Conspirator by C.J. Cherryh
reviewed by Charlene Brusso
C.J. Cherryh is the best writer of first-contact stories in the business. Nobody offers more insight in the
psychological subtleties of human-vs-'Other' communication, and the problems and issues that can result
when one group thinks -- mistakenly -- that it understands the other. Previous works like the
Faded Sun series and the Chanur series amply demonstrate her skill, but
the Foreigner series, of which this book is part, is her masterwork.
The Faded Sun Trilogy by C.J. Cherryh
reviewed by Alma A. Hromic
This trilogy was originally published as 3 separate volumes, almost 30 years ago. When encountering these books
for the first time, back in the early 80s, Alma remembers being struck most forcibly by one single aspect of the narrative -- its ALIENNESS.
It read as though it had been written by a non-human mind and hand, and then translated or transliterated into our language and
idiom. It treated the humans as just another alien species in a Universe teeming with them.
Explorer by C.J. Cherryh
reviewed by Cindy Lynn Speer
Bren Cameron returns as the Paidhi and newly-made Lord of the Heavens, and it will take all his
diplomatic skills and his deep understanding of the Atevi to keep the fragile peace between humans and Atevi alive. He has discovered that
all their knowledge of the human past may be based on a lie. Recently, Ramirez, the captain of the human ship Phoenix confessed that
he falsified reports that the human station, Reunion, had been destroyed by aliens.
Defender by C.J. Cherryh
reviewed by Greg L. Johnson
Bren Cameron is the paidhi, the human most knowledgeable about and ambassador to the atevi. At least that is
true in Foreigner at the beginning of the series. By this 5th volume, Cameron has become a force
in atevi politics and close associate of Tabini, the most powerful Atevi ajii, or lord. It is Cameron who is in
charge of balancing the negotiations between Tabini, the humans settled on Mospheira, and the humans living on
the space station in orbit around the planet.
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Hammerfall by C.J. Cherryh
reviewed by Greg L. Johnson
Set on a desert world inhabited by a fairly primitive
looking village and nomadic tribe culture, our viewpoint character is
Marak, a warrior and leader who has become mad. His madness is of a type
that afflicts many. The Ila is gathering the mad together and she tells Marak to go
where the voices tell him. Reaching the tower, we learn there is nanotech underlying everything, and the Ila is a
refugee from an ages old war.
The Faded Sun Trilogy by C.J. Cherryh
reviewed by Charlene Brusso
This SF series is the author's second, and demonstrates her masterful skill
at drawing the reader smoothly into alien mindsets and cultures. It
contains the novels: Kesrith (1978), Shon'jir (1978), and
Kutath (1979). The trilogy opens in the uneasy aftermath of a
galaxy-spanning war hard-fought between humans and humanoid mri mercenaries,
hired by the decidedly inhuman regul...
Finity's End by C.J. Cherryh
reviewed by Greg L. Johnson
Over the course of the last two decades, Cherryh's Merchanter
universe has grown into one of the great future histories of science
fiction. The combination of realistic portrayals of large-scale power
politics and intensely driven characters, make it impossible to judge the characters in
simplistic, good or bad terms. This is especially true in this novel.
The Dreaming Tree by C.J. Cherryh
reviewed by Stephen M. Davis
C.J. Cherryh can be justly proud of this omnibus edition of her
two-volume series. Stephen found the writing in both volumes to be
first-rate: the dialogue never feels stilted or corny. The characters
are believable and have understandable motives.
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