SYNOPSIS

Of

MORAL ECLIPSE

By

MARTIN ALLEN

"Moral Eclipse" is an earthy, contemporary story, set in the North of England against a background of the BSE crisis, the more recent foot-and-mouth outbreaks and the generally tenuous existence of today's farming communities: all compounded by the many other rural hardships of today's Britain. As we embark on this new century and millennium, the whole country - in every walk of life - is struggling to keep up with the ever-accelerating pace of change. It is starting to appear that society's ills - crime, drugs, immigration, illegitimacy and delinquency; even the food we eat - all threaten to consume us unless someone begins to come up with solutions. The list of problems is endless, but it is the explosion in crime and the perceived threat from immigration that most frighten the average citizen. Vigilantism is being openly discussed and increasingly practised by "working class" people in some of the most deprived areas. Unbeknown to them however, a far bigger 'final' solution to these problems is being spawned, right in their midst, by the so called respected, professional pillars of society.

***********

Soon after returning to his roots - the small market town where he grew up - Bill Gibson gets entangled with a sinister new business that has sprung up. Discovering some gibberish, coded graffiti on the 'gents loo' wall at his local pub begins a horrifying catalogue of events. The story takes the reader on a terrifying journey, in which science, law and order and rural isolation conspire to produce what can only be described as our worst nightmare. A scenario evolves, where we see what men are capable of when money, power and the value of human dignity become unbalanced, culminating in a horrific new industry: the farming of people for their body-parts. Bill finds he is up against an organisation that is evil to its core, incorporating the judiciary, universities and even hospitals: Hitler himself would be impressed. However, this is also a story about one man: a good, average man - it could be you - and how he must learn to fight dirty… very dirty. Unless Bill Gibson can reconnect to the darker, primal forces within, indeed, descend to the same depths of cruelty, violence and sheer brute force of his adversaries - and quickly - then he's lost. He may as well surrender to them now - as well may we all! Eventually, struggling with his conscience and at the depth of his desperation, he arrives at the very core of his being: a place where his raw fight for survival and his humanity co-exist. Having reached a state of resignation he finds an area of calm and tranquillity: then he has a vision. He is at first dazzled by what he sees: a blank bright whiteness. Something inside seems to be telling him this is the brilliance of life itself; he is looking at his own spirit. But then, he notices a shadow, a small, soft shadow at the corner of his vision. It begins to move inward slowly, insidiously; it becomes harder and darker, now taking over the whole of the image: he is witnessing the "Moral Eclipse".

***********

The "Moral Eclipse" is best described as a natural phenomenon, much the same as an eclipse of the sun. It tends to happen every few generations; it can be in any place, in societies anywhere around the world. It is a time of great danger: not only for the individual but for all humanity. It is the overpowering of goodness and freedom. It has been given many names throughout history - much the same as we name devastating hurricanes - "Fascism" and "Communism" being two of the most recent names. However, there is a time at the centre of any eclipse when there is total blackness, and in that blackness anything can happen. The human spirit can literally be extinguished, or, slowly, it begins to gain strength and shine brighter than ever. Bill was now witnessing his own demise. Then, as happens to only a handful of people in any generation, in that same instant - possibly when God is saying, "okay, enough is enough, it's time to do something" - he immediately knew what he had to do. Such a person, granted this grace, then has a brief but unique period of time, a period in which whatever he does - whilst under the darkness of that shadow - he knows he is free from judgement. It is however, still a clear and lucid period of time, with all understanding of right and wrong, it's just that now, the individual can operate with absolutely no conscience. He is free to fight fire with fire - you could say - a time when the end will always justify the means. Bill is now free, free to reconnect with all his strength, to the anger and rage he hasn't experienced since his difficult, troubled years of youth. Now, for the fight of his life, he can discard all his tamed sensibilities and cultivated civilised traits. Now Bill Gibson's gloves can very definitely come off again. "Paralax" - the name of the organisation - has picked on the wrong man this time! The bloody-minded, outrageous, but ingenious solution he is forced into, is not fully revealed until the very last page.