Spindrift: Allen Steele
By: 
Spindrift is about mankind’s first evidence of an intelligence in the universe other than our own. In Humanity’s preening, overconfident way as a species, so certain are we there are no other intelligences, even religion is, once again, devoted to this idea. Specifically, this is the story of the expedition put together to explore the object. From the beginning framework we know who survives, the tantalizing questions of what happened, and how the events unfolded are recounted in a log submitted during de-briefing.
On June 1, 2288, the EASS Galileo departs Earth on its maiden voyage on a mission to investigate an unknown object codenamed: spindrift. Using new stargate technology, the ship jumps much of the distance from Earth to Coyote Federation in a matter of minutes. The rest of the voyage to be undertaken in cryo sleep as the newly designed diametric drive hurtles the remaining light years to the object.
The EASS Galileo is presumed lost with all hands.
February 1, 2344, Against all odds, survivors from the Galileo mission return in the expedition's shuttle, Marie Celeste, (does anyone else catch the humor in this?). Only three of the original crew remain: First officer Theodore Harker, Shuttle pilot Emily Collins, and genocidal scientist, Jared Ramirez. Where have they been? How did they survive almost 60 years on a shuttle with limitied life support?
Told in an episodic log format primarily from the shuttle pilot, Collins, viewpoint, Steele hooks my attention from the beginning. The complex interactions of social, economic and religious views of this universe are focused and boiled down to the representatives each government sends to crew this groundbreaking mission.
With the skill of a consumate storyteller, we are hooked into the interpersonal relationships within the crew. From Ramirez’s work, as a preeminent scientist turned genocidal killer, to be accepted. First officer Harker, doing the best under the circumstances, and the last minute inclusion of a political officer aboard, we begin to feel the complexities of this universe. When Collins and Ramirez discover the whispered “last minute addition” to the Galileo’s structure, the cloak and dagger atmosphere aboard the craft thickens with anticipation. Between shaking my head in commiseration with the crew who know, and do their jobs, while the incompetent manager/captain Lawrence takes the credit, to the spirit of secret confidence as the trysts aboard are all kept conspiratorily openly secret, Steele allowed me to identify with not just one, but a variety of the characters.
As tensions build, inevitably the collision of religious, political and personal prejudices clash with those in the interest of open disclosure, science for science, free information. When the evidence is presented, and ultimately rejected, spindrift is not what it first appears. Our survivors are sent to investigate, as noisome children may be sent outside to play. While Lawrence leads the ship and crew to investigate the stargate, so like their own, in orbit around a body where no human ha been before now.
For myself, I could hardly put the book down. Steele’s style of writing had me hooked. Each entry left me just having to know what happened next. This is the fourth book in the Coyote universe for Steele. It reads well as a stand alone, yet I could not help feeling had I read the trilogy first, many of the references to past events having impacts on the storyline would have made more sense to me. The book left me with the feeling (hope) this is perhaps a prologue to another series in this universe. As I reached the end of the book, there are many questions left unanswered, and questions raised which are left open.
If this is a prologue to a new series, I will be eagerly anticipating the next in the series. Meanwhile, think I will be digging around for the original Coyote trilogy which includes Coyote, Coyote Rising and Coyote Frontier.
Allen Steele became a full-time science fiction writer in 1988, following publication of his first short story, "Live From The Mars Hotel" (Asimov's, mid-Dec. '88). A prolific author, winner of two Hugo awards among others, Steele lives in western Massachusetts with his wife Linda and their three dogs. He serves on the Board of Advisors for the Space Frontier Foundation, and collects vintage SF books and magazines. This, his recent work, Spindrift, is certainly up to what we have come to expect from him.
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Hardcover: 368 pages
Publisher: Ace Hardcover (April 3, 2007)
ISBN-10: 0441014712
ISBN-13: 978-0441014712
Buy the Book
Publisher: Ace Hardcover (April 3, 2007)
· ISBN-10: 0441014712
· ISBN-13: 978-0441014712