Theremon 762
Theremon 762 is a columnist for the Saro City Chronicle, a man of worldly intelligence and robust skepticism who becomes a central figure in the struggle to interpret and survive the cataclysm of Nightfall. His journey from mocking the scientists' warnings to accepting the necessity of an alliance with the fanatical Apostles of Flame defines the novel's arc of disillusionment and pragmatic survival.
Identity and Background
Theremon is a seasoned journalist in his late thirties or early forties, known for his popular column and his ability to navigate the city's elite circles. He is a regular at the Six Suns Club, where he drinks Tano Specials, and he maintains a close friendship with the young astronomer Beenay 25, whom he met when covering a story on the Apostles of Flame. Theremon is unmarried, with no family he needs to worry about, and he prides himself on his independence and his ability to see through pretense. He is physically robust, tall and sturdy-looking, and he possesses a tough, resilient personality that he has honed through years of reporting.
Arc Through the Plot: From Skeptic to Witness
Theremon's initial role is that of a friendly but incredulous observer. When Beenay confides in him about the orbital anomaly that threatens the Theory of Universal Gravitation, Theremon offers practical advice but remains privately unconvinced. His skepticism hardens into active opposition when he interviews Folimun 66, the public-relations adjutant of the Apostles of Flame, and finds the cult's apocalyptic predictions—the end of the world on Theptar 19—to be absurd. Believing that the scientists' warnings are causing dangerous economic panic, Theremon launches a campaign of ridicule in his column, mocking Athor 77 as a "superannuated crackbrain" and comparing the predicted eclipse to dragons and invisible giants. He sees his role as deflating fear with laughter, but his campaign has the devastating effect of discrediting the scientists' preparedness efforts. On the evening of the eclipse, he is invited to the Observatory by Siferra 89, who wants him to witness the truth. There, he sees Dovim chipped by the encroaching Kalgash Two and is struck by the reality of the event. When the Stars appear, he is overwhelmed, his mind shrinking to a "tiny cold point" as he witnesses the "soul-searing splendor" of thousands of suns. He goes mad, wandering in a daze, and later awakens on a hillside, struggling to remember his own name: "I am Theremon 762 of the Saro City Chronicle."
Key Actions and Objectives
After the catastrophe, Theremon's primary objective is survival. He lives in the forest, subsisting on berries and nuts, and learns to avoid the predatory "crazies" who roam the woods. He has three violent encounters with madmen, including one he nearly drowns, and he is beaten by a group of fire-hating fanatics who confiscate his food. He is rescued by Siferra, who has joined the Fire Patrol, a vigilante group led by Altinol 111 that monopolizes the use of fire. Theremon refuses to join the Patrol, recognizing Altinol as a power-hungry opportunist, and instead convinces Siferra to flee with him to the provisional government at Amgando. Their journey south along the Great Southern Highway is a harrowing trek through a landscape of wrecked cars, corpses, and paranoid border checkpoints. When they learn that the Apostles are marching on Amgando with an army, Theremon devises a desperate plan to steal one of their trucks, but he is captured by Folimun's men.
Relationships and Conflict
Theremon's most significant relationship is with Siferra 89. Initially, she is hostile toward him because of his mocking columns, calling him "irresponsible" and "cruel." However, she invites him to the Observatory on the night of the eclipse, and during their subsequent journey, a deep bond forms. Theremon confesses his love for her, and she eventually reciprocates, though she remains fiercely independent. His friendship with Beenay is strained by his journalistic attacks, but Beenay remains loyal, even helping him escape a Search station. His conflict with Athor is direct and personal; Athor denounces him as an "irresponsible fool" and tries to have him ejected from the Observatory. The central ideological conflict is with Folimun 66, the Apostle who represents the theocratic order that Theremon despises but ultimately comes to see as the only viable path to restoring civilization.
Change and Ending
After an eight-hour conversation with Folimun, Theremon undergoes a radical change. He learns that Mondior 71 is a fictional construct, that Folimun is the real leader, and that the Apostle's goal is not mere destruction but the preservation of knowledge and the establishment of a stable, if authoritarian, world government. Theremon concludes that "there's no other hope" and that joining the Apostles is the only way to heal the world's wounds. He persuades a reluctant Siferra to accept this alliance, telling her, "First fix the world; then hope our descendants will get tired of the mystical fellows in the robes and hoods." In the final scene, under the light of four suns, Siferra agrees to follow Folimun, with the condition that she will not wear the Apostle's robe. Theremon, having shed his identity as a muckraking journalist, becomes a pragmatic collaborator in the new order.
Thematic Significance
Theremon embodies the novel's central theme: the failure of rational skepticism in the face of overwhelming cosmic reality. His well-intentioned mockery, meant to prevent panic, instead contributes to the catastrophe by discrediting the only people who could have mitigated it. His eventual alliance with the Apostles represents a painful compromise between intellectual integrity and the practical necessity of survival. He is a character who learns that some truths are too terrible to be laughed away, and that in a shattered world, the choice is not between good and evil but between different forms of imperfect order.
