The first third and the final third are all Silverberg - but within Asimov's guidelines, and with Asimov's approval/veto.Īs for the other two Asimov/Silverberg collaborations, 'Child of Time' ('The Ugly Little Boy') and 'The Positronic Man' ('The Bicentennial Man'), we know that Asimov saw Silverberg's original outline for one of them:īob has already outlined his version of "The Ugly Little Boy." I have seen that outline and approve it heartily.Īsimov's autobiography ends in 1990, and he died in April 1992.
In short, the central third of the novel is essentially all Asimov's work: it's his original short story with only some very minor changes. He remained absolutely faithful to the original story and I had very little to argue with. Bob did a wonderful job and I could almost believe I had written the whole thing myself. Despite everything, I had fearfully anticipated receiving something I couldn't endure When I said "Delete!" it would be deleted, and when I said "Change!" it would be changed.Įventually, I received the extended "Nightfall" manuscript from Bob. I explained to Bob that I didn't want gratuitous sex, unnecessary violence, or vulgar language in the novel, and he agreed to that, indicating that he would be satisfied to let me have the final word on any matters under dispute. Marty said that we could always arrange for me to have full approval of the final novel and even make changes if I felt it necessary.
why not find someone who would take my story "Nightfall," now forty-seven years old, keep the story essentially as written, but add a detailed beginning and a detailed ending to it. To quote Isaac Asimov himself from the chapter entitled 'Robert Silverberg' in his autobiography, 'I, Asimov':
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