Eclipse: A Song Called Youth, Book 1

Unlike other cyberpunk authors, John Shirley didn't imagine the nation-state withering away in a global cluster-f*** of corporate rule. Nah. Racism, nationalism, xenophobia, hate -- yeah, they're all alive and sick in his imagined future. "Facism," if you want a handy catch-all label for the sickness. So, what the hell is Facism? Well ... Unlike Marxism, Facism lacks a convenient philosophical treatise. It doesn't need one. Imagine a society run by bullies, mostly white. That's Facism, plain and simple. Shirley imagined a nasty Blackwater-style corporation spawning that nastiness in the ruins of a post-Cold War Europe. Not the cyber-cliche of corporate number-crunchers in it for the money: the bastards in question really believe White People are better. Shirley's fiction detailing the ragtag resistance against these bastards is vivid and filled with characters with blood in their veins. His "Eclipse Trilogy" deserves a place next to Sinclair Lewis' "It Can't Happen Here." Like Lewis, Shirley is saying it can. Keep your head in the game and don't bloody let them.

Shirley hits the ground running on this 1st novel of the series. You have great action, good plot, and some nice twist- all set in a future that looks scary close to the present world what more could you ask for!?! Love all the little details that make up the future - the desolve depression which has recently whipped out key banking info from a EMP burst causing a run on banks and ruining the American economy, to the worship of the Grid (internet), the rise of a new militant Russia who has started conventional warfare to solve its resource issue, and throw into that a new nationalist/fascist movement that is way more powerful than anyone realizes and you have the makings for a great series. Since I am waiting on the 2nd and 3rd book I have no idea if Shirley will carry this thru but all seems to start GREAT! Few critiques- where is China?!? With all heck breaking lose you think a superpower like China would be more involved- maybe he will touch on this in future books or I missed the explanation in this book? Shirley tends to almost write in "cliffnote" fashion giving you just enough brushed in character information to briefly understand many different people in his stories. Sometimes it works sometimes you have to remember who this character is and what their motivations are. But these are minor issues- get these books and have a BLAST! Also check out some of the other Shirley books- his Horror stuff is almost as good :)

Second read through. Rick Rickenharp favorite character. John Shirley's books are soooooooo underrated. Man is a genius. Loved this first entry to a song called youth.

The dystopian future that Shirley created for this series is incredibly deep. Music, speech patterns, media, dugs, and even a unique internet/technology culture are all part of a complete paradigm that shapes the story. The characters are fresh and diverse, and the occasional cheesy situation isn't enough to break the story's believability.The book's antagonistic force, the Second Alliance, is among the details that are harder to digest. The organization is like an onion, where the layers become more and more villainous the deeper you go. All of it's characteristics are based around religious and racist stereotypes, and occasionally the parallels and origins will make you roll your eyes. Once again though, there is so much to explore that it's still very much worth the read.

This book seems to me like a socialist analog of the Turner Diaries. I want cyberpunk, but I don't want an outright political agenda. The story and writing are solid, but I can't ignore that the author seems as interested in obliquely displaying his politics as he is in creating an interesting story.