Rating: 
Summary: Not only a fake god, but a useless one too?
Review: Sky Coyote is the second in "The Company" series of science fiction novels. This time, the viewpoint changes from Mendoza, child of the Spanish Inquisition, to Joseph, her rescuer and recruiter. Unfortunately, Baker is hit with a bit of the "sophomore jinx," and her second effort feels lacking compared to the first. Still a fun read, it could have been so much more.Sky Coyote almost seems like a placeholder instead of a proper novel. It does have a plot, and one that could have been very interesting. Unfortunately, Baker misses the opportunity and instead provides us with a group of natives who seem much too modern for what they are supposed to be. Remember, the year is 1700. Baker has them talking in very modern language which just spoils the mood. In the Garden of Iden was enhanced by the way Baker had the characters talk the way the English spoke at the time, and it contrasted nicely with the modern English used by the operatives when they weren't interacting with the locals. This time, though, there is no difference, and it is jarring. A case could be made that this is a translation of what they said into modern English, but it loses its impact that way. The tribe just feels out of place. Another problem is the pacing of the book. Once Joseph has ingratiated himself with the locals, they put on a show for him and the other operatives (masquerading as agents of the Sky Kingdom and the Coyote's helpers). This show brings the book to a screeching halt for ten pages with a performance that isn't even that funny. It lacks Baker's characteristic wit and charm and seems superfluous. Baker may have been trying to illustrate something with this, but it fails miserably. At 310 pages (small pages with fairly large type and lots of dialogue), the book is already short. The ten pages taken up by this show make it seem even shorter and really could have been used elsewhere. It feels like nothing much of consequence happens in the book because of this problem. The mission seems very easy, with only a couple of roadblocks thrown up to add any suspense into whether or not the mission will succeed. To me, this implies that the point of the book is not the mission itself, but what it means to the Company and the operatives. This is where the book shines, and I wish Baker would have given us more of this and less of the mission. For the first time, we meet the mortals who created these people, and we are less than impressed. They are, basically, dweebs. Afraid of germs, afraid of violence, afraid of any sort of religious ceremonies, they paint a picture of the future that looks horrible. This is not only to the readers, but to the Company operatives as well. A number of them are meeting their creators for the first time, and a crisis of conscience springs up. These immortals have been living for centuries, all of them working toward the goal of reaching a year in the 2300s where the fruits of their labors will finally bear fruit. But is this what they're waiting for? Might it not be better if they took over and set the world on the proper course? This is dangerous thinking, and it provides the heart and soul of the book, along with setting up some wonderful future possibilities for future books. The relationship between Joseph and Mendoza takes a further step as Mendoza walks further and further away from her humanity. She still blames Joseph for what happened with her lover in England, and she's allowed those events to push her further away from the humanity she once held when Joseph recruited her. Joseph, meanwhile, has had centuries to learn techniques to keep that humanity vibrant. The interaction between the two of them is crackling, and you really start to wonder if Mendoza agrees with the potential rebels or not. While this is Joseph's book, Mendoza is the one who is truly developed. We never see any of the events from Mendoza's point of view, but that actually adds to her mystique. Thus, I give a guarded recommendation to Sky Coyote. There are so many interesting events going on, that you can't really miss it. It's just too bad the native story couldn't be included in that description. This will probably be a vital link in the series, so it will be worth your time. Besides, it is short so you won't have that much trouble getting through it. David Roy
Rating:
Summary: Not only a fake god, but a useless one too?
Review: Sky Coyote is the second in "The Company" series of science fiction novels. This time, the viewpoint changes from Mendoza, child of the Spanish Inquisition, to Joseph, her rescuer and recruiter. Unfortunately, Baker is hit with a bit of the "sophomore jinx," and her second effort feels lacking compared to the first. Still a fun read, it could have been so much more. Sky Coyote almost seems like a placeholder instead of a proper novel. It does have a plot, and one that could have been very interesting. Unfortunately, Baker misses the opportunity and instead provides us with a group of natives who seem much too modern for what they are supposed to be. Remember, the year is 1700. Baker has them talking in very modern language which just spoils the mood. In the Garden of Iden was enhanced by the way Baker had the characters talk the way the English spoke at the time, and it contrasted nicely with the modern English used by the operatives when they weren't interacting with the locals. This time, though, there is no difference, and it is jarring. A case could be made that this is a translation of what they said into modern English, but it loses its impact that way. The tribe just feels out of place. Another problem is the pacing of the book. Once Joseph has ingratiated himself with the locals, they put on a show for him and the other operatives (masquerading as agents of the Sky Kingdom and the Coyote's helpers). This show brings the book to a screeching halt for ten pages with a performance that isn't even that funny. It lacks Baker's characteristic wit and charm and seems superfluous. Baker may have been trying to illustrate something with this, but it fails miserably. At 310 pages (small pages with fairly large type and lots of dialogue), the book is already short. The ten pages taken up by this show make it seem even shorter and really could have been used elsewhere. It feels like nothing much of consequence happens in the book because of this problem. The mission seems very easy, with only a couple of roadblocks thrown up to add any suspense into whether or not the mission will succeed. To me, this implies that the point of the book is not the mission itself, but what it means to the Company and the operatives. This is where the book shines, and I wish Baker would have given us more of this and less of the mission. For the first time, we meet the mortals who created these people, and we are less than impressed. They are, basically, dweebs. Afraid of germs, afraid of violence, afraid of any sort of religious ceremonies, they paint a picture of the future that looks horrible. This is not only to the readers, but to the Company operatives as well. A number of them are meeting their creators for the first time, and a crisis of conscience springs up. These immortals have been living for centuries, all of them working toward the goal of reaching a year in the 2300s where the fruits of their labors will finally bear fruit. But is this what they're waiting for? Might it not be better if they took over and set the world on the proper course? This is dangerous thinking, and it provides the heart and soul of the book, along with setting up some wonderful future possibilities for future books. The relationship between Joseph and Mendoza takes a further step as Mendoza walks further and further away from her humanity. She still blames Joseph for what happened with her lover in England, and she's allowed those events to push her further away from the humanity she once held when Joseph recruited her. Joseph, meanwhile, has had centuries to learn techniques to keep that humanity vibrant. The interaction between the two of them is crackling, and you really start to wonder if Mendoza agrees with the potential rebels or not. While this is Joseph's book, Mendoza is the one who is truly developed. We never see any of the events from Mendoza's point of view, but that actually adds to her mystique. Thus, I give a guarded recommendation to Sky Coyote. There are so many interesting events going on, that you can't really miss it. It's just too bad the native story couldn't be included in that description. This will probably be a vital link in the series, so it will be worth your time. Besides, it is short so you won't have that much trouble getting through it. David Roy
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting yet tedious, if a book can be both
Review: The overall story about The Company that carries over from book to book is interesting, as is the original character of Mendoza. However, the subplots in each book can get pretty tedious. In fact, they're less "plot" than they are philosophical musings by the author. I found myself skimming a lot of pages. In addition, the characters are difficult to connect with. They don't seem to have normal emotions nor interact with each other in normal ways. Although they threaten each other a lot, and although The Company is supposed to be a scary organization, somehow nothing ever happens. Everyone does as they're told, and there's really no conflict. I agree with the person who said the Indians talked like modern California teens. I have the feeling the author did this deliberately, but I'm not sure why. The plot device that interests me most in these books is the relationship between Mendoza and Joseph...I'd like to see more on that. I think the author has an interesting idea, but I think she needs to put more emphasis on plot, and develop her characters in a more normal way. Also, I think her ideological views can get pretty heavy-handed at times, particularly her insistence that all of the world's ills come straight from religion.
Rating: 
Summary: Moments of greatness, but only moments
Review: There were several elements of subversive humor throughout the book. Jabs at politically correct "future" attitudes that find behaviors such as eating meat (or plants for that matter, they too are living creatures) abhorrent while trying to preserve a Native American culture from annihilation. The underlying theme of the immortal workers still isn't developed enough to my liking here, although there are some moments. I liked In the Garden of Iden and enjoyed this book just as much. It's not great, but it is good.
Rating: 
Summary: This is a good book!!!!
Review: This is an excellent book. Speaking as an American Indian, I want to thank Kage Baker for writing a book in which the Indians are neither noble savages nor stupid primitives, but shown as intelligent human beings with individual personalities - some good, some not so good, just like any other real people. Thanks too for showing that "primitive" Indians before the white arrival had sophisticated cultures and complex economies, not just hunting and fishing. And this is the only white author I have ever read who brings out the Indian's sense of humor. There is more to this book than just the Indian stuff (there is some very good satire on white bureaucrats) but that is what I know the most about. On that basis I say this is a good book and you should read it.
Rating:
Summary: A walk in the sunshine
Review: Unlike many follow-up novels, *Sky Coyote* keeps the high quality of Kage Baker's first book in this series, *In the Garden of Iden.* Not only that, it manages to have an identity and voice all its own. *In the Garden of Iden* was a walk in both shadow and light, but *Sky Coyote* is a walk in the sunshine. It's pretty much hilarious throughout, and is told from the point of view of Joseph, a roguish 20,000-year-old-man with a very sarcastic and world-weary view of life. (Who wouldn't be sarcastic and world-weary after 20,000 years?) The story combines Chumash Indian culture and legend circa 1700 (before the Spanish got there) with a bio-engineered Joseph posing as the trickster deity, Sky Coyote--a perfect mesh with his own personality. Along the way Baker does a witty parody of contemporary California culture, the current lack of historical/cultural perspective in our society, moral relativism, trendy ecology, pop culture, and Warner Brothers cartoons. Baker has a lot of fun, and so did I. But a warning: this book contains major spoilers for the first book.
Rating:
Summary: Lots of tease, not much action
Review: When I was about 40 pages from the end of this book, I suddenly realized that nothing much had yet happened and that no real plot had been set up--a few minor incidents were set up and resolved, yes, but IMO they fell flat. There are some unsubtle teasers for plot developments in future books, but they only emphasize how little actually happens in this installment. I loved "In the Garden of Iden," which is probably the best time-travel morality play since Connie Willis's "Doomsday Book," but I found "Sky Coyote" completely unsatisfying. I'm not planning on reading the next book in the series, "Mendoza in Hollywood," until it comes out in paperback; if it's as much of a letdown as "Sky Coyote," I won't bother with any further books in the series.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed
Review: While I thought the first book in this series, In the Garden of Iden, was an interesting take on time travel, Sky Coyote did not live up to my expectations. Mendoza's voice was the one heard in Garden, and Joseph's in Coyote; but I found no difference between them and had a difficult time adjusting to Joseph's narration. I find it hard to believe a 20,000 year old man and the Neanderthal "giggle," although this verb appears several times in relation to their dialogue. Perhaps Baker has a more difficult time getting into the head of a male protagonist, but I never believed Joseph was speaking. I do not wish to offend anyone, but I also thought that after the first few pages, the description of Chumash ceremonies was gratuitous and did not move the plot forward.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent time-travel California smartass tragicomic SF.
Review: _____________________________________
I thought the Chumash characters were particularly well done, very
*California* -- one of the the Humashup tycoons even has a
personal shaman. I don't know enough about the Chumash --
indeed, almost nothing -- to judge Baker's fidelity-to-history, but I
expect she's a trustworthy guide -- (but I do recall picking up
some very odd notions about science and history from voraciously
naive childhood reading, so comments from the Chumash-history literate are welcome.) I'm pretty sure coastal California culture has
featured wealth, ostentation, flash & showmanship for at least a
thousand years.... and, yes, there weren't many more clear, smog-free
days in the LA Basin even back when the dire wolves were
unwisely leaping onto prey mired in the La Brea tar pits.... Anyway. I have a definite weakness for anthropological SF. "Sky
Coyote" might not be up to the best of Le Guin or Arnason, but it has
some very fine moments. We were out to the Central Coast (the
Chumash, and Baker's, homeland) a few months back, and it is
lovely country, lovingly portrayed here. And Baker has a nice
command of the tragedy:farce, dark:light transition? mood-swing? --
not quite the words I'm looking for, but she plays the reader's
emotions skillfully. Really quite an impressive writer. You should probably read "Garden" first (also highly recommended), but "Sky Coyote" would do fine as
a stand-alone. Happy reading!
Pete Tillman
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