The Moment of Eclipse is a collection of short stories by Brian Aldiss that demonstrates the problem that even successful authors can run into with stereotyping.

Aldiss is best known for his science fiction work, but he has written a considerable amount of mainstream fiction, as well as poetry and non-fiction. The Moment of Eclipse showcases a range of quality short-stories, but it couldn't really be called a 'science fiction' collection as such. Imaginative fiction?

Certainly it has the brilliant Super Toys Last All Summer Long, that was the basis for the Steven Spielberg movie A.I. But the opening story, The Moment of Eclipse, is merely the tale of a philandering film-maker who contracts a nasty disease, and the final story is a political satire.

I mention this because the cover of my edition has a very scifi-esque picture on it, and the back blurb says "there's no time like the future." In other words, it was marketed as science fiction, pure and simple. I don't think this did anyone any favors, either the science fiction reading community, the wider community that might have been turned away by such marketing (science fiction was still very fringe back in the 70's), or Mr Aldiss himself.

One of the most startling stories was The Day we Embarked for Cythera. It describes a beautiful, tranquil day as a group of actors sit about at a picnic, talking and joking and generally having a wonderful time. They live in a fantasy world (that is never really explained) in which trips can be hazardous. Throughout the narration are brief glimpses of the horrific end that awaits them after the picnic when they embark on their journey. The story ends with the group leaving.

The story left me with a sense of appreciation for the present, regardless of what horrors may - or may not- lie in the future. And despite the fact that this moment was most likely the last day in the characters' lives, The Day we Left for Cythera is enjoyable because as a reader, we can vicariously enjoy their fun.