Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Trouble at Home! Beginning of a new trilogy for Bren et al, December 1, 2004
Just when you thought everything is settled, peace in space and at home achieved, the spaceship Phoenix returns back to the world of the Atevi after a very successful mission to retrieve all the human stationers from a formerly hostile alien territory to find all that seemed stable and secure on the homeworld and in orbit on the decaying human-built ancient space station has devolved into near anarchy and verging into inter-species war in the Phoenix's multi-year absence...
I got the chance to read an Advance Readers Copy of this novel and enjoyed it as much as I've enjoyed some of the other books in the first two trilogies about the Human Bren Cameron and his adventures amongst the sometimes very opaque society of the Atevi society. If you enjoyed the last series that took the Human Paidhi Bren and his Atevi staff and acquaintences to space and beyond, you'll enjoy this new book as well. WARNING! There is no chance that anybody who hasn't read the last six books will be able to follow or enjoy "Destroyer." I envy those who are just starting out on this series, please do read "Foreigner" and it's two sequals (which in my opinion has been the best books the author has written in the last ten years).
My one disappointment is that the relationship between Bren, Banichi and Jago seems to have lost some of the attention/excitement given to it in the previous books (particularily between Bren and Jago). The one special nature of these books is the gradual illumination of the non-human nature of the Atevi and it's odd interaction/struggle with human nature as we and the author understand it. The evolving relationship between Bren and Jago was the highpoint of the first three books and I miss that.
It is a misfortune to almost all planned trilogies is that as an opening book, there is often a lot of setup for the the resolution in the final book. Despite that proviso, action does occur, the plot does move forward. I also found the internal monolog of our hero Bren at times a bit wearisome at times (I note that the author has written quite a few books with these tremendously introspective males in the past decade or so where it seems entire chapters are composed solely of the thoughts of the hero and with little or no exterior action...Not to say I didn't enjoy the change of a more intellectual SF/Fantasy, Ms. Cherry).
On the whole, a good start to a new trilogy about a favorite set of characters of mine.
|
|
|
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Minor Setback, June 12, 2006
Destroyer (2005) is the seventh novel in the Foreigner series and the first book in the third trilogy, following Explorer. In the previous volume, Bren Cameron and his associates travel to Reunion Station on the Phoenix. There they find an alien ship observing the system, an alien hostage aboard the station, and the Pilot's Guild refusing to answer simple questions.
The humans and atevi aboard the Phoenix begin to communicate with the aliens, rescue the hostage, and force the Pilot's Guild to evacuate the station. The aliens are not very friendly at first, but Prakuyo An Tep, the rescued hostage, and the Dowager-ji establish a working arrangement with the kyo. Leaving Reunion Station in the hands of the aliens, the Phoenix departs for Alpha Station with over 4000 stationer refugees.
In this novel, the Phoenix returns to find that the aishidi'tat of the Western Association has been fractured by the Kadigidi and Taisigini Associations and that Murini has declared himself as the aiji; they cite technological disruptions as the reason for the coup. Tabini-aiji escaped the initial attack, was last reported at the Taiben estate, and is presumed to be still alive on the mainland. Two of the shuttles are down on the planet, but the third is docked at Alpha Station.
The aiji-dowager Ilisidi and the paidhi Bren Cameron decide to return to the planet on the only accessible shuttle, landing at the Jackson airport on Mospheira Island rather that on the mainland. There they are met by President Shawn Tyers and provided with all information available to the Mospheirans. Bren also meets his brother Toby and reluctantly accepts the offer of his boat to cross the straits to the mainland.
The reduced party, including the aiji-heir Cajeiri, lands on the North Shore, acquires a truck from an allied association, and drives to the train station. Sneaking aboard the night freight, they travel to the Sidonin mail stop, steal a bus, and take backroads to Taiben. From there they ride mecheiti to the Atageini estate of Lord Tatiseigi, Cajeiri's great-uncle.
This novel continues the story of the atevi rise to technological parity with the Mospheirans and the disruptions that inevitably occur. Murini proclaims his commitment to conservative concerns, but really is only giving lip service to the traditional life. He is the son of the former traitor Direiso, but had claimed to have no knowledge of his father's plots and gained shelter with Lord Tatiseigi. At that time, Bren had plead for his life as an innocent bystander. Now, of course, Murini's life will be forfeit if Tabini regains leadership of the Western Association.
Lord Tatiseigi, however, is a true preservationist, reluctant to accept even such technology as electric lights. Moreover, the Kadigidi lands adjoin his estate and they have not been the best of neighbors. Of course, Tati-ji is also feuding with the Taibeni, who are also his neighbors, over a hundred year old disagreement.
As the son of the Ragi aiji Tabini and the Atageini lady consort Damiri, Cajeiri is heir-apparent of the Western Association and the best hope of Lord Tatiseigi to gain power. Of course, Tati-ji will have to deal with Cajeiri's man'chi, which has already extended to the Taiben association. He is definitely following in Tabini-aiji's footsteps.
The Assassins Guild is stymied by this disruption of the Western Association. Someone has killed the Guildmaster and the Guild Assembly is stalling. Bren has sent a brief report to the Assembly about the voyage in hopes that the Guild will provide safe conduct to the meeting, but the letter has not yet had time to reach the Guild.
Other reviewers have compared the atevi to the Japanese, but I suspect that the kyo are much more like Shogunate Japan. The atevi are more like the Imperial Chinese, even to having a powerful dowager empress. In both cases, these natives have successfully resisted foreign pressures and maintain their own cultures despite outside influences. In fact, the purpose of the padhii is to allow technological advances with minimal effect on the traditional culture; unfortunately, minimal is *not* zero effect and disruptions do occur. Hence this trilogy.
Highly recommended for Cherryh fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of humans living with aliens, adapting to their ways and offering technological assistance.
-Arthur W. Jordin
|
|
|
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cherryh's a low key genius, January 4, 2006
Okay, I can't believe I'm the first reviewer here... Cherryh, although highly prolific is also a fine writer, and this book came as a pleasant surprise. Just when we thought Bren Cameron was ready to come 'home' (a highly conflicted term for Mr. Cameron, who has become more comfortable with the hostile aliens his human compatriots share a planet with than he has with other humans) and settle into a competent, productive middle age with his atevi companions, Cherryh has taken Cameron's home and thrown it into chaos. Tabini, whom Cameron serves, has been deposed by the more volatile political elements of the atevi, just as an even more volatile (and threatening) alien presence promises to arrive in the solar system and set up negotiations. To make matters worse, Cameron (realizing that hindsight is 20-20) sees much of the progress that he himself instigated in order to keep the atevi in charge of their own homeworld as part of the cause of the overthrow. Cameron and his companions (including his atevi lover, Jago) are pitched into a desperate and confused race to find Tabini and to negotiate with the most anti-human of the atevi factions. I admit, that although I loved the first five of these books, I found that six and seven lagged a little--too much of the action aboard the space station was inside of Bren's head, and he seemed to be becoming a little self-important. This book, however, put the excitement back in the series--there were macheiti chases, battles, covert operations--all the good action stuff that Cherryh writes so cleanly. There was also the lovely, low-key personal stuff that I personally like to read between the lines--example, Bren and Jago's largely unspoken relationship has a few fine moments here--including Jago's unspoken threat to have Bren's ex-girlfriend assassinated and Bren's almost petulant longing to have a few private moments simply to talk to Jago when circumstances make that quite impossible. All in all, this book revived my excitement in the series, and although I'm still waiting (14 years of waiting, my friends) for the fifth Morgaine and Vanye book, this one went a long way towards making that wait bearable.
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
by C. J. Cherryh
by C. J. Cherryh
by C. J. Cherryh
by C. J. Cherryh
by C. J. Cherryh
