Lest Darkness Fall - Plot Summary

Plot Summary

Lest Darkness Fall is written along lines similar to those of Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. American archaeologist Martin Padway is visiting the Pantheon in Rome in 1938. A thunderstorm arrives, lightning cracks, and he finds himself transported to 6th century Rome (535).

The period Padway arrives in is a rather obscure one: Italy was ruled by the Ostrogoths, who had recently overthrown the Western Roman Empire, but were (in de Camp's opinion anyway) ruling relatively benevolently, e.g. allowing freedom of religion, and maintaining the urban Roman society which they conquered essentially unchanged.

In real history, shortly after this the Byzantine or Eastern Roman Empire temporarily expanded westwards, embarking on what came to be known as the Gothic War (535–554). They overthrew the Ostrogoths in Italy and the Vandals in north Africa, but they never consolidated their rule over Italy, and it collapsed into various small states with further invasions by the Lombards. The war was highly devastating to the Italian urbanized society that was supported by a settled hinterland, and by the end of the conflict Italy was devastated and considerably depopulated: the Italian population is estimated to have decreased from 7 million to 2.5 million. The great cities of Rome and her allies were abandoned as Italy fell into a long period of decline. There are some grounds for historians to consider this – rather than the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the previous century – as the true beginning of the Dark Ages.

Padway begins his adventures confused, wondering if he is dreaming or delusional. Quickly, he accepts his fate and sets out to survive. At first, Padway hits upon the idea of making a copper still and selling brandy for a living. He convinces a banker, Thomasus the Syrian, to lend him money to start his endeavor, partially by teaching his clerks Arabic numerals and double entry bookkeeping.

Padway moves on to develop a printing press, issue newspapers, and build a sketchy semaphore telegraph system. His efforts to produce a mechanical clock, gunpowder, and a cannon are failures. Despite his technological and academic bent he becomes more and more involved in the politics of the state, as Italy is invaded by the Imperials and also threatened from the south and east.

Padway rescues the recently deposed Thiudahad and becomes his quaestor. He uses the king's support to gather forces to defeat the Imperial general Belisarius – no mean feat, for somebody who never fought in any war against one of history's most well-known military talents, but Padway did manage to completely surprise Belisarius with tactics never used in the ancient world. Then, deceiving the Dalmatian army, he re-enthrones the largely senile Thiudahad and imprisons King Wittigis as a hostage. In 537, when Wittigis is killed and Thiudahad reduced to madness, Padway has a protégé of his married to Mathaswentha and then created king of the Ostrogoths. He also tricks Justinian I into releasing Belisarius from his oath of allegiance and quickly enlists the military genius to command an army against the Franks.

The landing of an Imperial army at Vibo and a rebellion led by the son of Thiudahad threaten the Ostrogothic kingdom and the Ostrogoth army is destroyed at Crathis Valley. Padway assembles a new force, distributes an "emancipation proclamation" to the Italian serfs, and recalls Belisarius. The armies clash near Calatia and then Benevento. Despite the lethal indiscipline of his Gothic forces, some simple tactical tricks and the nick-of-time arrival of Belisarius secure Padway's victory.

At the end of the novel Padway has stabilised the Italo-Gothic kingdom, introduced a constitution, arranged the end of serfdom, liberated the Burgunds, is having boats built for an Atlantic expedition (Padway wants tobacco), and has entered negotiations with the Visigothic kingdom in the Iberian peninsula.

Europe will not experience the Dark Ages due to Padway's actions; darkness will not fall.