From Publishers Weekly
One of the best long-running SF series in existence, Cherryh's Foreigner Universe books (Precursor, etc.) tell the story of a small human colony abandoned on a planet inhabited by the atevi, an alien race whose humanoid anatomy disguises radically different instincts and thought patterns. Misunderstandings have led to war in the past and make human/atevi diplomacy incredibly difficult. Bren Cameron trained for decades to be the paidhi, the only human allowed to negotiate with the atevi, overseeing the slow transfer of advanced human technology to the brilliant but less advanced natives of the planet in trade for vital raw materials. Eventually, Bren changed sides, becoming the representative of Tabini, the atevi's ruler, to humanity. Now the political situation has been complicated by the return of the Phoenix, the starship whose much hated crew abandoned the colonists some two centuries earlier, and, worse yet, by the starship's report that its crew has discovered a hostile space-faring race relatively nearby. The senior captain of the Phoenix, negotiating through Bren, agrees to help Tabini build a second starship to defend the planet, but as Bren learns after the captain's mysterious death, other plots are afoot and not all the information shared by the starship can be trusted. As usual, Cherryh provides a riveting plot that emphasizes intense human/alien interactions instead of physical violence. Perhaps undervalued because she writes in traditional forms that don't appeal to the literati, while too difficult for some fans of space opera, Cherryh remains one of the most talented writers in the field. (Nov. 6)Forecast: The pulpish jacket art by the usually quite competent Stephen Youll won't bring in new readers who will appreciate Cherryh's work, but established fans will know better.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
On the planet of the atevi, the arrival of the crippled starship
Phoenix spawned technological and social change. Now the atevi have a space program and crews in space repairing the
Phoenix, but they also have pro- and anti-space factions that are practically rioting in the streets. Tabini-aiji-, leader of the Western Association, sends his selected human spokesman, Bren Cameron, to the space station to find out what is really going on. A lot more than meets the eye, he discovers, including double and triple crosses, plots, subplots, counterplots, and all the other goodies arising from Cherryh's hallmark characterization and world building. This excellent and intelligent book by one of sf's most powerful imaginations sports a plot that is always complex, occasionally convoluted, and seldom independent of that of
Precursor (1999), to which it is the direct sequel, continuing another of Cherryh's sagas of human-alien interaction. Like its predecessor, it is a good read, too.
Roland GreenCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
