The novel “Total Eclipse” by John Brunner was published for the first time in 1974.
In 2020, in the Sigma Draconis system, the remains are discovered of an ancient civilization that had built a colossal telescope in a crater on the third planet’s moon. There’s only one interstellar spaceship and traveling from Earth is extremely expensive, but a scientific expedition starts studying the remains and the mystery of the disappearance of the native civilization.
In 2028, Ian Macauley arrives on the planet Sigma Draconis III to become part of the scientific expedition, which hasn’t yet found the reason for the extinction of the natives. However, the priority for the scientists becomes to bring General José Maria Ordoňez-Vico on their side, as he was sent to verify that the remains weren’t created by humans and if there’s something among them that can be used as a weapon.
“Total Eclipse” is set in a 2028 that is in some ways incredibly far away when you think about the novel’s interstellar space travel and, at the same time, very close when you think about the current situation of humanity. There’s a foundation of xenoarchaeology, as there are the remains of an ancient alien civilization but there are many ramifications that concern the attempts to understand the aliens and also what’s happening on Earth.
In the initial part, human problems are the ones in the spotlight. The interstellar spaceship was built thanks to an international effort, but the problems that afflict humanity are far from being solved. Among them, there are what today we would call conspiracy theories that fuel the suspicion that the alien remains are fake, created by humans.
The majority of the novel, however, concerns the attempts of the scientists on the planet Sigma Draconis III to reconstruct the alien documents. The natives are truly alien not only because of their non-humanoid physical form but also, and perhaps above all, because of their sensory differences. They had the ability to perceive magnetic fields, and this was an important element in their culture.
The Draconians are truly alien to humans and Ian Macauley must make an extreme attempt to identify with one of them. Trying to understand how a Draconian thought is the key to reconstructing their culture and identifying the cause of their extinction. For the readers who appreciate speculations regarding alien civilizations very different from the human one, this is the most fascinating and intriguing part of the novel.
Readers looking for action would frankly be better off not trying to read “Total Eclipse” because it’s a deeply intellectual novel On the contrary, readers who are interested in speculations about an alien species with a psychological dig that has ramifications for humanity will be very satisfied with this novel.
Reading this novel can be a problem for readers who are depressed or in any case with a tendency to depression because the total eclipse of the title concerns the extinction of civilizations and not necessarily only the Draconian civilization. Despite the enormous differences existing between humans and Draconians, John Brunner draws a parallel between the extinction of the aliens and a possible crisis that could hit humanity.
John Brunner is an author who, in various types of story, showed in ways that were sometimes brutal certain human flaws and their possible consequences, even catastrophic. He did it in “Total Eclipse” even if it’s set very far from Earth. I feel like saying that in 2028, we will not see interstellar travel, but for the rest, the situation of humanity described by the author is realistic in a sinister way. Also for this reason, I recommend reading it. It’s available on Amazon USA, UK, and Canada.
