287 638 1741 268 380 1 1222 1606 257 1159 1503 29 1442 1292 1228 1496 1618 1422 1611 1754 224 1147