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COYOTE JONES

jones_coyote_bk_yctoeot jones_coyote_nv_ftsog jones_coyote_bk_sasa jones_coyote_bk_atsl jones_coyote_bk_f jones_coyote_bk_tc
 
Full Name: Coyote Jones
Nationality: Unknown
Organization: TIS
Occupation Agent

Creator: Suzette Haden Elgin
Time Span: 1969 - 1986

ABOUT THE SERIES

Coyote Jones is an agent with the TIS.

That is my acronym for the Tri-Galactic Intelligence Service, a combination of intelligence gathering and policing under the auspices of the governing authorities of the Federation. The activities take place around a thousand years in the future and humanity is wide-spread.

One of the many operatives that the TIS has to call on for missions is the "red-bearded, hot-tempered" folk musician and singer Jones, a man who would much rather be making his music that going on the assignments that he is given but one pays the bills better than the other. And he would be far happier spending time with lovely ladies than either of the other occupations but that, enjoyable as it is, pays him nothing.

A qualification that makes Jones particularly suited for his clandestine operations has to do with a 'technology' that makes civilization, and especially government, functionable with the vast distances of space involved and the extremely long periods of time that "normal" communication would take. To overcome this tremendous problem are the 'Communipaths'.

It was discovered several hundred years before that there were scads of people throughout the galaxies who were telepathic and that telepathic communication was near instantaneous regardless of the distances between the sender and the receiver. For the extremely long distances, the more powerful telepaths were needed and it was those were pressed into the Communipath service. Those with the 'gifts' were identified almost at birth and then forcibly taken from their parents to be raised by the government where they were exercised to hone their skills as well as conditioned into wanting to be of service.

Now the government did have the decency to allow these Communipaths to live like royalty in wonderous luxury but that was likely because it was known that those with the extra powerful abilities tended to die a very young age.

Back to Coyote Jones and his calling as a covert operative, it would be safe to say that it was difficult if not nearly impossible to be a clandestine agent in a civilization where so very many people had at least some telepathic abilities and a good number were exceptional at it. Jones has a different sort of gift. While he, too, is a powerful telepathic 'sender', he cannot 'receive' so his thoughts are his own. This is vital for keeping secrets, like his real missions. It also seems to help a lot in the seduction field as well.

BOOKS

Number of Books:5
First Appearance:1970
Last Appearance:1986

1 The Communipaths The Communipaths
Written by Suzette Haden Elgin
Copyright: 1970

"Communipaths" are powerful telepaths who are used in the faster-than-light communication system employed by the government of the Three Galaxies. Once identified, the new-born is taken from the mother and raised by the authorities. On the planet Iris, the mother of a particularly powerful baby resists and Coyote Jones is sent to get the child. Later when the mother starts to use her own abilities to try and recover the baby, Jones is sent to arrest her. He has objections.

2 Furthest Furthest
Written by Suzette Haden Elgin
Copyright: 1971

Coyote Jones is dispatched to a planet so distant from the majority of the other planets in the Federation that it is known as 'Furthest'. The enigma that Jones is told to solve is the fact that every single member of that planet's inhabitants is shown to be absolutely average in every respect, a statistical impossibility. The question then is why and how is the data so wrong.

3 At The Seventh Level At The Seventh Level
Written by Suzette Haden Elgin
Copyright: 1972

The planet Abba has only very recently been admitted to the Federation, and only after it made a huge concession - women had not been considered truly human and thus had no rights. Since the admission, though, a brilliant woman named Jacinth has risen to the Seventh Level, the highest in that society. That makes her a major target of male anger and female jealousy. Coyote Jones is dispatched there to help protect her.

4 Star-Anchored, Star-Angered Star-Anchored, Star-Angered
Written by Suzette Haden Elgin
Copyright: 1979

A young religious leader named Drussa Silver has just moved to the planet Freeway and is amassing a large group of loyal followers. Coyote Jones is sent to that planet to find out if she is a true believer or a psionic fraud.

5 Yonder Comes The Other End Of Time Yonder Comes The Other End Of Time
Written by Suzette Haden Elgin
Copyright: 1986

The Communipaths have traced an ultra-powerful mind message to a previously thought empty section of space. Coyote Jones is sent to the region to find an invisible planet and then locate the extremely powerful telepath who was the source of the message.

NOVELLAS AND SHORT STORIES

Number of Stories:1
First Appearance:1969
Last Appearance:1969

1 For The Sake Of Grace For The Sake Of Grace
Written by Suzette Haden Elgin
Copyright: 1969

Published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, May 1969.
The first published work of the author, this tale of patriarchal dystopia has women considered far inferior to the dominating males and those who resist find their lives spent heavily medicated.
Note: While Coyote Jones is not involved in this tale, it would later be repackaged as the prologue to the third adventure, At The Seventh Level.

MY COMMENTS

I read a review of these adventures which referred to them as being 'loosely connected'. I have not read enough to speak with any certainty but I take that to mean that each of these tales are really stand-alone stories with the connection between them being the universe they literally and figuratively reside in and the presence of Coyote Jones. Considering the variety of settings and controlling themes of each of the five tales, I can believe it.

I enjoy the fact that Jones is in his heart, besides being a lover of women, a folk singer. Being a secret agent is something he does to pay the bills.

GRADE

My Grade: B+

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