Coyote Rising: A Novel of Interstellar Revolution

The second collection of Coyote stories is actually better than the first. While it has no stories on the standout level of 'Stealing Alabama' or 'The Days Between', this is much higher quality on average. A lot of it is the next half star down. They have a handy looking planet here, so Earth takes an interesting, and more ships with troops come out with the objective of taking over for themselves. A group of hardened colonists aren't that easily taken, however, and Robert E. Lee knows how the minds of people like this might work, having been married to one. Time for some revolutionary action to begin. A really excellent collection, indeed. Coyote Rising : The Mad Woman Of Shuttlefield - Allen M. Steele Coyote Rising : Benjamin The Unbeliever - Allen M. Steele Coyote Rising : The Garcia Narrows Bridge - Allen M. Steele Coyote Rising : Thompson's Ferry - Allen M. Steele Coyote Rising : Incident At Goat Kill Creek - Allen M. Steele Coyote Rising : Shady Grove - Allen M. Steele Coyote Rising : Liberation Day - Allen M. Steele Coyote Rising : Home Of The Brave - Allen M. Steele Not too chicken for music to return. 4 out of 5 Batman Coyote sex kult freezeout. 3.5 out of 5 Poetry of the River Kwai not to Matriarch's liking. All fall down. 4 out of 5 Coyote revolution. 3.5 out of 5 Double agent reunion Diablo demolishing. 4 out of 5 Revolution child transfer local life discovery, with batman. 4 out of 5 Returning Alabama. 4 out of 5 Exploration Team. 4 out of 5

Even though I read this book before Coyote, I was able to know right away what was happening. It is full of action and has a great storyline. Others have already said many great things about this book better than I ever could. I would really recommend this book to anyone who likes science fiction or reading in general. Just make sure to also read Coyote.

Now THAT was a good read! I haven't given a book five stars in a long time, but if you're a fan of stories about interstellar colonization (and who isn't?), then Coyote Rising is a true gem. The book continues the story Steele began in "Coyote." The series (now three volumes) tracks the early history of Earth's first interstellar colony, located on a moon of a gas giant in 27 Ursae Majoris. In the first book, a handful of settlers from late-21st century America make the 230 year trip in biostasis, and set about building a frontier society. Now, the original pioneers are joined by thousands of 23rd century colonists from the "Western Hemispheric Union." Due to improvements in starship design, the newcomers arrive only a few years after the first group. Politics, language and culture have changed considerably during the intervening centuries, leading to a rift between the groups and eventual revolution. Steele does a masterful job of world-building. The geography, characters, and social arrangements are effortlessly convincing - you feel like you are there, on a real world among real people. To me, that's about the highest compliment one can give a science fiction writer, that he or she made the speculative seem real. The book originated as a series of short stories, and reads that way. The stories tie together well enough, though, to give a cohesive flow to the book. It helps to know the backstory, so you'll probably want to read "Coyote" first to orient yourself. My one complaint about "Coyote" was that it lacked depth. I didn't think Steele fully explored his world or characters. Coyote Rising fills in the blank spaces nicely. It's not wildly inventive, but it is well-crafted and believable. Together, the books present one of the most satisfying story arcs in years. Enjoy!

Coyote Rising (2004) is the second SF novel in the Coyote trilogy, following Coyote itself. In the previous volume, five years after the arrival of the URSS Alabama, the WHSS Seeking Glorious Destiny Among the Stars for the Greater Good of Social Collectivism arrived in the 47 Ursae Majoris system carrying colonists and Matriarch Luisa Hernandez. After Mayor Lee met with the Matriarch on her ship, the Alabama colonists fled New Florida, leaving the town of Liberty stripped and deserted, and disappeared into the wilds of Midland. The Western Hemisphere Union has sent five colony ships to 47 Ursae Majoris. The Glorious Destiny brought a thousand colonists and Union Guard to Coyote, as did New Frontiers, Long Journey, Magnificent Voyage and Spirit. Coyote has not become overcrowded, but Liberty definitely becomes overpopulated and many colonists were forced to camp in the Shuttlefield slums. In this novel, Allegra DiSilvio arrives on Coyote in the Long Voyage. She is a composer who has been blocked from her creativity and has come to this distant planet looking for new sources of inspiration. After a long and futile search for a place to pitch her tent, she finally sets up near a swamp. Her neighbor is Cecelia -- Sissy -- Levin, mother of the Chief Proctor. Allegra gains Sissy's trust, makes a flute for her, and is soon teaching Sissy to play the instrument. Benjamin Harlan is intrigued by a religious cult that comes to Coyote on the Magnificent Voyage. The cult leader, Reverend Zoltan Shirow, claims to be a prophet of the Universal Transformation. He looks like a bat, with wings and an animalistic face. However, Ben has his eyes mostly on Greer, a very good looking woman who seems to like him. James Alonzo Garcia was a famous architect prior to his conscription for the Coyote Colony. He arrives on Magnificent Voyage and is quickly put to work designing a township for Shuttlefield. After the Matriarch approves his plans, Garcia is given the task of designing a bridge over the East Channel connecting New Florida to Midland. Clark Thompson is a former colonel in the Union Guard. After arriving on Coyote, he soon leaves Shuttlefield and founds the hamlet of Thompson's Ferry. When Allegra, Sissy and other members of the Coyote Wood Ensemble arrive at his village after fleeing from the Matriarch, Thompson sends them across the ferry to Midland. Then he prepares his militia for the Union Guard troopers that are following the musicians. Captain Fernando Baptiste is commanding officer of the Spirit of Social Collectivism Carried to the Stars. When the revolution begins, his ship is the only Union vessel in orbit around Coyote. Since Captain Baptiste is the senior officer present, he commands all military forces in the system. This story is about the revolution of the Alabama colonist against the Matriarch and the WHU. The Union Guard outnumber the rebels and have heavier equipment. The satellite communications system aboard the

In the first book of the series, "Coyote," Allen Steele told us how the captain of the first interstellar colonizing ship, Alabama, smuggled prisoners-of-State (intellectual dissidents oppressed by a right-wing authoritarian government) on board, and they stole the ship, reached Coyote, a moon of a planet named Bear, circling 47 Ursae Majorus. In "Coyote Rising," things have gotten complicated. On Earth, people are running out of living space, the government has shifted to a "Collectivist" (a variant of socialism) authoritarianism, and technology has advanced to produce ever-faster ships. The result: the original Coyote colonists get a series of unwelcome visitors from Earth, flee the original colony to form a new colony on a neighboring island, and a civil war begins to brew. As with the first book, this one originally appeared as a series of novellas in a science fiction magazine. While there are still traces of disjointedness, from turning a series of novellas into a novel, the mild discontinuities did not interrupt the flow for me. There is a larger cast of well-developed characters here, including the introduction of Savants (cyborgs with downloaded human minds) and a religious mutant. The terrain of Coyote is well-described, as are the human interactions, and there is plenty of action. The fauna of Coyote does not seem adequately developed (i.e., there should be more animal species). Thanks to the friend who sent this to me, Jan Dierckx, I found this book gripping and thoroughly enjoyable. I look forward to the next in the series.