Cuckoo's Egg

Rating:
Summary: Interesting. A story that enjoys remaking humans.
Review: If you grew up on an alien world and was trained to be a judge/preist/worrior would you understand why you were different? This story handles that question VERY well. Thorn is a normal boy who only wants to please, but not only is he uniqe, everyone hates him or is out to get him. Can he become what his training promis'es? Or will he die trying? This book is a great read. I highly recomend it.

Rating:
Summary: One of Cherryh's Best
Review: In this story, an alien world whose inhabitants are vaguely feline (not unlike Chanur) is visited by a human ship. The aliens are at a very early stage of space voyaging, but they manage to kill the humans and take the ship. Then, by cloning (although this is not explicitly stated) they create a human baby to be studied. The story follows his growing up and how his captors/foster parents deal with him. The book is powerful because of the viewpoints Cherryh creates. We see both through the alien eyes and through those of the young boy learning to be an adult. It is the tension produced by this dual view that makes the book so engrossing. Cherryh raises questions of ethics and explores the parent/child bond in an unusual and wonderful way.

Rating:
Summary: consistent intensity
Review: This is the first book I read by Cherryh and one of the best. She creates an astonishingly vivid warrior culture, so subtle that you forget it is just fiction, yet utterly alien. I have given this book to many friends, all of whom have gotten hooked on her. A triumph of the imagination.

Rating:
Summary: consistent intensity
Review: This is the first book I read by Cherryh and one of the best. She creates an astonishingly vivid warrior culture, so subtle that you forget it is just fiction, yet utterly alien. I have given this book to many friends, all of whom have gotten hooked on her. A triumph of the imagination.

Rating:
Summary: keeps you guessing
Review: We've all read the standard books where a person from another race/species must live inside another culture, and overcome prejudices. Cuckoo's Egg addresses this question, but refuses to do so in any of the standard forms. I did not guess Thorn's true past until the last few chapters, and even then, not in its entirety. Cuckoo's Egg is interesting because it ends almost before it really begins. We see Thorn grow up, and understand the character he is growing up to be, but we can only guess what happens as he tries to fufill his destiny. Nevertheless, the book is complete like that - left open to our our imaginations. Thorn's mentor, Duun, is especially fascinating. Like Thorn himself, I found myself both loving and hating him in turn. Thorn cries a lot, but he's still a good guy, trying his best. The principles introduced in Cuckoo's Egg, like those of the Hatani, will make you think. In all, the author delievers a rich and compelling answer to an old question, an answer that will entertain and surprise you.

Rating:
Summary: keeps you guessing
Review: We've all read the standard books where a person from another race/species must live inside another culture, and overcome prejudices. Cuckoo's Egg addresses this question, but refuses to do so in any of the standard forms. I did not guess Thorn's true past until the last few chapters, and even then, not in its entirety. Cuckoo's Egg is interesting because it ends almost before it really begins. We see Thorn grow up, and understand the character he is growing up to be, but we can only guess what happens as he tries to fufill his destiny. Nevertheless, the book is complete like that - left open to our our imaginations. Thorn's mentor, Duun, is especially fascinating. Like Thorn himself, I found myself both loving and hating him in turn. Thorn cries a lot, but he's still a good guy, trying his best. The principles introduced in Cuckoo's Egg, like those of the Hatani, will make you think. In all, the author delievers a rich and compelling answer to an old question, an answer that will entertain and surprise you.