Product Description
Long out of print, these three acclaimed, stand-alone novels by the brilliant C.J. Cherryh are among her personal favorites. She calls them the "magic cookie books"- treats she wrote for herself-three daringly original works that explore the more "fantastic" themes of science fiction....

Port Eternity

Camelot lives again-on a spaceship manned by Arthurian androids...

"Marvelous." -Voya

"A thoughtful work by an intelligent writer."-Science Fiction & Fantasy

Wave Without a Shore

Is there alien life on the planet Freedom? If so, why can only some people see them?

"Thoughtful...engrossing."-Publishers Weekly

"A gem."-Los Angeles Times

Voyager in Night

A human space crew's collision with an alien ship ends in death-and rebirth....

"Suspenseful...and fresh."-New York Times

"Intelligent space adventure and an intriguing psychological novel...thoughtful, original."-Chicago Sun-Times ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Not what I expected
These short novels are okay, a bit of a hard slog, but they're just not at all what I expected from the title.I love reading about alternate history, set in our world with some single change being worked out.This
is not that at all, but simply three relatively far out SF novels.Badly
misnamed, imho.

Oh, well.
Slogged through "Port Eternity"; gave "Voyager in Night" a run but didn't care enough to finish it; couldn't even get into "Wave Without a Shore". As ever, the stories are well written -- Cherryh knows her craft -- but I find that there's no middle ground for me with what she writes. I either really love it or can't abide it. For me, the stories were a little too long on the existential, a lot too short on plot, and extra lean on characterization. That's really my biggest problem with all three stories: no characters worth reading about, especially in "Wave". So if you prefer stories with characters you can care about, if what's happening to a character is what makes you turn that next page, this is not the book for you. Read Cherryh's "Chanur" and "Foreigner" series instead.

Encountering Other Realities
Alternate Realities (2000) is an omnibus edition of older novels by this author, including Port Eternity, Voyager in Night, and Wave Without a Shore.All three novels are standalone stories within the Alliance-Union Universe.

In Port Eternity (1982), the story is set on the planet Brahman, where the rich are rejuvenated and their servants are genetically designed humans -- the azi -- grown in artificial wombs and indoctrinated by sleep learning.The azi are normally terminated when they reach forty, but some few are rejuved and live as long as their masters.

In this novel, Lady Dela Kirn is a descendent of a founder of Brahman and is very rich.She owns many azi, but only a few are allowed aboard the Maid of Astolat, her starfaring yacht.Four are the crew and the other three are her staff.All are named for characters in a drama tape about King Arthur.

The narrator of this story is Elaine, named for the original Maid of Astolat.Elaine is probably the most independent of the azi.Her household function is personal companion and she performs a variety of personal services for Lady Dela.

Lance is the steady lover of Lady Dela, available for times that she lacks other lovers.He has been with her for twenty years and is coming up on the age limit.Lance is Elaine's best friend, but he has been conditioned to only love Lady Dela.

Vivian is Lady Dela's accountant and estate manager.She is the most narrow of the azi, focused on her job and obtaining rejuv.She treats the other azi as if she was a born-man and too important to do menial work.

Gawain, Percivale, Lynette and Modred are the crew.They are closely focused on their jobs whenever the ship is activated.Modred is the most narrowly focused, operating by reason only and insensitive to his own and other's emotions.Modred is named such for his dangerous appearance;even born-men step aside when Modred approaches.

Griffin is Lady Dela's current born-man lover.He is young, having never been rejuved, and is full of energy.He and Lady Dela are in love, which is unusual for Dela.Even Lance is convinced that they will be married.

In Voyager in Night (1984), Trishanamarandu-kepta is very old, 100,000 years in ship time, but it has spent so much duration in jumpspace that it is much older in terms of normal spacetime.It is also very large, with the mass of a starstation.

In this novel, the Company Wars are over and Alliance trade routes are expanding.Endeavor Station is being constructed and ships are converging on the system to provide needed raw materials and products.One of these ships is the Lindy, a very small mining ship, jury rigged from scraps and salvaged parts, with a crew of three.

Rafe Murray is the Old Man of the Lindy and his sister Jillian and her husband Paul Gaines are the crew.The Murrays are Merchant brats who were orphaned during the Company Wars and Paul was a stationer on Forgone.The trio has put everything they have into the Lindy.

Having no jump engines, the Lindy was brought to Endeavor aboard the can-hauler Rightwise.It is quickly put to work bringing in rock for the oreship/smelter Ajax.The crew has just finished their first tour and are going out for another load.

While they are gathering rock from the belt, Endeavor longscan detects a tandem jump into the system.At first they think that one of their supply ships is being pirated, but the John Liles sends transmissions claiming that the bogey is alien.The Lindy is within its projected flight path and pushes its puny engine to avoid the oncoming ship.Then they discover that the approaching craft is the bogey itself and they increase the acceleration.

Nothing works, for the bogey is aimed for them and decelerating to pull alongside.Rafe throws on the automatic pilot, but it throws them into a spin.He tries to disengage the autopilot, but blacks out with the spin only getting worse.

In Wave Without a Shore (1981), the story is set on the planet Freedom, where humans coexist with ahnit -- the indigenous aliens -- but have little interaction with each other.The planet is mostly agricultural, with few industries.The only spaceport is outside the town of Kierkegaard on the continent of Sartre.

In this novel, Herrin Alton Law is a gifted child -- at least according to the instructional supervisor -- who will surely go on to University in Kierkegaard.When he hears the news, the seven year old Herrin immediately feels a sense of distance from his family.This feeling is strengthened by the reaction of his family and others in his home town.

Perrin Law is his older sister, but she feels like the younger sibling after hearing about his test scores.From this moment on, Herrin is the center of the family, with Perrin relegated to the periphery.She can hardly wait until he goes off to University.

Keye Lynn is a student of ethics and soon becomes Herrin's lover.Herrin considers her probably the third most brilliant student during their time in University.Naturally, Herrin considers himself the most brilliant and Waden Jenks as the second most brilliant.

Waden is the son of First Citizen Cade Jenks, the ruler of Freedom.Waden is an indifferent student, but highly intelligent.He is still preparing himself to succeed his father.

These novels are typical of the author's early works, depicting relations between humans and aliens from the human perspective.As usual, the humans are less informed than the aliens.Wave Without a Shore is the least typical due to the numbers of humans effected;Port Eternity involves the crew and passengers of a private yacht and Voyager in Night only includes the crew of a very small ship.Much of her works depicts a single human encountering many aliens.

As the title indicates, these stories all involve some form of alternate reality, from another spacetime to computer simulation to altered perceptions.Although set within the Alliance-Union universe, they have little to do with other works in this universe other than the technology and an occasional reference to other worlds.

Highly recommended for Cherryh fans and anyone else who enjoys tales of human relationships with aliens.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Cherryh's "Magic Cookie" novellas collection
This is a collection of novellas from early in Ms. Cherry's career, and are stand alone "Magic Cookie" stories, although Port Eternity will make much more sense in after reading Cyteen, as it is a story about Azi, and their eccentric supervisor.
Voyager in Night is definitely the weirdest of all of Cherry tales, and probably my least favorite. However that doesn't mean it isn't good enough for a re-read, I think I'm only four times for that story.
Wave Without A Shore is one of my all time favorites. It is a great story about philosophy, truth, bigotry, isolation and intelligence.
This group of stories is not the place to start if you want to evaluate Ms Cherry's work.
If you are new to Ms. Cherryh, start with Down Below Station, to begin an exploration of the Merchanter's Universe , or for something really different, try Rider at The Gate.
But if you want something to make you really ponder, give this collection a try, but read slowly and think as you go.

A chore to read
This book is a collection of three novels by C.J.Cherryh.

As one of the other reviewers below notes, this collection is very heavy on philosophy, and as such some readers may find this volume boring.I could not agree more.This volume is incredibly dull and slow paced, and is without a doubt a volume that is not for everyone.

Port Eternity is the first story of the collection and revolves around a group of humans and "made" people who get lost in another dimension.There is a lot of food for thought regarding "made" people being less than born people, as well as ideas of identity.The author builds tension well with the mysterious Modred and the banging on the hull.It all moves along well until, it seems, the author realised she was well short of a novel.What follows is repititious drudgery that goes nowhere, seemingly just to fill pages.The banging begins.The banging stops.Elaine looks after her Lady.The banging begins again, the characters have the same conversation as before, the banging stops, etc.

The second story in the book, Voyager in the Night is just weird.Yes, there are lots of good points to ponder on the idea of identity and death, and the story itself is very unique, but it is not strong enough to base a novel around.Again, this is a repititious work and is even duller than the first.

To be honest, I never did finish reading the third story, Wave Without a Shore.I got 70 pages in, nothing had happened and I was quite over Cherryh's dull writing.I read for enjoyment, this was a chore to read.Believe me, I did try, but 3 slow, boring novels in a row is too much to take.

Overall I would have to say that while this volume contains some clever and thought provoking concepts, but the stories themselves should have been restricted to short stories.This volume may be deep, but it is also extremely dull.

Recommended only for people who like slow, thought provoking stories. ... Read more

Product Description
On a distant planet where humans are telepathically attacked by the natives, young Danny Fisher and his nighthorse Cloud lead a group of survivors to shelter in the snowbound mountains, where they discover a new menace. Reprint. AB. PW. "Amazon.com Review
The sequel to Rider atthe Gate continues as a seamless narrative on the unrivaled partnershipforged between human colonists stranded on a planet whose only native lifeforms are linked by telepathy, and the native nighthorses, who fiercely guardthe humans against the planet's mind-clouding predators. The hero of thisstory is Danny Fisher, a young rider whose will is tested through fatefulconfrontations with an older rider named Guil Stewart and a miscreant horse,whose incongruous telepathic sendings drive entire villages to madness anddeath. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

Please, PLEASE write more!
I was completely enthralled by the prequel to this novel, "Rider at the Gate," which came to a satisfactory ending for me.I thought it was a one-off; I had no idea there was a sequel until I ran across "Cloud's Rider" at my local library.I immediately checked it out and devoured it -- read it through a second time before I turned it in.

It is a fitting successor to the first book, but unfortunately, clearly ends with a cliffhanger meant to segue into a third book.And apparently this third book has never been published.At least I have never been able to discover the title of such a book -- and believe me, I've looked.

WHAT happens to Brionne?HOW do Danny and Cloud, and their new partners Carlo and Spook, SOLVE the problem of Brionne and her new "steed"?What impact does this have on the challenges facing the fragile human colony on this world?I MUST know!And sad to say, apparently I will never know...As another reviewer has put it, this is a vastly underrated series.

C.J. Cherryh's writing style is an acquired taste; other books of hers have a similar confusing style, with run-on sentences and sentence fragments and so on, such as negative reviewers have cited regarding this book.(I'm thinking of "Tripoint" but also the "Foreigner" series.)But I love it!It is such a deep third-person point-of-view that it almost feels like first-person; it puts the reader so deeply into the story, it feels like you are in the skull of the character.You, the reader, are as confused as the hapless character, and you only discover the "answer" as he/she discovers it.It makes for a breathless, constantly-off-balance feeling that keeps you turning pages until the end.

I highly recommend this book and its predecessor, and urge Ms. Cherryh to produce the third installment!

A great sequel: more about a fascinating world and interesting characters
I recommend this book for readers over 18. I agree with most of the content of the positive reviews here. Reviewers who criticize the writing style in this book are expecting something else; I think the style suits the story perfectly. Cherryh's depiction of a society of insecure, defensive people who try to cover up their fears by squeezing everyone into only a small number of rigid social roles is thoroughly realistic. I personally am glad she left Jesus' name out of the mostly nasty "church" controlled by this mindset.

Hard to get into, but then you can't put it down
This is the first book I have read by Cherryh.I found the first couple of chapters diffifcult, mainly because I was trying to get the concept of the horses telepathy, but once I figured out how that worked the book became easy to read and highly enjoyable -I finished it within the day because I desperately wanted to know how things turned out.

In a strange land humans have previously been dropped by spaceships by some sort of higher power, the land is rough with lots of telepathic animals and many dangers.The humans live in high walled villages, spread far apart.Some of the humans have a special gift and are chosen by a horse to be their rider.They escort people back and forth between villages, the non-psychic would never dare venture out without a horse and it's rider to protect them.

Danny is one such rider and his first mission ever is to get two brothers and their 13 year old sister from Tarmin to Evergreen.Tarmin was completely destroyed by a rogue beast and the brothers and sister are the only survivors.Why they are the only survivors provides some fascinating twists in the tale.

I really enjoyed this book, it was interesting, unusual and well written.The only complaint from me is the very fast ending, but I am now hunting for the next book which completes a trilogy.

Wonderful sequel. Please write another
An amazingly intriguing original story. No one but Ms. Cherry could have dreamed up such an original world. Once again an exploration into lonliness, and into unconditional loyalty. Only bad thing about this series is the abrupt end.

Action with a telepathic dimension
Cherryh's "Cloud's Rider" continues the saga (after "Rider at the Gate") of Danny Fisher and the telepathic nighthorse, Cloud, with a desperate mountain climb through a horrific blizzard that would be plenty suspenseful all on its own. Add a crazed telepathic pursuer and a comatose girl whose thoughts can kill and you've got edge-of-your-seat, sci-fi adventure
.
The climbing party consists of two boys and their comatose sister, the sole survivors of a village wiped out in a vermin swarm, triggered by a rogue horse. They are being led by neophyte rider Danny and his horse, whose ability to visualize the terrain in all their heads keeps them alive.

Riders and horses have a strong bond, a symbiotic relationship for which the horse will lay down its life. They guard trading convoys and villages from the local telepathic predators and are regarded with suspicion by non-riders who live in close-knit religious communities and distrust the riders' freedom.

Guiltily, Danny has a secret, which he does not share with the riders of the village where his party finds its winter refuge, thereby endangering them all. The reader's information also trickles in, sustaining the mystery just long enough to get back to the action.

Well-paced and well-plotted, "Cloud's Rider" offers plenty of adventure in a well-developed world. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

One of Cherryh's best -- so far . . .
More so than most of Cherryh's work, this is very much the first volume of a trilogy, quite unable to stand on its own. You'll have to be prepared to read straight through the 750+ pages of the three volumes. It starts out with the end of a forty-year war between humans and the regul, an unpleasant but socially very complicated species, a war the regul -- or, at least, the war-making faction -- having signed a peace treaty. The regul, not being physically or psychologically capable of making war themselves, have for two thousand years made use of another, more human-like species, the mri, as their surrogates. The warrior caste of the mri, which is all that humans (or even most regul) have had experience with, are notably unyielding, uninterested in outsiders, unwilling even to consider change from their customs. They will suicide at the drop of a dishonorable gesture, they don't take prisoners, they don't understand mass-warfare, and even a single mri warrior is very, very dangerous. And now the species is nearly extinct. Sten Duncan comes to Kesrith, home world of the mri and a colonial resource of the regul, as aide to the new human governor and gets caught up in affairs beyond his understanding. The mri are his lifelong enemy, but he becomes closely acquainted with a young warrior in desperate circumstances and witnesses a genocide that changes him profoundly. That's most of the plot of the first volume, right there. But, of course, this being Cherryh, the book is far more than that. The most fascinating aspect is the reader's experience of each of the three species involved from the perspective of each of the other two. This author, like Le Guin, can be masterful when it comes to complex alien psychology, and there's a great deal here to think about before you start on the second volume.

Only You Can Save Mrikind...
On an alien world, the militant Mri co-exist with Regul in an arrangement of servitude, hiring as mercenaries for Regul protection and Regul wars.

The fiercely honour based Mri society is failing, as Regul claim too many of their numbers in precipitous war against Humans.

When Regul ceed Kesrith (Mri Homeworld)in the peace treaty, Mri future is jeopardized and they must contrive to somehow preserve their culture & species.

The enclave at Kesrith has dwindled to 13 Mri, with only two young people left - brother and sister, Niun & Melein. Both have trained as Kel, superb warriors, but now Melein is elevated to leader.

While Niun emerges from his adolescent dreaming and resentments, Melein must craft a future that can contain the Mri or obliterate them beyond reach of their enemies.

A smooth beginning and slow unveiling of plot and motivations until in the last quarter, the tale picks up pace and hurtles along.

The faded sun trilogy portrays two convincing & fascinating races locked with humans as the unpredictable element in a struggle for the stars and for mri, a struggle against extintion.

It's great to read a book where the author doesn't hoard her characters, and I have no assurance that the people I'm getting attached to aren't going to die untimely.It has no reassuring exploring the galaxy with Star Trek feel (don't get me wrong I am a trekkie sans t'shirt), and the characters are volatile and violent.

A word to the wise: buy all three at once, because the cliff-hanger endings will leave your stomach in knots.

Strongly urged reading!

Kotori - ojadis@yahoo.com

Should Not Be a Stand-Alone Book
If something had actually happened, I'm sure it would have been a great book.Well, I'm probably exaggerating a bit.But, for the first 170 pages of this 250 page book, absolutely nothing happens.It's essentially the background social, political, and military information of all the major players.Around page 170 and for the next 80 pages, lots of really interesting things happen.Unfortunately, they don't really end.This book is merely the prologue for its sequels.I have no problem with book trilogies.But, there has to be SOME kind of closure in each of the books.This book just gets going and then stops.Highly frustrating.

faded sun
This book is really deep, it captures the essence of the characters. It is basically about two alien races(very well developed) and humans one human joins the race of mri. It is not light reading, it is very complex, but I am only 14 and consider it easy enough to read. It is really a great book and very interesting. If you buy one you will be so caught up in it you will have to buy the other two. It can be slow at times but there is much action polotics and honor. You can't go wrong with this trilogy.

truly showcases Cherryh's talents in alien portrayal
Those who know Cherryh generally consider aliens to be her greatest strength.Cherryh's aliens are *really* alien, with alien concepts that humans often won't comprehend.Therefore, while the story unfolds, youalso see the unveiling and description of a culture with a completelydifferent set of assumptions than you're used to.

The _Faded Sun_ seriesis strongly recommended as space opera, as a study in human/alien andalien/alien interaction, and as the painful story of single human warrior'sjourney from one mindset to another.Definitely get all three books(search on 'Faded Sun'). ... Read more

Product Description
Forced to help jinxed pilot Paul Dekker, Ben Pollard becomes entangled unwittingly in a lethal deep space political mess. By the Hugo Award-winning author of Heavy Time. and Cyteen. Reprint. K. PW. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Talk, talk, and yet more talk.
Cherryh has written some magnificent space epics, but this wasn't one of them.I had my hopes up; with a title like "Hellburner," and set in the Pell universe, how could it go wrong?Alas, there was no action, just a great deal of talking among characters I didn't like about bureaucratic turf wars (and I can get as much of that as I want just by going to work in the morning).Perhaps I would have enjoyed it had I read "Heavy Time" first, but if I'd been keeping a running journal of my reactions, it might have read thus (paraphrasing an old Matt Groenig cartoon):

Page 1: Oh boy - something's going to happen!
Page 50: When is something going to happen?
Page 100: Nothing's happening.
Page 150: Nothing's still happening.
Page 200: Maybe something will happen in a different book.

So I cut my losses and gave up at the halfway point.

Not Free SF Reader
Speed is of the essence.


A new technology to defeat enemy ships has a small problem, it requires a pilot with the fastest reflexes to operate.There is such a man, but his longevity isn't good, it seems there just might be some political plotting going on whose aim is to get rid of him.

After something suspicious happens his friends come to investigate and see if they can protect him.

Skullduggery, conspiracy, and space military abounds.


3.5 out of 5

Training the 'Right Stuff'
There are very few sequels that measure up to the quality of the first item, let alone exceed it, but this is one of them. As a direct continuation of the story begun in Heavy Time, we meet Pollard, Dekker, Sal, and Meg again, now involved in the prototype testing of the first of the rider ships that figure prominently in later stories about the Alliance/Union war.

But, like most Cherryh novels, very little happens in a simple, straightforward way. Instead of proper, objective testing, with each test run's results carefully and scientifically analyzed and appropriate changes made, we find ourselves in the middle of a horrendously complicated multi-corner battle between the designing corporations, Senatorial committees, two competing military factions, and near social war between Earth-born test pilots and those raised in the asteroid belt, each of whom is driving their own point of view of how the equipment should be configured and the pilots trained. And just to throw in a further complication, we start the book with Dekker back in the hospital after a disastrous simulator accident which may be no accident at all, but rather attempted murder. But Dekker can't remember how or who put him in the simulator.The problems of the 'Hellburner' itself, of how you handle an attack ship moving at significant fractions of the speed of light, where your targets must be described in terms of probability arcs, of vector changes and millisecond decisions even with major computer help, are fascinating in their own right, an excellent setting around which to weave her plot.

How Cherry resolves all the plot complications is exemplary, and along the way she makes some striking points about bureaucracies, military organizations, graft, political 'influence', leadership qualities and styles, and the beginnings of the ethical morass of the 'azi' clones that she covered so well in Cyteen.Her ending is not telegraphed, and ties up all the loose ends while setting up the situation and people of her later books of this universe.About the only real disappointment was her solution to Dekker's 'accident', as it did not tie directly to any of the major players or points of the novel.

Characterization is very strong. Pollard, only partially developed in Heavy Time, here becomes a real, believable person that is easy to identify with. Lt. Graff (an important player in later stories) is easily recognizable to anyone who has ever served in the military, and even Dekker emerges from amnesiac cipher-hood to become the embodiment of the pilot with the 'right stuff'.

Once again, though, readers unfamiliar with Cherryh's style may have a very rough time getting into this book, with her clipped, abbreviated, and incomplete sentences riddled with abbreviations and alphabet-soup acronyms. For this reason I'd highly recommend reading Heavy Time directly prior to this novel, though it is not absolutely required, as then the reader will start this book with both the background to this story and familiarity with this style.

One of her better books, on par with Downbelow Station, though not quite up to the brilliance of Cyteen, and an excellent introduction to her entire Alliance/Union universe.

She's written so much better...
"Hellburner" is a direct sequel to "Heavy Time," and Istrongly recommend you read "Heavy Time" before starting on"Hellburner"-- the book probably won't make much sense if youdon't.

As in "Heavy Time," there are two major questions: Whokilled Paul Dekker's friend(s) in an "accident"? Is Dekkerhimself sane? Theaccident itself, as in "Heavy Time," occurredoff-stage, before the book begins. I have to admit, when I opened the bookand found Dekker once again nutty, I thought, "Oh, oh, here we goagain..." Luckily, Cherryh dispenses with this faster than she did inthe first book, although not perhaps fast enough.

Ben Pollard, whom Ifound to be remarkably unsympathetic in the first book, is rounded-out inthis one, and a lot easier to tolerate. Dekker remains-- annoyingly-- acipher. The way in which some of the major characters from "HardTime" were later introduced into the book seemed contrived. Plot-wise,"Hellburner" ends up being pretty unsatisfying. Everything seemsto happen in the last few pages, and the final resolution is more of atease than a resolution. Still, I have read worse.

One of the best SF books I've ever read.
The magic of this book--as with just about all of Cherryh's novels is the development of the characters.

It isn't a book about good vs evil--but rather about what happens when everyday people are caught up in hopeless, dangerous and ludicrous situations.

The reader will almost be able to see the characters in the flesh because they are so believable.

For sf hardware fanatics--they will not be disappointed.Cherry does an excellent job in portrayting believable and realistic weapons and spacecraft.

This is a must read for fans of the Alliance-Union universe.It gives the reader a look at the beginning of the Mazianni.Cherry takes the 'pirates' of "Rimmrunners", "Tripoint", and "Merchanter's Luck"...and puts a human face on them.

Cherryh is unique amongst SF authors. ... Read more

Product Description
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. Reprint. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

Cherryh's Foreigner series
With over 50 years of reading top science fiction, I discovered Cherryh and the Foreigner series. Its world and its characters were so truly drawn that they became "friends" in whose future I felt deeply involved.I have awaited each new book in the series with great anticipation.

Tough one to get through..
Wow, a lot of these reviews are surprising me.Everyone seems to think that this book is somehow _better_ than the original Foreigner.Well, I hate to say it, but the original Foreigner was _really_ good.Here I am now, stuck with about a hundred pages left in this book, and it's taking forever to get through.Literally... this book has been on my desk for about 3 weeks now, and I got through Foreigner in a week.The pace slows down incredibly in this sequel, to the point where the brief 3rd person/omniscient perspective (through the eyes of Bren) from the first novel changes into an ENTIRELY philosophical, pondering pile of stress (through the eyes of Bren.. again).For pages, and pages at a time.CJ Cherryh lets us realize that she is confused, stressed out, and pontificating in this novel, for chapter after chapter, while disguising it as Atevi/Human conflict.It's really, really hard to finish this book, but I loved the first one so much, and I still have 7 more to go after this.... so I'm going to struggle through it.I really hope that Foreigner 3 is more rewarding.I've heard that the series as a whole is amazing, so I'm praying this is just a speed bump on the road of the Foreigner novels.(crossing fingers)

"Intellectual" science fiction in the best sense
This is the second volume -- the "bridge" volume, which are notoriously difficult to write -- in what originally was meant to be a trilogy but which is now a nine-volume epic. A couple of centuries ago, a human colony ship went badly astray and was forced to land on an already inhabited world. The native atevi were on the edge of an industrial revolution but have now been yanked into a much more advanced culture with the aid of slowly doled-out human technology. Following a war that resulted from profound misunderstandings between the two species, a treaty restricts the human population to the island of Mosphei and permits -- requires -- a single human in the atevi local capital as paidhi -- the translator and mediator between natives and foreigners. Bren Cameron is that lone human, far more talented than any of his predecessors, anxious to understand the often bewildering atevi psyche, willing to like and even love his hosts. But now the human ship from which his ancestors descended, and which had left the planet's vicinity shortly afterward, has returned unexpectedly and wants to refurbish the abandoned orbiting space station. They expect humans to provide unquestioning labor but don't realize how much things have changed, and Bren has to deal with the sudden change from two-sided relations to a triangular situation between atevi, Mosphei humans (including a rival padhi supported by an anti-atevi faction), and the ship. Cherryh is a master in the explication of very alien psychology and politics. This isn't "space opera," it's a very thoughtful, very detailed study of human-alien relations. Which means it won't appeal much to fans of sword-swinging fantasy and shoot-'em-up fiction, but more intellectual sf fans are gonna love it.

You could say "Invader" is a thinking man's novel...
...because that's mostly what happens in it: the main character, Bren Cameron, thinks.A lot.He certainly has much to ponder.He is the "paidhi," the one human on the planet allowed to live among the atevi, the native race.As described in "Foreigner," the humans are descendants of a lost colony ship.The survivors build a space station around the atevi homeworld, but the ship itself leaves, forcing the station dwellers to migrate to the planet.After a devastating war, humans are now confined to a large island.Bren serves the atevi court as the Interpreter, the only direct link between atevi and human.When the original ship returns after centuries of absence, the fragile balance is threatened by conservative elements from both races.Bren must scramble to bridge the cultural and linguistic gaps between the parties in order to keep the peace.

The story only covers about a week of time.And in that time, Cherryh seemingly shares every single thought that passes through Bren's mind.Fortunately, a lot of it is quite interesting.Cherryh has built a rich and complex alien culture, and lavishes great attention on the intricacies of atevi psychology, language, and politics.It is truly an admirable creation, and for long stretches I was quite caught up in it.But in terms of plot, not much happens.For every action, Bren must spend at least 20 pages ruminating about it, analyzing atevi reactions, worrying about ramifications, and so on.If you strip away the thinking, the action could boil down to about 30 pages.And it is clearly a middle book in a series.The "ending" would be totally unsatisfying on its own, and is designed merely to lead into the next book.

So I have mixed feelings about "Invader."The world building is superb, and the characters are interesting.But the pace can be glacial at times.I'm trying to decide if it's worth reading the sequel.Hmm.Let me go think about it...

An excellent sequel
Invader, the second book in what ultimately became the Foreigner series, is an excellent sequel to the first novel, Foreigner. It picks up immediately after where Foreigner ended, with the humans and the atevi both in turmoil over the unexpected reappearance after 178 years of the human ship Phoenix, both groups wondering the same things: why has the ship returned, what does it want, and how will all this affect the delicate human-atevi treaty which has kept the peace for so long?

Again, the story is seen through the eyes of Bren Cameron, the paidhi, the sole human allowed to live among the atevi, the man whose job it is to translate between the two races and who must at all costs prevent the kinds of mistakes that led to the first human-atevi war. The reappearance of the ship has, to say the least, made his job a hundred times more difficult. To make things worse, when Bren returns after treatment for injuries suffered in the previous book, he finds that his temporary replacement as paidhi, the openly hostile Deana Hanks, has not only thrown an entire box of monkey wrenches into the works, she also is refusing to leave, and it is all Bren can do to keep any number of atevi factions from having her legally assassinated in the normal atevi way of dealing with a problem.

One of the things that Cherryh deals with well in this novel is the difficulty of communication, be it on the species level, between human and atevi, or within species as Bren must deal with factions within the human community and factions within the atevi community, and ultimately on the purely personal level as Bren has to reevaluate his relations with those closest to him. As in the first novel, Cherryh continues to show just how hard true communication is, particularly when no groups really speak with a single voice, when unknown agendas are in play, when all sides shade or even withhold information seeking to gain an advantage, and when alien biology makes certain concepts simply untranslatable.

And added to all of the things weighing on Bren's mind in the midest of his growing isolation is the problem of what appears to be a mutual desire between him and Jago, the female atevi assigned to be his bodyguard. He is the paidhi, the translator, and yet he doesn't have the slightest clue of what he should say - or not say - to her, or how to interpret what her overtures might mean - or not mean. More to come on this in future installments, I'm sure.

All in all, an excellent sequel, guaranteed to keep you reading.Highly recommended. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A must for any C.J. Cherryh fan
This book is an absolute must for any C.J. Cherryh fan. As a collection ofshort stories, it does not have quite as much character and plotdevelopment as most of the author's books. However, it provides anintriguing glimpse into the development of some of Cherryh's best knowncharacters, including Altair Jones of _Angel with the Sword_, and Caith MacSliabhin from _Faery in Shadow_. If you're a Cherryh fan, you'll love thisbook. ... Read more

Product Description
National best-selling author and winner of three Hugo Awards, C.J. Cherryh returns to the universe of her acclaimed Foreigner trilogy-with an epic tale of the survivors of a lost spacecraft stranded on a planet inhabited by a hostile, sentient race.

The beginning of a second trilogy, Precursor follows a single human delegate living among aliens, who are just gaining access to space....

Praise for Precursor...

"An addition to Cherryh's superior alien-contact series...Another intriguing human/alien struggle."-Kirkus Reviews"A powerful look at the effects of alienation on individuals and societies."-Locus

...and C.J. Cherryh's Foreigner Universe:

"Superlatively drawn aliens and characterization...a return to the anthropological science fiction in which [Cherryh] has made such a name is a double pleasure."-Chicago Sun-Times

"An incisive study-in-contrast of what it means to be human."-Library JournalAmazon.com Review
C.J. Cherryh creates thought-provoking stories of cultures in collision featuring well-drawn characters and plenty of intrigue. Precursor directly follows Inheritor in the Foreigner series (which includes Foreigner and Invader). The series introduces the atevi, aliens with a culture based on loyalty, legal assassination, and inborn mathematical gifts.

Two hundred years ago humans crash-landed on the atevi homeworld. The two races are nearly incompatible; peace is maintained by limiting contact to a single human diplomat, the paidhi. His name is Bren Cameron.

In the first trilogy, the starship Phoenix (the same ship that brought the human colonists) returned, fleeing alien attack in another sector. The Phoenix asked both atevi and human communities to help reopen the orbital station and rearm the ship. Bren coordinated an atevi shuttle-building program and trained the Phoenix representative, Jase Graham, in living on a planet and dealing with aliens. Now he faces family crises while ensuring that the atevi remain equal partners in the space effort. He must deal with the very different culture of the Phoenix crew and the alien space station environment while maintaining cooperation with the colonists and representing atevi interests.

Precursor ends abruptly. Are the aliens coming? Will the Phoenix crew, colonists, and atevi be able to protect their system together? Will Bren be able to retain any of his humanity? If you enjoy stories that make you think about how space travel and contact with aliens would really play out, treat yourself to this meaty SF series. --Nona Vero ... Read more

Customer Reviews (37)

WHAT"S NEXT??
Precursor (Foreigner)

After the first three trilogies of the series, I couldn't wait to see where the author would take me.The development of the bond of understanding between Bren and the Atevi has begun to make the characters more real.The similarities to we humans, each other and our own world are very thought provoking.

Classic high-quality Cherryh
Since this is the fourth volume in a nine-volume (soon to be twelve-volume . . .) epic, I won't attempt to summarize even the main plot points so far. Suffice to say that Bren Cameron, padhi to the atevi aiji, comes back from a brief vacation back home on the human-occupied island of Mospheira to discover he needn't even unpack his bags: His boss is sending him straight up to the derelict orbiting space station on the next morning's shuttle flight (only its fourth) to negotiate with the crew of the Phoenix, the starship which has reappeared after an absence of two centuries with warnings of another alien species out for blood. The Phoenix has the technology -- more even than the castaway Mospheirans ever had -- but the atevi, who are natural geniuses at anything involoving numbers, have the resources, technical ability, and manpower to repair the station, and to refuel and re-outfit the Phoenix. And the aiji will do all that at no charge -- but he's keeping the station for the atevi as their own access point into space. Bren now works full-time for the aiji, trying to balance atevi needs against those of the two human factions. But there are factions within the ship's crew, too, and things get very dicey for awhile. The padhi's security team is marvelously competent at keeping him alive and competitors at bay, but even they can't control the air supply in space. And just when things are coming to a lethel head, who should arrive on the next shuttle flight but Ilisidi, the aiji's grandmother, an impressive and often rather daunting character, and a major political force in her own right. If you've gotten this far in the story, you should have a pretty good understanding of what makes the atevi tick -- as good as any human is going to get, anyway -- and you've already got your favorite characters (mine is Jago). Keep the next couple of volumes ready to hand and just keep going!

precursor
Precursor continues to expand the alienation of the paidhi-Bren Cameron- from the humans isolated on the island of Mospheira with its corrupt political system.
He is clearly seen as an advocate for the Atevi - under the guidance of Tabini-aijii as the sole instrumentality for control
of the space station and the starships which will provide the only defence against the :reported: aliens which destroyed the -as yet- undefined space station the Pilots Guild bult around another star.
Brens relationships with dowager Ilisidi continue to fascinate me
The discovery in Precursor that (...) was a complete surprise as there had been NO indication (...).
C.J.Cherryh continues to present some of the best crafted aliens in SF. The Chanur Saga,Downbelow Station,Cyteen,Finity's End,
The Foreigner series;in all of these it is the Human who is the alien and I just love Mekkt-Hakkikt Pyanfur Chanur.

If you're a fan, you'll have read this.If not, you lose.
Another book in one of C.J.Cherryh's great SF series.Start at the beginning and enjoy the adventures of one lone human acting as a liason between humans and a very alien-thinking race.Great study in diverse cultures and philosophies attempting to co-exist with each other.

The Crown Jewel of this collection to date.
The way in which Precursor was written, almost made me feel that the original trilogy was just a long set-up for what would begin to take place with this book. Bren Cameron once again is sent into unfamiliar territory to defuse a situation that comes about once again from a clash of culture. And while others talk about his struggle with his humanity, I think C.J. Cherryh, continues to bring to mind that Bren is nothing but human, despite his shift to being as close to Atevi as a human could be.

In this book, Bren goes up to the station above the planet to negotiate the trade deal with the ship captains for repairing both the station, and the Phoenix, while also attempting to prepare for an alien invasion from somewhere else that was chasing the Phoenix. Through this story, you learn the intricate relationships among the human's on the ship within their 'culture' and how it's contrary to both the Mospherians and the Atevi. All while continuing to build on what Bren and the Atevi have been learning about each other from the original trilogy.

Within the story there is conflict, conspiracy, and interspicing of danger throughout. This book was without a doubt, in my opinion, the crown jewel of the series. And the ending definitely left me wanting more. ... Read more

Product Description
Discovered alone and without his memory on his drifting ship, pilot Paul Dekker is accused of the murder of his crew members and he must rely on the help of renegade miner Morris Bird to learn the truth. Reprint. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Hmmmmm, this one is lacking
I found this one to be an exercise in patience. Much of the dialog seems to be just filler, while in space and on station. Things happen seemingly just to stretch out the story. It drags on with common, every day elements rather than taking me somewhere I haven't been before. The relationships between characters is sometimes like being back in hi-school. I would have enjoyed more of a cut-to-the-chase pace, with more attention given to some of the background players. Cherryh has become one of my favorites (Downbelow Station is incredible), but I felt like I was doing my own heavy time on this one.

4 & 1/2 Stars Hard Sci-Fi
This is a very good story for old school Sci-Fi fans... It assumes you understand a bit of science, physics, and physiology. If you don't get that part, it will seem too dull of a story, as it is essential to understanding the politics, and motivation for the characters.

That being said, this is an excellent look at corporate greed, and politics as they might be in a distant future. The more things change the more they stay the same...

Personally I really liked the troubled refugee (Paul Decker) that deals with his talents, and weaknesses while trying to recover his senses and sanity after he is rescued from his broken craft.

The real protagonist is Ben Pollard, a futuristic "sea dog" of a spacer, who wants to be rich enough to see an ocean someday. This gritty story is continued in "Hell Burner" where Ben is called in to help the "Moonbeam" again when the Alliance needs his talents despite his fragile nature.

This is an utterly believable kind of Science Fiction tale, giving not only the big picture of the future, but some of the day to day details of life. A very good tale, that is also available in the omnibus edition "Devil to the Belt".

Heavy Time is a must-miss
I just finished reading it.I don't understand why anyone would recommend it.3/4 of it is repetative fluff.This could have been an average short story with proper editing.Absolutely nothing happens in the middle of the book.Read the first 20, and the last 20, and you have read it all.

I'll stick with Asimov, Heinlein, Drake, Weber, etc for sci-fi...

Pretty decent space politics
Could easily be an X-Files government conspiracy episode in space.Surprisingly entertaining for a story without many subplots.The universe it takes place in seems pretty interesting, and I'm looking forward to reading the other books by Cherryh set in this universe.

Collision Course: Rocks, Space-ships, and Corporations
When is paranoia justified? How do you know if you're mentally stable? What should the limits of corporate power be?These are some of the questions that Cherryh asks in this book, and gives at least some intimation of what the answers should be.

This book represents the earliest shown time-point in the Merchanter/Alliance/Union universe, before the war has really broken out, and stays entirely within the solar asteroid belt and at sub-light speeds for its action. Here we have the ASTEX company controlling the great majority of the mining of the asteroids, with only a company limited role for independent prospectors.The main story revolves around Dekker, rescued from his damaged ship by two other independents, Pollard and Bird, and the slowly brought to light details of just how Dekker's accident occurred in the first place.

Dekker, with all his mental problems from his accident, and Bird, as the older, experienced independent prospector, are very well realized characters. Pollard is not as fully realized, but he is far more fully developed in the sequel to this book, Hellburner. The society of miners, the space station environment, and the economic structure are a little hard to get your mind around at first, as Cherryh presents bits and pieces of these items almost as side items to her action and dialogue. But by the end of the book, you begin to realize just how well she has created and defined this near self-contained world, so different from most Earth societies, but with recognizable points of similarity, of definite humanity.

The problems of this book come from this same style of presenting facts to the reader in regards to celestial navigation. Unless you are well versed in this subject, and can extrapolate from a single sentence of description to an entire scenario of vectors, g-forces, and delta-v requirements you will probably find that there are several action sequences that either don't make much sense or don't carry the high feeling of danger that they were intended to.This is minimization of expository material taken to the extreme.

Cherryh's prose style for her Merchanter books has always been very abbreviated, clipped, full of unexplained acronyms, with a large number of incomplete sentences. This style is good for providing a sense of tension and fast action, and does well in this book as she slowly reveals the details of just how the Company is trying squeeze out all the 'little' people and take total control of the Belt, but it does take some getting used to.

The action of this story drives Cherryh's thematic points, on the need for human independence and companionship, the depths of unbridled greed, the tenuous line between real and unreal within the mind, and the necessity for all people to keep on doing what is possible, regardless of odds.

A very good action story, but really needed a little more background and explanatory material to make a solid, cohesive whole.Required reading before starting Hellburner, however, where the problems of this book fade away and the full power of her envisioned world can be seen. ... Read more

Product Description
A three-in-one volume combines the works of four popular authors--Nancy Asire, Leslie Fish, Mercedes Lackey, and C. J. Cherryh--and includes A Dirge for Sabis, Wizard Spawn, and Reap the Whirlwind. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Sword of Knowledge - Disappointing
I loved the Valdemar series by Mercedes Lackey, so I purchased Sword of Knowledge.Like many of the books 'co-authored' with Mercedes Lackey, it was no where near as good as the ones written by Lackey herself.Completely disappointing.

A rich tapestry of a civilization's rise, fall and resurrection
This is an omnibus including "A Dirge for Sabis","Wizard Spawn" and "Reap the Whirlwind.Dirge is the chronicling of the demise of the Sabis empire.Overrun by barbarians a group of engineers and wizards flee to the wilderness.

Wizard Spawn is decades later and details the decadence and decay that has found the Ancar barbarian invaders who are now the representative civilization.It also is a treatise on intolerance and racism.Duran, a pure blood Ancar, discovers the depth and depravity of intolerance when he helps an injured Sabirn.

Reap is again decades later and set in a stronghold of tolerance. An island of learning and tolerance in a sea of arrogantly intolerant kingdoms, the Order is dedicated to accepting all who wish to learn. Their desire to remain sequestered is shattered by the arrival of a tribe of nomads. The nomads successfully demonstrate the need of the Order to change and more directly apply their principles.

I liked all three books.The authors were very successful in pulling the diverse threads into a well knit tapestry. The characters were very likeable and well defined. They truly came to life to express their concerns and opinions. The drive for knowledge and the desire for freedom from oppression was clearly expressed. Their was a deep depth of feelings between the characters that drew you into their world and forced you to share their anguish and delight. My only dismay was there lack of further books. The trilogy demands a sequel.There is much to be told about the future of the Order and the nomads.

Read these books, you will enjoy them.

Wonderful book
This is a book I would highly recommend for any fan of fantasy. A wonderful story.

Good story with believable world
I go this book after having read "wizard spawn", the middle book in this trilogy.

The story centers around the Sabis, a once great empire that is sucumbing to the northern invasion of barbarians.The plot moves fairly quickly and the actions keeps you turning pages to see what happens next.

Probably one of the most facinating parts of this world is the natual philospher as wizard angle, where Cherryh cloaks the workings of science into a religion.It reminds me a lot of how the middle ages must have been when alchemists would have guarded their secret fomulas in the shadows of arcane mumbo jumbo.

Makes for an entertaining read, especially if you enjoy stories that go beyond the typical magic spells and fairy princesses.

loved it
I originally purchased these books individually, but read them so much that I bought them in the one volume set.I reread them regularly and am always entertained.The world is believeable, thecharacters are ones I can relate too plus they aren't perfect ;O)
A definite one to add to the collection. ... Read more

Product Description
Ilyana is always careful to avoid the temptations of her gift, until she began to fall in love with a ghostly spring visitor and realizes that he is an evil wizard returned from the dead to take revenge on her mother. Reprint. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Mixed
There are elements that are the most engaging of the trilogy, and it benefits from having the magic and wider community come more clearly into focus. However the pre-existing series and Cherryh's general writing approach is ill-suited to the amount of teenage angst that is introduced in this book, and the centering on this element weakens the interest in the story. Again good, but the weakest volume in the series.

Worse than: Exile's Gate by C. J. Cherryh
Better than: Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold

Yvgenie: Death-in-Life
A stupendous achievement! Cherryh brings her Rusalka series a step further with this fantasy novel, evoking mythological roots that nurture us all. The premise of wizardry being a matter of mere wishes in the pre-Christian Russia is the precursor to the practice of Christian prayer. If a wizard is forbidden to wish for anything for himself, that is the corrolary to the Lord's Prayer. Wizard emerges as sacred priest, which in fact the witches and artist's were in the pre-Christian world. Sasha at last finds the reward he deserves for all his self-denying loyalty to his friends Pyetr and Eveshka.
The dual nature of Pyetr's legitimate daughter's lover, (uncorrupted youth and evil, but redeemable spector) leads us to a deep understanding of the nature of love and of life--mortality consists not of the foreknowlege of death in the future, but the awareness that death is always with us, even as we breathe.
It also resonates on the Ressurection: love and loyalty engender rebirth.
The plot comes to a delightful conclusion, nimbly assisted by ubiquitous and adorable vodka-guzzling Yard Thing, Babi. (I seem to remember being a House Thing at my Grandmother's, called "Hoppy".)
Although the characters in the trilogy, "Rusalka", "Chernevog", and "Yvgenie" seem exotic, being wizards, ghosts, and former ghosts, they serve as a reflection of our own deeper nature: Eveshka has no powers any ordinary woman does not have. Having been alive once, then a ghost, then alive again, she is simply more aware of her connection with what Clarissa Pinkola Estes terms 'Veshka's "life-death-life nature", in Estes' wonderful treatist, "Women Who Run With the Wolves." Moreover, when Eveshka had been a ghost, in her rusalka mode, she was the classic study of an anorexic maiden, with the same parental influences that bring about anorexia in a real child.
The fact that Pyetr had the courage to face the dangers inherent in living with a rusalka and in befriending a wizard demonstrates that he earned the right to enjoy life as the head of his somewhat unconventional household.
Cherryh is a great lady, and a great writer. There is plenty of room left here for a sequel: "Et tu," Hwiiur?

The best in the series; readable but still flawed
The essential premise of this series, set in a medieval Russia-like world, is that wizards can do magic just by wishing. This sounds easy, but in fact it's the source of a lot of problems: a casual impulse or a child's unconsidered desire can have unforeseen, possibly disastrous consequences. In this third and best installment, Ilyana, the daughter of a non-magical man and a mother who is both a wizard and a revenant from the dead, tries to deal with old, dangerous magic and new magical threats as well as more traditional teenage problems. The family stuff -- not only between Ilyana and her parents but involving her grandparents' generation as well -- is sometimes a little too much like a talk show. The plot here also has a nebulous quality. It's much more comprehensible than the prequel, Chernevog, which was utterly confusing at times. Still, though, the exact nature of the challenges facing the characters is often unclear and the final outcome is hard to understand. Readers don't need everything spelled out for them, but they do need a little more clarity than this novel offers. Still, I found all the characters appealing (except for the mother, Eveshka) and the magical creatures are particularly well done. This book is better than the others in the series in that the characters do less apparently pointless jumping at shadows (though there's still some), more people and places are introduced, and the plot makes a little more sense.

Awesome series!
Chernevog, Rusalka, and Yvgenie are the greatest books.I enjoyed the atmosphere.An old-time russian fairy-tale.This series pulled together bits of all folklore I know, and even taught me some things I wasn't awareof. The characters are likeable, even the truely evil ones.You canimagine where they are coming from and why it is they are acting like theyare. Perhaps it is a bit predictable, but it's a fairy-tale.

a uniquely written fantasy
C.J. Cherryh's style of writing in Yvgenie (and in the first two books, Rusalka and Chernevog) is unique.It might be off-putting at first, but you get into the structure really quickly, and the style works well withthe story.I liked this series, especially Yvgenie, because I liked seeingSascha as a mature wizard.Not only the structure is unique; Cherryh'stake on magic and wizardry is also.It's a refreshing break from the usualbook-and-spells magic found in most other fantasies.All in all, a fun,worthwhile read. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent collection of Cherryh stories and essays
This is my favorite of the Cherryh short story collections, and a real collector's item.Only 1000 copies were printed, and each is individually numbered on the copyright page. The first 250 were autographed by Cherryh and sold in slipcases. This book contains seven short stories and five essays on science fiction.First is "Of Law and Magic," an excellent story about a wizardous lawyer, a desperate witch, and the laws of magic which entangle them.This is a creative story providing an unusual perspective on magic."Homecoming" tells of an unmanned deep space probe, its discovery of alien life, and its journey home.It provides unique insight into the mechanical mind."Romantic / Science Fiction" is a brilliant essay which traces the roots of science fiction to the old tradition of romantic literature."The Dark King" is a powerful and compassionate retelling of the Sisyphus and Hades story."Perspectives in SF" is a funny and uplifting essay on the place of science fiction in our society.In it Cherryh describes her early indoctrination into science fiction and discusses directions for science fiction in the future."Sea Change" is a dark tale of the sea: one girl, two boys, and the nature of luck."The Avoidance Factor" discusses the possibility of extraterrestrial life, and why we haven't found it."A Gift of Prophecy" is a somewhat disturbing story of an oracular priestess set in the future."The Use of Archaeology in Worldbuilding" illuminates Cherryh's science fiction in interesting ways, and will be fascinating to any serious fan."Willow" is a story of a disillusioned knight in an encounter with a maiden, a mother, and a crone."In Alien Tongues" is another essay of interest to any serious fan, outlining the construction of alien languages so central to the realism of Cherryh's worlds."Pots" is the final and most enigmatic story in the collection, telling of the discovery of an abandoned planet (Earth?) by archaeologists seeking their own roots.If you ever have a chance to get your hands on this book, take it. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A dress rehearsal for her later successes
This is a very early Cherryh novel about colonists on an alien world and their interactions with the catlike natives, centering on a young engineer sent to solve the colonists' problems, and his relationship with the young native cat-woman in scanty clothing on the cover.In this book you can see the beginnings of many of Cherryh's recurring themes, but the worldbuilding and character psychology in this novel lack the depth seen in other early works such as Gate of Ivrel, Faded Sun, and the Chanur novels.All in all I would only recommend this book if (like me) you absolutely have to read everything Cherryh has written. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Better than the first half
This second half of Shai's world is more satisfying than the first half. While this is a pretty good story it leaves too much to the imagination on the future of Shai's character. Enjoyable, as it is written in the style of C J Cherryh, not quite satisfying as if it were her story.
Really two novellas that would make one smallish novel by today's standards. It feels like there should be a part three to be complete... But I haven't found a clue that one exist. But if you are a Cherryh addict like me, you will still enjoy this story. ... Read more

Product Description

Two surprising allies have emerged to aid the embattled ruler in a struggle he must win: Cefwyn's two young sons. Aewyn Marhanen is the prince destined to rule. Aewyn's half-brother, Elfwyn Aswydd—the bastard son of the king and the sorceress Tarien Aswydd—has spent years unaware of his parentage, yet now it is his time to emerge and claim the gifted birthright he's been denied for so long.

Customer Reviews (13)

Fortress ofIce
Final novel in the C J Cherryh fortress series.Excellent ending of the series as it cleared up many of the questions raised in the earlier editions.I thouroughly enjoyed it.

The next phase
Mr Jordin's review of this book (on this website) is all you need to know what the book is about, so my review is more just personal impressions.

The author gives a very good précis of the previous books at the start of each book, but I do think it would be better to read the other books first and not start off with this one, otherwise the names are not going to mean anything, and even less the relationships. It would e.g. be difficult to believe the friendship and loyalty between Cefwyn and Tristen, had you not followed it's development in the previous books.

To me it seems that this book leads in a new phase in the epic.Tristen is not the central figure anymore (and I miss him) but Otter - whose magical or wizardly powers, or the lack thereof, will shape the stories to come.The only criticism I have about this book is that there was insufficient tension and mystery to make me watch the shops for the follow-up - Otter's character is developed beautifully and the story opens many lines of possible future exploration, but it was just a tad too restful for my taste. (The breakout of Orien from the tower where she died, for instance, could have been described with a little more whizz-bang??!!!)

I hope owl makes it into the next book too.

A boy with a dangerous heritage!
A welcome return to the Fortress series, wherein to combat an ancient enemy, a powerful but dying wizard has brought an ancient and magical Sihhe lord, Tristen,to life.But the Sihhe have long passed from the world, the human Marhanan line rules, having killed the last Sihhe king.Tristen had befriended the Marhanan king in the previous books, and saw him to power, despite the past.They defeated the sorcerous enemy together, but Tristen is distrusted by the humans, so he's withdrawn to his lonely, ancient fortress.In the meantime, Cefwyn, the king, has his own worries.One of his old enemies, a sorceress, had seduced him before revealing herself, and bore him a son, Elfwyn.She is now imprisoned and the son is now 16 and stands on the cusp of good and evil.Elfwyn wants to love his brother, Cefwyn's legitimate son.He wants his father's love.But his given name is the name of the hated, last Sihhe king who was killed by his father's ancestors, and his last name belongs to his traitorous mother.At court, he's also distrusted by the Quinalt, the church of the province of the King.A series of strange events start to occur, seeming to sabotage all Elfwyn touches.He suspects the evil influence of his mother, but he's young and insecure and uncertain and it seems as if nothing he can do is right.Evil seems about to break out once more into the world and whether Elfwyn aids it or thwarts it, us still to be told...Lyrical and mysterious, the magic and power of this world is subtle and strange and the stuff of legends.I continue to find the world and the characters compelling.

Brothers under Stress
Fortress of Ice (2006) is the fifth fantasy novel in the Fortress series, following Fortress of Dragons.In the previous volume, a little sorcery by Orien Aswydd gets her sister Tarien pregnant by Prince Cefwyn Marhanen.Afterward, Cefwyn's father, King Inareddrin, died in an ambush arranged by Heryn Aswydd, aetheling of Amefel.

Cefwyn became King of Ylesuin and, after a small war, hung Heryn for regicide.Although he also executed Heryn's sister Orien, he spared Tarien as well as his son born of Tarien.Upon advice from his friend Tristen, the child -- named Elfwyn by his sorceress mother -- is fostered out to a local hedge witch.The boy calls the witch Gran and she bestows the name of Otter on him for his nimble and clever ways.

In this novel, Otter and his half-brother, Prince Aewyn, have become friends during their father's annual visit to Amefel.For years, they have played together while their father stopped to talk to Gran.Now Aewyn has received permission from his father to invite Otter for a visit to Guelesfort.

Otter has come to Guelemara with his foster brother Paisi, who acts as his personal servant.Although Otter is uncomfortable in his role as a prince of the kingdom, Paisi was a personal servant for many years to Tristen and Emuin.Otter receives some very sage advice from Paisi during the visit.

Otter becomes close friends with Aewyn and trusts him completely.Still, he is uncertain about the motives of their father.He knows that he will be viewed with suspicion by the Guelesfolk during the coming holidays because of his Bryalt heritage.Yet the king has sent sumptuous clothing for him to wear during the Quinalt service on the first day.

Then Otter and Paisi dream that Gran is ill and trapped within her cottage without a fire.Since both have the same dream, they immediately make plans for Paisi to return to Amefel to take care of Gran.Otter will stay behind to alleviate suspicions and to attend the religious services.But everything goes wrong and eventually Otter also returns to Gran's cottage.

In this story, Otter learns that the dreams had been false and he decides to leave Gran and Paisi to visit Lord Tristen in his tower.Despite the terrible weather, Otter finally reaches Ynefel and meets Lord Tristen.He is advised to accept the name of Elfwyn and to learn vision and patience.Yet Tristen does not agree to take him as an apprentice wizard, but instead sends him back on the following day with a letter and message to Duke Crissand.

This story is a tale of self discovery by Elfwyn.He learns much more about his mother and aunt and also learns something about his own Gift and its extents and limitations.Moreover, he discovers that Aewyn too has a Gift from his mother's bloodline.Indeed, these Gifts work together to save the brothers from their enemies.

Cefwyn likewise learns more about fatherhood during this period.He had already learned much about parental misjudgments from his father's mistakes, but these later experiences teaches him more about trust and love.Among other lessons, he learns to listen closely to his consort.

Highly recommended for Cherryh fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of high magic, medieval politics and close relationships.

-Arthur W. Jordin

A step down from the first, but way up from the last
If you've only read the first 'fortress' book, stop there. None of the rest of the series match up 'fortress in the eye of time', which is one of Cherryh's best books.

On ther other hand, the fouth (and I had assumed final), 'fortress of dragons' is one of Cherryh's worst; so this is a vast step up from there.

This books starts very slowly, and Cherryh's choice to attempt the langauge of her teenage protagonist isn't a good one; she can't convincingly do the voice, and the choice to do so is very distracting. However, once it gets past the first quarter, this book suddenly turns into classic Cherryh. All the things that made the Fortress series work are here; politics, complex magical systems, a vague sense of menace, and the tightrope feeling that anything the characters do could send them into the pit one way or ther other. It ends rather suddenly (So I'm assuming she's got plans for another if not two more), but it ends well, and I wanted more of it, which is always a good sign particularly after 'dragons' weak ending.

After several serious stumbles (with the 'gene wars' books (were were awful) and with 'fortress of dragons'), it's a good sign that Cherryh can still do this. This is far from Cherryh's best book, but it's a large step above her worst, and that's encouraging. ... Read more

Product Description
The story of how Chimele of The Iduve seeks vengeance on Tejef for violating ancient rituals and codes of their race. The author is a winner of the Hugo award and the John W. Campbell award and previous titles include "Exile's Gate" and "Serpent's Reach". ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Heart of Blueness
Very reminiscent of Heart of Darkness - but not as readable. When Aiela Lyailleue, a Kallian technician, is ordered to report for service to the spaceship Ashanome at Kartos Station, he knows his life is likely forfeit to the terrifying star lords. He awakes to find that a device has been implanted in his brain which links him psychically to a beautiful ship-bred Kallian female, Isande, and a strange, dirty, alien creature called Daniel; a human!

Why has this been done? Chimele, the iduve (indigo skinned, dark-haired) ruler of the spaceship, has been ordered to track down and bring back the rebel Tejef, who has betrayed the Orinthain ways and is living with humans. Her plan is to use the two Kallians (blue-skinned, fair-haired) to control Daniel, so that he can infiltrate Tejef's outpost on Priamos.

While I admire Cherryh's creation of entire societies of alien races, each with their own language, it was VERY hard to read. After about 150 pages, the gloves come off and every fourth or fifth word is alien. (I was constantly flipping back and forth to the index - very annoying) And the alien races have a very non-human outlook, but disturbingly human physiology - to the extent of having cross-species romances.

One of my favorites
Aiela Lyailleue is abducted by the dreaded iduve, enslaved, and mentally joined with two strangers: Isande, a beautiful woman who doesn't understand his rebellion, and Daniel Fitzhugh, an abused and terrified human. And that's just the beginning of his problems.

This is possibly my favorite Cherryh book (which means it's one of my favorite books of all time). It was one of the first ones she wrote, but it already displays her trademark strengths. She creates not one but three distinct alien races here, each with its own language, values, and culture. (If you find the alien languages difficult to follow, there's a glossary in back.)It has everything I've come to expect from a Cherryh novel: the immersion in an alien culture, the Byzantine politics, strong female characters, and most of all the charismatic characters and intense relationships. Probably if she had written this story later in her career, it would be a multi-volume series, like Chanur or Foreigner. But there's something to be said for brevity. Hunter of Worlds is in many ways more accessible than her later works. It's pared to the essentials - concentrated Cherryh. Though the book deals with many of the same themes Cherryh dealt with in later works, I found this one more daring than her usual "getting to know you" books about aliens. When you get right down to it, the iduve are slavers. That's about as unsympathetic as you can get. It's theoretically possible for a murderer to have a worthy motivation, but how can you possibly justify enslaving other intelligent, sentient beings? Yet somehow, she manages to show the iduve as merely alien, not evil.

Aiela, a member of the kalliran race, is an appealing character who has interesting relationships with several characters in the book. But the most compelling is his bond with Daniel. They are forcibly mindlinked by the iduve - so mentally entwined that one of them can be disciplined by torturing the other. Daniel, being rather more fractious than any kallia would be, proves quite a trial for poor Aiela.

Also interesting is his relationship with Chimele, the ruler of the iduve.While kallia evolved from herd-like prey animals, iduve evolved from predators. Chimele is rather cat-like. Not in looks, but in personality. I've heard that she was inspired by C'Mell, from Cordwainer Smith's "The Ballad of Lost C'Mell." Only instead of being a lowly girly-girl, she's the leader of a natural master race!

Hunter of Worlds is out of print as a standalone, but used copies are readily available. Also, it's half of an omnibus called At The Edge Of Space.

Nostalgia
I read this book in junior high.I didn't really understand it then, but now as an adult, I have a chance to read it again.I am so happy I've been able to find it again via Amazon Marketplace.

Living in Fear of Iduve
Plotwise, the beginning is confusion and flicking between locations untilaround page seventy when the characters are introduced to each other.None of the characters resonated as heroic; rather 'Hunter of Worlds' is more about being incomprehensible than storytelling.This device is used to enchance the alienness of four separate cultures working together, yet only served to distance me from the story and bore me.

Story lacked setting descriptions.Could not picture the characters in my mind, to the point where my enjoyment of the novel became limited.

Dramatically, the 'Hunter of Worlds' had introduction, build-up and resolution.Writing from a third person point of view, the story suffered from covering too many characters in a shallow fashion.This is compounded by 'snerk disease,' whereby the author believes it is more sci-fi to rename dozens of common concepts into arcane made-up words.Revenge is 'vaikka,' unborn children 'sra' and so on.I found after finishing the work, a listing of ten pages devoted to language glossary and pronunciation.This would have helped a lot if it were in the front of the novel.

As someone who reads a lot, I'd give this a pass if I had a choice.The excerpt on the cover sounds interesting, but the shown story is really about the 'men' press-ganged into Iduve service trying to understand Iduve motivations and actions while trying not to die from Iduve displeasure (because they are fitted with instant-kill bondage pain bracelets, courtesy of Iduve science).Evidenced 'Stockholm Syndrome' behavior, where abused prisoners begin to love their captors.

How about a re-write?
Hunter of Worlds is a story about the interaction of four species.The iduve, the most technologically advanced, are a predatory species.Their strength allows them to force their will on other species.The amaut and the kalliran do whatever is necessary to avoid the anger of the iduve, including giving up their own citizens to the iduve.The iduve control the amaut and kalliran whom they take on board their ships by mind-linking pairs of same species and fitting each with a bracelet through which the iduve can administer pain.

The iduve, who had been gone for 500 years, have returned.In the time they were gone, the amaut wandered from one of their home planets, Priamos, and humans moved in.The amaut started a war with the humans, one which the humans are destined to lose.It was an exiled iduve who had taken up residency on the planet who lent the amaut the strength to fight the war.His residency is the reason for the return of the iduve.He is being hunted. The iduve who hunt him will destroy the entire planet of Priamos to get him.Enter an unprecedented mind linkage between an abducted human and world bound kalliran, and a kalliran who has spent her entire life in the service of the iduve.What happens when these three are linked to serve the iduve will surprise all.

This adventure is thought provoking.It would be excellent were it not for Cherryh's persistent use of her created iduve language.When a created language is used sparingly, it can add another dimension to a story.However, in this story, Cherryh's use is excessive.It mars the story.How about a re-write of the story, using Cherryh's now wonderfully honed story telling techniques?
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Customer Reviews (1)

Revolution's brewing...
As in all the anthologies in this series, _Divine Right_'s stories are written in a braided format, so that the effect is almost seamless as the events of the book flow forward. My comments are organized more by author than by appearance in the book. This volume (which has only had 1 edition to date) has a painting of a cat-whale on its cover, which I mention only to joggle the memories of those who may have read it before.
If you're hard up for a Merovingen-like story, try _The Shadow of the Lion_; Mercedes Lackey, one-third of the writing team, gave medieval alternate-history Venice some distinctly Merovingenish touches.

Abbey, Lynn "Red Skies" Richard Kamat's getting an ulcer, mainly from dealing with Mondragon, not just from playing politics with Boregy and Anastasi Kalugin. He'd happily get Mondragon a *real* boat instead of the sorry hulk he just bought, and pray to get him out of the city. Coping with his sister's so-far-unwed pregnancy and his mother's addiction, Richard's not amused to banter words with a deacon at Cassie Boregy's on the subjects of deathangel and abortion. Dr. Lambert encounters him, and offers frank advice - and Mondragon is less than thrilled to learn of the Sword revolutionary's presence, physician or no.

The Samurai security force is protecting trade properly, and giving Anastasi a counter to his sister's blacklegs. Then a large, mysterious box arrives, marked with symbols from the same reference book that inspired the Samurai's name, and everything changes yet again.

Asire, Nancy "Draw Me a Picture" Marina Kamat is convinced that Tom Mondragon is supplying her mother with deathangel. Raj, with his Takahashi honor, puts aside the temptation to use this as a lever on Marina's affections. He draws his College art student friend Justice into a plan to identify the real source of Andromeda Kamat's drugs.

Cherryh, C.J. "From the Files of Anastasi Kalugin, Advocate Militiar" - Various background documents, included for flavor.

Cherryh, C.J. "Seeds of Destruction" - The mysterious seeds sown by the Janists on the canals back in spring have spread all over the city canals as tangle-lilies - so called because where they grow thick, they tangle boat-poles. Change one thing, and you have to change another - as the canalers are forced to run their engines to be competitive, the engines break down more often. Fortunately, the Janists' study of ecology has given them a talent for predicting the consequences of tampering, and they're good at long-range planning.

Fish, Leslie "Run Silent, Run Cheap" And here's where the Janes fire up the next stage of their plan for getting a foothold in Merovingen: dealing with the old engine problem.

Lackey, Mercedes "Turning Point" A message from Rigel's grandfather has sobered him, carrying with it the full burden of Takahashi honor. His knowledge of medicine may not lead him to the life he wanted, but it may help repay the Kamats for their protection; as a former swampy, he knows some things about deathangel addiction that the Kamat house physician doesn't.

Morris, Janet "Second Opinion" Dr. Lambert's take on things, including walking a tightrope between two old lovers: Karl Fon, de facto dictator of Nev Hettek, and Chance MacGruder, ambassador to Merovingen.

Morris, Chris "Postpartum Blues" - Dr. Danielle Lambert, one of the devotees of the Nev Hettek revolution sent to the Merovingen embassy, is now torn by divided loyalties. Maintaining the alliance forged by Mike Chamoun's marriage to Cassiopeia Boregy of Merovingen involves her services, and acting as physician to deathangel-addict Cassie and her daughter is increasingly distressing, after the loss of her own child.

Rogow, Roberta "Farren's Folly: Meeting of Minds" - Farren has taken up with the least-respected of the Kalugins: Mikhail, who admires Cassie Boregy while at the same time taking an unRevanantist interest in technology; this time, fire-fighting equipment and a firewatch to operate it.

Sinor, Bradley H. "Foggy Night" - Waiting for a no-show lover down by East Dike, Rafe Morgan's pebble tossing turns up a corroded metal box, bearing the insignia of House Rohan. But when he seeks a reward, Lady Tanith Rohan neither ignores him nor pays, but has him beaten without payment. Angered, Morgan begins finding out more than he wanted to know about whether the Rohans are unusually wily, crazy as rabid skits, or both. ... Read more

Product Description
This is Hugo-Award-winning author C.J. Cherryh's Del Rey debut--the story of Rusalka, the ghost of a murdered girl still seeking to exist by drawing the energy of life from all nearby living things, and the attempt to bring her back to lifeby her father Ulamets,and Pyetr, the young man who loved her.

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Customer Reviews (14)

Decent
In the layout of the story this book is different than the Cherryh I'm familiar with. Not because it's fantasy primarily--the Gate of Morgaine books were as well stylistically, for all that they also tied into Alliance-Union. That series was recognizably a similar approach to her larger canon, the focus on politics and intrigue, the outsider as central figure. Here it's recognizably the same hand with characterization and prose, but the plot layout looks fairly conventional. It takes a pre-Christian Russian fairy tale, but at core it's a dramatization of a stock mythological concept with a focus on building of relationships rather than sustained reflection on the larger community. As a book it works pretty well, slow and a little disorienting to get into but after that point quite gripping, with some strong writing and good moments of horror and wonder. Also, after awhile of finding myself displeased by the characterization of Bren, here the layout of more flawed and believable people is good. They're characters without a firm grasp on the answers for their universe, without a blueprint for their future. That works in many of the most intense scenes, where they have to grapple with their own ignorance and the strange metaphysics of a world that is actively coming around to kill them. The novel toys with a lot of the forms of magical horror, but ultimately turns from it because the victory lies in obtaining knowledge and clarifying ambiguity. Some initially menacing forces turn out to be co-opted into alliance, and there's usually a lot more room to work with than killing or being killed.

I'd view this work as more minor than a lot of Cherryh's work, though, and the focus is in many ways narrower and less ambitious. At a certain level I think her approach to writing doesn't capture the fun potential of exploring stories and mythology in the way a Neil Gaiman can do.

Better than: The Shining by Stephen King
Worse than: King Rat by China Mieville
Roughly equivalent to: The Steel Remains by Richard Morgan

Yes, oddly unfilling
I agree that Rusalka is ultimately unfilling.I enjoyed the first half but ultimately, I felt that it just kind of petered out.Also, Cherryh's sentence structure was odd throughout the book, making it sometimes difficult to figure out what she meant.

Yes, go on, keep on complaining
I had read Yvgenie years ago and enjoyed it. When this book became available I was excited to read more in the same vein. However, as previously stated, the characters have no growth, no empathy and create tension simply by fighting amongst each other constantly.
Reading the book has become a chore.
Also, the author's lack of confidence in our ability to learn vocabulary is a bit off putting. Can we not call every supernatural being a "thing"? That's what nouns are for. You can introduce them like that if you like, but there are paragraph that read "and the yard-thing did this and the forest-thing did that and the water-thing the other..." Please! Use nouns, I beg of you.
So, in short, prepare yourself for 200+ pages of unlikeable characters fighting with each other, muddled action and endless trudging through swamps and forests.
I cannot say I would recommend this book to anyone.

Not her best, but still contains the Cherryh "magic"
Rusalka is a fantasy set in pre-Christian Russia. Cherryh creates plenty of atmosphere as her characters Pyetr and Sasha flee trouble in Vojvoda during the darkness of winter and find themselves at the mercy of a powerful wizard in a dead forest. Pyetr, who was mortally wounded as he fled, has ironically been healed and returned to life by a magic he denies exists ... a skeptic. Sasha believes in magic and lives at its mercy until he discovers that he is a wizard and must learn how to direct the powerful forces that flow through him.

Despite their differences, Pyetr and Sasha are devoted to each other. Street-wise Pyetr is determined to protect the younger and naive Sasha from those who would take advantage of his innocence, and Sasha refuses to leave Pyetr alone and unprotected from the powerful magic that he vehemently denies. Pyetr relies on his wits to shield him from misfortune. Sasha is determined to avoid trouble by learning to carefully control his powerful thoughts. Together they learn that neither wits nor careful manipulation will protect them from the uncertainties of life and that there is nothing more powerful than a good and loyal friend.

Pyetr and Sasha will need to rely on each other if they are to survive the ordeal that awaits them. They encounter various magical spirits that inhabit this dark forest while constrained by the will of Uulamets, the wizard. These spirits are quite fickle and most times very dangerous. Along with these not-so-benevolent spirits, the forest is haunted by the ghost of a young murdered woman. She is a rusalka and she is the daughter of Uulamets. The rusalka doesn't want to be dead and so must drain the life from anything or anyone in order to maintain existence until her father can bring her back to life.

Cherryh uses Slavic folklore, with its heavy emphasis on magical power, to tell the story of a different kind of power ... the power of friendship. This is the strength of Rusalka. Cherryh's ability to create an atmospheric novel is one of her strong points as a writer. She can also generate an intensity that leaves you gasping and dreaming strange dreams at night. That said, I was disappointed with this novel. The struggle of wills revealed through the dialogue between characters was meant to build and create that intensity I just mentioned, but instead I found the conversations repetitive and tedious. I couldn't wait for the characters to stop their constant bickering and for Cherryh to just get on with some action instead. I generally like Cherryh's books a lot, so I'm a bit baffled by my ambivalence toward this novel. Perhaps I wasn't in the right mood for this one, so I'm glad that this was not my first experience with Cherryh.

a fairly good read
I bought this in 1990 and promptly lost it, couldn't find another copy for years. Purchased it on Amazon who sent it to the last address. Got it again on e- bay who didn't screw it up.

Fairly good story, angst and anger ridden though. Very good treatise on the mechanics of magic in a quasi magical universe. As you can imagine a story about a murdered girl can be rather dark. The ending was interesting and borrowed from Tolkein a bit. I liked the book as a whole.

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Customer Reviews (2)

Caesar and Cleopatra refight the Illiad in Hell.
I've been re-reading the whole Heroes in Hell series from 1 to 12.

So far "Gates of Hell" is the best standalone novel.

This series is very interesting as many different famous persons interact
and have adventures in hell. This novel features Caesar,Alexander the Great, Achilles, Agamemnon and many of their respective friends as well
as mixing modern and ancient warfare and personalities. Cherryh does
a great job of getting into the heads of the various characters and
showing how ways of thinking from different periods can influence actions.
If you'd like to know what happens when famous people from different times meet then you'll love this series.

It's out of print but generally available used.

Imagine the greatest heroes of all time, together in hell!
Out of the underworld and into your heart! Rumor has it that there is a way out of Hell, through tunnels. Of course the rumors could he disinformation direct from the Father of Lies; all the Heroes of Hell who have assembled for the adventure know that. Though they do not know what hideous dangers they will face once they forsake the sanctuary of Julius Caesar's palace in New Hell, they are sure that boredom, the most awfiil fate Eternity has to offer, will not he one of them. Anything less they can handle; they are who they are, after all, and they have their army, equipped with the most modern weapons and electronics.... Join the greatest Heroes and Rogues of all the Ages in the first full-length novel in the greatest of all shared universes: Heroes in Hell. ... Read more

Product Description
Stranded on a seemingly utopian planet and threatened by the telepathic abilities of native animals, human colonists become dependent on their Nighthorses, the only ones who can form a telepathic bond with their riders, but when human emotion spreads to all the horses, chaos erupts. Reprint.Amazon.com Review
Rider at the Gate is the first in a two-book serieschronicling the existence of human colonists stranded on a planetwhose only native life forms are linked by telepathy, sending sensoryimages to one another enhanced by powerful emotions. One of thesespecies, the "nighthorse," befriends the humans, andtogether they form a bond of mutual protection--the nighthorses guardtheir riders against the planet's mind-clouding predators, while thehumans provide them with food and shelter.Once matched, the twoexperience a companionship more profound than either has ever knownbefore. The story continues in Cloud's Rider. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Most Poorly Written Book I've Read in Years
It was torture to get through this book. The sentence structure was headache inducing. There was no character development, just page after page describing the freezing cold weather.

Outstanding, unforgettable story
This is an odd and disturbing piece of fiction. Most books with a telepathic link between central characters (the tree cats in David Weber's Honor series, Loiosh in Steven Brust's Vlad Taltos series)show the protagonist's telepathic partner as a largely secondary sidekick. Often, it seems that they are a device to allow the author to display the protagonist's thoughts in telepathic dialogue...

Once in a great while, there are telepathic co-stars that are a bit more. (Timothy Zahn's Dragonback series springs to mind.) This is one of those second kinds of stories.

The nighthorses of this tale are disturbing and powerful members of their pairs. The people colonizing the planet are largely horrified by the power of the telepathic creatures of this world. They need the protection of the nighthorses and their chosen human partners, but despise the colonists who are actually wooed into a link with the nighthorses. It's an emotional dichotomy that Cherryh illustrates, slowly and perhaps a bit awkwardly, through three protagonists and their nighthorses.

The nighthorse part of the mental dialogue is decidedly animalistic and confusing. But it has a ring of verisimilitude that is garnered by its faithfulness to the possibilities and probabilities of the reality Cherryh is building.

Because Cherryh chooses to begin as she will go on, without giving the readers the luxury of a description, the beginning of the book is a somewhat rough start. This is exacerbated by her use of 3 different protagonists, with 3 different storylines. It was at least 5 or 6 chapters before I felt that I had any inkling what was "going on" in the book. But once there, it was unstoppable! And the patience was well rewarded.

If the word "nighthorse" does not make you think of the word "nightmare", there are other aspects to the story that certainly should. This is an adventure story, a love story, and a horror story, artfully blended. It is also an excellent and satisfying read. I will have to investigate more of CJ Cherryh's work...

Coming of Age
C.J. Cherryh is well known for her ability to develop wonderful ecosystems for the worlds she creates. Even though her worlds are fantastical, they always speak to what is most human. In Rider at the Gate and its sequel Cloud's Rider, Cherryh does not disappoint. We get a mostly recognizable landscape inhabited by previously starfaring humans and the native telepathic fauna. Among the native fauna of this unnamed planet is the fierce and intelligent nighthorse. Nighthorses are curious and addicted to the thoughts and emotions of the human mind and often choose a particular human to be a "rider." The symbiotic relationship that develops between nighthorse and rider is a strong connection meant to be mutually beneficial but sometimes results in a pairing of devastating proportions. Within this alien system Cherryh builds a beautiful coming of age story that captures the often painful and baffling aspects that accompany the human journey to adulthood -- desparate feelings of longing, loneliness and a desire to be independent yet "fit in."

Cherryh is known to take quite a bit of time developing her story and I suggest patience when starting this set. I didn't feel completely drawn into the story until about page 150 of the first book, but after that point couldn't put the books down.

Scary, Suspenseful, Original
What a great story! Imagine you are a colonist to America in the 16th century, and that bears can make themselves invisible. Every time you step outside you could be eaten and you'd never know until it started.That is what this snowy world is like. Another believable planet and another amazingly logically built culture that fits the enviornment. A wonderful story about courage ,honor and love. Ms. Cherryh also shows again her love for horses.

Typically Cherryh, and typically well written
[I rate this 4.5 stars.]

C.J. Cherryh's writing, like Mozart's music, has a consistent feel that easily identifies the author after a few brief passages.In Cherryh's case there's always external conflict that's amplifying the internal conflict in the characters' minds.Anguished thoughts bouncing around inside the protagonist's skulls and inadequate words failing to bridge the gaps separating their different viewpoints are a hallmark of her novels.Usually there are mundane reasons for the communication failures such as different backgrounds, ages, and levels of maturity.In "Rider at the Gate" Cherryh provides a more intrinsic reason to throttle understanding between the people involved.

On the unnamed planet where the story is set the native fauna are telepathic.Predators sniff out the mental odor of their prey.The higher up the food chain you go, the more telepathic tricks the animals employ.At the top of the chain are the nighthorses. who can project their presence where they're not, or fabricate a completely different landscape from the one your eyes perceive.When they first encountered human colonists the nighthorses were delighted to be around humans' higher-level though processes; telepathically, humans just smelled good.And while their inability to cope with telepathic local animals quickly knocked the bulk of the colonists back to scattered fortified settlements and circa-1900 technology, those who bonded with nighthorses were able to move through the wilderness relatively easily.

The bond with nighthorses comes with a price, of course.Because humans can't transmit telepathically themselves, their nighthorse-mediated communication is filtered through the alien mindsets of their telepathic companions.Lacking much concern for past or future in their conceptual framework, the nighthorses use their human riders to remember such things and give the nighhorses a broader perspective.And while the riders have greatly improved survival prospects, they struggle to communicate with other humans.To keep from spooking the horses the riders constantly damp down their emotions, and keep their concentration strictly on present concerns.The mental conditioning that makes for a good rider also results in a human who doesn't play well with others.

"Rider at the Gate" begins with a message of great emotional impact: a rider and her horse have been killed, spooked by a rogue nighthorse.Just this single message, amplified by a camp of nighthorses, is enough to lead to near-riot conditions in the large town of Shamesey.Danny Fisher, a local boy newly bonded with a horse named Cloud, is both part of the cause and one of the victims of this panic.Feeling he has a debt to pay, Danny volunteers to help hunt down the rogue nighthorse.

I won't go into greater detail and spoil the story (which continues with "Cloud's Rider", although "Rider at the Gate" stands on its own just fine).It's a story of understanding attained with great effort and personal sacfifice -- the typical finely crafted novel that's typically Cherryh. ... Read more