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Eclipse
"Claudius wanted to be the first man to reach the stars-- and maybe he was. In a stunning psychological horror work, 'Eclipse' unfolds slowly, beginning with Claudius drifting through space after something has gone wrong with his mission. As he stares at the only thing he can see, a tiny rock off in space, he mulls the events that led him here, reflecting on his childhood and the mission-turned-into-murder. Or did things go bad? As 'Eclipse' unfolds, the reader is treated to a twisting, constantly changing landscape created by Claudius' own mind, as version after version of what-might-have-happened pile on. One thing is clear, though: Something has gone wrong, and Claudius may never reach the stars. Or will he?"--Publisher's web site.
150 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 16, 2012
The story itself is a bit tough. Not in the reading part (it's quite easy to read), but the story itself is difficult, and this is why I say it's probably not a book for everyone. For instance, I would never suggest this book to my wife. Why? It deals with child abuse, and that's just a difficult topic for many people to deal with. Mr. Pagel is not graphic or gratuitous with it, though, so it's not an issue from that standpoint. That doesn't change the subject matter, though, so it's probably better to know that going in. And it's not clear that the book deals with child abuse from the blurb on the cover, which makes me also think that I've approached the book from a different perspective than even the author. (When I get around to interviewing Mr. Pagel, I'll see if I can figure that out.)
On the surface, the story is about an astronaut drifting alone in space. However, as you read through the story, it becomes clear that this may or may not be true. And this is why the central story, to me, is about the abuse. In almost all cases of child abuse, there is some sort of break from reality. To the child, there is no abuse. At least, not if it's abuse that has been ever present. It's just a part of life, and the child, or the spouse, can't distinguish the difference between their life and the lives of everyone else. Often, children are suprised, even shocked, to find out that other people don't live the same way. It's why children don't come forward and say, "my parent hits me."
That, really, is all I can say about the story. At some point, Claudius has a break from reality. I know where I believe that break occurred. That is, I know which parts of the story I believe are "fact" and which parts are the fantasies conjured up by Claudius in his need to escape his father. I don't believe everyone will draw the same conclusions I have, and I think that's what Mr. Pagel intended. Heck, maybe he hasn't even decided which parts are "true" and which parts are not. Although, he probably actually does know and just enjoys everyone else guessing and trying to figure it out.
This is, however, another reason the book is probably not for everyone. Most people like their stories all wrapped up in a nice little bow at the end, and this is not a book that will do that for you. It's a story that will linger, and you will find yourself wondering about it at odd moments. In fact, I think it's the kind of story that, if you go back and read it again, you will probably come to completely different conclusions about it than you did the first time, and, I think, this is also something that would make Pagel smile.
Overall, this is a fascinating little story. There's only one scene that I think is forced, and I can't say why, because it might alter your perception of the story, and I think this is one book where the reader needs to go in as tabula rasa as possible. If you can deal with the child abuse, and you can deal with the author leaving you to figure out what's really going on, you should give it a read. My final grade is in the B to B+ range; although, it would have hit, at least, the A- range if not for that one scene. But for $0.99, you really can't lose. It's a quick read. It will suck you in as you try to figure out what's what, and, then, you'll be finished before you realize it and want to know more. Seriously, I just read the book two weeks ago, and I'm already considering going back and reading it again, and I rarely, rarely re-read. So that's saying something.
On the surface, the story is about an astronaut drifting alone in space. However, as you read through the story, it becomes clear that this may or may not be true. And this is why the central story, to me, is about the abuse. In almost all cases of child abuse, there is some sort of break from reality. To the child, there is no abuse. At least, not if it's abuse that has been ever present. It's just a part of life, and the child, or the spouse, can't distinguish the difference between their life and the lives of everyone else. Often, children are suprised, even shocked, to find out that other people don't live the same way. It's why children don't come forward and say, "my parent hits me."
That, really, is all I can say about the story. At some point, Claudius has a break from reality. I know where I believe that break occurred. That is, I know which parts of the story I believe are "fact" and which parts are the fantasies conjured up by Claudius in his need to escape his father. I don't believe everyone will draw the same conclusions I have, and I think that's what Mr. Pagel intended. Heck, maybe he hasn't even decided which parts are "true" and which parts are not. Although, he probably actually does know and just enjoys everyone else guessing and trying to figure it out.
This is, however, another reason the book is probably not for everyone. Most people like their stories all wrapped up in a nice little bow at the end, and this is not a book that will do that for you. It's a story that will linger, and you will find yourself wondering about it at odd moments. In fact, I think it's the kind of story that, if you go back and read it again, you will probably come to completely different conclusions about it than you did the first time, and, I think, this is also something that would make Pagel smile.
Overall, this is a fascinating little story. There's only one scene that I think is forced, and I can't say why, because it might alter your perception of the story, and I think this is one book where the reader needs to go in as tabula rasa as possible. If you can deal with the child abuse, and you can deal with the author leaving you to figure out what's really going on, you should give it a read. My final grade is in the B to B+ range; although, it would have hit, at least, the A- range if not for that one scene. But for $0.99, you really can't lose. It's a quick read. It will suck you in as you try to figure out what's what, and, then, you'll be finished before you realize it and want to know more. Seriously, I just read the book two weeks ago, and I'm already considering going back and reading it again, and I rarely, rarely re-read. So that's saying something.
January 30, 2015
Do you ever read something and at the end think, I have no idea what I just read? Well that just happened to me. What's even funnier to me, is that I loved every moment of not knowing.
Braine Pagel's Eclipse is the story about a man hurtling through space after a failed attempt at slingshotting a vessel around the sun. However, he did not travel back in time to San Francisco, circa 1984. No, instead, this ended in disaster.
Or did it?
The thing is, you start getting these vignettes into his earlier life and what it reveals is compelling, disturbing, and often contradictory. I've thought about this a lot after reading it. And I'm still not sure what to believe about the story. That isn't to say I am unsure what to believe about how I feel about the quality of the tale, but I'm not sure what to believe about what was actually happening within the story-world.
Because I do have a hypothesis, but the more I think about it the more it seems to fall apart. I've never finished a story that I found this disconcerting and still felt like it was this satisfying in the end. If you read, then you'll be sure to enjoy. But don't believe it'll all be tied up in a neat little bow in the end. If you do, you'll be disappointed.
Highly recommended, but put your thinking caps.
Braine Pagel's Eclipse is the story about a man hurtling through space after a failed attempt at slingshotting a vessel around the sun. However, he did not travel back in time to San Francisco, circa 1984. No, instead, this ended in disaster.
Or did it?
The thing is, you start getting these vignettes into his earlier life and what it reveals is compelling, disturbing, and often contradictory. I've thought about this a lot after reading it. And I'm still not sure what to believe about the story. That isn't to say I am unsure what to believe about how I feel about the quality of the tale, but I'm not sure what to believe about what was actually happening within the story-world.
Because I do have a hypothesis, but the more I think about it the more it seems to fall apart. I've never finished a story that I found this disconcerting and still felt like it was this satisfying in the end. If you read, then you'll be sure to enjoy. But don't believe it'll all be tied up in a neat little bow in the end. If you do, you'll be disappointed.
Highly recommended, but put your thinking caps.
September 6, 2011
This book is brilliant. I'm still trying to figure it all out much in the same way that I sit on my couch trying to figure out a David Lynch movie like Mulholland Drive. There is just so much to wrap my head around that it becomes a little mind-boggling.
If my idea is correct, then the title of this book is dead-on. It takes three bodies to create an eclipse and we see this motif of "three" over and over in the novella. I think that the main character, Claudius, ran away from his abusive father one night and got hit by a car.
Because of brain damage, he's in a facility where a doctor treats him for his "craziness". He lives out his life in his mind hoping that someone will reach out to him because he is very alone...drifting through space. And this is the story that Mr. Pagel tells us. He makes us think that the protagonist is an astronaut but I think it's all in the boy's head.
If I am completely wrong about this then I'm completely wrong. But I still enjoyed the read. But yeah...this book is a mind-bender and well written.
If my idea is correct, then the title of this book is dead-on. It takes three bodies to create an eclipse and we see this motif of "three" over and over in the novella. I think that the main character, Claudius, ran away from his abusive father one night and got hit by a car.
Because of brain damage, he's in a facility where a doctor treats him for his "craziness". He lives out his life in his mind hoping that someone will reach out to him because he is very alone...drifting through space. And this is the story that Mr. Pagel tells us. He makes us think that the protagonist is an astronaut but I think it's all in the boy's head.
If I am completely wrong about this then I'm completely wrong. But I still enjoyed the read. But yeah...this book is a mind-bender and well written.
November 25, 2011
Wow, just wow. This short sci-fi/ horror is so different than I have ever read before. You never know what's real or what's not but you just don't care. The writing is terrific and you will think about the story long after you finish. It's one you could read over and over.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews