Eclipsing the Aurora, by Peter J. Foote

A sinister alien scheming to ruin our planet, the ruthless leader of a motorcycle gang’s Atlantic Chapter, and a human with uncanny capabilities are just a few of the forces that come into play in Peter J. Foote’s Eclipsing the Aurora, the first book in the Consensus series.

The prologue of Eclipsing the Aurora introduces us to the reptilian Ghav’eol as they labour in the service of their Exalted Creator. The Ghav’eol have been assigned to set up a mechanism around Sol that will enable the Creator to strike at the Earth. The Creator’s beef isn’t with Earth’s people, but rather with a set of ancient entities who have chosen, unbeknownst to us, to retire in our oceans. Eclipsing the Aurora’s opening sparks curiosity. What are the Ghav’eol building? Will the plot be stopped? If so, how?

**Spoiler Alert

We’re next introduced to a human named Nigel Meredith. By virtue of his friendship with an alien named Vivian, Nigel left Earth years ago to assist the Consensus, an alliance of intelligent species, in their endeavours. Vivian shares Nigel’s body and his thoughts. Nigel also has a “living symbiotic suit” that augments his muscles and provides physical protection.

Thanks to a past that he’s not proud of, Nigel is just as happy to leave Earth in the rear-view. However, he must return to his home planet to warn the Nabui, an ancient species residing in our oceans, about the impending peril. Vivian decides that before Nigel completes his mission, he should deal with unfinished business on Earth. This unfinished business involves an old flame of Nigel’s named Sandra. Sandra’s daughter Marion, who happens to be Nigel’s daughter as well, is missing. Nigel pledges to help Sandra find her.

Endowed with his powers and the knowledge of what he is capable of, this might be a relatively easy task for Nigel. But Vivian throws him a curve ball. She removes all memory of what has transpired during the past seven years of Nigel’s life before sending him to meet with Sandra. Nigel must now try to piece together what happened since he ostensibly “died” seven years ago. In addition, when he reunites with Sandra, Nigel doesn’t know where he got the strange suit or what it’s capable of. Nigel’s memory loss sets the stage for both suspense and humour as the novel’s events unfold.

**End spoiler alert

Foote does a good job of keeping things moving along. He also provides some nice descriptive passages to enable the reader to create their own mental imagery. That being said, the prose in Eclipsing the Aurora might have been even stronger with a tighter grammatical editing to smooth out unclear antecedents and other issues that cropped up on occasion.

Historic drug use and sexual assault of an adult are mentioned and/or implied within the story, as is child endangerment (kidnapping). Readers for whom these might be triggering issues should take note.

Though Foote keeps the settings somewhat vague, Atlantic Canadians are likely to recognize some of the locations in the story.

Anyone who has been exposed to Foote’s newsletter “Foote Notes,” which includes the advice of Grump the Gargoyle, might expect a bit of humorous sarcasm in the novel, and they won’t be disappointed. For those who enjoy Eclipsing the Aurora, the remaining books in the Consensus series, The Cosmic Whirlpool and Dead Moon Rising, are now available for purchase.


Peter got locked in a bookstore as a child and has been reading his way to freedom ever since. His first tales developed from Dungeons & Dragons campaigns that never got played, and watching Babylon 5 on repeat. After having several dozen short stories published through various publishers, Peter has switched to longer forms of writing.

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Peter J. Foote (Sept. 26 2022)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 364 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 177758373X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1777583736

Lisa Timpf is a retired HR and communications professional who lives in Simcoe, Ontario. Her writing has appeared in New Myths, Star*Line, The Future Fire, Triangulation: Habitats, and other venues. Lisa’s speculative haibun collection, In Days to Come, is available from Hiraeth Publishing. You can find out more about Lisa’s writing at http://lisatimpf.blogspot.com/.