Lest Darkness Fall by L. Sprague de Camp
"Lest Darkness Fall" is a historical science fiction novel centered around Martin Padway, an archaeologist who, after being struck by lightning in 1938, finds himself transported back to the declining days of ancient Rome. As he navigates a world filled with toga-clad figures speaking in Latin and struggling with the realities of life in a fractious society, Padway leverages his modern knowledge to address both basic survival and complex political challenges. He encounters a Rome under the influence of a lethargic Gothic kingdom, where cultural stagnation threatens the preservation of knowledge.
Throughout the narrative, Padway strives to prevent the impending cultural collapse of the Western world during the Dark Ages. He introduces revolutionary ideas such as the printing press and the concept of the joint-stock company to enhance communication and foster the distribution of literature. As political intrigues unfold, Padway engages with powerful figures, including King Thiudehad and Princess Amalswentha, navigating personal and political conflicts that complicate his mission.
The story intertwines elements of romance, military strategy, and innovation, culminating in Padway's efforts to alter the course of history itself by defeating invading forces and inspiring exploration beyond known horizons. Ultimately, "Lest Darkness Fall" presents a thought-provoking scenario about the interplay of knowledge, power, and the preservation of culture in the face of adversity.
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Lest Darkness Fall
First published: 1941 (serial form, Unknown, 1939)
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Science fiction—time travel
Time of work: c.e. 535 and shortly after
Locale: Rome and various other locations in Italy
The Plot
After being struck by lightning in 1938, Martin Padway, an archaeologist, wakes to the sight of toga-clad figures and conversations held in what sounds like Latin vulgate and Italian. Padway struggles through a series of conflicts that range from such basic problems as surviving day-to-day life in ancient Rome to ones as intricate as playing power politics with two warring kingdoms.
Rome has a diminishing, fractious population and is ruled by a lethargic Gothic kingdom that encourages religious factionalism and discourages innovation. In this world, Padway uses his advanced knowledge as a commodity. He uses his knowledge of Arabic numerals, for example, in order to get a loan from a banker.
As Padway finds ways to prosper, the novel subtly changes focus from survival of the individual to that of the culture. The Dark Ages appear inevitable because learning is contained in a limited number of books in an even more limited number of libraries. As long as manuscripts are reproduced by hand, distribution is limited and costs are high, thereby restricting learning. Padway reasons that his foreknowledge must lead to enhanced communication and the mass distribution of inexpensive literature in the expectation of preventing the Western cultural collapse of the sixth century. As one might expect, therefore, Padway’s most effective inventions are those that make communication more efficient: He invents the printing press, printer’s ink, and suitable newsprint. Padway even introduces the concept of the joint-stock company by selling shares in a semaphore telegraph venture to greedy Roman noblemen.
Padway finds Italy threatened militarily. Upon learning that the Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian has not yet decided to reclaim Gothic Italy for the empire—a real-world event that bankrupted both regions and, in effect, sounded the death knell for the classical age—Padway dedicates himself to defeating the “Roman” invasion. In this pursuit, he gains the attention of the great and the powerful. Once out of the restricted circles of Roman society, Padway finds himself playing political power games in which his technical expertise is of little help.
After Padway ingratiates himself with King Thiudehad, one of the co-rulers of the Gothic state, the time traveler has to placate the little king’s vanity, at one point going as far as ghostwriting an astronomy textbook for him. Amalswentha, an Ostrogothic princess, falls in love with Padway after he saves her from being married against her will. In return, she jealously decides to murder all the women Padway has slept with since arriving in Rome. These problems prove more difficult for Padway to solve than finding the chemical composition of printer’s ink.
Later, while fighting the Byzantines in Italy, Padway makes use of the foreknowledge he has of tactics to defeat Belisaurius, one of the renowned generals of the ancient world, as well as combined invasions by the Lombards, the Franks, and a second Byzantine army. Finally, content that he has prevented the fall of Rome, Padway invents a schooner and begins pointing sailors toward the undiscovered Western Hemisphere.