Chanur's Legacy [Hardcover]

C. J. Cherryh (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 4, 1992 | Series: Chanur

Ten years after the presence of the human Tully disrupted the crew of The Pride of Chunur, Hilfy becomes the captain and is offered a million credits to transport a small religious object to Urtur Station.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This is the fifth entry in Cherryh's ( Heavy Time ) chronicles of the Chanur clan, space-faring members of a cat-like alien race called the hani.not capitalized It picks up 10 years after the action of Chanur's Homecoming , and introduces an almost entirely new cast of characters. The fast-moving story centers on Hilfy Chanur's efforts to fulfill a contract involving the delivery of a religious artifact. This seemingly straightforward assignment quickly escalates in typical Cherryh fashion into a tangle of financial and political intrigue involving five different alien species, half a dozen planets, and more paperwork than either the reader or the characters can keep track of. Despite the apparent confusion, it is a great deal of fun. There is more humor here than in previous Chanur books, stemming primarily from the foibles of various well-developed alien cultures. Cherryh demonstrates a remarkable grasp of alien psychologies--she has mastered the near-impossible trick of creating aliens who think differently from, but just as well as, humans. Very few SF writers could carry off a 400-page novel with no major human characters; Cherryh does so effortlessly.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Hilfy Chanur, young captain of the merchant ship Chanur's Legacy , accepts a commission from a dignitary on the planet Meetpoint to deliver a religious artifact to nearby Urtur Station. The arrangement soon becomes a tangle of interstellar intrigue as Hilfy and her crew battle kidnappers, assassins, and smooth politicians while fighting their own inborn prejudices. Set in the Alliance-Union universe, a favorite Cherryh sf setting, the fifth book in her ongoing chronicle of the spacefaring, feline Chanur clan should appeal to fans of fast-moving, meticulously detailed space opera.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: DAW Hardcover (August 4, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0886775191
• ISBN-13: 978-0886775193
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #868,873 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I've written sf and fantasy for publication since 1975...but I've written a lot longer than that. I have a background in Mediterranean archaeology, Latin, Greek, that sort of thing; my hobbies are travel, photography, planetary geology, physics, pond-building for koi...I run a marine tank, can plumb most anything, and I figure-skate.

I believe in the future: I'm an optimist for good reason---I've studied a lot of history, in which, yes, there is climate change, and our species has been through it. We've never faced it fully armed with what we now know, and if we play our cards right, we'll use it as a technological springboard and carry on in very interesting ways.

I also believe a writer owes a reader a book that has more than general despair to spread about: I write about clever, determined people who don't put up with situations, not for long, anyway: people who find solutions inspire me.

My personal websites and blog: http://www.cherryh.com
http://www.cherryh.com/WaveWithoutAShore
http://www.closed-circle.net

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Grandiose yet personal, November 24, 2003

By 

Brad Wheeler "ordersponge" (Portland, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chanur's Legacy (Paperback)

The 5th and most recent of CJ Cherryh's Chanur Saga, Chanur's Legacy is very much in the vein of Cherryh's previous work. Captain Hilfy Chanur of the Chanur's Legacy is just trying to make a living in the shadow of her aunt, effective ruler of Compact space. When the administrator of Meetpoint Station offers her one million credits for transport of a simple cargo, the offer seems almost too good to be true. Needless to say, it is, and Hilfy and her crew, along with a few passengers, are sent on a harrowing mission throughout Compact space.

Cherryh is in true form here. Each alien race is uniquely developed, none having those "humans in makeup" or "different just to be different" qualities that often plagues SF in general, and space opera in particular. Moreover, each of the characters is quite well developed, and truth be told, I found the subplot regarding Legacy's male passenger as compelling, or more so, than the main plot.

For better or worse, saying the book is typical CJ Cherryh carries some other connotations: physical description is about nil; the main characters may spend 70 pages in a port and the most we'll ever hear about it its name. Also the plot is extremely, I might say excessively, complicated, and can get difficult to follow if you read quickly.

Still, danger, intrigue, romace, conspiracy: all are present and work together to create a marvelous story I could barely put down (even after it was finished). If you enjoy space opera, the Chanur Saga, or and of CJ Cherryh's work, this one's for you.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A deeper look at the Compact powers-that-be, March 27, 2006

By 

Anniepoo "just myself" (Indiana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chanur's Legacy (Paperback)

This review is for those that have already read the previous 4 books. If you have not, I highly recommend The Pride of Chanur - it is complete in itself, so if you only like it you can be finished and satisfied, but if you LOVE it there is much more to come.

Hilfy is now on her own, with a "hand-me-down" ship and experienced crew - all new characters, including a marooned hani male. Her style is quite different from Pyanfar's, and provides further insight into Haniness as well as a Hani translator's view of other alien minds. We also get an in-depth look at the manipulating stsho - and a very fascinating and charming look it is. There are alternate views of the mahendosat, and the kif are developing in an interesting direction. We even gain some glimpses into the methane breathers' inner workings.

Highly recommended as a broadening view of Compact Space's intricate workings, and as a rollicking good time as well!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of a very few., November 7, 2004

By 

Ron Johnson "teck junkie" (Bluffton, IN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chanur's Legacy (Paperback)

The books under the title of 'Chanur' have all been great books. I have read the whole set 3 times now. It would be nice to actually see them made into a movie. Impossible, considering the level of detail, but definately a good idea. The level of psychology in these books is high, at the expense of detail in the realm of environment. If your willing to explore this aspect of scifi, read them. To bad Cherryh ended the series.