The novel Interrupted Summer by Eric Gillies Bernardez hits different. What starts off as a quiet coming-of-age story about a college freshman quickly morphs into something bigger, darker, and unforgettable. We’re talking mutated eagles, political tension, typhoon-devastated towns, and the raw edges of human resilience. Bernardez doesn’t waste your time—he builds a world where nature and man collide in ways both wondrous and brutal.
At the heart of it all is Marco Vega, a biology student, martial arts practitioner, and reluctant hero whose “ordinary” summer takes a sharp detour into myth, danger, and self-discovery. It’s a read that isn’t just about adventure—it’s about growing up while the ground beneath you literally shifts.
“Ahh! Saint Elmo’s Fire, or Santelmo as it is called here, is back,” Marco observed. It was a familiar scene that he’d encountered perhaps a hundred times or more throughout his childhood.
— Interrupted Summer, “Tale of the Dancing Lights”, pp.24-25
Nature, Legends, and a Young Man
At first glance, Interrupted Summer feels like a nostalgic ride through the 1970s Philippines—Baguio City’s fog-laced streets, campus life, martial arts gyms, and innocent crushes. But Bernardez has no interest in keeping it that simple. The book opens up into something far wilder: a terrifying ecological mutation involving Philippine eagles, a failed government research project, and a mayor’s risky plan to drive mutated predators away from his town.
Marco, the main character, embodies the awkward grace of youth—shy, introspective, but constantly tested by life. His summer break in Nueva Vizcaya turns from just hiking with friends into a battle for survival after a freak accident in the mountains and the appearance of legendary creatures. And not just any creatures—these eagles are enormous, unpredictable, and possibly not of this world anymore. Bernardez takes a real-life national symbol and turns it into something mythic and menacing.
The story isn’t afraid to slow down, either. It lingers on local culture, rural life, and the fragile lines between science and superstition. One standout section? When Marco, caught in a landslide-triggered flood, gets trapped in sludge while searching for a place to camp. It’s intense, claustrophobic, and perfectly timed to show just how fragile we are when nature stops playing nice.
But what really makes the book sing is how it explores community, fear, and how people react when their world shifts. It’s not just Marco’s summer that gets interrupted—it’s the whole idea of what’s normal.
Engineer, Martial Artist, Storyteller
Eric Gillies Bernardez, MBA, is a mining engineer and writer based in San Jose, California. He first dipped into formal writing through technical reports and symposium papers. His creative voice, however, found its stride in fiction—especially after years spent managing copper and gold mining operations across the mountainous terrain of Luzon Island. These regions—still caught in armed conflicts and steeped in natural danger—fed the heart of Interrupted Summer.
Bernardez’s real-world knowledge of geology, rural politics, and martial arts breathes credibility into his fiction. You feel the grit under Marco’s boots. You sense the tension in local government meetings. His martial arts experience isn’t just a throwaway hobby—it directly influences how characters fight, move, and survive. Outside writing, Bernardez is also a traveler who enjoys discovering historic places and admiring wildlife—especially eagles, the very creatures he gives an epic, terrifying role in this book.
Interrupted Summer isn’t just a good read—it’s one of those books that sticks. It pulls you into its world and doesn’t let go. The book invites you to rethink the line between legend and truth, and what happens when nature decides to bite back.
Interrupted Summer
Grab your copy now and find out what happens when a peaceful summer turns into a legend you’ll never forget.