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Lest Darkness Fall is a 75,000-word novel by L. Sprague De Camp, published in 1941, and based upon his 1939 short story of the same name.

American archaeologist Martin Padwer is exploring the ruins of Rome during the reign of Mussolini, when he falls into a crevasse during a freak thunderstorm. He awakens to find himself in the year 535 A.D., but still in Rome. He recalls the theories of a scientist who believed that travelling into the past created a new historical line, independent of one’s own, so Martin does not worry about preserving the time line or temporal paradoxes.

Spoiler Warning: Plot details and/or information about the ending follow. If you wish to enjoy the work first, stop reading here and return at another time.

To make a living, he first exchanges the coins in his pocket for local currency—enough to last him about a week. He then sets up a still, and converts Roman wine into brandy (distilled spirits were as yet unknown to the ancient world), selling the bottles to Roman taverns. To secure the loan for the distillery, he must prove his worth to the banker by showing the bankers' accountants double column bookkeeping, and arithmetic using Arabic numerals. The distillery is a success, so Martinus Paduei, as he now calls himself, takes out another loan and builds a printing press, complete with movable type, ink, and the best available substitute for paper. He sets up a newspaper, and overcomes opposition from the scribes’ guild by offering to pay them for news stories they bring to him. After this, Martin’s next great business venture is to set up a semaphore telegraph system up and down the Italian peninsula, which he figures will help his newspaper business by providing more news.

All of this business activity drags Martin reluctantly into Gothic politics (the Goths controlled Italy at the time), as there are too many powerful men in Italy who want a cut, or a bribe, or who simply don’t trust these innovations from Mysterious Martin (he tells people he’s from a distant land called America, which has many customs Romans have never seen). Martin further spooks people with his ability to foresee the future. Knowing that the Byzantines, under the Emperor Justinian, are about to invade Italy, and fearing for his business interests, Martin uses his money and knowledge of the future to manipulate the Gothic royal election, and then to help the Goths repel the invading armies.