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''Nightflyers'' is a science fiction horror
novella A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian ''novella'' meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) facts ...
by American writer
George R. R. Martin George Raymond Richard Martin (born George Raymond Martin; September 20, 1948), also known as GRRM, is an American novelist, screenwriter, television producer and short story writer. He is the author of the series of epic fantasy novels ''A Song ...
, released as a short novella in 1980 and as an expanded novella in 1981. A
short story collection A short story collection is a book of short stories and/or novellas by a single author. A short story collection is distinguished from an anthology of fiction, which would contain work by several authors (e.g., ''Les Soirées de Médan''). The s ...
of the same name was released in 1985 that includes the expanded novella. In 1987, the short novella was adapted into a film by the same name. A 2018
television adaptation An adaptation is a transfer of a work of art from one style, culture or medium to another. Some common examples are: * Film adaptation, a story from another work, adapted into a film (it may be a novel, non-fiction like journalism, autobiography, ...
of the extended novella was developed; television presentation began on December 2, 2018, on the
SyFy Channel Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Launc ...
.


Setting

''Nightflyers'' is set in the distant future. In the distant past, the humans of the Federated Nations of
Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...
discovered the stardrive. The Federated Nations of Earth eventually morphed into the Federal Empire. For a thousand years, humanity waged war with an alien species called the Hrangan, which caused the collapse of the Federal Empire. Humanity is interested in acquiring the advanced interstellar technology of the ''volcryn'', an enigmatic alien species.


Plot summary

A nine-member team of Academy scholars from the planet Avalon led by the astrophysicist Karoly d'Branin are searching for the ''volcryn'', an enigmatic alien species with an advanced interstellar travel technology. The main protagonist is Melantha Jhirl, a dark-skinned genetically engineered human who is a head taller than the other scholars. Due to limited funds, d'Branin has hired the services of the ''Nightflyer'', a modified trader owned by captain Royd Eris. The enigmatic Royd keeps to his own sphere of the ship, preferring to correspond with the passengers via hologram. Royd secretly spies on the passengers using computer monitors. Over the next five weeks, the passengers speculate about the secretive nature of their mysterious captain. The team's telepath Thale Lasamer senses there is something dangerous aboard the ''Nightflyer''. The team's psipsych Agatha Marij-Black drugs Thale with the drug psionine-4 to keep him calm. Things start to take a turn for the worse after the xenotech Alys Northwind accidentally cuts her finger with a kitchen knife. As tensions among the passengers escalate due to the ship's cramped and claustrophobic quarters, captain Royd tells the crew that he is the cross-sex clone of his late trader mother and has lived his entire life in zero gravity space. Not trusting Royd, Agatha gives Thale a drug called esperon and tells him to read Royd's mind. However, a mysterious force causes Thale's head to explode. Agatha goes into shock. Despite growing unrest among the crew, d'Branin still proceeds with the voyage due to his determination to find the ''volcryn''. Later that night, the cyberneticist Lommie Thorne and Alys attempt to hack into the ship's computer systems in an attempt to investigate captain Royd. A mysterious force opens the airlock, killing the two scholars and causing significant damage to the ''Nightflyer''. Despite their mutual distrust, the scholars agree to help Royd make repairs to the ship's damaged structure. The xenobiologist Rojan Christopher attempts to cut his way into captain Royd's quarters with a portable cutting laser but is killed by an unseen force. The linguists Dannel and Lindran go to investigate but are also killed by the mysterious force, which possesses their bodies. Royd informs d'Branin and Melantha that the ship is haunted by the ghost of his late Mother. While d'Branin and Agatha travel in a gravity sled to seek the ''volcryn'', Melantha and Royd attempt to retake the ship from Royd's Mother. d'Branin discovers that the ''volcryn'' are giant space-faring creatures that live in space. Melantha manages to destroy the possessed corpses of Dannel and Lindran in the ship's mass conversion unit. Royd manages to subdue his Mother by restoring the ship's gravity but is killed in the process. He becomes a ghost and manages to take control of the ship from Mother. Due to the danger of the ghostly entities aboard the ship, Melantha decides to spend her remaining days aboard the ''Nightflyer'', rebuffing Royd's pleas to repair the ship. Before she dies, she intends to destroy the central crystal and clear the ship's computers before setting a course to the closest inhabited world. Melantha vows not to leave Royd alone with his dead mother.


Characters

* Melantha Jhirl, a dark-skinned genetically engineered human woman who is a head taller and stronger than her fellow scholars. She was born on the planet Prometheus to two genetic wizards but defected to Avalon. * Karoly d'Branin, administrator, generalist, and mission leader. He is obsessed with contacting the ''volcryn''. * Lommie Thorne, a female cyberneticist in a relationship with Melantha. * Rojan Christopheris, xenobiologist. Christopheris is an argumentative and cynical man who does not get along with the other scholars. * Dannel, a male linguist who is a romantic relationship with Lindran. She belittles Dannel about his professional competence. * Lindran, female linguist and colleague of Dannel. * Agatha Marij-Black, a female psipsych. Agatha is a hypochrondriac who is prone to depression. * Alys Northwind, a female xenotech who wears a jumpsuit and never washes. * Thale Lasamer, a male telepath and the youngest member of the expedition. Thale is a frail, nervous and temperament man, who is afraid of everyone around him but is also prone to fits of arrogance. * Royd Eris, the captain of the ''Nightflyer''. Royd is a 68-year old male cross-sex clone who has lived his entire life in zero-gravity space. Due to the frail nature of his body and lack of an immune system, he prefers to interact with other humans via hologram. He is the son of the enigmatic Mother, a free trader whose ghost haunts the ship. * Mother, a ghost that haunts the ''Nightflyer''. She was a telekinetic who grew up in poverty on the trash world of Vess. As a child, she was tortured for being a telepath and developed a hatred for her fellow humans. She became a successful free trader but isolated herself from other humans. Her ghost inhabits a crystal that controls the ship's computer systems.


Publication history

Originally written in 1980, the 23,000-word novella was published by ''
Analog Science Fiction and Fact ''Analog Science Fiction and Fact'' is an American science fiction magazine published under various titles since 1930. Originally titled ''Astounding Stories of Super-Science'', the first issue was dated January 1930, published by William C ...
''. In 1981, at the request of his editor at the time,
James Frenkel James Raymond Frenkel (born 1948) is an American editor and agent of science fiction, fantasy, mysteries, thrillers, historical fiction, and other books, formerly for Tom Doherty Associates (Tor Books and Forge Books). He has edited numerous pr ...
, Martin expanded the story into a 30,000-word piece, which was published by
Dell Publishing Dell Publishing Company, Inc. is an American publisher of books, magazines and comic books, that was founded in 1921 by George T. Delacorte Jr. with $10,000 (approx. $145,000 in 2021), two employees and one magazine title, ''I Confess'', and ...
together with
Vernor Vinge Vernor Steffen Vinge (; born October 2, 1944) is an American science fiction author and retired professor. He taught mathematics and computer science at San Diego State University. He is the first wide-scale popularizer of the technological singu ...
's ''
True Names ''True Names'' is a 1981 science fiction novella by American writer Vernor Vinge, a seminal work of the cyberpunk genre. It is one of the earliest stories to present a fully fleshed-out concept of cyberspace, which would later be central to cyb ...
'' as part of their Binary Star series. In the extended version, Martin supplied additional backstory on the various characters, and named several secondary characters who were not named in the original version. ''Nightflyers'' is set in the same fictional "Thousand Worlds" universe as several of Martin's other works, including '' Dying of the Light'', '' Sandkings'', ''
A Song for Lya ''A Song for Lya'' is the first collection of stories by science fiction and fantasy writer George R. R. Martin, published as a paperback original by Avon Books in 1976. It was reprinted by different publishers in 1978 and in 2001. The title is s ...
'', "
The Way of Cross and Dragon "The Way of Cross and Dragon" is a science fiction short story by American writer George R. R. Martin. It involves a far-future priest of the One True Interstellar Catholic Church of Earth and the Thousand Worlds (with similarities to the Roman Cat ...
" and the stories collected in ''
Tuf Voyaging ''Tuf Voyaging'' is a 1986 science fiction fix-up novel by American writer George R. R. Martin, first published in hardcover by Baen Books. It is a darkly comic meditation on environmentalism and absolute power. This novel is a collection of rel ...
''. In 1981, ''Nightflyers'' won the
Locus Award The Locus Awards are an annual set of literary awards voted on by readers of the science fiction and fantasy magazine ''Locus'', a monthly magazine based in Oakland, California. The awards are presented at an annual banquet. In addition to the pl ...
for best novella and the ''Analog'' Readers Poll for best novella/novelette, and was nominated for the
Hugo Award for Best Novella The Hugo Award for Best Novella is one of the Hugo Awards given each year for science fiction or fantasy stories published or translated into English during the previous calendar year. The novella award is available for works of fiction of between ...
. The novella was also the recipient of the 1983
Seiun Award The is a Japanese speculative fiction award given each year for the best science fiction works and achievements during the previous calendar year. Organized and overseen by , the awards are given at the annual Nihon SF Taikai, Japan Science Fict ...
in Japan for foreign short fiction.


Collection

The collection is the fifth by Martin and was first published in December 1985. It contains the following stories and novellas: * ''Nightflyers'' * "Override" * "Weekend in a War Zone" * "And Seven Times Never Kill Man" * "Nor the Many-Colored Fires of a Star Ring" * ''
A Song for Lya ''A Song for Lya'' is the first collection of stories by science fiction and fantasy writer George R. R. Martin, published as a paperback original by Avon Books in 1976. It was reprinted by different publishers in 1978 and in 2001. The title is s ...
''


Adaptations


Film

The novel was adapted into a 1987 film by writer/producer
Robert Jaffe Robert Loren Jaffe (born May 23, 1946) is an American physicist and the Jane and Otto Morningstar Professor of Physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He was formerly director of the MIT Center for Theoretical Physics. Biograp ...
. The film is about a group of scientists who begin a space voyage to find a mysterious alien creature, and in the process are victimized by the ship's malevolent computer. It was directed by Robert Collector, using the
pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...
"T. C. Blake" as he left before
post-production Post-production is part of the process of filmmaking, video production, audio production, and photography. Post-production includes all stages of production occurring after principal photography or recording individual program segments. The ...
was completed, and stars
Catherine Mary Stewart Catherine Mary Stewart (; born 22 April 1959) is a Canadian actress. Her film roles include '' The Apple'', ''The Last Starfighter'' and ''Weekend at Bernie's''. She was also the original Kayla Brady in '' Days of our Lives''. Early life Stewar ...
, and
Michael Praed Michael Praed ( ; born 1 April 1960), birth name Michael David Prince, is a British actor and narrator, probably best remembered for his role as Robin of Loxley in the British television series ''Robin of Sherwood'', which attained cult status ...
. According to Martin, writer/producer Robert Jaffe probably adapted his script from the shorter novella version, since all of the secondary characters had different names than the ones he chose in the expanded version. The film grossed $1,149,470.


Television

In 2017, a
pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...
for a possible TV series based on ''Nightflyers'' was being developed by
Syfy Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Lau ...
. The series was based on the 1987 film, with Jaffe serving as one of the producers. The script for the pilot was written by Jeff Buhler. Martin was not involved in the production or writing for the new series, since his contract with
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
contains an exclusivity clause. Jodie Turner-Smith was cast as Melantha Jhirl. Martin expressed his enthusiasm on his journal, and pointed out that her casting more accurately represents the novella's character than the film, which cast a white actress.
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
co-produced the show and holds first-run rights outside of the United States. The series premiered on Syfy in December 2018 and was filmed in
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
. Syfy announced the series was cancelled after a single season in February 2019.


References


External links


Martin on Nightflyers
{{George R. R. Martin 1987 films American novellas Speculative fiction novellas