C. J. Cherryh
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C. J. Cherryh
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Foreigner: A Novel of First Contact
by
C. J. Cherryh
A large new novel from C. J. Cherryh is always a pleasure. When it marks her return to the anthropological sf in which she has made such a name for herself (most notably the Chanur novels), it is doubly so. Foreigner proceeds from the venerable premise of the lost starship whose crew had to land the ship wherever possible. It ended up on a planet whose native race, the atevi, practice--among other interesting habits--registered assassinations. Two centuries after the landing, only one human, the paidhi, is allowed out of the human enclave--and at the opening of the book, he is the object of an unregistered assassination attempt. The subsequent tale is one of those Cherryh novels that is longer on world building, exotic aliens, and characterization than on action, although it is not short on that. Well up to Cherryh's usual high standard |
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Invader
by
C. J. Cherryh
Be sure to pursue the predecessor Foreigner before partaking of Cherryh's sequel: it will make the transition to the politically-complex interactions between alien and human much smoother. Battles between competing political figures spill over into alien/human relationships and threaten many fragile alliances in this fast-paced story of social and political 'duels'. When his world is threatened by the arrival of a renegade starship, paidhi to the atevi court Bren Cameron is targeted by an archconservative faction and finds his only hope for survival in a daring communication with the starship. |
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Inheritor
by
C. J. Cherryh
The third volume of Cherryh's latest saga commences six months after the human ship Phoenix "discovered" a planet shared by the descendants of marooned human colonists and the nonhuman atevi. The atevi are trying to advance their space program in order to be classified as a developed race; that is, they're involved in one of the classic sf plots, which Cherryh handles as well as her admirers expect of her. While the atevi labor, the planet's humans, the crew of the Phoenix, and the atevi, too, are splitting into factions and creating so many conflicts that a sensible reader could not reasonably expect them all to be resolved this time. |
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Precursor
by
C. J. Cherryh
Addition to Cherryh's superior alien-contact series about the humanoid-alien ``atevi'' and the colony of castaway humans they've graciously permitted not only to survive but flourish on their planet. Atevi society, composed of jostling clans and factions and prone to violence, is bound together by instinctive loyalty but little else. A pro-human atevi faction, led by the powerful Tabini, sponsors Bren Cameron as human translator/technical liaison and has appointed two loyal atevi, Banichi and Jago, as Bren's bodyguards. But the starship that originally brought the colonists has returned from deep space with news of hostile aliens in the offing. So the ship's representative, Jase Graham, is working with Bren in releasing technology to the atevi and helping them build spaceships in order to enlist them as allies. Certain atevi factions, however, oppose all this. Another intriguing human/alien struggle: the tiny, intricate plot wheels hum, even if the big picture changes hardly at all. |
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Defender
by
C. J. Cherryh
One of the best long-running SF series in existence, Cherryh's Foreigner Universe books (Precursor, etc.) tell the story of a small human colony abandoned on a planet inhabited by the atevi, an alien race whose humanoid anatomy disguises radically different instincts and thought patterns. Misunderstandings have led to war in the past and make human/atevi diplomacy incredibly difficult. Bren Cameron trained for decades to be the paidhi, the only human allowed to negotiate with the atevi, overseeing the slow transfer of advanced human technology to the brilliant but less advanced natives of the planet in trade for vital raw materials. Eventually, Bren changed sides, becoming the representative of Tabini, the atevi's ruler, to humanity. Now the political situation has been complicated by the return of the Phoenix, the starship whose much hated crew abandoned the colonists some two centuries earlier, and, worse yet, by the starship's report that its crew has discovered a hostile space-faring race relatively nearby. The senior captain of the Phoenix, negotiating through Bren, agrees to help Tabini build a second starship to defend the planet, but as Bren learns after the captain's mysterious death, other plots are afoot and not all the information shared by the starship can be trusted. As usual, Cherryh provides a riveting plot that emphasizes intense human/alien interactions instead of physical violence. Perhaps undervalued because she writes in traditional forms that don't appeal to the literati, while too difficult for some fans of space opera, Cherryh remains one of the most talented writers in the field. |
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Explorer
by
C. J. Cherryh
A third intelligent species makes its appearance in this sixth superior installment in Cherryh's much praised Foreigner Universe series (Defender; Precursor; etc.). The starship Phoenix, manned by a human crew but with a significant contingent of the gigantic, nonhuman atevi aboard, has spent the last year in interstellar transit from the atevi home world to the ruins of Reunion Station, where the repressive Pilots' Guild still clings to power and a mysterious and deadly alien starship lurks on the fringes. Diplomat and translator Bren Cameron and the Phoenix's newly appointed junior captain, Jason Graham, must keep the peace between two powerful, but short-tempered women: Sabin, the ship's senior captain, and Ilisidi, the imperious atevi matriarch who has been entrusted with looking after her species' interests on the voyage. When they reach Reunion Station, the Pilots' Guild first refuses to allow the starship to refuel and then attempts to take it over by force. Sabin's ill-fated attempt to negotiate the release of the fuel leads to some suspenseful complications. As with previous volumes in this intense series, detailed character development, highly charged dialogue and an eye for subtle differences in cultural preconceptions are of central importance, although Cherryh also manages some fine action scenes. This is serious space opera at its very best by one of the leading traditional SF writers in the field today. |
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The Chanur Saga
by
C. J. Cherryh
A three volume omnibus edition containing: 1. The Pride of Chanur Being a talented sci-fi writer with a great imagination, C.J. Cherryh introduces you to a very alien, faroff reign of the whole universe where humans barely touch, let alone survive. So here the great space epic unfolds when Tully, a lone survivor was fleeing the bloodthirsty long-snouted Kifs and thus ran into the captain of a very noble lion-like race, the red-golden Hani. Pyanfar, an arrogant but proud leader decides to spare the human's life - and as a result, she and her loyal crew began to run into even more trouble, worst than the last as they desperately fly from star to star in a determined search for help. But despite the constant betrayal, the poor treatment, and the cold brush-off from the other aliens, the ever-gallant creatures grimly dug into their claws and held on fast until they could at least see to the lone human's safety. 2. Chanur's Venture In the sequel to Pride of Chanur, Tully returns, and brings with him a priceless trade contract with human space--a contract that could mean vast power, riches, and a mess of trouble for Pyanfar Chanur. 3. The Kif Strike Back When the kif seize Hilfy and Tully, Pyanfar and her shipmates enter into a simple rescue attempt that soon becomes a deadly game of interstellar politics. |
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Chanur's Homecoming
by
C. J. Cherryh
This book and the rest of the Chanur series...comprise one of the best science fiction tales ever. Don't miss it. When those aliens entities called "humans" sent their first exploration ship into Compact space, the traditional power alliances of the seven Compact races were catastrophically disrupted. And, giving shelter to Tully, the only surviving human, Pyanfar Chanur and her feline hani crew were pitched into the center of a galactic maelstrom, becoming key players in a power game which could cause an intersteller war, or bring the last hope for peace between eight barely compatible alien races. |
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Chanur's Legacy
by
C. J. Cherryh
Fifth in Cherryh's hitherto paperback Chanur series--a clan/dynasty saga whose alien principals, unusually, are nearly all female, and featuring other alien species by the shipload amid a welter of interspecies politicking, maneuvering, haggling, and strife. Hilfy Chanur of the catlike alien ``hani,'' head of the Chanur clan, is captain of the ship Chanur's Legacy, having been appointed by her enormously influential alien-ambassador aunt Pyanfar. Tempted by the offer of a million credits, Hilfy accepts a peculiar and complicated commission from the powerful alien ``stsho'' station chief of Meetingpoint--to deliver a mysterious ``Preciousness'' to another stsho at Urtur. She also acquires, unwillingly, a male crew member (all Chanur spacers are female) who got himself into trouble and, suspiciously, was abandoned by his ship (the resulting sexual tensions, reversed from the usual polarity, are splendidly handled). Immediately, Hilfy is approached by yet another alien, a ``mahendo'sat'' named Haisi, who, improbably, insists he's Hilfy's friend but pressures her for information. Still another complication are the warrior-alien ``kif'' who appear to be protecting the stsho station chief, an unlikely alliance that Hilfy mistrusts. And she's haunted by dreams--or are they extrasensory communications?--of her last love, a human named Tully, and her aunt Pyanfar, who's clearly plotting and planning at some remote remove. Complicated enough? Just wait until you hear about the plot... Readers new to Cherryh's Compact Space will need patience and determination to get involved--but it's worth the effort: memorable characters, intriguing aliens, and a convoluted yet satisfying plot guaranteed to extend even the most space-operatically inclined brain cells. |
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Downbelow
Station
by
C. J. Cherryh
A legend among sci-fi readers, C.J. Cherryh's Union-Alliance novels, while separate and complete in themselves, are part of a much larger tapestry-a future history spanning 5,000 years of human civilization. Downbelow Station is the book that won Cherryh a Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1982. A blockbuster space opera of the rebellion between Earth and its far-flung colonies, it is a classic science fiction masterwork. |
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The
Faded Sun
by
C. J. Cherryh
They were the mri-tall, secretive, bound by honor and the rigid dictates of their society. For aeons this golden-skinned,golden-eyed race had provided the universe mercenary soldiers of almost unimaginable ability. But now the mri have faced an enemy unlike any other-an enemy whose only way of war is widespread destruction. These "humans" are mass fighters, creatures of the herb, and the mri have been slaughtered like animals. Now, in the aftermath of war, the mri face extinction. It will be up to three individuals to save whatever remains of this devastated race: a warrior--one of the last survivors of his kind; a priestess of this honorable people; and a lone human--a man sworn to aid the enemy of his own kind. Can they retrace the galaxy-wide path of this nomadic race back through millennia to reclaim the ancient world which first gave them life? |
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Serpent's Reach
by
C. J. Cherryh
Within the Constellation of the Serpent, out of bounds to all spacefarers, humans live among the insect-like aliens--and one of them, a woman named Paen, is bent on a revenge that will tear apart the truce between human and alien. "Brisk pacing . . . and genuinely brilliant world-building." Serpent's Reach has been cut off from contact with the rest of humanity for seven hundred years, and in that time, the settlers of these worlds have engineered fantastic technology with the help of the alien Majat. Against this backdrop, one noblewoman's family is slaughtered and she vows revenge on the perpetrators. I've heard that CJ Cherryh does a fantastic job of creating believable aliens, and I found this to be true in my first-ever CJ Cherryh read. Not only the very alien Majat, but also the almost-human Kontrin and their genetic creations, the Betas and the Azi, have cultures, ideas, and attitudes that distinguish them from we garden variety Homo sapiens. This is pretty "hard" science fiction, with frequent breaks needed to page back through what you just read to try and soak everything in. There is very little of the old literary trick of having an ignorant character around all the time so that difficult concepts can be explained in dialogue (like Star Trek) or even of outright exposition by the author. Much is left to the interpretation of the reader. If you like that style of writing (I do!), Serpent's Reach is excellent reading. After finishing, I went out and bought a couple more Cherryh books set in the Alliance-Union universe. |
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Finity's End
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C. J. Cherryh Finity's End falls after Merchanter's Luck but before Tripoint in the lineup of C.J. Cherryh's Merchanter novels (part of the author's award-winning Alliance/Union universe). It resumes the story of Fletcher Neihart, an orphan and unwanted foster child who, against his will, joins the crew of the legendary merchanter ship Finity's End. As Neihart struggles to find his place both on the ship and in the world, the ship undertakes a mission critical to the continuing peace between the Earth, Alliance, and Union factions. |
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Tripoint
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C. J. Cherryh An addition to Cherryh's medium-future spacefaring saga (Hellburner, 1992) in which, the Company Wars over, freelance trading vessels crewed by extended families ferociously compete for interstellar shipping contracts. Aboard the Hawkins family's Sprite, cargo chief Marie Hawkins nurses a personal grudge against Austin Bowe, captain of the rival Corinthian, who beat and raped her 25 years ago. Obsessed and vengeful, Marie intends to destroy Austin by proving that his ship trades illegally with pirates and smugglers. When both ships dock at the Mariner space station, she pounces. Concerned for her welfare, her son, Tom--Austin's boy- -interferes with Marie's plans and for his pains is shanghaied and confined aboard Corinthian by his half-brother, Christian. While the desperate Marie persuades Sprite's captain to pursue the Corinthian, and a ship full of genuine bad guys draws ever nearer, Tom adapts to his new life aboard his father's vessel--a life that is neither as dangerous nor as unpleasant as Marie had led him to expect. Rather heavy-handed in the violence department, and gabbily flabby with interior monologues, but carried along by the lively characters and sturdy plot. Overall, well up to previous standards. |
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Hammerfall
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C. J. Cherryh In this well-done novel by the prolific, award-winning author of Precursor and Fortress of Dragons, two women with superhuman powers wage psychic and genetic war for control of a civilization. The common people remember the original colonization of their desert world in purely mythological terms as the First Descent. They're unaware that their seemingly immortal ruler, the Ila, has used nanotechnology to control their lives and modify their bodies for survival on their harsh planet. Marak Trin Tain, the outcast son of a desert bandit who unsuccessfully contested the Ila's rule, suffers from a terrifying form of madness. Like many others in this world, he sees visions and feels an almost overwhelming desire to walk out into the desert, heading blindly toward the east. When the Ila captures Marak, instead of executing him, she decides to send him (and a company of other madmen and women) on a desperate mission to discover the source of the obsession that draws them across their world. Unbeknownst to him, however, his civilization, indeed all life on his planet, is on the brink of destruction. Although this book may take place in a different universe from that of Cherryh's much praised Alliance-Union novels, it features her usual blend of gorgeous, slightly knotty prose, deeply conflicted heroes, desperate action and nicely observed cultural details. The first volume in her Gene Wars series, it leaves a number of loose threads to be tied up in later volumes, but is, in and of itself, an entirely satisfying novel. |
