Apollo's Outcasts by Allen Steele
reviewed by Greg L. Johnson
On the day he should be celebrating his birthday, Jamey Barlowe and his sister Melissa are awakened in the middle of the night to find
themselves whisked off to the one place where they might be safe. There's been a political coup in the United States, and their
father is a public figure on the wrong side. With pursuit closing in, Jamey and Melissa are loaded on to a shuttle and launched.
The Last Science Fiction Writer by Allen Steele
reviewed by Steven H Silver
This is the author's fifth short story collection, released after a long hiatus of
collections, but also after a period in which he wrote five books in his Coyote universe. However, just because he
wasn't publishing a collection, doesn't mean he wasn't publishing short fiction, as this volume, which collects that
fiction, clearly shows.
Primary Ignition by Allen Steele
reviewed by Steven H Silver
As the twentieth century gave way to the twenty-first century, Allen Steele wrote a series of essays for Absolute
Magnitude and Artemis magazines. Initially set to be looks at science fiction and space exploration,
the Absolute Magnitude columns, published under the title "Primary Ignition" gave way to more general
topics, which led to the series in Artemis, which would remain focused on space exploration.
These essays, along with a few others, have been collected in the book.
River Horses by Allen Steele
reviewed by Steven H Silver
On a frontier world, like Coyote, banishment can be a death penalty. Two
ruffians, Marie Montero and her lover, Lars Thompson find themselves exiled from their community after they can't make the transition
from Rebellion to peacetime. Rather than a permanent exile, however, they are tasked with exploring the planet, still widely
unknown, and reporting back via radio every couple of days. To increase their chance of survival, a savant, Manuel Castro, is
sent along with them.
American Beauty by Allen Steele
reviewed by Steven H Silver
Demonstrating his versatility in this collection, not only does the author provide the reader with hard science fiction
stories, but he also incorporates humor in many of the stories, beginning with the Hugo-nominated "Agape Among the Robots" and
continuing through "Tom Swift and His Humongous Mechanical Dude."
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Coyote by Allen Steele
reviewed by Cindy Lynn Speer
By the year 2070, the United States has become transformed; becoming so mired in politics and repression that the ideals it was based on have
been twisted unrecognizably. The elite, hoping for an even better life, have built a ship called The Alabama, and imprisoned the scientists
who created it with the other political prisoners. This does not sit well with Captain Robert E. Lee, who, with a band of like-minded
people, steal the ship and take the prisoners and a few guards with them. In cold sleep, they hurtle through space, to a new planet
called Coyote, where they will try and establish a new life for themselves.
Oceanspace by Allen Steele
reviewed by Greg L. Johnson
Sea exploration has progressed to the point where companies mine volcanic ocean vents both for
minerals and for the bacteria that live in conditions of extreme heat and
pressure. Joe is picking up material accumulated by the mining robots when he encounters what seems
to be a huge living creature. This brings to the scene a research scientist with an
interest in sea monsters.
A King of Infinite Space by Allen Steele
reviewed by Rich Horton
It begins with Alec Tucker, the spoiled rich kid narrator, attending
a concert in St. Louis in 1995. The next chapter opens with Alec awakening 100 years in the
future -- his father had paid for him to have his head frozen for future revival.
A King of Infinite Space by Allen Steele
reviewed by Steven H Silver
Set in Steele's famously detailed future history, this book is
much more pessimistic than his earlier efforts. It draws on events
which occur in Clarke County, Space and the novella The Weight.
But it may be a good starting point for readers of his future history.
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