Rating: 
Summary: Foreigner-Cherryh Classic
Review: CJ Cherryh does her best so far in this series. Many other authors in this genre create alien chartacters that are either lame two dimensional monsters with no depth..or failing that, aliens whose only "foreign" features are their outward appearance. She makes these aliens utterly alien without sacrificing that depth of character. When you combine that with a plot involving deep cross cultural political intrigue and assasination you get a series that can't be put down. I am always waiting for the next book to come out. So far I have read the first four in the series and have yet to be disapointed.
Rating:
Summary: foreigner
Review: Foreigner is one of the best sci-fi books i have ever read it ranks right up there with Tad Williams series Otherland, which is excellent. I liked Foreigner so much because the plot, character development and pace are tightly wrapped, focused and never strays. The dialogue, intrigue and relationship between the Humans and Atevi characters is superb. The alien culture that C.J. Cherryh paints is wonderfully created; reminding one of Japans ancient warrior society and culture a parallel i don't know if was intentional or not but nicely done; demonstrated beautifully in the Atevi leader Tabini who is as Machevellian a character i have ever come across but also likable and juxapositioned most exellently with the human ambassador to the Atevi Bren Cameron. Exellent characters that you get to love and hate almost immediatetly, great intrigue, a smartly written intelligent witty novel.
Verne Stewart.
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Summary: A Man For His TImes
Review: Foreigner is the first novel in the Foreigner series. The starship Phoenix set out to build a space station at a G5 star designated T-230, but she suffered a point error and then the pilot aborted the jump. The Phoenix was thoroughly and totally lost, though the crew searched for a match to any known navigation markers for some time. After accepting that they were lost, the ship is moved to a nearby star for re-fueling, despite its heavy ambient radiation, and then jumped to a relatively close G5. This sun had an inhabited planet, so they built a space station in orbit around it and left the passengers in the station to study the planet while the ship searched for a way home. A hundred and fifty years after building the station, the Pilot's Guild wanted the passengers to re-embark and travel to other systems, building re-fueling stations for the ship. However, the passengers refused to leave with the ship and started sending their people down in disposable atmospheric entry capsules, with the understanding that one or more shuttles would be built later to recover them. Once onplanet, the passengers made contact with the natives, the atevi. Eventually the ship flew away and did not return for centuries, so the remaining passengers abandoned the station and dropped down to the planet. Another hundred and fifty years later, friction between the Humans and the natives led to war. The Humans were greatly outnumbered and had little resources, hence they lost and were forcibly re-located to the island of Mosphreira. In the ensuing years, a tradition has developed of using a single human, the paidhi, an interpreter, as the principal contact between the Humans and the atevi. While low level interfaces have been established for day to day affairs, all high level, policy making contacts go through the paidhi. Thus, the paidhi has developed a degree of internal power within the Mospheiran government, but has also gained a responsibility to the ajii -- i.e., head -- of the Western Association, the major atevi political unit. In this novel, two centuries after the war, Bren Cameron is the current paidhi. Strange things have begun to occur in his professional life. The current ajii, Tabini, has provided him with a pistol, which is contrary to normal practice, and he has kept it under his mattress. Then, one night, someone slips into his darkened room and Bren shots at the figure, twice. Apparently he hits something, for there is blood, but the person gets away. Normally the paidhi is exempt from assassination and the Assassins' Association will not accept a filing on him, but several of the ajii's best assassins have been assigned to protect him from lunatics and other irresponsible persons. Now, the ajii files intent on unknown persons who have tried to assassinate the paidhi, serving notice that he will fight to protect the paidhi. While the investigation is ongoing, Tabini sends Bren to Malguri, the estate where his grandmother, the ajii-dowager, resides. Although Bren is rather afraid of the old lady, he has no other feasible alternative. The residence there is an old fortress, with antiquated facilities. The electrical wiring is laid over the walls and the plumbing is abominable. Moreover, though the ajii-dowager, Ilsidi, rather likes him, the tea is still poison to his system. When he recovers, Cenadi, the ajii-dowager's personal assassin, apologizes for not knowing that the tea would effect him so and warns him away from that type of tea. The ajii-dowager sends her personal physician to see to his health. The cook is very disturbed at his reaction to the tea. Everybody treats him as an invalid and the ajii-dowager then invites him to breakfast. What to do? If you haven't discovered by now that Bren Cameron is outside of his confort zone, you obviously have not read much of the author's works. She seems to specialize in confused protagonists -- and confused readers as well -- but manages to bring it all together at the end of the book, although the confusion will resume with the sequel. This portrayal of an alien society, and a Human one influenced by it, is rapidly becoming a classic of its kind. Note that the Assassins form an Association that has physical and moral power among the atevi. As in Piper's Paratime story, The Last Enemy, the Assassins are the power of last resort, reserving the right to refuse contracts that, in their opinion, will harm the society or even to work on their own against enemies of society. Any person who uses these Assassins, therefore, must be prudent in their contracts in order to avoid tempting this Association into fully asserting their power. Thus, the Assassins are a force for moderation, if not stability. Recommended for Cherryh fans and anyone who enjoys aliens with real differences and the struggle of humans to understand them.
Rating:
Summary: it's great, no matter what they say
Review: honestly, i couldn't understand why some people don't like this book, until i loaned it to my younger sister and she got bored and never came back after the first chapter. admittedly, she doesn't like science fiction anyways... so i guess it is a bit tougher than some other science-fiction/fantasy books, and yes, it is a bit dry in some places. but what Cherryh writes about the species and the interactions more than makes up for it for readers willing to slog it through. i loved, absolutely loved, all six books in the series. i read all six of them in under half a year, often forsaking games and homework to read them i liked it that much. but, as some people pointed out, not everyone likes it. if you don't know if you think you'd like it, check it out at the library, and give it more than one chapter before you return it. although buying it may make you commit a bit more than a borrowed book, for those who finish it, and the series, it is great fun, and a thouroughly rewarding experience. i highly recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: A Slow Beginning to a Great Series
Review: I am more into fantasy than sci-fi. I decided to give this series a try as I was impressed with the Fortress Series, a fantasy series by Cherryh. I am not disappointed. I find myself engrossed. The world in Foreigner is spellbinding with both human and alien characters vividly alive. The protagonist is appealing. His self doubts and angst as he tries to understand and befriend the Artevi is wonderfully written. However Cherryh should try to cut-back a trifle on Bren's perspectives which tend to be repetitive at times. I will definitely continue with the series and am actually please there are 5 more books to-date.
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Summary: My Favorite Book Series
Review: I can't believe I waited so long before trying this one! The synopsis just doesn't do it justice. I somehow expected a book of political intrigue with a linguist caught in the palace as an ambassador when relations between the species goes south. A linguist as hero? Politics? Come on, in my opinion "political thriller" is an oxymoron!
But a friend who loves military SF mentioned it in passing when we were discussing world building and she was astounded I hadn't read it. Goaded against my better judgement I gave it a try.
How wrong could first impressions be? Yes, it's politics, but only in the sense that war is the continuation of politics by other means. The mild mannered linguist finds himself in the fight of his life, and discovers in himself unsuspected warrior's instincts and qualities you can't help but admire.
The alien civilization built here is awesome in it's complexity. These aren't funny looking humans, and Cherryh does a breathtaking job of communicating that to the reader. But it's the similarities that lead to conflict. And it's the similarities that bring the reader to agonize with the protagonist.
How can you explain human emotions to aliens who understand loyalty but don't understand "like"?
A brilliant foundation to a hang-on-to-your-seat series. Start now so you'll be ready for Destroyer in February!
Rating: 
Summary: Very sloooooow....
Review: I want to like Cherryh. Really. I loved Faded Suns and the Morgaine Saga was memorable...but Foreigner typifies why I can't do more than admire her from a distance. Quite simply put it is extremely slow, with 3/4 of the book bogged down in endless, repetitive introspection. It's well written introspection, but it's just way too much. Which is a shame, as the rest of the story is extremely interesting. Great world, great characters, well crafted language. It's just hard to enjoy those aspects, when you only get out of the hero's head every fifth page. Of course if that sort of thing doesn't bother you, then, by all means, buy it. Really. But for those of us with TV-addled concentration spans, I would look elsewhere, or at least pick up a library copy instead.
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Summary: I'm hoping it gets better.
Review: I've already bought the entire set of the 2nd Trilogy in hardback format (I got a good deal on SFBC), so I was kind of forced to finish this first book of first Trilogy in the two-Trilogy set. It took me over a month to get thru it, and believe it or not, I started and finished at least three other books over that time period, so that kind of tells you something about how excited I was to plow thru it. I've got to agree with the comments some other reviewers have made here, about it being an "ordeal", and that the main character second guesses himself too much, and that the aliens are too much like homo sapiens.
Needless to say, I was a little disappointed with the overall quality of this book, and frankly I'm astonished by how many reveiwers here have been giving this book five stars. I mainly read for fun, and I just didn't enjoy this book that much.
Sure, there are some good parts... The two pre-Cameron parts (on the station, and initial contact on the planet) were interesting enough, and the description of the old castle and the horse-like creatures were pretty good.
But look, I've read hundreds of SciFi books, and there is no way this book deserves five stars. Anyway, I'm hoping it gets better as the series develops.
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Summary: Learning What It Means To Be Human
Review: In this story of a human attempting to bridge the distance between his species and the alien atevi who dominate the planet, Cherryh is dealing with a favorite subject and one that plays to her considerable strengths of characterization and complex plotting. The depth and reality of her worldbuilding is unmatched, as usual. A great book by a wonderful author.
Rating: 
Summary: An ordeal
Review: Many years ago, I became a fan of Cherryh's, particularly the Faded Sun series, Downbelow Station. and others. However, I agree with the negative reviews already posted of this one.
Our protagonist mulls over the same stupid questions, which largely go unanswered, for the main body of the book. When we finally get some answers, we have already forgotten the questions, and no longer care. What should be exciting stuff turns into an endurance test.
My main problem with this book is that the setting is far too "earth-like" and contemporary. We are hundreds of years in the future on an undiscovered planet; but just like Star Trek at its worst, the local inhabitants are far too conveniently humanoid and earth-like to be considered truly "alien." The result is that this book reads more like a 19th century tale of a European diplomat sent to the exotic Orient than a reasonably authentic-sounding account of first contact with an alien species. And how come Bren keeps saying "My God"; have these long lost Terrans still retained centuries old religious beliefs? Puleeze. A big disappointment, and one which went right into the recycling bin. I'm reminded of all the reasons I gave up reading Science fiction when I turned 50 (back in 1990).
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