AGAINST THE FALL OF NIGHT is one of Arthur C Clarc's earliest
extended works of fiction.
Set in the very far future, it tells the story of a young man, Alvin,
the only child to be born in the enclosed city of Diaspar for many
centuries.
Dissatisfied with the stasis of Utopian life in the city, Alvin
discovers that Diaspar is not, as its inhabitants believe, the only
city left on earth to turned to desert.
There is another city, Lys, who's people have remained close to
nature.
For Alvin, this discovery, is the first step in a journey that will
take him to the stars - and to the truth about the universe.
In Benford's sequel, Alvin's discovers lead to a renaissance; man is
reclaiming the Earth and even recreating earlier species of humanity.
But along with creativity, evil has returned to the Earth.