Play Book Tag discussion

In honor of the eclipse, I just reread this classic short story by Isaac Asimov. Imagine a world with six suns. There is no darkness because at least 1 sun is always in the sky. The people living on the planet have never experienced darkness and never seen the stars. BUT every 2049 years, the only sun in the sky is eclipsed and the world plunges into night and the stars fill the night sky. What will happen? The story begins in the hours before the eclipse as the scientists are predicting what will happen and preparing to record the events for future generations.... if there are future generations. The story brings religion v science into the mix, as all humanity confronts their mortality. I found it interesting that something as beautiful as a sky filled with stars could evoke such terror. Anyway, happy eclipse day everyone, and don't look without proper eyewear.

Happy Eclipse day to you too Shelly. This sounds very interesting and I am going to check to see if my library has it. Asimov is not someone I have ever read, though I have wanted to.

What a good idea, Shelly. This is a classic short story. I think I first read it in a textbook anthology when I was in my early teens. It's been a long, long time. I'm going to see if I still have a paperback copy somewhere on my dust collecting shelves.

Jgrace wrote: "What a good idea, Shelly. This is a classic short story. I think I first read it in a textbook anthology when I was in my early teens. It's been a long, long time. I'm going to see if I still have ..."
me too! but it must have made an impression b/c I remembered it (although not its name). My library has the anthology that includes Nightfall, but I was able to download a pdf of this story only.

It’s available on line,so I just read it. A dark story in more ways than one.

Oh, this does sound interesting!

Nightfall is a classic! It was expanded into a novel years after the short was written, but unfortunately for me that novel was a disappointment. But there are so many wonderful Asimov novels! Joanne, you must try one! If you like shorts, he has so many excellent ones - I, Robot for one (Ignore the movie, it was a travesty. Even the Bicentennial Man movie was a disappointment and could not capture the essence of the books), and Asimov's Mysteries.

Probably my favorite Asimov sci-fi is The Gods Themselves. But I also enjoyed his mysteries A Whiff of Death, book:Murder at the Aba|470356], and of course Tales of the Black Widowers. Then there is his robot detective series, starting with The Caves of Steel.

Give him a try!

His most famous very short story is probably The Fun They Had, also available online (ironic because the story is about kids who no longer have live teachers and paper books, but everything mechanical and electronic.)