SPACE COWBOY by Justin Stanchfield

 

Published in 2008 by Usborne Publishing, Ltd.

In Space Cowboy, Travis McClure is a teenaged cowboy with a horse named Deuce. He's good at his job and starting to work more and more on his own and he really enjoys being trusted with more responsibility, even if the work is hard and mostly boring. If they make enough money his family can finally return to their own ranch on Earth and make a go of it.

You see, Travis and his family are part of a terraforming operation in a future where human beings are starting to move out into the galaxy. They are on Aletha Three, a planet with a climate and atmosphere similar to Earth's. Terraformers bring a few animals, a few planets and try to jump start a biosphere by spreading grass the old-fashioned way - by having animals eat the seeds and spread them in their manure. Or, as the book more delicately describes it: "On Earth, animals like wild bison and wild horses had once covered the grasslands, their hoofs churning the barren soil like a million tiny plows, spreading seed as they moved. Here, the scattered herds of hardy, more manageable cattle served the same purpose."

The planet was supposed to be confirmed lifeless before they started, but Travis has a feeling that there is something very dangerous out there. It's bigger than the coyotes that were brought along and it sometimes screeches in the canyonlands when Travis is alone moving the cows along.

When he finally sees it, everything will change...

This was an enjoyable YA novel. There is nothing here but a lot of adventure and the promise of a bit of romance, but it was still a fun read. Don't think too hard, just go along for the ride.

I rate this novel 4 stars out of 5. It can be found as a kindle e-book on Amazon.com here: SPACE COWBOY by Justin Stanchfield.