Search for library items search for lists search for contacts search for a library. It is an early novel in the subgenre of alternative history science fiction. Lest darkness fall is an amusing, timetravel, alternativehistory novel, written in 1939. View all covers for lest darkness fall logged in users can change user preferences to always display covers. Lest darkness fall and related stories download ebook. Lest darkness fall project gutenberg selfpublishing.
If you havent read lest darkness fall, this is a mustbuy. Frequently quoted as one of the favorite books of many of the masters of the field, this book by l. A shorter version of lest darkness fall appeared in unknown during its first year of publication, followed by a hardback edition in 1941, and the book has been in print pretty much ever since. Could a man from the 20th century prevent the fall of rome. Clipped story summary from front and back flaps fixed to the front endpapers. Sprague and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Lest darkness fall is an alternate history science fiction novel written in 1939 by author l. Lest darkness fall, originally published as a short story in unknown in 1939, is one of the true classics of time travel and alternate history literature. The book is often considered one of the best examples of the alternate history genre. Lest darkness fall project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. I suppose we should note that lest darkness fall sprang from a 1939 story that was expanded into a novel for release in 1941, and that l. The novel reminded me of mark twains a connecticut yankee in king arthurs court. Edges show light wear and the page edges show light soiling, slight darkening. Mar 26, 2020 a shorter version of lest darkness fall appeared in unknown during its first year of publication, followed by a hardback edition in 1941, and the book has been in print pretty much ever since.
While backwards in some ways by martins standards, they are treated benignly as intelligent people who do a reasonable job maintaining their roman structures and facilities. 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 is an alternate history science fiction novel written in 1939 by american author l. But if you already have that book, then the additional novella is not sufficient reason to buy this edition. A shorter version of lest darkness fall appeared in unknown during its first year of publication, followed by a hardback edition in 1941, and the. When rome fell, the light of reason flickered out across the empire. 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. Prominent alternate history author harry turtledove has said it sparked his. 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. A major theme of lest darkness fall is that of the castaway. Clipped story summary from front and back flaps fixed to.
Alternate history, fiction in english, fiction, science fiction, rome, time. Rarely do books have such a great influence on a genre as lest darkness fall has had on science fiction. It was published as a complete novel by henry holt and company in 1941 and reprinted by both galaxy publishing and prime press in 1949. It was published as a complete novel by henry holt and company in 1941 and reprinted by. 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. Taking his cue from mark twains a connecticut yankee in king arthurs court 1889, l. In a career spanning 60 years, he wrote over 100 books, including novels and works of nonfiction, including biographies of other fantasy authors. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Against the fall of night the roman empire had spread order, knowledge, and civilisation throughout the ancient world. While backwards in some ways by martins standards, they are treated benignly as intelligent people who do a reasonable job. Unknown was the companion magazine to astounding, both of which were edited by john w.
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