Customer Reviews

Conspirator: (Foreigner #10)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have an associate whom I generally agree with about books, with the one exception, she hates C J Cherryh, and I think She (CJC) is the Greatest writer of our time. Ms. Cherryh writes in such a way that you must become the character, and live the story which is in my opinion, escapism at its finest. So it was with great joy that I opened up my delivery from Amazon this week and found Conspirator inside.

So here's the deal.
Conspirator is made especially for someone like me who is a big fan already, because there is so much character development and history that there is no way to just start here (in book 10) and enjoy it the way you should. But if you not yet a fan like me, do yourself the huge favor of reading the series from the beginning starting with Foreigner: (10th Anniversary Edition) (Foreigner Universe Books)and have the patience to get through the first hundred pages of that character development and history to follow the rest of the story.

Is this sci-fi? Sort of, but mostly it is a character driven political drama that digs deeply into what makes us human, and what helps to form alliance with each other and what causes us to break them apart. It is a marvelous metaphoric inspection on diversity and inclusion, and courtesy. I swallowed this book up in two days and hated to turn the final pages and will be frustrated for the next several months until the next edition comes along.

5* Continuation!

Ahhh, a new CJ Cherryh book; in this case the 10th in the Foreigner series. For most writers, the 10th in a series typically starts to run out of steam; and I have to admit that after Deliverer (Foreigner) I was hoping that Ms. Cherryh was putting the Foreigner series to bed. Having said that and read Conspirator I'm glad Ms. Cherryh chose to continue the series because she managed to find an area that needed coverage in the series and did so admirably. If you're familiar with the series, feel free to skip to the next paragraph; for those not familiar with the series, humans had settled on a planet that had a native humanoid life form (the Atevi) and proceeded to coexist with them until differences and a war between the species forced the humans to retire to an island and leave a paidhi (an Atevi expression for the human who is the ambassador from the humans and broker of technology). The current paidhi is Bren Cameron who has raised the Atevi to a technological level near that of humans (say 21st Century), has the trust of the Atevi leader, and is an Atevi lord in his own right.

Rating wise this one is a very solid 4.5 star book. Ms. Cherryh did such a great job bringing the fire back into the storyline. There are three main focuses in this book; Bren's relationship with his brother Toby (this has been needing some work for awhile), the maturing and gaining control of Cajeiri, and the relationship between Bren and his Atevi estate (this had been awarded by Tabini in an earlier book). Ms. Cherryh addresses all three cases fairly nicely, however there is much more to be unearthed in all three cases (can you say sequel plus one). As always the writing is crisp with excellent dialog. This is particular shown in any dialog between Bren and any of the Atevi, especially Ilisidi (Grandmother to Tabini, Great Grandmother to Cajeiri). In cases where Bren is dealing with the Atevi (especially those of significant rank) I'm reminded of Alexander Dumas's The Three Musketeers (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)due to the formality of the words and the significance applied to what a person says (honor is very much alive with the Atevi). While this book only builds a little on the culture (I've considered the culture to be very feudal Japan with a possible mixing of Europe circa the 1500's), Ms. Cherryh's plot building is outstanding. As in all of the Foreigner series, the title gives us a nice clue on the books focus and Ms. Cherryh does a great job setting up the conspirator and the situation permitting the conspirator to bloom (actually it's been building for several books, we just weren't fully aware of it). Having said this and knowing that Amazon requires whole stars (no partials for a reviewer) I'm going to round this on up to 5 due to how good the story telling and plot were. This combination is making me look forward to Conspirator's sequel (Deceiver), something that is outstanding when you consider that you're reading the 10th in the series. Btw for those interested you can just pick this book up and read it without reading the earlier ones in the series; however you're missing some of the beauty of the series and would have to accept things as Ms. Cherryh presents them. Btw, the artwork on the front should be of Bren, Tano, and Algini.

Some would think that a series would be running out of steam/ideas by Book 10 but this book proves that is not always the case. This was a fabulous addition to the on-going story of the Foreigner universe.

Don't try to read this book though if you haven't read the series. Do yourself a real favor and start from book 1 - so much fabulous reading lies ahead of you - I am envious. Can't wait for books 11 and 12 (she seems to write in trilogies). Cajeiri is only 8 years old so the series has a lot of future possibilities.

These are not typical space opera but totally painless, utterly enjoyable courses in inter-cultural relations and the possibilities that are out there for understanding and agreeing with each other. Men and women alike can enjoy them.

It used to be that science and fantasy was created mostly in single novels, occasionally in trilogies. Nowadays, series in the genre go on interminably. There are dangers in this trend, that the reader (and even the author) may become bored with the characters, and that the plotting and the writing itself will become sloppy. But this is not necessarily the case, and Cherryh's "Foreigner" series -- of which this is the tenth installment, with at least one or two more coming -- is the proof of that. It's been a couple of years since I read the previous volume in the series, but from the first chapter I picked up on the atevi culture and psychology as if I had never left. The author has turned the very length of the continuing narrative into a virtue as it allows her to dwell in fascinating depth on minute political events -- and the atevi are a very political people. And to explore the all-important personal relationships which are the key to everything in this world. Bren Cameron, the human paidhi, has acquired more and more authority over the years in his role as cultural translator between the small human enclave on the planet and Tabini, the aiji, and his government, to whom he is also a close political advisor. And he has gained prestige and a certain amount of personal wealth in the process. But he has also acquired very dangerous enemies among those clans and ethnicities and regions who oppose the aiji. Tabini's son, whom we first met a couple of volumes ago, has a major role this time, getting himself into serious trouble (not all of his making). As does Ilisidi, Tabini's own grandmother, and a power in her own right, both politically and personally. The atevi also have a highly formalized society (it reduces social friction) and their language reflects this, so the reader must deal with a variety of titles and social concepts -- because Cherryh doesn't cut corners. Personally, I enjoy a story in which the reader must pay attention or miss the subtleties. This series is very much worth the investment of time and close attention.

There's nothing remarkably new about CONSPIRATOR, the 10th entry in the series that began fifteen ago with FOREIGNER. Human Bren Cameron is still the paidhi, the cultural and linguistic translator and mediator between humans and the atevi, an alien humanoid race. Bren still works for Tabini-aiji, ruler of the atevi; he's still constantly in danger of being killed by Tabini's enemies; he's still sleeping with his deadly atevi bodyguard Jago; and he's still trying to avoid his old girlfriend Barb, now attached to his brother Toby. The last trio of books ended with the thwarting of a revolt against Tabini. In the aftermath of the revolt, Bren lost his home in the atevi capital city, and so he's taken a trip out to his country estate, hoping that Tabini will find him somewhere else to live by the time he's ready to return. As Bren settles in, Toby and Barb come to visit. Meanwhile, Tabini's son Cajeiri hops a freight train and drops in on Bren, too. Not surprisingly, Cajeri and Barb (separately) get into various kinds of trouble fairly quickly, but while their (mis)adventures add spice and tension to the story, the main thread has to do with something else entirely. As it happens, the leaders of the southern atevi who were behind the coup against Tabini are now dead, but the southern resentment against Tabini remains. Southern partisans try to kill Bren, but bungle the attempt. By making an attempt to hurt Tabini via assassination of the paidhi, the southerners show their hand, inadvertently revealing the identity of the "conspirator" alluded to in the book's title. To learn what Tabini does with this knowledge, we'll have to wait until May 2010.

As with most of Cherryh's recent novels, this one is fairly routine. Still, CONSPIRATOR has something that the last three books lacked. It's not action, though that's plentiful, and it's not psychological depth, which this book doesn't have. What it does have is an increased focus on atevi culture, atevi ethnicity, atevi local politics, and the lives of ordinary atevi. The atevi who live near Bren's estate and who work on his estate are members of atevi ethnic group that was displaced when humans were ceded the island of Mospheira, to minimize human-atevi contact. When they side with Bren against the Southerners, he and Tabini's grandmother Illsidi recognize them and reward their loyalty. It's not at all implausible that Cherryh had the inter-religious and inter-ethnic conflicts going on in Iraq in mind while she wrote this. Illsidi's active role in this book is also welcome; her sharp and merciless interrogation of a weak and foolish atevi lord is the highlight of the book.

All in all, this is a welcome addition to the series. I hope that Cherryh keeps up the good work in next two volumes.

The only draw back is you need to read the prior books to get all of the details but a great read. One of the better books in the series. More action than the last one and I really like the where she seems to be going with story.

I'm a long-time reader of Cherryh's work, from way back in the 80s before she came out of the closet as a female sci fi writer. I was immediately hooked on Foreigner and have every single book from the series. Unfortunately, this volume seems to have gone the way of JK Rowland's intermediate lame Harry Potter books. The characters are flat cardboard cutouts of their previous selves - very limited personalities. Gone are the fresh interactions between Bren Cameron and Ilisidi. Gone is the humorous repartee among Bren, Jago and Banichi. Gone is Cherryh's feel for the beautiful natural world of the planet. Gone is the plot... Basically the whole book is a rehash of all the atevi politics and machinations in their various quests for power. We see them endlessly from Bren's perspective for pages and pages as he thinks. We get them reviewed for us by Baigi prior to and during his interrogation. There is virtually no action to break up this tedium. There are a couple good parts with Cajeiri, who is a neat character. About halfway through the book I thought: Nothing is going to happen here, is it? Less than five things actually move the plot along. At least fifty percent of the book could be omitted and it would be more interesting. The town meeting in the last few pages of the book was something fresh and new. The rest of the book contained slightly altered repetitions of events from previous books. It is obvious to me that this book is a bridge to the next book(s) where hopefully something will happen. The author doesn't communicate any joy or excitement about her characters or writing this book. If I had never read any of the previous Foreigner books, this book would in no way make me interested to read them. In fact, I doubt I would have finished it. Shame on you, Catherine!

Hard to believe, but the "Foreigner" series USED to bore me. I read the books in self-defense because my wife was enthralled and I needed to understand what the heck she was talking about. Now, I've become so invested in the wonderfully deep characters and the vastly complex world/universe that I await each new book with bated breath. THANKS, Ms. Cherryh for creating such a great "place" to escape to and puzzle about!

Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose. This tenth book in the Foreigner series is nothing new. Bren still is between worlds and cultures, although he's essentially "gone native" years ago. Tabini-aiji is still settling his very unsettled political power and Cajeiri, his young son, continues to be precocious. Things move on a slightly smaller scale as Bren needs to leave the city and pay a long-needed visit to his country estate. He can also spend time with his brother Toby, and attempt to be polite to Barb, Toby's girlfriend and, awkwardly, Bren's former girlfriend. But what should be a safe, pleasant visit to the seaside turns out to be a bit more complicated and event-filled than it would seem.

I have to give credit to the writer's ability to keep long-time readers interested in this series. I keep thinking that I've read MORE than enough about Bren and the Atevi, but the books continue to be readable and interesting. New readers should probably read at least a few of the earlier books and get a synopsis to properly enjoy this book, but it might be possible to enjoy it as a stand-alone.

I enjoy C J Cherry's writing, and particularly enjoy this series. Lots of action, enjoy her quiet way of inserting information about another species culture and behavior in order to help the reader realize that there is more than one way of thinking about things.