Coyote Frontier (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "The midi sent to pick him up at the airport was black as the night itself, with the two-digit plates that designated government vehicles..." (more)
Key Phrases: diametric drive, faux birch, equatorial river, Coyote Federation, European Alliance, New Florida (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Steele's trilogy about human settlers on an alien planet facing practical and moral challenges comes to a fitting close. The Coyote Federation is a healthy democracy now, but its citizens still depend on the products of Earth's technology. Earth, meanwhile, is sliding into ecological disaster and craves raw materials and room for emigrants. The two sides need each other, but it's unclear whether people have learned enough—or can control themselves well enough—to avoid making selfish little decisions like the ones that devastated humanity's birthplace. Shifting deftly among several characters, Hugo-winner Steele respects the various viewpoints keeping the debate fluid, but he also makes plausible that opposing individuals could grudgingly learn to respect each other enough to modify their rigid plans. As in the first two books in this popular SF series, Coyote and Coyote Rising, another major actor is the mysterious planet itself, which invites people to find new ways to think. (Dec.)
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From Booklist

As resources, human and technological, dwindle, the interstellar colony of Coyote struggles hard to maintain even a medieval technology. Salvation apparently arrives in the form of a starship from Earth, but the ship bears disastrous news. Earth's environment and society are in collapse. Coyote no longer offers a new future for humanity; it offers the only future. That situation promptly raises the stakes in the knock-down, drag-out fight between hard-bitten survivors of the original settlers and members of the first generations after them; and the entrepreneurs who have arrived in the ship seem convinced that in the exploitation of Coyote's natural resources lies their best hope. Steele's sympathies are somewhat transparently with the settlers, and the whole novel has an even more Heinleinish flavor than does either Coyote (2002) or Coyote Rising (2004). Heinleinishness doesn't seem to keep Steele from winning awards or more readers; libraries, especially, with patrons nostalgic for "that good, old-time science fiction" should take note and place orders. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Ace Hardcover (December 6, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441013317
• ISBN-13: 978-0441013319
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #377,696 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Conclusion?, September 24, 2006

By	J. Brian Watkins (San Dimas, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Coyote Frontier (Coyote Trilogy) (Hardcover)

The strength of this trilogy lies almost entirely in Mr. Steele's ability to recreate the spirit of discovery and exploration that we have lost as a society. In Coyote Frontier the colonists have worked out their government, have begun negotiations with earth and now must choose how they will allow their new planet to be used by humanity. Mr. Steele finally gets around to issues of how the indigenous life of Coyote will be impacted by the settlers and does a fair job of treating various social issues.

The first two installments in the trilogy involved slower than light travel, which introduced an interesting but relevant theme of how to maintain a technologically-advanced society at the end of a very, very long supply chain. These are issues that must be faced when we begin exploration and settlement of the moon and mars. You can't just order up spare parts. In Coyote Frontier, Mr. Steele introduces FTL travel--moving people to Coyote is no longer limited by the cost of starships capable of making a multi-lightyear journey. Coyote becomes the lifeboat that the huddled masses of Earth threaten to swamp; fortunately, problems are solved and opportunites presented.

To fully enjoy this third volume of the Coyote trilogy requires familiarity with the issues presented and resolved in the first two installments. I would not recommend starting with this volume--go buy Coyote. I greatly enjoyed Mr. Steele's work and hope that he continues this series.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars terrific conclusion to one of the best science fiction trilogies of the last decade, December 6, 2005

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Two decades have passed since the Coyote Federation broke away from Earth rule to form a democracy, but the planet is in crisis as the dependency on earth technology has taken its toll. Leader Carlos Montero knows that gaining their independence was a lot easier than maintaining their freedom as he has learned that fighting for liberty was dangerous but simple while ruling is very complex. He is unsure which direction to take Coyote as the infrastructure is crumbling without spare parts or replacement equipment. At the same time Earth is near ecological destruction and needs raw materials that Coyote can provide.

Carlos must decide whether to heed the offer of business mogul Morgan Goldstein, who promises to invest new capital and technology in Coyote or does he plead with his brilliant recluse former Lieutenant Governor Manuel Castro to return and negotiate with earth. Either way Carlos personally loses, but he no longer can worry about his own desires or esteem, Coyote is in trouble. Still Carlos wonders what the costs vs. the benefits of either solution are. He knows Morgan the capitalist will extract quite a price while he is unsure that Manuel can still do the job; finally the people of Coyote wonder what to do about earth's desperate ploy to escape ecological ruin by thinking of using the starbridge technology to enable escape to Coyote.

COYOTE FRONTIER is the terrific conclusion to one of the best science fiction trilogies of the last decade. The complex story line concentrates on key characters, who allow the audience to comprehend the complexities of relationships whether they are personal between a man and wife, two leaders, or inter-global, as well as decision making where someone wins and someone loses depending on what is decided. Allen Steele is at his best with this deep moral yet action-packed character driven science fiction thriller. If you have not read the previous two tales (COYOTE and COYOTE RISING) you are missing an exciting thought provoking winner.

Harriet Klausner

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Renewed Contact With Earth, March 6, 2009

By	Arthur W. Jordin (Smyrna, GA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Coyote Frontier (Paperback)

Coyote Frontier (2005) is the third SF novel in the Coyote Trilogy, following Coyote Rising. In the previous novel, the original colonists revolted against invaders from the Western Hemisphere Union. Once the WHU troops were defeated, they were sent back to Earth and the new colonists were incorporated into the Coyote Federation.

In this novel, Jonas Whittaker is the man who creates the starbridge, a system that generates a wormhole between linked toruses. He had been slated to flee the Solar System on the URSS Alabama, but unluckily had been captured by the police. Yet he was placed in biostasis for two centuries and outlived his government.

Anastasia Tereshkova is the Captain of the second starship commissioned by the European Alliance. The EASS Columbus is taking a starbridge to 47 Ursae Majoris-B. Actually, the ship itself will become the starbridge and the Gatehouse.

Jonathan Parson is the Second Officer of the Columbus. He is an exemplary officer. But he has no desire to return to Earth.

Carlos Montero is President of the Coyote Federation. He had been the first longrange explorer on the planet. While only seventeen, he had traveled around the world on the Great Equatorial River. Later, he became a leader in the revolt against the WHU.

Wendy Gunther is the wife of Carlos and a former member of the Federation Council. She is a better statesman than her husband, having practically cut her teeth on colonial politics. Carlos greatly depends on her political advice.

Susan Montero is the daughter of Carlos and Wendy. She is a naturalist at the university. When she is not teaching classes, Susan spends most of her time studying the natives.

Hawk Thompson is a nephew of Carlos. He is the son of Lars Thompson and Marie Montero. His loyalties are divided between his mother and his estranged father.

Manuel Castro is a savant, a downloaded mind within a robotic body. He had come to Coyote in the retinue of the WHU dictator and was even appointed Lieutenant Governor. Since the revolt, he disappeared into the mountains, where he studies the natives.

Katoom is a Chirreep, a native of Coyote. Carlos had discovered that the sandthieves on Barren Island were intelligent natives many years ago, but kept this information secret. Katoom is even more highly evolved than the sandthieves.

In this story, the EA discovers the body of Jonas on Luna and takes him back to Europe to revive him. Jonas brings with him all his notes on the dimetric drive and the starbridge. His subsequent research creates an improved version of the drive. And the discoveries of the past two centuries make feasible the construction of a working starbridge.

The prototype starbridge -- KX-1 -- is used to take the first European starship -- the EASS Galileo -- to the Kuiper Belt as the first step of a very secret mission. An improved version is built into the EASS Columbus and taken to the Ursae Majoris-B system. There the Columbus is reassembled into the starbridge and a link is established with the starbridge near the Earth.

Carlos and Wendy greet Captain Terekhova at her first landing on Coyote. Both parties are rather surprised at the changes that have occurred. Ana shares some information with the Coyote colonists, but is hesitant to tell about the EASS Galileo.

Jon Parson pilots the shuttle that takes Ana down to the surface, but he soon takes a hike. He receives assistance from a few colonists in his journey into the boondocks. He just doesn't want to go back to the dying Earth.

Eventually Jon becomes an assistant of Manny Castro. Parson soon meets Katoom and other natives. Then he encounters Susan and Hawk.

The coming of the starbridge becomes a political issue on Coyote. Some people think that it will allow the Earth to inundate Coyote with new colonists. After all, transit time within the starbridge itself is effectually zero.

This tale relates the effects of this astronautical shortcut on the Coyote Federation. After treaties are signed with various Earth governments -- and one private capitalist -- Susan notices that the environmental damage is increasing rapidly. Moreover, the habitats of the natives are also being destroyed.

The story covers a time period from shortly after the hijacking of the URSS Alabama to the confrontation between the Coyote Federation and the European Union. Almost every page is filled with action and conflict between individuals and polities. Read and enjoy!

Recommended for Steele fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of interstellar conflict, planetary colonization, and interpersonal relations.

-Arthur W. Jordin