Inheritor

Rating:
Summary: Incredible focus
Review: Like the first two novels the story centres upon the one human ambassador in alien territory. As a novel Cherryth concentrates all of her attention on one principal character, Bren, in such a way that we see the world and the events which affect him through his eyes only. Nothing happens if Bren does not see it. As the majority of all other characters are the alien atevi, all your attention is focused on Bren in a claustrophobic manner, which after a while pulls you into the story and wholly on Bren's side. You may find this tiring, as the focus never shifts from Bren. As always with Cherryth's characters and alien world's, events, people and places are described in detail and are completely believable, particularly the alien society and culture. After three novels (apparently three more are planned) and I must confess that the plot and the drama have not moved on very much, the things picked up remarkably at the end of inheritor. Those familiar with Cherryth's work will appreciate the details and intensity of the character study and the complete focus on one character only. Those not so familiar, may not enjoy narrow range of possibilities which this represents. On the whole a very which and enjoyable series, which explores the tensions and difficulties which human first contact with an alien culture might experience. If you haven't read Cherryth' s. work before then I would recommend starting with the classic science fiction novel 'Downbelow Station'.

Rating:
Summary: A good read, but a couple of flaws
Review: Readers of the first two books in the series will find this one pretty familiar. The strength of the series has always been character and setting - the culture and politics of an alien race and its effect on a human protagonist caught in the middle of it all. This remains true in this book, where it's all thrown into sharp relief through the arrival of another human - this one an ambassador from space with no background in the race or culture who struggles to learn on the job as best he can. Though Bren remains the protagonist, the complex and baffling nature of atevi society is highlighted once more through the eyes of the newcomer, and the effect of Bren's immersion in atevi culture on his relationships with humans becomes increasingly apparent. All good stuff, and if you enjoyed it in the earlier books you'll enjoy it this time as well.

I did feel that the book had a couple of weak points. The first is Bren's tendency to analyze everything endlessly, including himself - often several pages will be taken up simply with a conversation happening inside Bren's head. Apart from frequently slowing things down a lot, this (in my opinion) takes away some of the subtlety and depth from the writing. Any subtext won't remain sub- for long, as Bren will notice it soon enough and agonize over it. I understand that this is a stylistic thing, and that this device may be necessary to some degree to establish the level of setting and character detail that the book requires. Still, after recently reading 'The Left Hand Of Darkness' (Ursula Le Guin) in which profound details of society, culture and character emerge from the most mundane conversations and actions, it's hard not to feel a bit shortchanged by this approach.

The second weakness, in my opinion, was the plot, which is becoming rather predictable and formulaic as the series progresses. The endings in particular all seem very similar and involve similar plot devices every time, to the point where they become little 'machimi plays' of their own based on established conventions. At the end of this book I kept feeling that I was re-reading one of the other two.

I enjoyed the first two books, and I enjoyed this one as well. However, after finishing it I did feel somewhat less inclined to keep following the series.

Rating:
Summary: A good read, but a couple of flaws
Review: Readers of the first two books in the series will find this one pretty familiar. The strength of the series has always been character and setting - the culture and politics of an alien race and its effect on a human protagonist caught in the middle of it all. This remains true in this book, where it's all thrown into sharp relief through the arrival of another human - this one an ambassador from space with no background in the race or culture who struggles to learn on the job as best he can. Though Bren remains the protagonist, the complex and baffling nature of atevi society is highlighted once more through the eyes of the newcomer, and the effect of Bren's immersion in atevi culture on his relationships with humans becomes increasingly apparent. All good stuff, and if you enjoyed it in the earlier books you'll enjoy it this time as well.

I did feel that the book had a couple of weak points. The first is Bren's tendency to analyze everything endlessly, including himself - often several pages will be taken up simply with a conversation happening inside Bren's head. Apart from frequently slowing things down a lot, this (in my opinion) takes away some of the subtlety and depth from the writing. Any subtext won't remain sub- for long, as Bren will notice it soon enough and agonize over it. I understand that this is a stylistic thing, and that this device may be necessary to some degree to establish the level of setting and character detail that the book requires. Still, after recently reading 'The Left Hand Of Darkness' (Ursula Le Guin) in which profound details of society, culture and character emerge from the most mundane conversations and actions, it's hard not to feel a bit shortchanged by this approach.

The second weakness, in my opinion, was the plot, which is becoming rather predictable and formulaic as the series progresses. The endings in particular all seem very similar and involve similar plot devices every time, to the point where they become little 'machimi plays' of their own based on established conventions. At the end of this book I kept feeling that I was re-reading one of the other two.

I enjoyed the first two books, and I enjoyed this one as well. However, after finishing it I did feel somewhat less inclined to keep following the series.

Rating:
Summary: Very complex and perceptive, in many ways. A page-turner.
Review: The entire trilogy is first-rate and one gets hooked very fast. Plots and subplots come thick and fast. There's no way to anticipate them, yet they never seem contrived once they arrive. Characters are deep and realistic, strange yet eerily familiar.

One complaint: the first 100 pages or so are a waste for those who have read the first two volumes. It seems that Cherryh is simply trying to bring new readers into the story. This is not only boring for those who are already hooked but also somewhat futile for others: there's no way to capture adequately what happened in vols. 1-2 without reading them. This concerns not only plot but also, even moreso, the character development at which Cherryh excels. Fortunately, after this initial letdown the book picks up and quickly reaches the pace and intensity of the others. Let's hope the author doesn't do *this* again in any sequels. (I'm hoping for at least one more follow-up!)

Rating:
Summary: Excellent, even more so after at least two reads
Review: The first reading of this instalment - of what for me is my favourite Cherryh series so far - was like going on a long trip and wondering when I was going to get there, it taking a re-read of the first two in the series, and the second time around with this one to find it wasn't as drawn out as it seemed to be the first time. Foreigner is revisited by way of Bren being conscious of Jase's difficulties to assimilate with Atevi thinking and expectation. And the ongoing Jago - Bren relationship adds an element of romance to the proceedings, which is well used towards the end of Invader. An Alliance - Mosphei versus Union - Atevi element is also present, the political and social structure of the Atevi adding a further fantasy angle to it all. That's why I like this series so much, it's a well written and thought out mix of sci-fi and fantasy. Looking forward to the new one.

Rating:
Summary: The ultimate series in human-alien contact.
Review: The third novel in the Foreigner universe well lives up to the standards set by the first two. Not only does the book introduce new characters, it also elaborates on old ones, and relationships. For those that wish a well written book that always keeps you guessing what's going to happen I strongly recommend this book.
Thank you,
Thomas Hopkin

Rating:
Summary: Incredibly slow-paced
Review: This 3rd book from the Bren Cameron series is actually worse than the first two from the series. The diplomatic minutia reaches stifling heights, making the book virtually unreadable... I ended up having to skim the last third of this book - and I NEVER do that (I read about 4 books a month).

Working my way through this book reminds me of when I was a kid, and was made to force down food I didn't care for... sure it was edible, but it wasn't enjoyable.

There are just too many good science fiction books out there to deal with the sluggish pace found here... and I've still got three more books from this series to go!