Customer Reviews

Deliverer (Foreigner Universe)

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

 

 

In this ninth installment of the Foreigner Series ends are tied up nicely for the end of this trilogy. One earnestly hopes that this is by no means the end of this wonderful series.
Because, although there are several series that are popular in the Sci-Fi- / Fantasy genre that have this many volumes, all of them that I have read have lost so much steam, that I am looking forward to being tied up once and for all and finally ended. For with the rest of them, while I have too much time tied up to not read the conclusion, I dread reading another 500, or 1,000 pages of drivel to get there. This is absolutely not the case with the Foreigner Series. The story just gets better and better as the characters are more and more fully developmed.

Deliverer is another wonderfully plotted story, with more action than any of the Foreigner books except the immediate precursor story Pretender. In Deliverer, we begin to see where the Future of Atevia is headed in the next generation as well as the problems that will stir the pot for the next cycle of the story.

Again, this is not the place to start this series; it will make absolutely no sense to the first time reader of the series. So if you haven't read them already do yourself the favor of starting at the beginning with Foreigner and read through this wonderful series all the way to Deliverer. You find it realistic and believable, and I believe the best allegory on the subject of diversity and inclusion ever written.

I envy you!

If you are new to reading Ms. Cherryh, let me prepare you a bit.
C J Cherryh is in my opinion, the greatest writer of our time and maybe ever, in creating new cultures, and worlds. All of her stories have a very large amount of introspection, the protagonist will always suffer from some kind of alienation and be realistically flawed. All of the action in any of her stories is necessary not gratuitous. All of her stories require a lot of set up and character development, because you will be in a completely foreign environment, so expect to read a bit before the story gets going. All of the protagonist will be smart; the dialog will require you to think to keep up. There will never be unfair gotcha moments, only plots that rightfully unfold due to events. And as a final point, almost always, you have to remember details, because what is usually the end of other writers' stories, the climactic event, is generally the beginning of a Cherryh story, because you will see, that as in life, the really interesting stuff lie in the ripples of the pond not the splash itself. She has managed to keep details meshed throughout over 50 novels without having to change rules anywhere.

So, by all means please buy this book, and keep Ms. Cherryh, and her publishers working to write more. But... you owe it to yourself to start at the beginning of the story and read though before you begin Deliverer, and travel to a place that is so foreign, yet so real, you will feel that it must exist.

I've been a Cherryh fan for years, and I was thrilled to see the new "Foreigner" book. "Deliverer" picks up where "Pretender" left off, immediately after all the fighting with everyone picking up the pieces and repairing the pottery and damaged walls. Bren gets back to work, Tabini is firmly in charge, and young Cajeiri is bored. The first 150 pages coast along at a decent clip, but it feels so much like normal life that I had to wonder whether Cherryh forgot to include the conflict.

After that immediate lull, however, the plot takes a sudden left turn (no spoilers!), and the book takes off. Those "pleasant" 150 pages suddenly take on a whole new meaning as I was forced to look back and review dialogue to see who was setting up who, and plots are uncovered that rock the Atevi world from the Eastern Association to the Southern and right back to Shejidan.

Cherryh's put together an amazing book -- especially amazing when you consider this is the 9th book in the series, and she doesn't give any hint that the plot's anywhere near slowing down! An outstanding new addition to the series, but probably not a good place for newcomers to jump into the action. (Go back and start with the first book, "Foreigner." Trust me, it'll be worth it!)

The only real complaint I have is that the book doesn't appear well edited. I don't recall any words spelled wrong, but there are several instances of words doubled up in sentences and also of sentences so convoluted that I had to decipher what Cherryh meant instead of what was written on the page. I would have been willing to wait another month for this book just to have it line-edited better than it was. That aside, however, this is still an outstanding book, and I stayed up half the night finishing it. Couldn't put it down!

Finally! We get a look at Bren from an atevi's perspective! Caijeri not only lets us see the Paidhi through his eyes but he gives us insights into his 'elders' opinions about the human translator as well. Illisidi thinks highly of Bren as does her grandson, the Atevi ruler. We also get a hint at how Bren's associates view his relationship w/atevi bodyguard and lover, Jago. He never did get a chance to ask Tano what everyone was thinking.

Cherryh has got it right with this one for sure. I'm thrilled at seeing Bren back on terrafimra again, although I did miss his major domo and cook. In Deliverer there is plenty of action true but the interaction between these characters is the real treat for me. Algini and Tano have finally...oh well better not give away secrets.

Anyway, if you're a Cherryh/Bren Cameron fan, Deliverer certainly delivers! I read this book in two days (would have been one if not for the need to sleep) and I'm already salivating for more! Oh and I think by some hints dropped in near the end, Bren hasn't seen the last of Barbs ploys; she's a woman we love to hate. She'd better watch out for Jago though ; ).

I was a tiny bit worried when I started reading this book. "Pretender" had left me a little cold, and I couldn't help thinking that maybe this series really was going downhill after the peak that was "Explorer", like some people have said. (Well, I did like "Pretender" too, but not nearly as much as some earlier books.)

Now I can say that although "Explorer" still holds its place as my favorite book in this series, "Deliverer" is a very close second. Of course, that might simply be because I love Cajeiri, and this book is very much about him. In fact, for the first time we hear another voice than Bren's: a very big part of "Deliverer" (almost one third, I think) is told from Cajeiri's point of view, presenting his thoughts on various subjects from Bren to manchi.

The only problem I had with this is that Cajeiri, who is having troubles in fitting into a world that is quite strange to him, feels in many ways like a human kid. (His motives and thought patterns appear quite familiar, you see, and don't guite feel ... alien.) Nevertheless, there definitely is an atevi side in him too, he's not quite your average eight-year-old human. He is delightfully resourceful, somewhat unruly (in atevi terms, anyway), and, well, just himself the way we're used to see him... so no, I'm not complaining.

Overall "Deliverer" could be divided into two parts: the beginning is slow and calm, the latter half explodes to action. Bren gets to do both some politicking as well as some shooting, and he too is just his lovable self. Even though three times three would be a good number of books in a series, I'm sure there will more. This book presents new problems and new questions that are not yet answered, and I'm quite eagerly waiting for the next installment and the return of the kyo that doesn't seem to be _that_ far away.

"Deliverer" is an excellent addition to the "Foreigner" series and more than makes up for the problems in the last book, "Pretender." Even though, once again, the action takes place over a short period of time, it doesn't suffer from the glacial pacing and maddening repetition inherent in some of the earlier books in the series.

The stories so far have been written from Bren's point of view. It goes without saying that if he is sometimes lost in trying to understand the workings of a completely alien culture, then of necessity, we readers will only find out what's going on when he does . However, the constant reiteration of the same information, over and over again, all too often only seemed to serve as a way to drag a fairly short plot line into a novel length story.

"Deliverer" leaves those problems behind. It is one of the best books of the series and introduces several intriguing possibilities for future events in this storyline. Especially of interest is Cajeiri's continuing desire for an association with his human friends. One of the things I especially like about Cherryh's stories is the logic and honesty she brings to her depiction of alien cultures and their interaction with humans, so the storyline will go where she feels it must. However, I hope the young ship folk are featured in future books as having a positive role in the life of a future ruler. Humans may not fully understand the concepts inherent in man'chi, but they are capable of great loyalty and sacrifice in the service of their friends.

I am a great fan of C J Cherryh's science fiction - I have it all on my shelves. I have particularly loved the Foreigner series. But, alas, the last two have seen a decline from the peak of the meeting with the Kyo at the end of 'Explorer'. It seems that the plot for one long novel has been stretched out over three to suit a publisher's requirements or a novelist's wallet - C J Cherryh admitted stretching her stories over three rather than one book to suit her publisher's wishes with regard to the Chanur sequence. The story is great and overall the series keeps to its high standard. But the books are getting very short. Perhaps she will end up writing a short story sequence to finish it.

Satisfying capper to the tumultuous return from space. The heir is swiftly taking shape, here, and I see another trilogy possible covering his growth and the return of the Kyo and the potential enemy on the other side. (Could it be the Earth of humans? Interesting thought)

Lots of fighting, lots of skillful diplomatic machinations, riding, running, new tech, new insights into species differentiations, even among humans in different enclaves, and enough warm fuzzies to make the Ateva work just beautifully. A fitting climax to the third trilogy. A better springboard for the next!

Deliverer (2007) is the ninth SF novel in the Foreigner series, following Pretender. In the previous volume, the return of the Phoenix after a two year absence greatly shocked the aishidi'tat of the Western Association. Many had thought that the aiji-dowager Ilisidi and the aiji-heir Cajeiri would never be seen again. Then the reappearance of Tabini-aiji caused the usurping government of Murini-aiji to collapse and his supporters to run for their lives.

In this novel, Tabini-aiji and his supporters are reoccupying the Bu-javid. Yet the damage done by the usurpers was never repaired. The bodies have been removed, but the bullet holes and blood are still there. Tabini-aiji's apartment even has a room with a gaping hole for a floor.

The apartment of the paidhi has been claimed by an atevi clan and Bren Cameron is currently living with the aiji-dowager. Then he is informed that Lord Tatiseigi, Cajeiri's great-uncle, is returning to his estate and Ilisidi is accompanying him. So Bren will now be moving into Tatiseigi's apartment, where he resided once before. Meanwhile, Tabini-aiji and his consort Daimiri, together with Cajeiri, are moving into Ilisidi's apartment while their rooms are being repaired.

The confusion in the bureaucracy is even more acute. Fortunately, most of the paidhi's records had been removed by his staff and hidden from the usurpers. Now Bren is trying to trace his staff and reassemble them in a nearby hotel. Such confusion is also evident in the Messenger, Transportation and other Guilds.

The Assassins' Guild is even more upset. Some southern assassins had changed man'chi to Murini. Maybe even the Guildmaster did so as well, but the Guild is not telling. Bren does know that the Guild is presently readjusting itself, but Banichi, Tano and Algini are spending too much time on Guild business while Jago alone tends to his security.

In this story, Cajeiri and his young bodyguards Jegari and Antaro are being neglected by everybody. Cajeiri is strongly feeling the absence of his human friends and the conveniences of their environment. So Cajeiri has a plan. Of course, it gets him into trouble, even with the paidhi, and Cajeiri is relegated to his parent's apartment for an indefinite time.

Then Cajeiri disappears. Antaro is found unconscious on a lower floor of the building. Later Jegari turns up, bloody but safe, to relate his experiences during the kidnapping of Cajeiri. Unfortunately, he did not recognize his captors, but does know that they took Cajeiri to a cargo airplane. Given the information available, Tabini decides that one specific plane must be carrying his son and sends Ilisidi, Bren and their security after it.

This story introduces a new factor in the Western Association political environment. It also allows Cajeiri to use some of his newly acquired expertise to frustrate his captors. And Bren learns what the station has landed on the planet during his absence.

One of the author's strong points is also a weakness. She throws the reader into an alien situation and lets the reader gradually learn about the milieu during the course of the book. Readers without much SF experience tend to get lost in the weirdness. In this series, however, the atevi and their planet are starting to become familiar. Naturally, the author has already introduced a new alien culture to further confuse the reader. Enjoy!

Highly recommended for Cherryh fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of exotic cultures, wild adventures and an underinformed paidhi.

-Arthur W. Jordin

In Deliverer, Ms. Cherryh has picked up her Foreigner series and continued it forward. This time Bren is helping out the recently re-established aiji (I view this a shogun since I see lots of similarities between the Atevi and the Japanese, the Foreigner series I see as a more controlled Meiji government dealing with higher technology though) to recover his son who has gone missing. As is typical with many of CJ Cherryh's books in the Foreigner series, the opening is a little slow but important for setting the stage. In this case, the aiji's son (Cajeiri) establishes the tempo of the book (as a matter of fact, his point of view is used several times, something new to the Foreigner series) by acting much like a human teen would. These problems Cajeiri experiences cumulate in him being kidnapped by others seeking power.

As is typical in a book from Ms. Cherryh, the characters are strong and much is said indirectly. While I felt the opening was weak for Ms. Cherryh (the Foreigner series is strong in politics/relations between people, action is sometimes weak), the back half moves at a nice clip and delivers as one of the stronger conclusions in the Foreigner series. If there's one disappointment with them though, it's that this book is wide open for another trilogy for Foreigner (sorry, I prefer the Union/Alliance line). The bottom line, a solid 4 star book. Thank you very much for the tale Ms. Cherryh!

Another excellent installment. Made me want to sit down and read all the others again. I love that we are finally getting a cross-cultural character from the Atevi side. Go Jeri!