Customer Reviews

The Cherryh Odyssey

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Prominent speculative fiction journal Locus Magazine, in choosing this book as recommended reading this year, noted this is probably only the first of the books on this subject: prolific science fiction author par excellence, C. J. Cherryh. If this is so, I look forward to the next, and hope they are as well done as Edward Carmien's gathered collection of essays.

To me, diversity is one of the strongest points of this book. Essayists run the gamut from Cherryh writing companion Jane Fancher, science fiction reviewer and author John Clute, and publisher Betsy Wollheim to more academic writers such as Susan Bernando and Carmien himself. There's a touching and personal introduction by science fiction artist (and Cherryh's brother) David Cherry, who also contributed the cover art. The essays straddle Cherryh's fantasy and science fiction, taking care to include some of her earliest novels to her very latest--and better still, I found Carmien to be quite gutsy in his choice to include a few essays that were not entirely positive. In fact, I found those pieces to be some of the more thought-provoking in the book, and even in the midst of their frank manner they highlight some of the best aspects of Cherryh's style.

I was delighted to find two essays devoted to CYTEEN, my favorite Cherryh work. Susan Bernando did an outstanding job in her essay "Of Emorys and Warricks: Self-Creation in Cyteen" and despite some gushiness revolving around the field of psychology, Elizabeth Romey did more-than-adequate justice to her topic, "Dr. Ariane Emory, Sr.: Psychopath-or Savior?" I've gotten something out of CYTEEN each time I've read it (one of the few books I've read multiple times, and not for the last time), but these two essays brought new facets to light, for further pondering.

Preceding an extensive Cherryh bibliography, Carmien's own piece ends the essay section of the book. He covers interesting tidbits such as Cherryh's early history with DAW, how she feels her science fiction does in the marketplace as opposed to her fantasy work, Cherryh's financial viability as a writer, and women characters in her fiction.

The Cherryh Odyssey is a very interesting collection of essays about my favorite author and her work.
This is kind of a scholarly book, but if you fall into any of the following categories, it is a book you should read.
A fan of the writings of CJ Cherryh.
Interested in Science Fiction and Fantasy as literature.
Interested in the change in the role of women in literature and society since the mid 1970's.
Interested in the role of Science in literature and literature in science.
Interested in the writing industry and how it has changed in the last thirty years.
I loved this book even when I vehemently disagreed with some of the essayist.