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Nightfall
A dark, brooding fantasy from the critically acclaimed author of THE PILO FAMILY CIRCUS Aden awakens naked in a bath tub, knowing only that he is dead. His new world is Nightfall, a place filled with characters bizarre, grotesque and Julius the duke, the monstrous Gorr family, the goddess Muse, Slythe the deadly assassin. On the night Aden awakens, the Forgetting closes in, erasing everything it touches. Aden has little time to discover why this world and its characters seem so familiar to him, and why they call his grandfather the Worldmaker... and he must work out if he is here to save this world, or to help destroy it. An intensely written story in a wonderfully strange fantasy world... it leads us into thinking about the nature of storytelling and structure, reality and imagination, and gives us a wildly entertaining story with some unusual and endearing characters. 'Laugh-out-loud funny' COURIER MAIL 'NIGHtFALL is a remarkable feat of imagination and storytelling that will cement Elliott's reputation as a leading writer of fantasy and horror' WEEKEND AUStRALIAN
- GenresFantasy
247 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2012
2 people are currently reading
218 people want to read
About the author
Will Elliott
36 books162 followersWill Elliott (born 1979) is an Australian fiction writer who lives in Brisbane, Queensland.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 8, 2012
Not quite the Pilo Family Circus - which was one of the most bizarre and amazing books I've ever read - but still very good. Aden commits suicide and finds himself waking up in a bizarre world of his grandfathers imagining.
The characters are really interesting and the setting strange enough that I just had to keep reading to see what would happen next.
LOVED the opening scene and found the whole of part one very strong, but it kind of slipped away from me in part two.
Still, I really did enjoy it and recommend it highly - but not as highly as the Pilo Family Circus....
The characters are really interesting and the setting strange enough that I just had to keep reading to see what would happen next.
LOVED the opening scene and found the whole of part one very strong, but it kind of slipped away from me in part two.
Still, I really did enjoy it and recommend it highly - but not as highly as the Pilo Family Circus....
September 2, 2012
Full review at http://www.fantasybookreview.co.uk/bo...
Wow. This has to be one of the strangest, thought provoking, and emotionally powerful books I think I have ever read. I'm still trying to come to terms with what I just read, and an ending that was so uplifting and at the same time absolutely devastating. Again, just... wow.
Nightfall starts off in a very dark place with a lot of visceral imagery that may put you off reading further (that also may put you off eating for days) but I would implore you to push past the opening chapter and at least make it to the scene with the squad of one armed soldiers.
Elliott's writing style is like nothing I have ever read before. His writing conveys such intense emotions, and I have to wonder just how much of this story is drawn from Elliott's life.
This book had a profound impact on me, and I think is the first book to make me truly emotional at it's end. I cant say whether it will have the same impact on anyone else, but it is so worth you giving it a try just for the chance that it might affect you the same way too.
Wow. This has to be one of the strangest, thought provoking, and emotionally powerful books I think I have ever read. I'm still trying to come to terms with what I just read, and an ending that was so uplifting and at the same time absolutely devastating. Again, just... wow.
Nightfall starts off in a very dark place with a lot of visceral imagery that may put you off reading further (that also may put you off eating for days) but I would implore you to push past the opening chapter and at least make it to the scene with the squad of one armed soldiers.
Elliott's writing style is like nothing I have ever read before. His writing conveys such intense emotions, and I have to wonder just how much of this story is drawn from Elliott's life.
This book had a profound impact on me, and I think is the first book to make me truly emotional at it's end. I cant say whether it will have the same impact on anyone else, but it is so worth you giving it a try just for the chance that it might affect you the same way too.
June 11, 2014
Don't get me wrong, the start IS good, but the scene's in the beginning of the book aren't a good representation of the book overall.
This book is among the most creative, humorous and devastating I have ever read. Nightfall is a story that was never finished, without a true plot, protagonist or antagonist, the world of Nightfall decides to fulfil it's own story.
The forgetfulness has fallen upon nightfall, an encroaching wall slowly removing the world of nighfall from existence, the result of the Worldmaker's (the author and god) rapid degeneration due to dementia and the world is desperate to save itself.
Filled with curious characters and crass humour, it's a must read.
This book is among the most creative, humorous and devastating I have ever read. Nightfall is a story that was never finished, without a true plot, protagonist or antagonist, the world of Nightfall decides to fulfil it's own story.
The forgetfulness has fallen upon nightfall, an encroaching wall slowly removing the world of nighfall from existence, the result of the Worldmaker's (the author and god) rapid degeneration due to dementia and the world is desperate to save itself.
Filled with curious characters and crass humour, it's a must read.
September 28, 2017
A loan from my brother, this book was one that i put aside after a few pages and forgot about for years.
Oh if i only knew what i was missing!!
Once i started again i took every spare moment to go back into that world.
Amazing!
The humour and plot kept me turning pages as fast as possible. Definitely one to reread and make family members try.
(Made my brother buy another copy because he wasn't getting this one back)
Oh if i only knew what i was missing!!
Once i started again i took every spare moment to go back into that world.
Amazing!
The humour and plot kept me turning pages as fast as possible. Definitely one to reread and make family members try.
(Made my brother buy another copy because he wasn't getting this one back)
July 7, 2013
Wow... no words for that. Will come back later when the reality of what I just read sets in.
April 24, 2013
Nightfall tells the story of Aden, a young man who wakes up in a bathtub in a strange land having just committed suicide. As Aden starts to explore this strange land, he learns that it is being destroyed by a slow moving boundary, and that he is probably the person who holds the key to save it all. The problem is that because he has already died once, he's not really that sure about what he should be doing, and if he can be bothered doing it, when really, he should be at rest. Yes, it's that heavy, right from the very first page, complete with a steep learning curve.
The first chapter is very dark, very confronting, and full of some very grotesque imagery (so I would suggest that you aren't eating at the same time as reading), but this is not reflective of the whole story, so you just need to get past the first 2-3 chapters of the book and you're away. While the heavy themes are always there, they quickly give way to curiosity as Aden explores an eclectic world full of very bizarre imagery and characters. If you spend the time really thinking about everything that is going on, then the end might not be as surprising for you as it was for me, but once I read the ending I could see where those bits had come into play. The way in which Elliott times his reveals is excellent, but what he does once you have been given those reveals verges on the masterful.
This is where the emotion takes over - figuring out the premise for the whole story. Aden has to figure out what he wants to do in this strange world. Does he let things continue on as they are, or does he try and save it, knowing that the longer he takes to decide, the less there may be to save.
The characters of Nightfall are as strange and varied as the world they populate. When you're reading, you feel like you know them, that you've met them before (or people like it), yet at the same time they are so strange, their actions so odd, that you just can't grasp as to why they are the way that they are. All the characters have been written so well, that you feel like they are old friends, not just something new concocted by someone writing away on a typewriter. I found myself very eager, the further in to the book that I got, to find out just what Aden was going to do, and how his character was going to evolve.
The first chapter is very dark, very confronting, and full of some very grotesque imagery (so I would suggest that you aren't eating at the same time as reading), but this is not reflective of the whole story, so you just need to get past the first 2-3 chapters of the book and you're away. While the heavy themes are always there, they quickly give way to curiosity as Aden explores an eclectic world full of very bizarre imagery and characters. If you spend the time really thinking about everything that is going on, then the end might not be as surprising for you as it was for me, but once I read the ending I could see where those bits had come into play. The way in which Elliott times his reveals is excellent, but what he does once you have been given those reveals verges on the masterful.
This is where the emotion takes over - figuring out the premise for the whole story. Aden has to figure out what he wants to do in this strange world. Does he let things continue on as they are, or does he try and save it, knowing that the longer he takes to decide, the less there may be to save.
The characters of Nightfall are as strange and varied as the world they populate. When you're reading, you feel like you know them, that you've met them before (or people like it), yet at the same time they are so strange, their actions so odd, that you just can't grasp as to why they are the way that they are. All the characters have been written so well, that you feel like they are old friends, not just something new concocted by someone writing away on a typewriter. I found myself very eager, the further in to the book that I got, to find out just what Aden was going to do, and how his character was going to evolve.
March 23, 2015
Der australische Schriftsteller Will Elliott betrat mit dem Roman „The Pilo Family Circus“ 2006 die Bühne und gewann mit diesem gleich mehrere australische Genre-Awards. 2008 erschien die deutsche Übersetzung des Romans unter dem Titel „Hölle“ bei Piper. „Intrusion“, Originaltitel „Nightfall“, ist der Nachfolgeroman und es hat recht lange gedauert, bis dieses Buch 2012 das Licht der Öffentlichkeit erblickte. Die deutsche Fassung kam meines Wissens sogar vor der australischen heraus. Im Interview mit Fantasyguide.de meinte Elliott bei der Promotour zu „Hölle“ schon: „Das Problem ist, dass ich mich wohl etwas zu weit von „Hölle“ fortbewegt habe – was bei einem Nachfolger für einen Debütroman nicht sonderlich wünschenswert ist. „Nightfall“wird eines Tages seinen Weg in den Druck machen, aber wohl nicht als nächster Roman.“ Er sollte also recht behalten.
Zu Beginn des Buches wacht Aden Keenan in einer Badewanne auf. Seine letzte Erinnerung an die Gegenwart des 21. Jahrhunderts ist, dass er sich umgebracht hat. Sonst hat er nicht sehr viele Erinnerungen an sein altes Leben. Nun findet er sich in einer Art Fantasy-Welt wieder, deren Bewohner ihm zwar merkwürdig bekannt vorkommen, doch trotzdem kann er sich vorerst noch keinen Reim darauf machen, wo er sich befindet. Komisch findet er nur, dass sein Großvater, dessen Abbild er des öfteren findet, als Gott und Schöpfer („Weltenmacher“) dieser Welt verehrt wird. Der Name dieser Welt ist „Nightfall“. Allerlei skurrile Figuren bevölkern diesen Ort. Zum Bespiel ein netter Folterknecht, der täglich ein- und dasselbe Opfer foltert, das auch noch freiwillig zu ihm kommt; oder der weltliche Herrscher, der Herzog, mit seiner Entourage, der sich für einen großen Poeten hält; Slythe, genannt der Meuchelmörder, der wie einige andere Figuren aus einem Gemälde einer Frau namens Muse ins Leben trat. Nur hat Nightfall ein großes Problem, die Welt verschwindet. Eine Barriere, die einst weit entfernt war und die Welt eingrenzt (dahinter ist das Nichts, „das Vergessen“) rückt immer näher zu dem Hauptort vor. Die Entscheidungsträger fragen sich, ob Aden die Welt vor dem Vergessen retten kann. Aden steigt nun nach und nach dahinter, dass er sich in einem Phantasiegebilde seines Großvaters befindet, der ihm einst das Manuskript eines Fantasy-Romans zu lesen gab. Nur: der Großvater lebt mittlerweile in einem Pflegeheim und leidet an Demenz.
Intrusion bezeichnet in der Psychologie das Wiedererinnern und Wiedererleben von psychotraumatischen Erlebnissen. Gleichzeitig bedeutet es wörtlich soviel wie Eindringen (in eine fremde Welt). An sich ist der Titel der Übersetzung also gut gewählt, wie man bei der Lektüre des Buches merken wird. Aber den Versuch des Klappentextes ein Beziehung zu dem Film „Inception“ herzustellen, halte ich für sehr weit hergeholt. Das Buch ist ebenso Welten davon entfernt ein Thriller zu sein, wie der Verlag mit seinem Untertitel glauben machen will. Mich hat er während des Lesens ein wenig an „Alice im Wunderland“ erinnert. Der Protagonist kommt in eine ihm fremde Welt voller sonderlicher Gestalten, die dem Untergang geweiht ist und versucht sie am Ende sogar zu retten. Gleichzeitig habe ich den ganzen Roman als Metapher für das Altern im Allgemeinen und Demenz im Speziellen verstanden. Denn das kleiner werden der Welt ist ja nichts anderes als das fortschreitende Vergessen des Weltenmachers im Pflegeheim. Außerdem versucht der Roman, besonders in der vollkommen überzogenen Darstellung des Herzogs auch noch komisch zu sein. Dazu wird auch noch ein Konflikt zwischen weltlicher und kirchlicher Macht dargestellt. Und das ist das Problem. Will Elliott will zu viel auf einmal und kann sich am Ende nicht entscheiden, worauf er den Hauptfokus legen möchte. Auf die Beschreibung der Welt oder auf die metaphorische Ebene, auf Witz oder auf Ernst. Dadurch verliert das Buch, das einige sehr gute Ansätze hat, enorm an Qualität. Kein Zweifel, in Elliott schlummert einiges an schriftstellerischen Talent, aber er muss versuchen es irgendwie zu kanalisieren. „Intrusion“ wirkt für mich, wie das hilflose Unterfangen Stoffe für mehrere Bücher auf 300 Seiten pressen zu wollen
Fazit: Fantasy-Roman, der versucht eine Fülle von Ideen zu bündeln. Leider gelingt das nicht vollständig und dadurch bleibt das schale Gefühl zurück, dass einiges verschenkt wurde. Trotzdem sollten Fantasy-Liebhaber dem Buch eine Chance geben, alleine schon um das Potential des Autors auszuloten. Thriller-Freunde sollten trotz des Untertitels jedoch die Finger davon lassen.
Zu Beginn des Buches wacht Aden Keenan in einer Badewanne auf. Seine letzte Erinnerung an die Gegenwart des 21. Jahrhunderts ist, dass er sich umgebracht hat. Sonst hat er nicht sehr viele Erinnerungen an sein altes Leben. Nun findet er sich in einer Art Fantasy-Welt wieder, deren Bewohner ihm zwar merkwürdig bekannt vorkommen, doch trotzdem kann er sich vorerst noch keinen Reim darauf machen, wo er sich befindet. Komisch findet er nur, dass sein Großvater, dessen Abbild er des öfteren findet, als Gott und Schöpfer („Weltenmacher“) dieser Welt verehrt wird. Der Name dieser Welt ist „Nightfall“. Allerlei skurrile Figuren bevölkern diesen Ort. Zum Bespiel ein netter Folterknecht, der täglich ein- und dasselbe Opfer foltert, das auch noch freiwillig zu ihm kommt; oder der weltliche Herrscher, der Herzog, mit seiner Entourage, der sich für einen großen Poeten hält; Slythe, genannt der Meuchelmörder, der wie einige andere Figuren aus einem Gemälde einer Frau namens Muse ins Leben trat. Nur hat Nightfall ein großes Problem, die Welt verschwindet. Eine Barriere, die einst weit entfernt war und die Welt eingrenzt (dahinter ist das Nichts, „das Vergessen“) rückt immer näher zu dem Hauptort vor. Die Entscheidungsträger fragen sich, ob Aden die Welt vor dem Vergessen retten kann. Aden steigt nun nach und nach dahinter, dass er sich in einem Phantasiegebilde seines Großvaters befindet, der ihm einst das Manuskript eines Fantasy-Romans zu lesen gab. Nur: der Großvater lebt mittlerweile in einem Pflegeheim und leidet an Demenz.
Intrusion bezeichnet in der Psychologie das Wiedererinnern und Wiedererleben von psychotraumatischen Erlebnissen. Gleichzeitig bedeutet es wörtlich soviel wie Eindringen (in eine fremde Welt). An sich ist der Titel der Übersetzung also gut gewählt, wie man bei der Lektüre des Buches merken wird. Aber den Versuch des Klappentextes ein Beziehung zu dem Film „Inception“ herzustellen, halte ich für sehr weit hergeholt. Das Buch ist ebenso Welten davon entfernt ein Thriller zu sein, wie der Verlag mit seinem Untertitel glauben machen will. Mich hat er während des Lesens ein wenig an „Alice im Wunderland“ erinnert. Der Protagonist kommt in eine ihm fremde Welt voller sonderlicher Gestalten, die dem Untergang geweiht ist und versucht sie am Ende sogar zu retten. Gleichzeitig habe ich den ganzen Roman als Metapher für das Altern im Allgemeinen und Demenz im Speziellen verstanden. Denn das kleiner werden der Welt ist ja nichts anderes als das fortschreitende Vergessen des Weltenmachers im Pflegeheim. Außerdem versucht der Roman, besonders in der vollkommen überzogenen Darstellung des Herzogs auch noch komisch zu sein. Dazu wird auch noch ein Konflikt zwischen weltlicher und kirchlicher Macht dargestellt. Und das ist das Problem. Will Elliott will zu viel auf einmal und kann sich am Ende nicht entscheiden, worauf er den Hauptfokus legen möchte. Auf die Beschreibung der Welt oder auf die metaphorische Ebene, auf Witz oder auf Ernst. Dadurch verliert das Buch, das einige sehr gute Ansätze hat, enorm an Qualität. Kein Zweifel, in Elliott schlummert einiges an schriftstellerischen Talent, aber er muss versuchen es irgendwie zu kanalisieren. „Intrusion“ wirkt für mich, wie das hilflose Unterfangen Stoffe für mehrere Bücher auf 300 Seiten pressen zu wollen
Fazit: Fantasy-Roman, der versucht eine Fülle von Ideen zu bündeln. Leider gelingt das nicht vollständig und dadurch bleibt das schale Gefühl zurück, dass einiges verschenkt wurde. Trotzdem sollten Fantasy-Liebhaber dem Buch eine Chance geben, alleine schon um das Potential des Autors auszuloten. Thriller-Freunde sollten trotz des Untertitels jedoch die Finger davon lassen.
November 23, 2012
Paradoxically Nightfall is simultaneously intense and whimsical, dark and yet humorous, creepy and at the same time compelling. It features a protagonist who wakes up in a bizarre world after committing suicide in his bath-tub. Not only is this world incredibly strange, it has some quirky characters too: shape shifters and witches, a mad Duke and his even madder advisors, and an evil priest. This is a world I loved to read about, blending the real and the uncanny into one of the weirdest books I have ever read, and I was sad to let it go.
Will Elliott’s writing is immensely clever and amazed me through the flawless execution of the story. In many ways the book feels like it is set in some kind of bizarre-o world, where everything feels familiar but nothing is. Somehow the reader, along with the perpetually bewildered Aden, is strung along on highly improbable adventures and comes to accept that nothing in this world will make completely make sense. Aden deals with this by asking those around him to kill him, for good this time, but for the reader this quality makes the story interesting and unique.
With all the bizarre things that happened in the book, I devoted a large part of my energy trying to figure out what was actually going on. I am happy to report that I was able to figure it out before the ‘big reveal’ but this knowledge was hard-won. At no point does the author make it easy for a reader – I don’t recall there being one thing that immediately tipped me off, but rather a series of vague and generally overlooked (by the characters) clues that nudged me in the right direction.
Nightfall is a contradictory book that I feel will generate a varied spectrum of responses from readers. There will be those who dislike it based on the confusion and strangeness it represents, but others, who love it for the same qualities. This book has been my first foray into Will Elliott’s work, but I will be looking out for his books in the future. Definitely not one to be missed by fans of dark fantasy.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for review.
You can read more of my reviews at Speculating on SpecFic .
Will Elliott’s writing is immensely clever and amazed me through the flawless execution of the story. In many ways the book feels like it is set in some kind of bizarre-o world, where everything feels familiar but nothing is. Somehow the reader, along with the perpetually bewildered Aden, is strung along on highly improbable adventures and comes to accept that nothing in this world will make completely make sense. Aden deals with this by asking those around him to kill him, for good this time, but for the reader this quality makes the story interesting and unique.
With all the bizarre things that happened in the book, I devoted a large part of my energy trying to figure out what was actually going on. I am happy to report that I was able to figure it out before the ‘big reveal’ but this knowledge was hard-won. At no point does the author make it easy for a reader – I don’t recall there being one thing that immediately tipped me off, but rather a series of vague and generally overlooked (by the characters) clues that nudged me in the right direction.
Nightfall is a contradictory book that I feel will generate a varied spectrum of responses from readers. There will be those who dislike it based on the confusion and strangeness it represents, but others, who love it for the same qualities. This book has been my first foray into Will Elliott’s work, but I will be looking out for his books in the future. Definitely not one to be missed by fans of dark fantasy.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for review.
You can read more of my reviews at Speculating on SpecFic .
August 15, 2012
My first reaction to this book was: "Did I enjoy that...I'm not sure." After a few more hours of pondering this question I've decided that yes I did enjoy it. I'm guessing it's a stand alone novel (and please Will, don't ruin it by writing a sequel) and I did spend the first few chapters quite confused because the book had no blurb (which tends to complicate matters slightly) and I had no idea what to expect. Perhaps something a little more along the lines of "Pilgrims". However this was not the case.
As an author, Will tends to be slightly more obscure, both in this and in "Pilgrims" he challenges the notion of the fantasy genre whilst not straying too far from the classic-ness of it. Let me explain...there are still the different worlds, magic, creatures, etc etc found in classic fantasy but there is always some twist that makes you want to take a step back and survey it all. And it's really that twist that makes it so interesting to read. The characters are bizarrely fantastic (I love the duke) and the "resolution" part of this book tugs at your heart strings as you realise what's going on and it's all a bit sad really.
The one point I want to make is beware of the first chapter - and certainly don't eat lunch whilst reading said chapter - and don't judge the rest of the book by it. I'll be honest, a significant part of me felt the need to vomit reading about the fur and flea carpet whilst chewing a mouthful of food and it was in the kitchen/dinner scene I had some serious doubts about the future of the book and whether I could keep reading it (which screams a lot if you know of my inability to put books down and never look back). But fear not, whilst it still gets pretty weird, nothing comes close to that opening chapter.
As an author, Will tends to be slightly more obscure, both in this and in "Pilgrims" he challenges the notion of the fantasy genre whilst not straying too far from the classic-ness of it. Let me explain...there are still the different worlds, magic, creatures, etc etc found in classic fantasy but there is always some twist that makes you want to take a step back and survey it all. And it's really that twist that makes it so interesting to read. The characters are bizarrely fantastic (I love the duke) and the "resolution" part of this book tugs at your heart strings as you realise what's going on and it's all a bit sad really.
The one point I want to make is beware of the first chapter - and certainly don't eat lunch whilst reading said chapter - and don't judge the rest of the book by it. I'll be honest, a significant part of me felt the need to vomit reading about the fur and flea carpet whilst chewing a mouthful of food and it was in the kitchen/dinner scene I had some serious doubts about the future of the book and whether I could keep reading it (which screams a lot if you know of my inability to put books down and never look back). But fear not, whilst it still gets pretty weird, nothing comes close to that opening chapter.
Want to read
February 23, 2015This book is for fans of the movie 'Inception'.
Aden wakes up naked in a strange house. He does not remember how he got there, he knows only that he wanted to end his life.
But this house is a house like no other, it is the world 'Nightfall', which is populated by bizarre figures and in reality has no meaning.
Is this reality? Or an artificially created world?
What will Aden have to do to escape this world he's caught up in?
Aden wakes up naked in a strange house. He does not remember how he got there, he knows only that he wanted to end his life.
But this house is a house like no other, it is the world 'Nightfall', which is populated by bizarre figures and in reality has no meaning.
Is this reality? Or an artificially created world?
What will Aden have to do to escape this world he's caught up in?
October 15, 2012
This is not quite the story The Pilo Family Circus is - that is indeed something special - but it's pretty damn good. There are shades of Monty Python and Douglas Adams' Hitchiker's Guide here, plus a dash of every fantasy worth reading and some serious pondering on the nature of reality. All in all, this makes for an excellent read. Highly recommended.
November 30, 2014
I should say an interesting book though I never knew the author before I bought the book. I did find it to be entertaining and would like to read more from this author. One part of the book can become confusing at times, but I enjoyed it.
September 1, 2012
Ich brech´s ab. Zu langweilig...
September 23, 2012
I just couldn't finish this book - which is unusual. I did not like it at all - it was quite frankly ridiculous. Yet it had the potential to be great.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews