I read this book two or three times over the years. Bob Shaw was a science fiction writer known for his unique ideas, and in my opinion Night Walk is the perfect novel. By that, I mean the main character is likeable, his dilemma is truly frightening, and his decisions are rational and realistic. Cliffhangers can often feel contrived, but Shaw produces one at the end of nearly every chapter in a way that draws the character on. The book is entertaining; the ending is satisfying. Just thinking about it makes me want to read it again.
For 'refusing to co-operate' the Emm Luther Special Police took out Earth agent Sam Tallon's eyes and imprisoned him on a dark and eerie swamp from which nobody ever escaped.
But then Tallon invented a way of seeing - ludicrous, agonizing, yet still a way to make escape possible. He 'saw' through the eyes of a bird. A dog, a woman guard and, later, even saw himself through the eyes of his enraged Lutheran pursuers. Madness and death were his constant companions as he schemed and fought and struggled for his life. Any other man would have gladly given up,…
I'd heard about this book for years and finally decided to try it. Howey does a great job of showing emotions and the world of the Silo is well-thought out. It reminds me of William Hope Hodgson's 1912 masterpiece, The Night Land, a novel I loved so much I released a rewrite of it in more modern language. In both books, the characters are isolated in a vast facility surrounded by danger. Howey does a great job of keeping the mystery of the Silo at the fore; the characters act realistically, often at odds with one another. It's a fun read that pulled me all the way through.
SOON TO BE A MAJOR APPLE TV SERIES __________________________ 'Thrilling, thought-provoking and memorable ... one of dystopian fiction's masterpieces alongside the likes of 1984 and Brave New World.' DAILY EXPRESS
In a ruined and hostile landscape, in a future few have been unlucky enough to survive, a community exists in a giant underground silo.
Inside, men and women live an enclosed life full of rules and regulations, of secrets and lies.
To live, you must follow the rules. But some don't. These are the dangerous ones; these are the people who dare to hope and dream, and who infect others…
I ran across this book in a random search. If you’re looking for furious action, this isn’t the one for you, but if you enjoy traveling through a magical kingdom filled with fun concepts, you might enjoy it. It’s actually a series of short stories using a clever device: in each tale the main character meets someone who becomes the focus in the next story. There are leisurely travel descriptions, and the magic is that of fairy tales, unexplained and wondrous, rather than magical “systems.” In many ways, it reminds me of reading Tolkien’s The Hobbit when I was fourteen. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to a young adult or an older grade-school student, but it meets the criteria of good children’s literature: good enough to be enjoyed by adults. I look forward to reading more by the author.
A storm was brewing and the clock in the square was striking midsummer when Thorsten Mackinder arrived in the village of Finster...
For over a hundred years, the village of Finster has been cursed to eternal darkness. The only relief is a single lamppost, which the villagers worship as the light of the Divine. But all is not well in Finster...
When curse-breaker Thorsten Mackinder arrives to try to free the village from its endless night, he unwittingly sets in motion a chain of events that will stretch halfway across the world. A clockmaker beset by magical 'time flies', a…
An adventure of both science fiction and fantasy—one of the great love stories--this is William Hope Hodgson's masterpiece, rewritten for the modern reader.
Penned in 1912, The Night Land is considered by many to be a work of genius, but one written in an archaic style readers often find impenetrable. As a labor of love, James Stoddard has rewritten Hodgson's book to bring it to a wider audience.
The story opens in the 19th century, but quickly moves to the far future, where the sun has gone out, leaving the world in a darkness broken only by strange lights and mysterious fires. Over the ages, monsters and evil forces have descended to the earth, compelling the surviving humans to take refuge in a great pyramid of imperishable metal built in a miles-deep chasm. The monsters surround the pyramid in a perpetual siege lasting for eons, waiting for the moment when its defenses must fail. But one man, born out of his time, must leave the pyramid to seek his long-lost love though all the perils of the Night Land.
