Spindrift

A standalone Coyote Universe story from the Hugo Award–winning author that's "the best first contact novel in a long time" (Rocky Mountain News). "Spindrift is classic SF in the best sense." —Nebula Award-winning author Jack McDevitt

The year is 2288. Earth scientists have picked up a transmission originating from outside the solar system. Eager to confirm that the signal may have been sent by an alien civilization, Europe dispatches its first starship, the EASS Galileo, to investigate. Its nine-person crew discovers an unidentified object, code-named Spindrift, and begins to unravel its mysteries . . .

In the year 2344, more than five decades have passed since the Galileo vanished on its secret mission. Now, three of the crew's survivors—Ted Harker, Emily Collins, and Jared Ramirez—have returned to Earth. They have not aged in the interim. Each of them claims that they made first contact with an alien species—and that they have been introduced to a larger universe with danger and conflict beyond human experience.

Director General John Shillinglaw must sift through the three very different testimonies of Galileo's surviving crew to uncover the truth of their alien encounter—and what that truth means for humanity's future.

"Fascinating . . . Steele delivers a gripping saga of humanity on the verge of exploring the larger universe." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

© 2026 Open Road Media Sci-Fi & Fantasy (Ebook): 9798337204000

Release date

Ebook: 17 February 2026