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Spindrift (Coyote)
by
Allen Steele
The EASS Galileo disappeared decades ago while investigating an unidentified object, code-named Spindrift. Now the Galileo's shuttle has returned carrying three surviving expedition members, who still appear to be the same age they were when they departed. They report that they have, indeed, made contact with an extraterrestrial race-and become enmeshed in a conflict that ...more
Paperback, 304 pages
Published
March 25th 2008
by Ace Books
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This was August's book group selection. About half the group thought it was a fun little space opera and the other half of thought, well, it had issues. I've read the Coyote series by Steele that was published in Azimov's and didn't care for it, and this just supported my opinions on the author's writing style.
Premise of the story is: a response is received back from a suddenly discovered "large object in space" by the SETI team and a mission is hastily put together and ...more
Premise of the story is: a response is received back from a suddenly discovered "large object in space" by the SETI team and a mission is hastily put together and ...more
Spindrift is a spinoff of the Coyote series, dealing with first contact. The ending, where the survivors of the Galileo expedition arrive in Coyote, is already predetermined, if you will, by the epilogue of Coyote Frontier and the prologue of Spindrift itself. To arrive at this conclusion, Steele sends the Galileo and its crew on a voyage to a rogue asteroid hurtling far outside the solar system. This asteroid, dubbed Spindrift, has responded to signals from a SETI search program.
The n...more
The n...more
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This book is a spinoff of the Coyote series dealing with a major plot point that is just mentioned in the Coyote books. I.e. how does humankind meet up with the Hjadd. After reading Coyote Horizon I wanted to go back and find out more about the Hjadd, so I grabbed this book. Most of the book is a set up for that meeting. The reader is just given a very 'taster size' bit of Hjaddery at the end. But it was an interesting ride and now I feel more knowledgeable in continuing on with the Coyote ...more
Jeffrey
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Science fiction fans
Shelves:
science-fiction,
read-in-2008
a nice little science fiction novel about first contact with an alien species and exploration. This standalone novel does not require knowledge of the previous Coyote works of the author, which is all to the good
Spindrift could have been an episode of any number of scifi tv shows, and that's okay. I enjoyed it, as I would a Star Trek episode. So on that scale, I'd give it more stars. But as a novel, it was pretty thin. More like a drawn out short story. Again, that's just fine. But it was done well enough that I wanted more. I wanted this to be a bigger, more complex novel, that takes us farther down this road. It was a great adventure that ended far too soon. As such, the characters were never...more
Always like a good hard sci fi story and Allen Steele does better than a lot of other authors. I found I did not like the GoodReads "about" blurb, mostly because the novel is much better than the blurb lets on and also less.
The story does revolve around the basic questions sci fi presents: interactions between people and interactions between the known and unknown.
The characters are mostly stock, and the adventure has been told a thousand times. Yet Steele make...more
The story does revolve around the basic questions sci fi presents: interactions between people and interactions between the known and unknown.
The characters are mostly stock, and the adventure has been told a thousand times. Yet Steele make...more
Spindrift wasa wonderful novel from start to finish. It is an execllant addition to the Coyote Universe. This is the story of man's 1st encounter with another space faring culture. The choices that Allen Steele has his characters make seem natural, and the consequences that stem from them realalistic. I can only hope when the day comes that we have our 1st contact situation we don't make the same choices. This story is worth reading.
This is the best book from the Coyote universe aside from the original Coyote. The writing is solid, the action continues at a decent clip, and there's no need to read any of the other books to understand this one. Nor will it spoil anything important in any of the other Coyote books written to that point in the chronology.
I read this a bit out of sequence (read Coyote Horizon and Coyote Destiny before getting back to Spindrift). I really loved this book though. It's pace was great, the story intriguing, and a great 'history' that covered the events that led up to the other Coyote books.
If I have one complaint about the book it's that it wasn't very well edited, at least the first edition I was reading wasn't. Nothing huge, but a few incorrect words here and there ('if' instead of 'is' for example). ...more
If I have one complaint about the book it's that it wasn't very well edited, at least the first edition I was reading wasn't. Nothing huge, but a few incorrect words here and there ('if' instead of 'is' for example). ...more
Nathan
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Fan's of Allen Steele or his Coyote series
Copied from [http://www.cavort.org/2007/04/17/recent-reading-spindrift-by-allen-steele/]:
Just finished reading Allen Steele’s new novel “Spindrift“. It was really quite a good read but I could not shake the feeling that it was a book that I had read before. There just didn’t seem to be much that was new or challenging in it, which in some ways I suppose can be a good thing but possibly just wasn’t what I am looking for in a novel these days. The one exception would be the character of Rami...more
Just finished reading Allen Steele’s new novel “Spindrift“. It was really quite a good read but I could not shake the feeling that it was a book that I had read before. There just didn’t seem to be much that was new or challenging in it, which in some ways I suppose can be a good thing but possibly just wasn’t what I am looking for in a novel these days. The one exception would be the character of Rami...more
It's a basic sci-fi plot: A newly space-faring human race discovers an unknown object lurking at the edge of the solar system. They send a ship to investigate. Its crew is riven with internal dissent. They land on the object, open the airlock, and enter. Mysteries and tragedies ensue.
One review I read said that it seemed as if the reviewer had already read this book before, and I agree. It includes histrionic characters, seemingly veering wildly from expressive anger to expressive re...more
One review I read said that it seemed as if the reviewer had already read this book before, and I agree. It includes histrionic characters, seemingly veering wildly from expressive anger to expressive re...more
I've read all Steele's Coyote stories, starting when they were serialized in Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine. While this story is outside his major plots it is in the same universe in terms of technology and politics and whatnot.
As always, well-written characters and an engaging read. Great for Steele and Coyote fans, probably so-so for everyone else.
NOTE: If you're into the Coyote stories be sure to download the ebook, The War Of Dogs and 'Boids. A great short story.
...more
As always, well-written characters and an engaging read. Great for Steele and Coyote fans, probably so-so for everyone else.
NOTE: If you're into the Coyote stories be sure to download the ebook, The War Of Dogs and 'Boids. A great short story.
...more
Pretty good first contact SF, but actually drags a bit toward the end, which is a pity. The writing is good, and while the science isn't all handwavium, the characters are still engaging.
Enjoyed. Parallels the Coyote series and may make a nice branch. I need to read Galaxy Blues. I think this is another parallel to Coyote and not directly related to Spindrift.
Steele's Coyote books vary in quality, but "Spindrift" captures a sense of wonder with a good first contact story mixed with a "Big Dumb Object" subgenre story.
As usual Allen Steele has churned out another great Sci Fi. In my opinion, he and Jack McDevit are the cat's pajamas of sci fi writers. Well written.
Spindrift by Allen Steele (2008)
I came across this book first... and from there I found Coyote.
While I found this story a little flat in places, it nonetheless made me think. And it rolled around inside my head for a while afterwards. 2 of the criteria I need a book to have to make it to my 5-star list.
Another couple of signs that this book was intriguing is that after returning my library copy, I purchased a copy for myself. And then I hunted down the Coyote series.
Living in an alte...more
While I found this story a little flat in places, it nonetheless made me think. And it rolled around inside my head for a while afterwards. 2 of the criteria I need a book to have to make it to my 5-star list.
Another couple of signs that this book was intriguing is that after returning my library copy, I purchased a copy for myself. And then I hunted down the Coyote series.
Living in an alte...more
This book continues the story line of the Coyote Trilogy (first book - Coyote). It describes the mysterious events that happen at the end of the third Coyote book with regard to 'first contact'. As always, Allan Steele delivers a great read with well developed characters, interesting science, and a great plot. This book has less action than the Coyote series but makes up for it with a heightened degree of suspense as the story unfolds. Good book and a must read for Coyote fans.
This is set in Steele's Coyote universe, but is not a part of the core trilogy. It runs paralell to it. (Some of the scenes where events or characters overlap are fun to spot.) It is written as a straight single narrative, not a series of structured episodes as are the other books. It's a rather traditional first-contact story, well flavored with Steele's overwhelming enthusiasm for science and space exploration.
Fact: I’m a sucker for any decently-well-written “first contact” novel. For whatever reason, that area of science fiction always catches me. This is one of the very good ones - hard enough sci-fi where it’s believable, and a story well done enough where you honestly care when things go down. Rock solid, and I’ve already taken his other books out of the library.
It was the cover that first drew me to this book while I was scanning the library shelves. I know they say not to judge a book by its cover but this one was an exception. I believe it's part of a series of books but this is the first one I've read. It was a good sci-fi story with believable alien contact. I'll definitely be searching for the other books in the series.
A while back I would have given this one five stars, but I'm trying to avoid grade inflation. I liked this one almost as much as the first Coyote novel (which I really liked).
Read the Trilogy-have the 4th but need to read this & Galaxy Blues before I read #4!
A great companion (if slightly inferior) to the Coyote books.
Gave up. Narrative structure drove me nuts.
An interesting book in the Coyote universe
Not his strongest entry in the Coyote series.
Better than meh damn it
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Allen Mulherin Steele, Jr. is an American science fiction author.
Steele began publishing short stories in 1988. His early novels formed a future history beginning with Orbital Decay and continuing through Labyrinth of Night. Some of his early novels such as Orbital Decay and Lunar Descent were about blue-collar workers working on future construction projects in space. Since 1992, he ha...more
More about Allen Steele...
Steele began publishing short stories in 1988. His early novels formed a future history beginning with Orbital Decay and continuing through Labyrinth of Night. Some of his early novels such as Orbital Decay and Lunar Descent were about blue-collar workers working on future construction projects in space. Since 1992, he ha...more
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