The Night Land by William Hope Hodgson
"The Night Land" is a unique and imaginative novel set in a distant future where humanity clings to survival in the Great Redoubt, a vast protective structure amid a world shrouded in eternal darkness following the sun's demise. The narrative begins with a young squire in Kent, whose life takes a tragic turn upon the death of his wife, Mirdath, during childbirth. This loss propels him into a dream state where he connects with a youth living millions of years later in the Great Redoubt, the last bastion of humanity.
The novel is rich in its depiction of an alien landscape filled with bizarre creatures and haunting imagery, often described in a biblical manner. The protagonist embarks on a perilous quest to rescue Naani, a reincarnation of his deceased wife, who resides in the failing Lesser Redoubt. Armed only with a "diskos" that harnesses the power of the dying Earth Current, he navigates the treacherous terrain and faces numerous menacing threats.
Ultimately, while the quest sees some success as he rescues Naani, the story underscores the precariousness of human existence, reliant on the dwindling energies of the Earth Current. The novel's depth and vision invite readers to explore themes of love, loss, and survival against overwhelming odds.
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The Night Land
First published: 1912
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Science fiction—apocalypse
Time of work: Millions of years in the future
Locale: Earth
The Plot
Although the plot of The Night Land can be described easily, its depth and vision are impossible to convey. The book opens in the English county of Kent, where a young squire has happily wooed and married Mirdath. Mirdath dies in childbirth. Alone and depressed, the narrator enters a dream state and tunes into the consciousness of a youth living millions of years in the future. Thereafter the narrative shifts to the perspective of this youth, who lives in the Great Redoubt, a vast pyramid protected by an Electric Circle drawn from the dying Earth Current. The Great Redoubt is the last refuge of humanity on a world where the sun has died and the land of eternal night is haunted by the most bizarre creatures ever imagined. The landscape and its monsters are described with almost biblical imagery. The House of Silence, for example, contains “many lights and no sounds,” and the Watching Thing of the south, “a living hill of watchfulness,” had first appeared a million years ago, yet “in no one year could a man perceive that it had moved.”
Occupants of the Great Redoubt believe that long ago there had been another Redoubt, far away, but none knew of its fate. The narrator receives a telepathic cry for help from Naani, a reincarnation of Mirdath who lives in the Lesser Redoubt, which is rapidly failing. First attempts to reach it meet with immediate failure, so the youth sets out alone. It is his quest across the Night Land that is the story of this 200,000-word novel.
The narrator’s only weapon is a “diskos,” which draws its power from the Earth Current. He finds his way across the alien landscape almost solely by telepathy, surviving attacks from a frightening array of menaces. Even though these soon become a catalog, their sheer invention sustains the reader’s fascination. When the narrator eventually reaches the second Redoubt, he finds it virtually destroyed. The evil forces of the Night Land have controlled the occupants’ minds and forced an entry. Naani is one of the few survivors. The narrator rescues her, and together they make the perilous return to the Great Redoubt. As they are about to reach safety, Naani is killed, but the narrator is able to revive her using the Earth Current. Although the quest is successful, the reader is left in no doubt that humanity’s existence is limited, supported only by the fading Earth Current.