The classic novel of the London Blitz, DARKNESS FALLS FROM THE AIR captures the chaos, absurdity and ultimately the tragedy of life during the bombardment.

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Bill Sarratt is a civil servant working on the war effort. Thwarted at every turn by bureaucracy and the vested interests of big business, the seemingly unflappable Bill is also on the verge of losing his wife Marcia to a literary poseur named Stephen. As the bombs continue to fall, Bill must decide whether he his willing to compromise his principles and prevent his life from crumbling before his very eyes.

About the Author
Nigel Balchin was born in 1908 and graduated in Natural Science from Cambridge University. During the Second World War he worked as a psychologist in the personnel section of the British War Office, before becoming Deputy Scientific Advisor to the Army Council. He wrote numerous books, including How to Run a Bassoon Factory (under the pseudonym Mark Spade), and Darkness Falls from the Air. He died in 1970.

Reviews
One of the hopes of British novel-writing . . . A writer of genius -- John Betjeman
The missing writer of the Forties . . . Balchin's professional skill gives a meaning to brilliance which the word doesn't usually possess -- Clive James * NEW REVIEW *
[An] inexplicably neglected author * THE TIMES *
Balchin writes about timeless things, the places in the heart -- Ruth Rendell * SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *
Balchin has been absurdly overlooked for too long -- Julian Fellowes
I'd place him up there with Graham Greene -- Philippa Gregory
Darkness Falls from the Air [has] the most perfect ending of any story I've ever read -- Patrick McGrath
A remarkable storyteller * DAILY MAIL *
A brilliant novelist . . . A writer of real skill * NEW STATESMAN *
He tells a story gloriously * DAILY TELEGRAPH *
Balchin has the rare magnetic power that draws the human eye from one sentence to the next * EVENING STANDARD *
Probably no other novelist of Mr. Balchin's value is so eminently and enjoyably readable . . . [He] never lets the reader down -- Elizabeth Bowen * TATLER *
Balchin has done so much to raise the standard of the popular novel * TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT *
A superb storyteller * SUNDAY TIMES *
Balchin can tell an exciting story as well as any novelist alive * SUNDAY CHRONICLE *
The novelist of men at work * GUARDIAN *
Mr. Balchin is a writer of such considerable and varied gifts . . . He is certainly one of the most intelligent novelists * TIME AND TIDE *
He can always be relied on to give us the set-up magnificently * BBC *
A little masterpiece like Nigel Balchin's The Small Back Room speaks to our own time, but with so much literary experience behind it -- Shirley Hazzard
One of the best writers, and certainly one of the best stylists, to come out of the war years -- Michael Powell
Perhaps the most successful British author to emerge during the war * SATURDAY EVENING POST *



Book Information
ISBN 9781474601184
Author Nigel Balchin
Format Paperback
Page Count 224
Imprint Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Publisher Orion Publishing Co
Weight(grams) 201g
Dimensions(mm) 196mm * 128mm * 20mm