Books - Sky Coyote

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	Books - Sky Coyote

Sky Coyote is a novel of The Company by Kage Baker. It is the second in the series which began with In The Garden of Iden
and continues with Mendoza in Hollywood
.

Themes

Based on the novels published up to July 2005, the series alternates between major episodes in the life of the character Mendoza and scene-setting installments involving other major characters such as Joseph and Lewis.

Sky Coyote, though an entertaining read in its own right, also uses its side plots and sub-text to fill in much of the background which the previous book's first-person narrative from Mendoza could not. With Joseph as narrator, Sky Coyote ranges in flashback from 1699-1701 to 20,000 BCE as Joseph deals with aspects of his life he's been at pains to ignore. For instance his relationship with Budu, who recruited him originally, saving his life in the process, nags at him as more and more of the Company's activities look suspect. We also see the sybaritic lifestyle at the cyborg-run facility New World One, for contrast with the comfortable suburbanity of the Chumash and the ingrown self-denial of the 24th century technologists. The obsession of the cyborgs with Hollywood movies (and a certain eponymous cartoon character) comes to the fore for the first time. Important characters such as Lewis appear here, along with minor players like 'Latif who reappear in future installments.

Two aspects of the novel are based in reality. The Chumash were a real tribe in the location described. The monotheistic Chinigchinix religion which threatens them, and is in turn threatened by encroaching colonialism, was also real, although here it is portrayed as being every bit as oppressive and violent as medieval Christianity.

Other aspects of religion fare no better. The Chumash shamans are portrayed as needy attention-getters who obsess over minor details of Sky Coyote's behavior while the rest of the tribe looks on in amusement. Joseph gives full vent to his feelings about religions in general and aggressively evangelistic ones in particular. This theme also plays into the "all life is sacred" obsessions of the future, where stimulants and meat-eating are all illegal, and many attitudes and activities we consider normal will get you "re-education" or worse.

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