Spindrift

Allen Steele

Mar 2008 · Penguin

About this ebook

Hugo Award-winning author Allen Steele has forged a permanent place in the pantheon of great science fiction authors with his landmark Coyote Trilogy. Now, he returns to that universe and offers a startling glimpse into the future of space exploration—and humanity itself…

June 1, 2288—Europe’s first starship, the EASS Galileo, launches on its maiden voyage to venture into unexplored space. Its classified mission: to investigate an unidentified, possibly-alien object traveling outside our solar system, code-named Spindrift. Soon after taking off, the Galileo disappears...
 
February 1, 2344—A shuttle from the Galileo returns to Earth carrying three surviving expedition members. The Galileo has been destroyed, and the rest of the crew is lost—but the survivors have not aged. For they have, indeed, made contact with an extraterrestrial race—and become enmeshed in a conflict that brought them face to face with the most apocalyptic force in the galaxy…

Ratings and reviews

Spindrift looks at an exploration team which has gone off in an entirely different direction to examine a potential artificial object in a universe which has yet to discover an alien intelligence. The Galileo is the craft sent off to make rendezvous with the strange item Spindrift is told from the points of view of three characters, Emily Collins is the shuttle pilot on board the Galileo. Ted Harker is not only the second in command of the Galileo, but also Emily's lover in what may be the worst kept secret on the ship. Finally, Jared Ramirez, a scientist aboard the spaceship who specializes in xenobiology, and who prior to joining the crew of the Galileo was serving a life sentence for participating in a genocidal act. Initially shunned by the entire crew, Ramirez eventually makes common cause with Harker and Collins based on their shared disdain for the incompetent popinjay of a captain, Ian Lawrence. This results in the three of them, plus scientist Jorge Cruz, making an extravehicular trip to the Spindrift once the Galileo reaches its target.

Nice read continuing and expanding the Coyote series. Not difficult to understand or follow the science. Looking forward to more by Steele.

About the author

Allen Steele was a journalist who covered the space program. He later turned to fiction writing and his first novel, Orbital Decay, published by Ace, was chosen Best First Novel of the Year by Locus. Allen himself went on to be twice nominated for the John W. Campbell award for Best New Writer. He began writing and selling to the science fiction magazines and is a three-time Hugo award winner (and frequent Nebula nominee) for his short fiction. In 2012, he received the Robert A Heinlein award for outstanding published works in science fiction.