Dark Universe by Daniel F. Galouye
"Dark Universe" is a novel by Daniel F. Galouye, renowned for its exploration of themes surrounding light and darkness. The story follows Jared Fenton, a young man from a primitive society that lives entirely in darkness, where light is revered as a mythical deity. Jared's community is threatened by the zivvers, a group of underground humans who have adapted to see in the infrared spectrum, and by mysterious "monsters" that utilize light, instilling fear among Jared's people. As the son of the tribe's leader, Jared faces pressure to marry Della, the niece of a rival tribe's leader, in a bid to unite against the zivvers.
However, their relationship evolves as Della believes Jared may also have zivver abilities due to his remarkable talent for sensing vibrations. Together, they escape to seek answers about light and their origins, only to become outcasts from both their societies. Jared ultimately discovers that the monsters are descendants of those who survived in underground shelters, and he learns the truth about the world above. The novel tackles complex themes of survival, identity, and the pursuit of knowledge in a world steeped in darkness and fear.
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Dark Universe
First published: 1961
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Science fiction—post-holocaust
Time of work: An indeterminate time in the future
Locale: Below and on the surface of Earth
The Plot
Dark Universe was the first—and most popular novel—of New Orleans journalist Daniel F. Galouye, although he had been publishing magazine stories since 1952. It was nominated for a Hugo Award.
The story is seen—or, rather, heard—by young Jared Fenton, whose primitive people live in total darkness and think of Light as a dimly remembered religious deity. They are preyed on by zivvers, other underground humans whose eyes have adapted to provide limited sight in the infrared spectrum, and “monsters” that inspire fear because they cause people to disappear and because they use light, which is alien to Jared’s people.
Jared is the son of his tribe’s ruler, the Prime Survivor. He is pressured into an arranged marriage (or “unification”) with Della, the niece of another tribe’s leader, to unite the tribes against the zivvers. Della has developed the zivver ability and, because Jared is exceptionally gifted at sensing people or objects by vibrations from sound echoes, believes he is secretly a zivver also. She persuades him to flee with her to the zivver group, which Jared has been seeking for his own reasons: He believes that Light is a natural phenomenon and that he might learn its nature through the zivvers.
Eventually, the young couple become outcasts and fugitives from both groups. Jared’s people also decide that he is a zivver and therefore an enemy. The zivvers test him and discover that he is not one of them. He and Della fall into the hands of the monsters, who are revealed to be descendants of survivors from underground shelters who are now reinhabiting Earth’s surface, which has purified itself. The two tribes and the zivvers from Jared’s underground world had also sprung from a survival group, but something had gone wrong in their complex. They had lost their artificial light and, gradually, all knowledge of their origins. The monsters had been kidnapping them, a few at a time, and reeducating them.
Still not fully understanding or accepting the explanation, Jared escapes and makes his way to the surface. He realizes the truth of what he has been told and looks forward to a new life in a new world with Della.