The Eclipse Trilogy
Series
3
Books
About this ebook series
A former rock star fights a fascist private army in a war-torn future Europe in this “chillingly plausible” and prescient science fiction classic (Kirkus Reviews).
It is 2039, and parts of Europe have been annihilated by tactical nukes and Russian aggression. As the chaos of a third world war rages, the Second Alliance smells an opportunity. They present themselves as a large multinational capable of creating some much-needed order. In reality, they are an organization of racists and theocrats with a very specific idea of “order” in mind—led by an ambitious televangelist, staffed with mercenaries, and harboring a dangerous cult within its ranks.
Using media manipulation and propaganda, they gain power in the United States, in a pioneering space colony, and on an artificial island known as Freezone. But the New Resistance recognizes the SA for what it really is. And Rick Rickenharp—a once-famous guitarist hanging around the underground clubs—is about to play an unexpected role in their cause . . .
Originally published in 1985 and updated by the author in 2012, Eclipse is the first book in an extraordinary trilogy by a visionary science fiction talent.
“Spiky prose [hooks] the reader’s attention . . . a Goya-esque vision of war-torn western Europe, bombed out and unstable . . . from a resurgence of Russian militarism and the collapse of NATO.” —Publishers Weekly
“[John Shirley is] cyberpunk’s Patient Zero.” —William Gibson
It is 2039, and parts of Europe have been annihilated by tactical nukes and Russian aggression. As the chaos of a third world war rages, the Second Alliance smells an opportunity. They present themselves as a large multinational capable of creating some much-needed order. In reality, they are an organization of racists and theocrats with a very specific idea of “order” in mind—led by an ambitious televangelist, staffed with mercenaries, and harboring a dangerous cult within its ranks.
Using media manipulation and propaganda, they gain power in the United States, in a pioneering space colony, and on an artificial island known as Freezone. But the New Resistance recognizes the SA for what it really is. And Rick Rickenharp—a once-famous guitarist hanging around the underground clubs—is about to play an unexpected role in their cause . . .
Originally published in 1985 and updated by the author in 2012, Eclipse is the first book in an extraordinary trilogy by a visionary science fiction talent.
“Spiky prose [hooks] the reader’s attention . . . a Goya-esque vision of war-torn western Europe, bombed out and unstable . . . from a resurgence of Russian militarism and the collapse of NATO.” —Publishers Weekly
“[John Shirley is] cyberpunk’s Patient Zero.” —William Gibson
Eclipse
Book 1 · Jul 2024
A former rock star fights a fascist private army in a war-torn future Europe in this “chillingly plausible” and prescient science fiction classic (Kirkus Reviews).
It is 2039, and parts of Europe have been annihilated by tactical nukes and Russian aggression. As the chaos of a third world war rages, the Second Alliance smells an opportunity. They present themselves as a large multinational capable of creating some much-needed order. In reality, they are an organization of racists and theocrats with a very specific idea of “order” in mind—led by an ambitious televangelist, staffed with mercenaries, and harboring a dangerous cult within its ranks.
Using media manipulation and propaganda, they gain power in the United States, in a pioneering space colony, and on an artificial island known as Freezone. But the New Resistance recognizes the SA for what it really is. And Rick Rickenharp—a once-famous guitarist hanging around the underground clubs—is about to play an unexpected role in their cause . . .
Originally published in 1985 and updated by the author in 2012, Eclipse is the first book in an extraordinary trilogy by a visionary science fiction talent.
“Spiky prose [hooks] the reader’s attention . . . a Goya-esque vision of war-torn western Europe, bombed out and unstable . . . from a resurgence of Russian militarism and the collapse of NATO.” —Publishers Weekly
“[John Shirley is] cyberpunk’s Patient Zero.” —William Gibson
It is 2039, and parts of Europe have been annihilated by tactical nukes and Russian aggression. As the chaos of a third world war rages, the Second Alliance smells an opportunity. They present themselves as a large multinational capable of creating some much-needed order. In reality, they are an organization of racists and theocrats with a very specific idea of “order” in mind—led by an ambitious televangelist, staffed with mercenaries, and harboring a dangerous cult within its ranks.
Using media manipulation and propaganda, they gain power in the United States, in a pioneering space colony, and on an artificial island known as Freezone. But the New Resistance recognizes the SA for what it really is. And Rick Rickenharp—a once-famous guitarist hanging around the underground clubs—is about to play an unexpected role in their cause . . .
Originally published in 1985 and updated by the author in 2012, Eclipse is the first book in an extraordinary trilogy by a visionary science fiction talent.
“Spiky prose [hooks] the reader’s attention . . . a Goya-esque vision of war-torn western Europe, bombed out and unstable . . . from a resurgence of Russian militarism and the collapse of NATO.” —Publishers Weekly
“[John Shirley is] cyberpunk’s Patient Zero.” —William Gibson
Eclipse: Penumbra
Book 2 · Jul 2024
The second volume in the trilogy—“a complex, bizarre, and unique vision of the near future with a kaleidoscopic mix of politics, pop, and paranoia” (Bruce Sterling, author of The Hacker Crackdown).
World War Three continues. A nuclear strike has laid waste to much of Europe. And the fascists and fundamentalists of the Second Alliance are diligently working on Project Total Eclipse—a nightmare scenario that seeks to establish the SA’s control over a much wider territory through a takeover of the first orbiting space colony in human history.
And they are running out of patience with the New Resistance—technologically skilled guerillas who are the only ones standing in the way of their grand plans for apartheid and world domination . . .
This extraordinary trilogy, which anticipated such phenomena as surveillance drones and the rising threat of right-wing authoritarianism, is a riveting saga of out-of-control corporate power, a near-future world riven by rage and fear, and the need for individuals to stand up and fight back if they want to hold on to their freedom.
“Vivid, dense, powerful imagery . . . hard to put down.” —The Washington Post
World War Three continues. A nuclear strike has laid waste to much of Europe. And the fascists and fundamentalists of the Second Alliance are diligently working on Project Total Eclipse—a nightmare scenario that seeks to establish the SA’s control over a much wider territory through a takeover of the first orbiting space colony in human history.
And they are running out of patience with the New Resistance—technologically skilled guerillas who are the only ones standing in the way of their grand plans for apartheid and world domination . . .
This extraordinary trilogy, which anticipated such phenomena as surveillance drones and the rising threat of right-wing authoritarianism, is a riveting saga of out-of-control corporate power, a near-future world riven by rage and fear, and the need for individuals to stand up and fight back if they want to hold on to their freedom.
“Vivid, dense, powerful imagery . . . hard to put down.” —The Washington Post
Eclipse: Corona
Book 3 · Jul 2024
The conclusion of the visionary cyberpunk saga by “one of SF’s most singular talents”—a portrait of a near-future battle against a new totalitarianism (William Gibson, New York Times–bestselling author of The Peripheral).
America has finally turned against the fascist Second Alliance—but Europe remains in the crosshairs of the multinational corporation’s terrifying genocidal plans. Their masterful use of media and technology to spread their hateful propaganda has positioned them to begin their final assault with little resistance—except from a band of warriors prepared to fight back from the keyboards to the killing fields.
Now a new, fragile alliance is forming between two historically bitter enemies as Israeli and Muslim guerillas band together to defeat a common enemy—and save humanity from the darkness . . .
“[An] apocalyptic, pop-inflected, rock-driven vision.” —William Gibson
“John Shirley’s prophet-in-the-cyberwilderness voice deserves high billing among the best.” —Roger Zelazny, Nebula Award–winning author of Nine Princes in Amber
America has finally turned against the fascist Second Alliance—but Europe remains in the crosshairs of the multinational corporation’s terrifying genocidal plans. Their masterful use of media and technology to spread their hateful propaganda has positioned them to begin their final assault with little resistance—except from a band of warriors prepared to fight back from the keyboards to the killing fields.
Now a new, fragile alliance is forming between two historically bitter enemies as Israeli and Muslim guerillas band together to defeat a common enemy—and save humanity from the darkness . . .
“[An] apocalyptic, pop-inflected, rock-driven vision.” —William Gibson
“John Shirley’s prophet-in-the-cyberwilderness voice deserves high billing among the best.” —Roger Zelazny, Nebula Award–winning author of Nine Princes in Amber