Defender

As usual, Cherryh has left us wanting more, and knowing we'll get it! The latest in the "Foreigner" series is no disappointment, except, of course, that the next one is not out for us to grab, run with, and get lost in ... yet. The depth of the characters just continues to grow, surprises are sprung, and we are kept comfortbly intimate with our established characters. New views, new twists, new horizons, maturity, and new members of the cast strengthen our need to read and pull us into the associations. I can hardly wait for "Explorer", and the one after that, and the one after... well... you get the picture.

As usual, Cherryh has maintained her high level of writing in this 5th book in the Foreigner series. While I still think the first book, "Foreigner" was the best, the rest of the books continue to build on the complex political and cultural intrigue of the Atevi civilization. The premise of the series involves a human colony stranded on a planet inhabited by the Atevi, a mathmatically brilliant race with a superior and complex culture. Bren Cameron, the brilliant young human chosen as the single translator between humans and Atevi continues to evolve and develop in this book. Unlike many of Cherryh's protagnists, who are never really deeply developed, Bren emerges both as a diplomat and a person. His human family concerns continue to stress him, while his Atevi connections grow stronger. In this fifth book, Bren is shaken to discover that his Atevi lord, Tabini, has kept him completely in the dark regarding a plan to recover lost human colonists from another space station. Bren is left to question his value to Tabini in a society that uses assassination to remove troublesome rivals. Faced with another daunting diplomatic task, Bren is for the first time unsure of his authority and his standing with Tabini. Cherryh makes no effort to resolve all the issues raised in Defender and leaves us anxious for the sixth and pending book, "Explorer". I am hoping for more books to follow. This is one of Cherryhs' absolutely best series for fans of literate and complex science fiction.

I'm an avid fan of C.J.'s work, especially this series. DEFENDER is not a standalone book, which makes it difficult to review on its own. It's the hiatus between storms, the bridge to what will happen in EXPLORER, and such moments necessarily aren't as satisfying as the final book of any trilogy. This being said, I wasn't at all disappointed. DEFENDER moves us forward several years, to a time when significant changes have occurred: the birth of the heir, the settling of the station, the tightening of bonds between the economies, and the highly significant and logical development of several more beings who can communicate with both species. There is a feeling of settling accounts on the planet, so that the focus of the characters, and readers, now turns to space. I can't wait to see where C.J. takes us in EXPLORER. I do feel confident this series will come to stand as one of the great achievements of science fiction. Well done and highly recommended!

I ripped open the box, tore off the plastic and sat down to read - right through until the last chapter and the next day as it happened. Haven't done that for a long, long time and didn't mean to! But C. J. Cherryh has done it to me again. Her plot lines simply grab me and pull me downhill. There's no stopping or turning back. I'm not sure how long I have to wait for part two, but it will be too long.

In the 5th installment of her Foreigner series, Cherryh once again sets the table for a hard sci-fi tale: What it means to be human... and overcoming it to stand inside another species' shoes.Bren Cameron is the paidhi; the interface between his species and the atrevi. His job is more than just translator; he must bridge the gap between the two species' biological thinking, the very wiring that makes each what they are. His job is now based on the spacestation the human and atrevi are building together, along with the ship-humans, and every day is a tightrope walk of communications.In the 5th novel, the political intrigue that laces the other 4 books does not go missing; Bren must wend his way through a battleground of lies and half-truths, the smallest slip meaning a potential inter-species disaster. Bren's life spirals higher, tighter... and ever outwards, to his dismay and shock.I don't want to give too much away; if you've read the other books and liked them, this is just the same. If you have never read the series, I highly recommend them!