Book 1: First edition cover
The Eclipse Trilogy is a Cyberpunk book series by John Shirley. It depicts a dystopian future where a new Soviet Union attacks Western Europe. They manage to repel the Soviets, but the war has left Europe in chaos. The U.S. is also in crisis. To restore order, NATO sanctions a private, multinational police force, the Second Alliance Security Corporation, unaware of their objectives for world domination.
Novels in the series
- Eclipse (1985)
- Eclipse Penumbra (1988)
- Eclipse Corona (1990)
Tropes:
- Ambiguous Gender: One famous Minimono star was born male, but had his private parts removed to be more androgynous.
- Badass Israeli: Steinfeld, an ex-Mossad agent that leads the New Resistance.
- Color-Coded for Your Convenience: There's a guy with a colored mohawk, and it's stated that all the colors provide specific information for other people (who know) in-story.
- Crapsack World/Dystopia: World War III has happened, the Religious Right reigns the USA, and the fascists came back to power in Europe.
- Cyberpunk: Has elements of this, with the events involving the Grid and the developed technology, befitting a story written in The '80s).
- Cyberspace: The "grid". Some people treat it as if it was a conscious and possibly friendly entity.
- Enemy Mine:
- Israeli Steinfeld has to make the rich oil sheiks help his cause. He points out that they'll be next if they don't help.
- Also, the New Resistance unites all kinds of people, from Christian Democrats to Communists and Anarchists. And for some reason, many artists.
- Failed Future Forecast: The first book came out in 1985 before the fall of the USSR. Later editions clarify that a new Soviet Union has emerged.
- The Fundamentalist: Preacher "Smiling" Rick Crandall and others, behind the right-wing US government.
- Future Music: This future has the new styles of Flare, Minimono and wiredancers
- The Last DJ: Fading rock star Rick Rickenharp, one of the rebels in the New Resistance.
- Monumental Damage: The Arc de Triomphe in Paris is destroyed by British fascists.
- Newspeak: Public AntiViolence shows - where contestants vie for the right to conduct public executions.
- Non-Human Sidekick: Smoke and his crow.
- Nuclear Option: Doesn't mean The End of the World as We Know It, since the blocks only use tactical nukes. Amsterdam still is devastated.
- Post-Soviet Reunion: The trilogy originally had the Soviet Union invade Western Europe, since it was published before the events that led to the USSR's dissolution. Later books that were made after the event retconned it so that Russia had reformed the Soviet Union.
- Private Military Contractors: The state has yielded its authority to Second Alliance Security Corporation (SA).
- La Résistance: The New Resistance, of course.
- Sexual Karma: At one point, there's a juxtaposition of good and bad characters' sex scenes to make the point. A Dominatrix included.
- Sinister Minister: Televangelist "Smiling" Rick Crandall.
- Space Station: The L5 colony FirStep.
- Subliminal Seduction: The bad guys use this to spread fascist propaganda.
- Surveillance Drone: Used by the SA to spy on any groups larger than a few people.
- Those Wacky Nazis: Fascism makes a big comeback in Europe. In France, the son of Le Pen becomes president. They even plan a new holocaust.
- 20 Minutes into the Future: Set in the early 21st century. The new 2017 edition specifies the year: 2029.
- We Will Use WikiWords in the Future: AntiViolence, FirStep
- World War III: The Soviet Union invades western Europe, but is kicked out later.
