Brand X and his fellow coyotes . . . are meticulously observed in the desert environment that Ms. Popham seems to know like her backyard. And so are the people of this fable-old Hallie and Albert . . . and the several varmint-hunters, callous or alcoholic or both. There is a parable of how we might relate to the creatures that share the world with us; and a parable of dreams versus realty; and a parable of home, of known territory with its comparative safety; and a parable of making the best of a world short of everything. The people and the creatures of Ms. Popham's fable are right, they belong, and they mean. -Wallace Stegner

This spare and affecting novel has the precision and the stinging sweetness of a fable. A wonderful book. -Thomas McGuane

Refreshing . . . Life-affirming . . . The first book I've read in a long time that left me with teary eyes at the end.-The San Diego Tribune

Captivating . . . The animals' arduous westward journey down the Colorado River to the Gulf suggests a coyote world view that is subtly sustained by their mysterious ways. -Publishers Weekly

With dramatic urgency and imaginative tenderness, Melinda Popham has given the world a painful, poetic, and delightfully unpredictable story that pulsates with hope and healing meaning. -Al Young, California Poet Laureate Emeritus

Rich with poetic resonance. -Los Angeles Times Book Review

Evoking a rich sense of place and animal behavior, [Popham] lets us see through very different eyes. -The Seattle Times

A daring and visionary tale. [Popham] dares to tell us what a coyote thinks and sees and feels and dreams. . . . A hero of the classic kind-a furry, howling, water-seeking version of the Hero with a Thousand Faces. -James D. Houston

Masterful . . . Astonishing . . . Remarkable . . . Put down the latest technothriller and bask awhile in the descriptive prose of Skywater. -L.A. Life