Cobbler's Child - Reviews - Eclipse Penumbra

John Shirley (2000)

From the man who was writing Cyberpunk while William Gibson was still in diapers, book 2 in the Eclipse series of a near future gone stunningly wrong. Europe is under the control of a fascist police force hired by Nato to protect it from the 'New Soviets'. Jack Stone is a member of the resistance, fighting to free Europe in general and the space colony in particular while avoiding total nuclear catastrophe.

Book 1 had a stunning ending which I expect to show up in cinema soon. Book 2 comes with an inscription stating that it has been substantially updated since its original, 1988, incarnation, and certainly a number of details show the truth of that. I'm eager to see if the ending can live up to Book 1's heavy metal finale.

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29 August 2003 - 5 September 2003

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