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The Darkest of Nights
A deadly plague engulfs East Asia - the rest of the world's governments look on callously, until the shadow of the new virus begins to sweep across the globe.
As the pandemic draws nearer to Britain shelters are hastily constructed, but when the death toll rises and the populace finds themselves sacrificed for the sake of the elite, the cry for revolution rings out amidst the sirens.
Charles Eric Maine's subversive novel shows that even the heroes may succumb to brutality as humanity descends into a desperate scramble for survival.
Charles Eric Maine was the pseudonym of David McIlwain (1921-1981), a prolific writer of science fiction novels in the 1950s and 1960s. Maine was renowned for fast-paced thriller plotlines, which explored the unintended consequences of scientific progress.
As the pandemic draws nearer to Britain shelters are hastily constructed, but when the death toll rises and the populace finds themselves sacrificed for the sake of the elite, the cry for revolution rings out amidst the sirens.
Charles Eric Maine's subversive novel shows that even the heroes may succumb to brutality as humanity descends into a desperate scramble for survival.
Charles Eric Maine was the pseudonym of David McIlwain (1921-1981), a prolific writer of science fiction novels in the 1950s and 1960s. Maine was renowned for fast-paced thriller plotlines, which explored the unintended consequences of scientific progress.
302 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1962
13 people are currently reading
200 people want to read
About the author
Charles Eric Maine
59 books12 followersCharles Eric Maine (pseudonym of David McIlwain; 21 January 1921 – 30 November 1981) was an English science fiction writer whose most prominent works were published in the 1950s and 1960s. His stories were thrillers that dealt with new scientific technology
Biography
McIlwain was born in Liverpool.
He published three issues of a science fiction magazine called The Satellite which he co-edited along with J. F. Burke. From 1940 to 1941, he published his own magazine called Gargoyle.
During World War II, he was in the Royal Air Force and served in Northern Africa in 1943.
After the war, he worked in TV engineering, and became involved in editorial work with radio and TV. During 1952, he sold his first radio play, Spaceways, to the BBC. Due to its popularity, it became a novel as well as a movie.
One of his best known stories, Timeliner, was about a scientist who experiments with a time machine, only to be maliciously thrust into the future by a fellow scientist who was having an affair with his wife. It was originally written as a radio play known as The Einstein Highway.
He died in London in 1981.
Bibliography
Spaceways (1953) (Variant Title: Spaceways Satellite)
Timeliner (1955)
Escapement (1956) (Variant Title: The Man Who Couldn't Sleep)
High Vacuum (1956)
The Tide Went Out (1958) (Revised in 1997 with Variant Title: Thirst!)
World Without Men (1958) (Revised in 1972 with Variant Title: Alph)
Count-Down (1959) (Variant Title: Fire Past the Future)
Crisis 2000 (1959)
Subterfuge (1959)
Calculated Risk (1960)
He Owned the World (1960) (Variant Title: The Man Who Owned the World)
The Mind of Mr. Soames (1961)
The Darkest of Nights (1962) (Variant Title: Survival Margin)
B.E.A.S.T. (1966)
Alph (1972)
Biography
McIlwain was born in Liverpool.
He published three issues of a science fiction magazine called The Satellite which he co-edited along with J. F. Burke. From 1940 to 1941, he published his own magazine called Gargoyle.
During World War II, he was in the Royal Air Force and served in Northern Africa in 1943.
After the war, he worked in TV engineering, and became involved in editorial work with radio and TV. During 1952, he sold his first radio play, Spaceways, to the BBC. Due to its popularity, it became a novel as well as a movie.
One of his best known stories, Timeliner, was about a scientist who experiments with a time machine, only to be maliciously thrust into the future by a fellow scientist who was having an affair with his wife. It was originally written as a radio play known as The Einstein Highway.
He died in London in 1981.
Bibliography
Spaceways (1953) (Variant Title: Spaceways Satellite)
Timeliner (1955)
Escapement (1956) (Variant Title: The Man Who Couldn't Sleep)
High Vacuum (1956)
The Tide Went Out (1958) (Revised in 1997 with Variant Title: Thirst!)
World Without Men (1958) (Revised in 1972 with Variant Title: Alph)
Count-Down (1959) (Variant Title: Fire Past the Future)
Crisis 2000 (1959)
Subterfuge (1959)
Calculated Risk (1960)
He Owned the World (1960) (Variant Title: The Man Who Owned the World)
The Mind of Mr. Soames (1961)
The Darkest of Nights (1962) (Variant Title: Survival Margin)
B.E.A.S.T. (1966)
Alph (1972)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
August 13, 2022
This was a read. Yes, I still have some pandemic topic fiction to read even after going through 2020 to the present. This wasn't long and was very much a page-turner. I highlit a lot (60 entries!) and much paralleled what the world has and is going through that I had the same feeling I had when reading Octavia Butler's
Parable of the Sower
, where I put the book down and had to wonder if the universe had a twisted sense of humour given current reality. Or is it that the inevitability of human nature and societies once committed to a particular course is just somewhat predictable in their paths and termini? I appreciated it as a reader but as one existing in the now and not knowing the future, I was unsettled. In its own way, that helped make it a good read.
The characters were done well enough that while I disliked most of them when they made good or interesting points, I really appreciated it They were an interesting group in many ways. I think a few of the mains will stay with me for a bit and that's always to the good.
I read this through Kindle Unlimited and have a few more of the British Library Science Fiction Classics to read. Mike Ashley writes a very good introduction (much like Martin Edwards of the British Library Crime Classics reissues) and I could only wonder what his introduction would say now as opposed to when this book was published in 2019, on the cusp th of Covid-19. Points to his informative mention of Charles Eric Maine also writing crime novels under the pen names Richard Rayner and Robert Wade. I'll have to check those out.
Recommended.
The characters were done well enough that while I disliked most of them when they made good or interesting points, I really appreciated it They were an interesting group in many ways. I think a few of the mains will stay with me for a bit and that's always to the good.
I read this through Kindle Unlimited and have a few more of the British Library Science Fiction Classics to read. Mike Ashley writes a very good introduction (much like Martin Edwards of the British Library Crime Classics reissues) and I could only wonder what his introduction would say now as opposed to when this book was published in 2019, on the cusp th of Covid-19. Points to his informative mention of Charles Eric Maine also writing crime novels under the pen names Richard Rayner and Robert Wade. I'll have to check those out.
Recommended.
July 27, 2021
L'epidemia era cominciata pochi mesi prima nella Cina meridionale.
Prima parte a dir poco inquietante da cinque stelle, con la pandemia che parte dalla Cina e si estende al resto del mondo tra lockdown, distanziamento sociale, ambulanze piene, fosse comuni e quanto altro abbiamo visto negli ultimi due anni, quasi come se questo classico di fantascienza distopica e catastrofica scritto nel 1962 fosse stato scritto in questi giorni.
Giorno dopo giorno il bilancio delle vittime continuava a salire a velocità terrificante: prima migliaia, poi decine di migliaia e infine milioni di morti.
Il resto del mondo all'inizio aveva accolto la notizia con scetticismo. Era impossibile sapere con certezza cosa succedeva davvero in Cina, e voci riguardanti carestie ed epidemie si diffondevano a intervalli regolari.
Poi, verso la metà, civiltà e regole sociali vanno a farsi friggere fin troppo in fretta, con governi, medici ed elites mondiali, che vanno a rifugiarsi nel sottosuolo, ed inverosimili insurrezioni globali di sopravvissuti al virus che hanno vita fin troppo facile, tra invasioni e cambi di regime, prendendo una piega da thriller-action stile Alba Rossa (1984) di John Milius o, peggio, il suo recente remake di cui ho scoperto solo da poco l'esistenza.
– Non credo sia necessario preoccuparsi per la Cina – la interruppe Youde. - Quando il virus arriverà qui da noi l'emergenza laggiù sarà finita da un pezzo, e il problema più urgente per le autorità sanitarie sarà quello di sbarazzarsi di due milioni di tonnellate di cadaveri rispettando le norme igienico-sanitarie. Immagino che il governo dovrà emanare leggi speciali.
Un classico minore datato ma di tutto rispetto, una contaminazione di generi con una coppia di protagonisti non proprio memorabili, che parte bene, inciampa, e si riprende alla grande nel cupo, cupissimo, liberatorio finale.
Clive fece una smorfia. Così, era cominciata, inevitabilmente. Smentite ufficiali, dichiarazioni di comodo; poi man mano che la situazione precipitava a una a una le nazioni avrebbero innalzato barriere per tagliarsi fuori dal resto del mondo finché l'epidemia non avesse fatto il suo corso e i cadaveri non fossero stati eliminati, nei pozzi di fango, negli inceneritori o nelle fosse comuni.
Tre stelle e mezzo.
January 26, 2021
Ha ha, yes, I did read this in the midst of a pandemic whilst revolutionary organizations abroad managed to pick their noses out from the moist trough of theoretical squabbles to run some good old fashioned praxis on the streets.
Truth be told, however, this is a decidedly cynical book, with perhaps the most convincingly realistic depiction of political power struggles I have found in fiction alongside Joseph Conrad's Nostromo. This is a grim affair where systems rule with a ruthless, inhuman logic on both sides that chew up the misery of the population between them like so much red gristle in the cold gears of their machinery.
The prose is that of your typical thriller - something barely above passable but comfortably below interesting, and the novel does suffer from an opening third that alternates between the legal struggle of a failing marriage against discussions over the approaching pandemic being discussed with the logical detachment of characters in an Asimov novel. Indeed, at first I almost thought this was going to be a political novel written in an Asimov style of bland characters solving their puzzle-box problems through clever applications of logic, but after the 100 page mark the book takes a more interesting turn, its characters trip up over a waiting pit and suddenly gain depth, and in the ensuing darkness Maine's brilliance begins to flare.
I won't say any more except to remark that Maine's model of the plague is ingenious, his insight into politics chilling, and his grasp of human murkiness is something deeply unnerving to behold. An excellent choice by the British Library to resurrect from bibliographic oblivion.
Truth be told, however, this is a decidedly cynical book, with perhaps the most convincingly realistic depiction of political power struggles I have found in fiction alongside Joseph Conrad's Nostromo. This is a grim affair where systems rule with a ruthless, inhuman logic on both sides that chew up the misery of the population between them like so much red gristle in the cold gears of their machinery.
The prose is that of your typical thriller - something barely above passable but comfortably below interesting, and the novel does suffer from an opening third that alternates between the legal struggle of a failing marriage against discussions over the approaching pandemic being discussed with the logical detachment of characters in an Asimov novel. Indeed, at first I almost thought this was going to be a political novel written in an Asimov style of bland characters solving their puzzle-box problems through clever applications of logic, but after the 100 page mark the book takes a more interesting turn, its characters trip up over a waiting pit and suddenly gain depth, and in the ensuing darkness Maine's brilliance begins to flare.
I won't say any more except to remark that Maine's model of the plague is ingenious, his insight into politics chilling, and his grasp of human murkiness is something deeply unnerving to behold. An excellent choice by the British Library to resurrect from bibliographic oblivion.
January 26, 2021
"Police and security forces yesterday thwarted an attempt by an organised gang to steal rationed provisions from a self-service store in Bethnal Green, London. Tear gas was used to expel the raiders. A number of arrests were made."
I did enjoy this book, but the fact that I am living this it, the whole war aspect just made it seem a bit dramatic (althought I did wake up to the news that the Netherlands are having riots due to a lockdown and there is a lot of civil unrest), but it all seemed to spiral out of control so quickly. Also, I dont mind an unlikeable protagonist, but Clive was just an outright selfish arse hole....
I did enjoy this book, but the fact that I am living this it, the whole war aspect just made it seem a bit dramatic (althought I did wake up to the news that the Netherlands are having riots due to a lockdown and there is a lot of civil unrest), but it all seemed to spiral out of control so quickly. Also, I dont mind an unlikeable protagonist, but Clive was just an outright selfish arse hole....
November 24, 2020
Premonitore.
October 3, 2016
While there are a lot of aspects to this book that are somewhat out of date (hardly surprising as it was written in the mid 60s), there is still a lot that is relevant today from the global effects of an easily spread and fast acting virus to the total media blackout and breakdown of civilisation that results (subjects of many recent books, films and t.v. series). Maine writes with a fluidity and flare that grabs you from the outset and keeps you engrossed from start to finish (and what a finish!) with a story that is immensely disturbing despite its familiarity. The characters however did seem a little flat and stereotyped but it is possible that at the time of writing they were not and it is simply the abundance of such characters and their repeated use elsewhere that makes them feel that way. There was a glimmer of something different in both Clive and Pauline but that's all it ever was, just the occasional glimmer that shone past their otherwise predictable behaviour. Still don't let that put you off, this is a really good read in the style of Wyndham and Vonnegut.
Read
October 17, 2012Urania Collezione ristampa un'altra delle gemme della Fantascienza catastrofica anni '60, in cui la minaccia è rappresentata da un misterioso virus che ha già mietuto milioni di vittime in Cina e Giappone ed ora minaccia di contagiare anche il resto del pianeta. Ma, come sempre accade in questo genere letterario, la catastrofe è solo il preludio o, meglio, l'ingranaggio che mette in moto tutte le peggiori (e le migliori) caratteristiche della razza umana: speranze, viltà, sogni, rivoluzioni... Si tratta del tremendo deus ex machina che rimetterà in questione ogni singolo tratto della "civiltà", per lasciarsi dietro di sé un mondo nuovo, diverso, migliore, o forse solo più svuotato di vita. Il virus ha il 50% per cento di probabilità di uccidere. E voi, sopravviverete o non sarete tra i fortunati?
November 12, 2020
Incredible simalartites with the ongoing pandemic even though the book was written almost 60 years ago!
The intertwining of an ongoing epidemic involving life or death and the political issues that go along with the governemental regulations is told in a very engaging way with amazing character developments. On one side the story of Dr. Pauline Brant, a doctor on the staff of the international virus research organisation is told who is trying to find a vaccine for the virus inside of an underground laboratory.
On the other hand the story of her (ex)-husband Clive who is a reporter documenting the impact of the virus epidemic in society from the outside world .
In the meantime both of them go through major developments on personal as well as professional level as their paths separate early on in the book but then get back together near the end!! Be aware this book does not have a happy ending (hopefully unlike the ongoing pandemic).
The intertwining of an ongoing epidemic involving life or death and the political issues that go along with the governemental regulations is told in a very engaging way with amazing character developments. On one side the story of Dr. Pauline Brant, a doctor on the staff of the international virus research organisation is told who is trying to find a vaccine for the virus inside of an underground laboratory.
On the other hand the story of her (ex)-husband Clive who is a reporter documenting the impact of the virus epidemic in society from the outside world .
In the meantime both of them go through major developments on personal as well as professional level as their paths separate early on in the book but then get back together near the end!! Be aware this book does not have a happy ending (hopefully unlike the ongoing pandemic).
March 15, 2019
Senza infamia e senza lode questo romanzo post-apocalittico, veloce da leggere e tutto sommato gradevole. In varie pagine ci sono anche le premesse per quello che poteva essere un interessante approfondimento etico-sociale, che però purtroppo non viene mai a concretizzarsi pienamente. La parte finale poi, l'ho trovata frettolosa e inverosimile, soprattutto alla luce di come erano stati sviluppati i personaggi nelle pagine precedenti. Il mio voto: 2,5 stelle.
April 22, 2019
Published in 1962, this dystopian novel tells the story of a virus, rapidly spreading and killing millions and millions of people around the world. While scientists are trying to come up with a cure, the thin layer of civilisation is dissolving and the baser instincts of humanity are taking over.
A rather chilling tale, for it could actually happen!
A rather chilling tale, for it could actually happen!
November 11, 2024
Leggere la parola "assembramento" in un romanzo del 1962 fa un certo che, niente da dire. La trama, in sé interessante e avvincente, è molto penalizzata a mio avviso dai personaggi. Tutti i protagonisti agiscono quasi come macchine, secondo modalità di pensiero razionali e metodiche. I dialoghi mi hanno distratto per lo stesso motivo. In generale tutta la storia è più simile a una scarna stesura dell'intreccio narrativo, le note di colore e i dettagli sono pochi e poco significativi.
Tolte le questioni stilistiche, è sicuramente una storia profetica, che indaga le scelte difficili che durante la pandemia abbiamo affrontato noi stessi: chi salvare per primo? c'è qualcuno che si merita più di altri di essere curato?
Tolte le questioni stilistiche, è sicuramente una storia profetica, che indaga le scelte difficili che durante la pandemia abbiamo affrontato noi stessi: chi salvare per primo? c'è qualcuno che si merita più di altri di essere curato?
April 21, 2025
An average read overall. Wanted it to be a little more about the scientific part of the virus outbreak but the focus was elsewhere. Had to push myself to finish it towards the End. Could have skipped this One.
July 2, 2025
Flu and petty-bourgeois megalomania: bourgeois civilization never had a chance.
Seriously, this novel has fine breadth and depth of action and characterization.
Seriously, this novel has fine breadth and depth of action and characterization.
January 12, 2020
Notevole, tendenzialmente profetico...
Maine racconta quello che potrebbe accadere in una situazione di emergenza totale e planetaria come nel caso di un'epidemia causata da un virus letale e virulento, che si espande molto velocemente. Le sua immaginazione fornisce un'immagine a mio parere molto realistica dei comportamenti che assumerebbero le persone sia come individui singoli (quindi ciascuno secondo il proprio carattere e i propri valori) sia come “gruppi”: classi dirigenti, apparati militari, membri dell'elite economica e finanziaria. Un testo quasi profetico, considerato che è stato scritto nel 1962. Il lettore segue lo sviluppo della vicenda accompagnando i protagonisti, la dottoressa (medico) Pauline Brant e il marito, Clive, giornalista ambizioso.
Una lettura interessante, che offre molto su cui riflettere.
Recensione completa sul blog:
https://antsacco57.wordpress.com/2020...
Maine racconta quello che potrebbe accadere in una situazione di emergenza totale e planetaria come nel caso di un'epidemia causata da un virus letale e virulento, che si espande molto velocemente. Le sua immaginazione fornisce un'immagine a mio parere molto realistica dei comportamenti che assumerebbero le persone sia come individui singoli (quindi ciascuno secondo il proprio carattere e i propri valori) sia come “gruppi”: classi dirigenti, apparati militari, membri dell'elite economica e finanziaria. Un testo quasi profetico, considerato che è stato scritto nel 1962. Il lettore segue lo sviluppo della vicenda accompagnando i protagonisti, la dottoressa (medico) Pauline Brant e il marito, Clive, giornalista ambizioso.
Una lettura interessante, che offre molto su cui riflettere.
Recensione completa sul blog:
https://antsacco57.wordpress.com/2020...
June 7, 2021
È un caso come abbia letto questo libro in periodo di pandemia, ciononostante è stata una lettura particolarmente adatta al periodo.
Il libro ci immerge in una ipotetica pandemia molto grave, causata da un virus che uccide metà della popolazione mondiale e che nessun governo è stato in grado di fronteggiare... Cosa accade, quindi, quando una probabilità su 2 di morire minaccia il mondo civilizzato e le sue strutture governative? Semplice, l'uomo si comporta da uomo, dando priorità prima alla propria vita e status poi a tutto il resto...
In questo fantastico romanzo vivremo le vicende dal punto di vista dei suoi protagonisti, dei quali uno è davvero cinico e opportunista, e la comprensione di ciò che sta succedendo avanzerà insieme alla loro creando un thriller apocalittico nel quale, a un certo punto, dovremo rassegnarci allo sfacelo e renderci conto che la civiltà esiste solo fin quando tutti possono godere di un certo grado di benessere...
Il libro ci immerge in una ipotetica pandemia molto grave, causata da un virus che uccide metà della popolazione mondiale e che nessun governo è stato in grado di fronteggiare... Cosa accade, quindi, quando una probabilità su 2 di morire minaccia il mondo civilizzato e le sue strutture governative? Semplice, l'uomo si comporta da uomo, dando priorità prima alla propria vita e status poi a tutto il resto...
In questo fantastico romanzo vivremo le vicende dal punto di vista dei suoi protagonisti, dei quali uno è davvero cinico e opportunista, e la comprensione di ciò che sta succedendo avanzerà insieme alla loro creando un thriller apocalittico nel quale, a un certo punto, dovremo rassegnarci allo sfacelo e renderci conto che la civiltà esiste solo fin quando tutti possono godere di un certo grado di benessere...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 31, 2022
It's about a pandemic, so there are interesting parallels to draw with... y'know... reality, but I didn't really buy into the events of the book and I think all the characters are pricks. Something tells me this wasn't the book for me
November 27, 2020
Mostly pretty meh pandemic thriller, but that ending is great
February 18, 2025
Very good end of the world disaster novel, even if it is a tad depressing that the only alternative to the class system and capitalism in the UK is what amounts to hard-core communism according to him.
No matter. This book is from the early 1960s - something to keep in mind regarding technology and society. The psychology of these disasters can be one of the most fascinating things. How quickly morals disintegrate, it's back to the stone age and every man for himself. People don't bat an eye at rape and murder. All people become disposable - losing that civilisation takes us all down from the status of human beings to the level of disposable raw materials. Something to reflect on with global politics the way they are just now.
Good thing I didn't read this a few years ago. This disaster is triggered by a mutated influenza virus that escapes out of China and spreads across the world. The virus splits in two, so the 50% who get the first version have a 100% mortality rate. The other 50% feel a bit off then have a natural immunity to the first. Which is all well and good, but the boffins come up with a vaccine that becomes a very infectious disease. And if the naturally immune catch the vaccine, without hospital treatment, they will die. We're looking at major end of the world here!!!
Coupled with this is the English class system and notions of who are the most valued in post disaster society. They always go with money and class, which kicks off rioting and an organised rebel force above ground whilst the privileged hide in their bunkers. And it's silly really, when you think that money will become meaningless, and come the stone age you don't want old Lordy and CEOs, you want people with practical skills. Covid didn't get anywhere near as bad as this scenario thank God, but it's interested to consider who had to go into work and who could be furloughed.
One of the main characters we follow is Clive Brant, a high up journalist with somewhat sociopathic tendencies as he merrily drops people and organisations without a backward glance dependent on what is best for him at that moment. All the while happy to pick them up again if it suits without any comprehension why that might be offensive or that they may not like it. He has a delusion that the world revolves around him and everything happens for him - that he is important and indisposable. It comes as a nasty shock for him at the end when the rebels aren't interested in second chances.
No matter. This book is from the early 1960s - something to keep in mind regarding technology and society. The psychology of these disasters can be one of the most fascinating things. How quickly morals disintegrate, it's back to the stone age and every man for himself. People don't bat an eye at rape and murder. All people become disposable - losing that civilisation takes us all down from the status of human beings to the level of disposable raw materials. Something to reflect on with global politics the way they are just now.
Good thing I didn't read this a few years ago. This disaster is triggered by a mutated influenza virus that escapes out of China and spreads across the world. The virus splits in two, so the 50% who get the first version have a 100% mortality rate. The other 50% feel a bit off then have a natural immunity to the first. Which is all well and good, but the boffins come up with a vaccine that becomes a very infectious disease. And if the naturally immune catch the vaccine, without hospital treatment, they will die. We're looking at major end of the world here!!!
Coupled with this is the English class system and notions of who are the most valued in post disaster society. They always go with money and class, which kicks off rioting and an organised rebel force above ground whilst the privileged hide in their bunkers. And it's silly really, when you think that money will become meaningless, and come the stone age you don't want old Lordy and CEOs, you want people with practical skills. Covid didn't get anywhere near as bad as this scenario thank God, but it's interested to consider who had to go into work and who could be furloughed.
One of the main characters we follow is Clive Brant, a high up journalist with somewhat sociopathic tendencies as he merrily drops people and organisations without a backward glance dependent on what is best for him at that moment. All the while happy to pick them up again if it suits without any comprehension why that might be offensive or that they may not like it. He has a delusion that the world revolves around him and everything happens for him - that he is important and indisposable. It comes as a nasty shock for him at the end when the rebels aren't interested in second chances.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 3, 2023
Wow - what a book! I can't believe this book isn't more widely praised especially since the events of recent years. My library copy was added in 2019 and has only been borrowed once in all that time which I find really strange.
The first half of the book felt so real and mirrored so many things that most people experienced during the real life pandemic. It's crazy to think this was written over 60 years ago. The whole book reminded me very much of Peter May's Lockdown which I read during the 2020 lockdown (I remember hearing how it had been rejected by May's publisher years before due to be being 'too far-fetched' but then hastily published as soon as Covid started to happen).
Anyway, there were lots of lines I really liked in The Darkest of Nights, including: 'Government is always pro-itself. The Establishment instinctively protects the Establishment, and humanity doesn't enter into it. The government that professes humanitarianism will in the next breath attempt to justify atrocities against humanity'. (p.93). Ain't that the truth.
This line also feels eerily prophetic when you think about life in 2020/2021: '...all communal gatherings are banned for the duration of the emergency in order to minimise the potential spread of the virus. This means that all entertainments will close down, including cinemas, theatres, stadiums and meetings generally which are not classed as essential'. (p. 119).
Despite the many similarities with this book and the Covid pandemic, thankfully we didn't get into the situation in The Darkest of Nights. But even though we didn't face an all-out war, I could still relate to this beautifully written line: '...the things and symbols that had lent significance to his life in the past had been destroyed, so that even his own name and identity seemed meaningless, as if he had become a nameless shadow in a monochrome surrealist landscape that was functional but always changing, and possessing no solidity'. (p.240).
Overall, this was a brilliantly written book with some amazing action sequences and a strong ending (I don't want to give any spoilers regarding the ending but I am often quite hard to please when it comes to endings but this one genuinely surprised me). I'll definitely be checking out more of Maine's work.
The first half of the book felt so real and mirrored so many things that most people experienced during the real life pandemic. It's crazy to think this was written over 60 years ago. The whole book reminded me very much of Peter May's Lockdown which I read during the 2020 lockdown (I remember hearing how it had been rejected by May's publisher years before due to be being 'too far-fetched' but then hastily published as soon as Covid started to happen).
Anyway, there were lots of lines I really liked in The Darkest of Nights, including: 'Government is always pro-itself. The Establishment instinctively protects the Establishment, and humanity doesn't enter into it. The government that professes humanitarianism will in the next breath attempt to justify atrocities against humanity'. (p.93). Ain't that the truth.
This line also feels eerily prophetic when you think about life in 2020/2021: '...all communal gatherings are banned for the duration of the emergency in order to minimise the potential spread of the virus. This means that all entertainments will close down, including cinemas, theatres, stadiums and meetings generally which are not classed as essential'. (p. 119).
Despite the many similarities with this book and the Covid pandemic, thankfully we didn't get into the situation in The Darkest of Nights. But even though we didn't face an all-out war, I could still relate to this beautifully written line: '...the things and symbols that had lent significance to his life in the past had been destroyed, so that even his own name and identity seemed meaningless, as if he had become a nameless shadow in a monochrome surrealist landscape that was functional but always changing, and possessing no solidity'. (p.240).
Overall, this was a brilliantly written book with some amazing action sequences and a strong ending (I don't want to give any spoilers regarding the ending but I am often quite hard to please when it comes to endings but this one genuinely surprised me). I'll definitely be checking out more of Maine's work.
March 19, 2024
The author himself referred to his books as 'scientific thrillers', according to the introduciton by Mike Ashley. This is a good example of the second part of that description. The action moves along at a quick pace, and the resolution at the end (where else?) is both surprising and satisfying.
A nee virus has swept up out of Asia and covered the globe. The speed of the spread is best illustrated by teh opening titles of Survivors and the reaction of world governments best illustrated by the real-life response to AIDS, SARS and especially COVID. The virulence of the virus results in the collapse of governments, and in the UK, an insurgency becomes the ruling regime of Great Britain.
The characters go through a series of adventures more fitted to an American mini-series than a scientific thriller, with the protagonist splitting up with his wife, reconciling with his wife, and losing his girlfriend to the insurgency's brutality. Yawn. That was not as predictable in 1962 when it was written, I suppose.
What rings very true about this is the way the governments of the UK and US react to the new virus. Travel is halted, communication is halted, a free press is suddenly subjected to strict censorship, movement around the country is curtailed and in the extreme case, governments in Europe and the UK fall to insurrections. While things didn't get that hysterical during COVID, we haven't seen the last plague, so thismight be is a cautionary tale for the viral ravages of the future.
A nee virus has swept up out of Asia and covered the globe. The speed of the spread is best illustrated by teh opening titles of Survivors and the reaction of world governments best illustrated by the real-life response to AIDS, SARS and especially COVID. The virulence of the virus results in the collapse of governments, and in the UK, an insurgency becomes the ruling regime of Great Britain.
The characters go through a series of adventures more fitted to an American mini-series than a scientific thriller, with the protagonist splitting up with his wife, reconciling with his wife, and losing his girlfriend to the insurgency's brutality. Yawn. That was not as predictable in 1962 when it was written, I suppose.
What rings very true about this is the way the governments of the UK and US react to the new virus. Travel is halted, communication is halted, a free press is suddenly subjected to strict censorship, movement around the country is curtailed and in the extreme case, governments in Europe and the UK fall to insurrections. While things didn't get that hysterical during COVID, we haven't seen the last plague, so this
December 2, 2024
Abbiamo un virus di origine asiatica che in tempi brevi si diffonde per tutto il mondo, con un tasso di mortalità di circa il 50%.
Questo magari ci ricorda qualcosa ma "Il grande contagio" ("The Darkest of Nights"; Mondadori, 2009; trad. di Andreina Negretti) di Charles Eric Maine è un romanzo del 1962 e, come sappiamo, la fantascienza non è predittiva.
"La razza umana non aveva avuto l’integrità e il senso dell’onore necessari per affrontare quella catastrofe con coraggio e dignità".
Infatti all'autore non interessa tanto il meccanismo medico del contagio quanto la reazione dell'umanità di fronte alla catastrofe incombente. Come da citazione riportata, l'umanità non si comporta al meglio (e questo lo abbiamo certificato anche di fronte alla pandemia reale): le istituzioni statali si autoproteggono, abbandonando al proprio destino il popolo, il popolo si rivolta, crea delle nuove istituzioni che messe di fronte al pericolo si comportano esattamente come quelle vecchie.
Un piccolo classico della sf da (ri)leggere ricordandosi che il mondo settant'anni fa era profondamente diverso da quello attuale, nel modo di pensare e nella tecnologia disponibile, ma che ci rivela che l'umanità, in fondo, non è poi molto cambiata.
Questo magari ci ricorda qualcosa ma "Il grande contagio" ("The Darkest of Nights"; Mondadori, 2009; trad. di Andreina Negretti) di Charles Eric Maine è un romanzo del 1962 e, come sappiamo, la fantascienza non è predittiva.
"La razza umana non aveva avuto l’integrità e il senso dell’onore necessari per affrontare quella catastrofe con coraggio e dignità".
Infatti all'autore non interessa tanto il meccanismo medico del contagio quanto la reazione dell'umanità di fronte alla catastrofe incombente. Come da citazione riportata, l'umanità non si comporta al meglio (e questo lo abbiamo certificato anche di fronte alla pandemia reale): le istituzioni statali si autoproteggono, abbandonando al proprio destino il popolo, il popolo si rivolta, crea delle nuove istituzioni che messe di fronte al pericolo si comportano esattamente come quelle vecchie.
Un piccolo classico della sf da (ri)leggere ricordandosi che il mondo settant'anni fa era profondamente diverso da quello attuale, nel modo di pensare e nella tecnologia disponibile, ma che ci rivela che l'umanità, in fondo, non è poi molto cambiata.
April 12, 2025
The British Library has recently revamped a load of Sci-Fi classics, and The Darkest of Nights is one of the absolute belters they’ve re-released. Written in the 1950s, it features a killer disease originating from China which spreads across the world, killing off every other person who gets infected. People wear masks and generally do mental stuff. Sound familiar?
Decades ahead of its time, the book is an outright thriller and the only thing that ages it is the rather cold and detached way people deal with the deaths (but would have been so alien to a post-second-world-war population?). Some flee underground, some hide out in America, and a massive majority start an insurgency in parts of London I happen to know are actually quite nice.
The only negative was that the character I massively identified with dies right at the end, highlighting the message of the book; there will be disasters, and humans will make it worse.
Something to think about the next time the coffee pot runs out at work.
Decades ahead of its time, the book is an outright thriller and the only thing that ages it is the rather cold and detached way people deal with the deaths (but would have been so alien to a post-second-world-war population?). Some flee underground, some hide out in America, and a massive majority start an insurgency in parts of London I happen to know are actually quite nice.
The only negative was that the character I massively identified with dies right at the end, highlighting the message of the book; there will be disasters, and humans will make it worse.
Something to think about the next time the coffee pot runs out at work.
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January 6, 2025A rip-roaring speculative thriller. Very much of it's time in parts, though often enough with a satirical bent, and weirdly anti-establishment in ways I wasn't expecting. A strange one to read after the Covid pandemic and pulling out paralells from the narrative.
Our spunky lady heroine was admirable as a scientific career lady, not so totally spineless in regards t0 the men in her life, which was refreshing. And I got the sense that Maine wanted us to be less enamoured of his leading man, or at least find him lacking which was also refreshing in a way. Maine had a nice turn of phrase, particularly when introducing characters, and all in all, I enjoyed this.
Our spunky lady heroine was admirable as a scientific career lady, not so totally spineless in regards t0 the men in her life, which was refreshing. And I got the sense that Maine wanted us to be less enamoured of his leading man, or at least find him lacking which was also refreshing in a way. Maine had a nice turn of phrase, particularly when introducing characters, and all in all, I enjoyed this.
May 18, 2025
This book felt a little close to home. Despite being written in the 20th century it really emulated the early years of the pandemic, when Europe and America were watching everything unfold in Wuhan, especially with the sense of arrogance felt by the public and scientists. I can also see the use of underground bunkers actually happening. Won’t say too much as I don’t want to ruin it but all in all I really liked this book
November 17, 2024
I found this fascinating to read after the Covid pandemic. It predicts so many of the government rules and restrictions that we actually faced, but we didn't go so far as starting a revolution and overthrowing the current political system. I didn't particularly like any of the characters, so I wasn't invested in their fate, but I would definitely class it as a page turner.
March 8, 2022
Originally published 1962, new edition with foreword published 2019 - who knew that I'd be reading it during an actual pandemic! Yes parts are dated, but it's very prescient and the political analysis is still very relevant. Who's to say what we would have done if the death rate had been higher.
April 16, 2025
A deadly virus spreads from China across the world. Borders are closed and draconian measures are taken by governments to slow the spread of the disease.
Due to the extremely high mortality rate (half the infected die) extreme social upheaval occurs and civil war breaks out in the UK.
The story follows a couple (Pauline and Clive) who are arranging a divorce at the beginning of the pandemic, but who by chance end up on opposite sides of the civil war.
None of the characters are particularly likeable or memorable. The prose is sufficient but not exceptional. The communist revolution in the UK seems somehow far-fetched.
However I did quite like the ending, it was the best part of the book for me.
Due to the extremely high mortality rate (half the infected die) extreme social upheaval occurs and civil war breaks out in the UK.
The story follows a couple (Pauline and Clive) who are arranging a divorce at the beginning of the pandemic, but who by chance end up on opposite sides of the civil war.
None of the characters are particularly likeable or memorable. The prose is sufficient but not exceptional. The communist revolution in the UK seems somehow far-fetched.
However I did quite like the ending, it was the best part of the book for me.
June 29, 2018
What a finish!
October 16, 2022
Four stars for the plot – and thanks for the reminder of how fragile human ethics are.
One star for the male protagonists – just 🤢
One star for the male protagonists – just 🤢
May 5, 2023
Carino, scorrevole, ma nulla di più. Secondo me ci sono anche abbastanza buchi di trama, quindi per una lettura leggera va bene, ma nulla di impressionante
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