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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Explorer, November 15, 2002
This review is from: Explorer (Foreigner 6) (Daw Books Collector, No. 1238) (Hardcover)
Excellent, intelligent SF, the conclusion (sadly) to the atevi series. I will miss these people and this world. On a rescue mission to Reunion Station, the Phoenix encounters layers of political complexity, a hostile station government and a potentially hostile alien ship. This book contains more action than many of Cherryh's other recent works; it's almost as if someone told her that her protag wasn't protagging enough, because suddenly he's the action hero. But he always remains in character, and the scenes are fast-moving and believable. It's interesting to me how much tension and action Cherryh manages to convey *without* describing a lot of gore. There are also some humorous bits--involving the atevi response to what they find in the Archive of human culture, but most especially the first moment of communication with a member of a new species. It's not that common for me to laugh out loud while reading, and I did here. A few plot elements could have done with a little more elaboration. I wanted to know a bit more about why the stationers at Reunion were so disenchanted with the Guild, and I would have liked to see meetings between long-lost Phoenix and Reunion kin, since rescuing them was the original reason for the mission. Still, this is a worthy conclusion.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Province of Heaven, November 27, 2002
This review is from: Explorer (Foreigner 6) (Daw Books Collector, No. 1238) (Hardcover)
Explorer (2002) is the sixth book in the Foreigner sequence and the concluding volume in the second trilogy. In this novel, the various factions go to Reunion station to confront the Pilots' Guild and possibly the alien ships.
In the previous volume, the Phoenix has been refueled at Alpha Station and prepared for the voyage, the atevi and Mospheiran passengers have come aboard, and the ship's crew has set course for Reunion. But all is not yet settled; the various factions are still not fully reconciled, the events at Reunion remain unexplained, and Jase, the new Second Captain, is still uneasy about his competence. The year long voyage isn't likely to be peaceful for Bren Cameron.
As Lord of the Province of Heaven, Bren is responsible for everything in the ship, but has only as much power over events as he can persuade others to give him. One of his tasks is to establish a working relationship with Sabin, the First Captain, and to encourage her to share more information with Jase. Just to add more complexity to his life, he also has to cope with Cajeiri, the ajii-apparent, who is practicing archery in the corridors and likewise being an active child. However, Bren does have allies in Jase, the ajii-dowager Ilisidi, the Mospheiran roboticist Ginny, and his atevi staff.
When they get to Reunion, they find that the station has been attacked, but not destroyed, and the Pilots' Guild is in firm, even rigid, control. They also find an alien ship observing the station. Bren takes measures to undermine the Guild and to contact the aliens.
Although this novel concludes a phase of the atevi-human story, there are many questions left unanswered, so another trilogy should be forthcoming. Right? Ah, the sweet agony of waiting for the next installment!
-Arthur W. Jordin
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
No, It Can't Be the Conclusion-- I Want More, November 7, 2002
This review is from: Explorer (Foreigner 6) (Daw Books Collector, No. 1238) (Hardcover)
First, I suggest don't try to read this book without having read the previous ones. While it can stand alone and Cherryh gives a good review of the back story, it is impossible, I would think, to fully appreciate the nuances of the human/atevi interface without having read the previous volumes. Cherryh's experience as a translater has clearly aided her in creating an interesting character in Bren Cameron and a fascinating society in the world of the Atevi/humans. Marooned by his dedication to the spirit of his job and his sense of justice in an alien culture, Bren manages to form attachments and create his own role in Atevi society. That the relationships he develops with his alien hosts are easier for him to understand than his relationships with his family is a great piece of irony. In this book the introduction of the second alien culture, the necessity of the association of Atevi and humans to withstand the stresses involved in contact with this new force, creates an engrossing storyline that expands on the previous themes introduced by Cherryh. This is definitely the thinking being's science fiction.
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