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Type of bind: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN num: 9780805087727
ISBN number: 0805087729
Label: Henry Holt and Co.
Manufacturer: Henry Holt and Co.
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 384
Printing Date: January 06, 2009
Publishing house: Henry Holt and Co.
Release Date: January 06, 2009
Sale Popularity Level: 15397
Studio: Henry Holt and Co.
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Product Description:
The spellbinding story of an American lawyer who takes on a nearly impossible case—the defense of an African freedom fighter against his corrupt government’s charge of murder
Damon Pierce’s life has just reached a defining moment: a gifted California lawyer, he’s being divorced by his wife and his work often seems soulless. Then he receives a frantic e-mail from Marissa Brand Okari—a woman he loved years ago—and decides to risk everything to respond to her plea for help.
Marissa’s husband, Bobby Okari, is the charismatic leader of a freedom movement in the volatile west African nation of Luandia, which is being torn apart by the world’s craving for its vast supply of oil. Bobby’s outspoken opposition to the exploitation of his homeland by PetroGlobal—a giant American oil company with close ties to Luandia’s brutal government—has enraged General Savior Karama, the country’s autocratic ruler. After Bobby leads a protest rally during a full eclipse of the sun, everyone in his home village is massacred by government troops. And now Bobby has been arrested and charged with the murder of three PetroGlobal workers. Still drawn to Marissa, Pierce agrees to defend Bobby, hoping to save both Bobby and Marissa from almost certain death. But the lethal politics of Luandia may cost Pierce his life instead.
Culminating in a dramatic show trial and a desperate race against time, Eclipse combines a thrilling narrative with a vivid look at the human cost of the global lust for oil. Here is Richard North Patterson at his compelling best, confirming his place as our most provocative author of popular fiction.
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Rated by buyers 
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Although decidedly not a fan of popular or genre fiction, I selected this as a vine product for review because of the alluring storyline. Non-violent political activist and charismatic leader in poverty-stricken West African country vs corrupt political and military factions and big American oil. I expected platitudes, pandering and snap-crackle-pop odious, one-note writing. I did not expect to enjoy and respect this book like I did.
Patterson is a facile writer who cares also about the symmetry of language, the subtle nuances of texture and sound that deepen the pleasure of a reader's experience. He is obviously capable of plunging deeper into linguistic waters but keeps Eclipse tethered to a plot-driven narrative. I saw hints of an author who may one day write a character-driven novel or a novel of ideas.
The spark for this story lies in real events that occurred fifteen years ago in the Niger Delta. Patterson traveled to Nigeria as part of the story's research and encountered violence and barriers in the Niger delta that prevented him from visiting that region. In the afterword, Patterson discusses the research that fueled this story, which takes place in the fictional country of Luandia, in the delta region of Goro.
I almost wince when I say these words, but I will say them, anyway--this is an important book. This was not merely escape fiction. Yes, it keeps the pages turning and the nails bitten to the quick. But it also illuminates well the complex geopolitical forces that transpire in third-world oil-bearing regions. Although Patterson's characters were proscribed and controlled, the labyrinthine quagmire of "diplomatic" relations and snarls created conflict, ambiguity, and narrative suspense. Without being didactic, the book teaches you what goes on in these regions through the events of the story.
Bobby Okari, his wife, Marissa, and the lawyer, Damon Pierce--they will not surprise you. Patterson did not elevate them to three-dimensional characters. Normally, that is a reason for me not to read a book. However, the characters were not just a pawn for the plot. Patterson handles his narrative with care, and he does love his characters. They are thick within their thinness, if that makes any sense. I did feel their conflicts, and they were sensuous and vivid.
As popular fiction goes, I have little to compare it to. But as a singular book, it provoked and moved me. Hopefully, it will bring attention to a stricken Nigeria, as well as other regions suffering in the belly of the oil beast.
Rated by buyers -
Eclipse continues the Richard North Patterson tradition of finding a way to write a thriller based on a lawyer's life. Not just courtroom drama, but lawyers out in the world of adventure. As a lawyer, it's nice to imagine that someone somewhere with a legal degree might be living a wild life.
But even Patterson has trouble making a courtroom battle hold any drama in a modern-day tale loosely based on Ken Saro-Wiwa's execution in the Nigeria of 15 years ago. The courtroom scenes are arcane legal maneuvers that affect nothing. And they reveal little of the plot. Hard to say that Patterson gains anything by having his hero in this one be a lawyer.
Patterson sets his story in Luandia, which he notes in an afterward is just a thinly veiled disguise for Nigeria. An odd thing to do. Patterson's stated reason for using the name Luandia rather than Nigeria is to avoid offense due to his limited understanding of Nigeria. Nobody is fooled by the false name. This book is about Nigeria, no question.
But Patterson's choice is oddly appropriate. For Eclipse is not about the real world. While not as far out as the world of Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt, the events that unfold in Patterson's Luandia would never happen in real life. Characters are one dimensional. Events seem staged. Patterson forces the story to make his points, rather than let the points he wants to make unfold naturally from the story.
Another problem with Patterson is the confusing web of words you need to fight through to get to the story. The book I read before Eclipse was a Robert B. Parker novel. Comparing Parker to Patterson is a real contrast in style. Although Patterson will never do as much with as few words as Parker, Eclipse would have read better if it was about half as long.
All that being said, Eclipse tells the sad story of Nigeria and oil that few have heard. Patterson mixes some information into the story (although not a whole lot -- he barely mentions the clashes between Muslims and Christians that have long plagued Nigeria and have flared up recently). The book teaches without the reader noticing. That's good. Problems like the tragedy of Nigeria get little attention from Western writers and readers.
That Patterson, with the wide reading audience he can command, chose to focus on this tragedy may help the world help Nigerians. And they do need help.
Rated by buyers 
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I love Richard North Patterson's books. This one isn't one of his best though. It's just average. It reminded me a lot of Exile. Eclipse is about an African that is speaking out against his country's human rights issues and the oil that drives it. He is married to an American woman that had went to law school with Damon Pierce, an international affairs lawyer. She calls Damon when her husband is arrested for murder. The book just goes from there. It's a quick read and is only a little over 330 pages. It has some twists in it but they aren't fastastic. They are actually pretty predictable. If I didn't know better, I would wonder if Richard North Patterson actually wrote this book. It's not as detailed as his other books are and the characters aren't richly woven. The characters are very shallow and the reader doesn't get a true feel for who or what they are. I wouldn't recommend this to Patterson fans. I think they will be disappointed. However, if you are looking for a very quick and interesting read then pick it up on the bargain table or in paperback...you might like it.
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