Allen Steele Coyote Frontier

Coyote Frontier

Allen Steele

Ace, Dec 2005, $24.95, 368 pp.

ISBN: 0441013317

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 storyline 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