Total Eclipse by John Brunner

A thousand centuries after the fact, is it possible to determine what led
to a technologically advanced alien species total extinction?

https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/riddle-me-this
--
My reviews can be found at http://jamesdavisnicoll.com/
My tor pieces at https://www.tor.com/author/james-davis-nicoll/
My Dreamwidth at https://james-davis-nicoll.dreamwidth.org/
My patreon is at https://www.patreon.com/jamesdnicoll

On Tue, 27 Feb 2024 14:28:59 -0000 (UTC), jdnicoll@panix.com (James
Nicoll) wrote:

>Total Eclipse by John Brunner

>A thousand centuries after the fact, is it possible to determine what led
>to a technologically advanced alien species total extinction?

It's interesting that, although it is fundamentally a different novel,
he chose to re-use so much of the basic setting elements from
Bedlam Planet.

The premise itself, before reading the short plot description in
your review makes me think: yes, before pillaging all their
sweet technology, it would be a good idea to find out what
drove them to extinction so as to avoid copying their doom by
accident.

The plot description, of course, shows matters are even more
complicated by a political situation on Earth that seems to be
heading the planet towards doom without alien help - and which
means that political authorities are going to be reluctant to
accept that the scientists haven't found alien technology that
will fix everything.

Given the problems of the times we live in now, it seems excusable
for cukrrent SF authors to create works of similarly dark tone,
even it that's not what many of us would like to read.

John Savard