Coyote by Allen Steele

After a lifetime of reading Sci-Fi, I have found a gem among so few out there...by Billychic

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July 21, 2009: Allen Steele's Coyote not only combines space exploration with the right amount of hard science, fact, and fiction; he develops rich characters that stay with you in your mind long after you've shut the book.

The book combines politics on a small scale (the books characters flee from political tyranny and oppression to start a new world light years away; a space version of our very own forefathers who struck out on the Mayflower and hit Plymouth Rock) with the determination of people trying to survive. It isn't chock full of happy endings, nor is it tragic throughout...it is a slice of life. One thing that can be said about the politics they run away from (the kind that round people who disagree with the administration and put them in detainment camps); it was written during the time when our constitution was being dragged through the mud after 9/11; but the author shows you both sides of the coin; how tyranny can come from either end of the political spectrum...which you find later on in the book.

There are so many sub-stories within stories...points of view switched, but without confusion. It is startling how amazing and entertaining this novel is. There is one character, early on after flight begins, that although tragic, is a testament to the writer's work itself.

As a writer and one who works in acting, reading plays and developing characters (and publishing, as a day job), I found it to be seamless in its imagery and dedication to simplicity while telling a wonderful tale.

I wrote the author from his email at his website (just google him, it will come up; dunno if I put a website if they will delete this review) to let him know that his book was amazing (even if he'd written it 7 or 8 years ago) and within a day he wrote me back; a kind man who was happy to have a fan's appreciation.

Please read this book no matter what your preferred genre...it's worth it.

I Also Recommend: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (Blade Runner), Redemption Ark (Revelation Space Series #2), Absolution Gap (Revelation Space Series #3), Neuromancer.

Good to see "harder" SF emerge againby Degas

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June 15, 2009: It's always good to see new authors who can still achieve success in the SF genre. We see entirely too much fantasy masquerading as science fiction. A series like Steele's Coyote novels gives me hope that SF still lives.

Having said all that, I hesitate to offer criticism. However, potential readers deserve honest reviews. My first criticisms are concerning the lack of research in 3 critical areas: Military, Science, and Planetary Ecology. While Mr. Steele makes some efforts in these areas, they fall short. Scientific story lines are abbreviated and just plain wrong, in some instances. In addition, the military scenarios are not well thought out or developed. The same may be said for the scenarios based on the moon Coyote's ecology. Mr. Steele could benefit from collaboration with experts in those fields. I was glad to see that his bibliography of sources has expanded with each novel published. It's definitely a step in the right direction.

Those of you reading this will probably call these criticisms "nit-picking"...and to a certain extent, you would be correct. However, those types of details are what really make a book more entertaining and aid readers in that Holy Grail of authors: the suspension of disbelief.

My only other comment is regarding the author's political views. I would not mention this had he not purposely injected them into the story line. Mr. Steele has rather aggressively incorporated into this series a political theme of secular liberal progressivism. There is no mention of religion travelling to the stars with his colonists. Marriages are performed by Justices of the Peace. Spouses are never referred to as "husbands" or "wives", but rather as "mates". Additionally, gay marriage is inserted into the storyline, beginning in "Coyote Frontiers". So-called "Green" philosophies are also incorporated in this series. Global Warming on Earth is in the process of rendering the colonists' homeworld inhabitable.

All of these political views would be of no moment, were it not that Mr. Steele has made them a central part of his fiction. To his credit, he has fictionalized both radical conservatism and radical socialism as equally flawed when taken to their extremes. As a confirmed agnostic and a political independent, I make no judgement on his political viewpoint. However, the fact that he felt the need to inject them detracts from the storyline, and is worthy of mention to prospective buyers/readers.

I have only read the first 3 books of the Coyote series. However, I would still recommend them to science fiction fans. Even though the series seems to be trending into more fantastical areas (advanced technology acquired through a miraculous "chance" encounter with alien species, as one example), these 3 novels represent real value to SF readers.