Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Some new life for three Cherryh classics, April 27, 2000
Anyone who has read C. J. Cherryh's five-volume Chanur series should be made aware that this book is a reprint omnibus edition of three of those books, "The Pride of Chanur", "Chanur's Venture" and "The Kif Strike Back". According to the publisher there has been some editing and revising for "The Chanur Saga", but it is substantially a re-release of those three, an effort to bring a classic series from Cherryh's long backlist to the attention of new fans. (Disclaimer: the remainder of this review is based on the original editions.)Here we meet Pyanfur Chanur, her niece Hilfy, and several other of their hani (lion-morph) crew members as they take on Tully, an human stowaway, and are led on a series of exciting adventures. There are no less than eight spacefaring races in this story, some of whom have competing factions among themselves, and at times I had difficulty keeping track of who was who. And Cherryh's writing style tends to be harsh and hard to digest at times. But despite some flaws, the Chanur books are quite enjoyable. The characters are well done, there is a lot of action and intrigue, and plenty to keep you thinking and wondering what is going to happen next. One other note - "Chanur's Venture" and "The Kif Strike Back" were the first two of a three-part epic, of which the third part, "Chanur's Homecoming", is not included in "The Chanur Saga", and is currently listed as publisher out of stock; perhaps the publisher is hoping "The Chanur Saga" will generate enough new interest in this series to justify another printing of "Chanur's Homecoming". In the meantime, if you haven't read the series before, what are you waiting for?
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
buy these now... and maybe more will follow!, July 1, 2000
Note that despite the mediocre votes, the reviews below rave about the books themselves: it's the omnibus packaging of only half the series that is drawing complaints. Ms. Cherryh herself explains on her web site that these bulk releases are the best way to get old material back on the shelf so booksellers will accept new books in the series. And a new Chanur book would be a very good thing! These books are a perfect intersection between Ms. Cherryh's insightful extra-anthropological works and straightout adventure, with the most convincing space battles I've encountered, station docksides that make the cantina from Star Wars look like a walk in the park, and aliens characters so engaging that the humans seem, well, alien. Buy it, vote it up, and hope the message gets to the publishers!
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Splendid Series, May 2, 2000
By A Customer
The Chanur series may be my most dearly loved books; if I had to choose one series to take to a desert island, the 5 Chanur books would top my list. I've read them repeatedly, finding them deeply satisfying time after time. I am, however, astonished at the publisher's including only 2 books of the 3-part set. The first book, Pride of Chanur, can be read alone. The next 3, however, together form one giant novel, as the 3 volumes of Lord of the Rings did, and it's very strange that the publisher did not include the final book of that set. I'd urge prospective readers to get this and advertise for Chanur's Homecoming, as well as getting Chanur's Legacy, the 5th book of the set. Some of Cherryh's fiction is too grim for me, but this series is some of the richest, most fascinating, and most upbeat fantasy I know.
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