Rating: 
Summary: The pride, only "The Pride" cause all this
Review: If you ask her, how it's all began, she will answer - because of the pride. She, the red-mane, lioness-like hani, the captain of a hani ship, a ship belonging to noble hani clan - Chanur. And all this began because of the pride - her "Pride". The Compact space is a little space is the big galaxy, in which six species live in delicate balance. Kif, living for cruelty and piracy; Mahendo'sat, full their curiosity and always involved in strange experiments; Stsho, with their xenophobic minds. T'ca-Chi - two symbiotic species, acting like one organism, their brains made like matrix. K'nnn, who no one can talk to, except T'ca. And Hani, whit their clans pride, and the female presence in the space because no hani male can travel on a spaceship - being too aggressive and out of control. Six completely different species, six completely different minds - had so far lived in a little place, in delicate balance. And this balance was about to explode, and with it - the whole Compact, when a seventh specie arrived, from the other side of the galaxy. A kif battle-ship intercepted and captured unknown ship with its crew, but when it docked at the Meetpoint Station, the biggest trade center it whole Compact, the last survivor of the crew escaped. The pink-skin, no-mane creature has appeared at the dock of a hani trader ship - "Pride of Chanur". The strange creature called himself "human". And when a kiff prince came at the dock of "The Pride", with all arrogance of his demands, it was only the pride of the honest captain, that Pianfar Chanur, that stops her from returning the "human" to the kif. But where the pride can lead Pianfar to? What can a small hani trader ship make against the full-armed kif battle-ships? Who she can count on? Her own specie, who turned away from her, after all the troubles she have brought them? Mahendo'sat, who doublecrossed her? The mad Stsho whose station was blown down because of her? Or methane breathers, with their weird logic? Who? Who will help her, rescue her from the deadly situation, which her own pride have brought? And what would happen when she arrives home, with a whole kif battle-fleet on her tail?
Rating:
Summary: as good a treatment of aliens as one can find
Review: The Pride of Chanur is crewed by members of a felinoid race that were latecomers to space travel, interacting with about six other races *not* including humans for the most part. Cherryh's aliens are *very* alien. Some are barely comprehensible to others. Some simply lack concepts that others are heavy with: for example, the main 'bad guy' race in the book, the Kif, neither comprehends nor harbours racial bigotry (which cannot be said for the felinoid Hani). What this all means to the reader is a refreshing need to abandon one's human assumptions while getting to know these cultures and races. Watching them all interact is fascinating. The book, again typical of Cherryh, does not waste words. Two are not used where one will do. Therefore, scan-reading types like myself can miss a great deal by not taking their time, because the book is thicker than it looks. As such it is a better bargain than its size suggests. And since there is always a lot going on, this is a strength rather than a drawback. There is not a lot of emphasis on TSFBS; Cherryh apparently figures that her energy is better spent creating interesting characters, plots and interactions than trying to wow one with the futuristic-sounding devices she can come up with, and I believe she's right. There is enough, but not too much, and it is never forced. Emphasis is on beings rather than gadgets. The matriarchal (at least in reality rather than in name) Hani are a great alien race to follow. They are loud, brassy, and gutsy. Many of them hate other Hani clans much worse than they hate other races, and this is ingrained in their culture. Absent is the mindless assumption that all members of one race are likely to have common interests. In the case of three of the races, it's not even easy to figure out what their interests might be. The entire Chanur series, of which this is the start, ranks with the Morgaine, Cyteen and Faded Sun series as superb reading of the rich type that few authors can give you. Recommended without reservation to new or experienced SF readers.
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Summary: C.J. Cherryh RULES!!!!!!! 100 STARS TO THE CHANUR SAGA!!!!!!
Review: This book is one of the best science-fiction books I've ever read. I read Anne McCaffery, and she is good, but when it comes to pure sci-fi, C.J. Cherryh in absolutely wonderful!! Words cannot describe my pleasure at this wonderful saga. Pyanfar is a nice character, very beautiful, but she has no feelings, she is very cold, even to her relatives, even to her husband. I think Hilfy is a little better, she's nice, pretty, and energetic, but how does she end up liking Tully? But, even past these bad points, it is wonderful book. C.J Cherryh is a fabulous author, and should write more concerning this Saga. And, as a little pointer, is a shocking resemblence to the Kilrathi of Wing Commander.
Rating:
Summary: Fun, fast-paced--really cool.
Review: Yeah, this book was pretty cool. It's not quite as dense or sprawling as I've come to expect Cherryh books to be (not that that's a bad thing!), but that doesn't detract from it one bit. And this book moves, moves, moves. It's probably one of the most engrossing books I've ever read. This is another one of Cherryh's first-contact type novels, and I think it's the thing she does best, really. It involves a lone human somehow lost in alien space who manages to sneak abord a Hani merchant ship, and how his presence upsets the delicate balance of power there. It's serious without being too oppressive, and it is without question the best of the series. I've read the other three, and really you can take those or leave them--the book is complete enough in itself. (With the others, I kind of feel myself playing the Star Trek 5/Aliens 3 game--if I didn't like it, it didn't happen. Trek 5? Nope. Went from 4 straight to 6....) I highly reccommend this book. It's typical Cherryh, in that you'll have to wait for your gratification until the very very end--but then, it's always worth it.
Rating:
Summary: Fun, fast-paced--really cool.
Review: Yeah, this book was pretty cool. It's not quite as dense or sprawling as I've come to expect Cherryh books to be (not that that's a bad thing!), but that doesn't detract from it one bit. And this book moves, moves, moves. It's probably one of the most engrossing books I've ever read. This is another one of Cherryh's first-contact type novels, and I think it's the thing she does best, really. It involves a lone human somehow lost in alien space who manages to sneak abord a Hani merchant ship, and how his presence upsets the delicate balance of power there. It's serious without being too oppressive, and it is without question the best of the series. I've read the other three, and really you can take those or leave them--the book is complete enough in itself. (With the others, I kind of feel myself playing the Star Trek 5/Aliens 3 game--if I didn't like it, it didn't happen. Trek 5? Nope. Went from 4 straight to 6....) I highly reccommend this book. It's typical Cherryh, in that you'll have to wait for your gratification until the very very end--but then, it's always worth it.
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