I was reminded today, by a friend, of Ray Bradbury’s haunting, chilling short-short story “All Summer in a Day.” I find it a good deal more powerful than “Nightfall,” Isaac Asimov’s noisier and more celebrated treatment of a similar situation. But then, Bradbury vs. Asimov isn’t really a fair fight. (No diss to Asimov – the wisest of men is as an ape before the god.)
Roderick,
Only tangentially related, but by any chance have you read George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire? If not, please allow me to recommend you do so with all haste. It is, without a doubt in my mind, the apogee of fantasy.
Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QWmahMdeGU
Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DI8A1LOLdkA
Part 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQfWno_DuB0
I think PBS ruined it though. Even if it was only on net.
Oh, my god! We read this in…8th grade, I think. I completely forgot the title and the author. I wouldn’t have guessed it was Bradbury.
During college I finally read “Nightfall” after hearing the hype about it for years, and it was very disappointing. I guess it was a good idea but was poorly executed. It’s the only thing by Asimov I’ve been really disappointed by. I’ll have no more of your Asimov-bashing!