The premise: ganked from publisher's website: Allen Steele's novels about the frontier planet Coyote -- Coyote, Coyote Rising, and Coyote Frontier -- have become one of the most critically acclaimed series of the last decade. Yet there remain stories about humankind's new home that have not been told. "The River Horses" is one of those tales.

Taking place between the events of Coyote Rising and Coyote Frontier, this standalone novella tells the story of Marie Montero and Lars Thompson, two veterans of the revolutionary war against Earth who have been exiled from the colonies. Sent out to explore the unmapped regions of Coyote, they are accompanied by Manuel Castro, a posthuman Savant who was once the lieutenant governor during the Union occupation. The three of them don't trust one another, but in order to survive the challenges of the wilderness, they must find a way to work together. Yet Coyote has a way of changing people...and once they encounter the river horses, nothing will ever be the same again.

A tale of adventure, suspense, and romance, "The River Horses" is the latest chapter of an epic by a Hugo-winning author.

My Rating: 6 - Worth Reading, with Reservations

Reservation #1: Do not read unless you've read Coyote and then Coyote Rising. Otherwise you'll spoil yourself, the characters will mean nothing to you, and what's the point in that?

Reservation #2: The Kindle version is a bit irritating with random underlines, and screwed up indentations that aren't consistent. Fortunately, it's only $2.99.

Overall, reading The River Horses really gave me a hankering to get back into the Coyote universe and catch up on Steele's series (of which I'm woefully behind on), but even more to the point, it made me want to re-read the original trilogy, especially after reaching the end of this book and not being satisfied with the heroine's lot in life. I wanted more for her, but even though I read what happens to her in Coyote Frontier, I'll be danged if I can remember what it is. Fans of the Coyote Universe will find this novella easy and engaging, a kind of nostalgia, but it's not as powerful as some of the stories in his books. Still worth reading, but only if you're properly caught up on the series. :)

Spoilers, yay or nay?: Yay. It's so short, and normally I don't like spoiling such things, but there's details I want to discuss, and to discuss them means to spoil them. I don't recommend reading this review if you've not at least read Coyote Rising. If you're already caught up, then feel free to click the link below for the full review. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome. :)

Allen Steele's THE RIVER HORSES

Happy Reading! ( )