Deliverer

Deliverer (2007) is the ninth SF novel in the Foreigner series, following Pretender. In the previous volume, the return of the Phoenix after a two year absence greatly shocked the aishidi'tat of the Western Association. Many had thought that the aiji-dowager Ilisidi and the aiji-heir Cajeiri would never be seen again. Then the reappearance of Tabini-aiji caused the usurping government of Murini-aiji to collapse and his supporters to run for their lives. In this novel, Tabini-aiji and his supporters are reoccupying the Bu-javid. Yet the damage done by the usurpers was never repaired. The bodies have been removed, but the bullet holes and blood are still there. Tabini-aiji's apartment even has a room with a gaping hole for a floor. The apartment of the paidhi has been claimed by an atevi clan and Bren Cameron is currently living with the aiji-dowager. Then he is informed that Lord Tatiseigi, Cajeiri's great-uncle, is returning to his estate and Ilisidi is accompanying him. So Bren will now be moving into Tatiseigi's apartment, where he resided once before. Meanwhile, Tabini-aiji and his consort Daimiri, together with Cajeiri, are moving into Ilisidi's apartment while their rooms are being repaired. The confusion in the bureaucracy is even more acute. Fortunately, most of the paidhi's records had been removed by his staff and hidden from the usurpers. Now Bren is trying to trace his staff and reassemble them in a nearby hotel. Such confusion is also evident in the Messenger, Transportation and other Guilds. The Assassins' Guild is even more upset. Some southern assassins had changed man'chi to Murini. Maybe even the Guildmaster did so as well, but the Guild is not telling. Bren does know that the Guild is presently readjusting itself, but Banichi, Tano and Algini are spending too much time on Guild business while Jago alone tends to his security. In this story, Cajeiri and his young bodyguards Jegari and Antaro are being neglected by everybody. Cajeiri is strongly feeling the absence of his human friends and the conveniences of their environment. So Cajeiri has a plan. Of course, it gets him into trouble, even with the paidhi, and Cajeiri is relegated to his parent's apartment for an indefinite time. Then Cajeiri disappears. Antaro is found unconscious on a lower floor of the building. Later Jegari turns up, bloody but safe, to relate his experiences during the kidnapping of Cajeiri. Unfortunately, he did not recognize his captors, but does know that they took Cajeiri to a cargo airplane. Given the information available, Tabini decides that one specific plane must be carrying his son and sends Ilisidi, Bren and their security after it. This story introduces a new factor in the Western Association political environment. It also allows Cajeiri to use some of his newly acquired expertise to frustrate his captors. And Bren learns what the station has landed on the planet during his absence. One of the author's strong poin

"Deliverer" is an excellent addition to the "Foreigner" series and more than makes up for the problems in the last book, "Pretender." Even though, once again, the action takes place over a short period of time, it doesn't suffer from the glacial pacing and maddening repetition inherent in some of the earlier books in the series. The stories so far have been written from Bren's point of view. It goes without saying that if he is sometimes lost in trying to understand the workings of a completely alien culture, then of necessity, we readers will only find out what's going on when he does . However, the constant reiteration of the same information, over and over again, all too often only seemed to serve as a way to drag a fairly short plot line into a novel length story. "Deliverer" leaves those problems behind. It is one of the best books of the series and introduces several intriguing possibilities for future events in this storyline. Especially of interest is Cajeiri's continuing desire for an association with his human friends. One of the things I especially like about Cherryh's stories is the logic and honesty she brings to her depiction of alien cultures and their interaction with humans, so the storyline will go where she feels it must. However, I hope the young ship folk are featured in future books as having a positive role in the life of a future ruler. Humans may not fully understand the concepts inherent in man'chi, but they are capable of great loyalty and sacrifice in the service of their friends.

I've been a Cherryh fan for years, and I was thrilled to see the new "Foreigner" book. "Deliverer" picks up where "Pretender" left off, immediately after all the fighting with everyone picking up the pieces and repairing the pottery and damaged walls. Bren gets back to work, Tabini is firmly in charge, and young Cajeiri is bored. The first 150 pages coast along at a decent clip, but it feels so much like normal life that I had to wonder whether Cherryh forgot to include the conflict. After that immediate lull, however, the plot takes a sudden left turn (no spoilers!), and the book takes off. Those "pleasant" 150 pages suddenly take on a whole new meaning as I was forced to look back and review dialogue to see who was setting up who, and plots are uncovered that rock the Atevi world from the Eastern Association to the Southern and right back to Shejidan. Cherryh's put together an amazing book -- especially amazing when you consider this is the 9th book in the series, and she doesn't give any hint that the plot's anywhere near slowing down! An outstanding new addition to the series, but probably not a good place for newcomers to jump into the action. (Go back and start with the first book, "Foreigner." Trust me, it'll be worth it!) The only real complaint I have is that the book doesn't appear well edited. I don't recall any words spelled wrong, but there are several instances of words doubled up in sentences and also of sentences so convoluted that I had to decipher what Cherryh meant instead of what was written on the page. I would have been willing to wait another month for this book just to have it line-edited better than it was. That aside, however, this is still an outstanding book, and I stayed up half the night finishing it. Couldn't put it down!

In this ninth installment of the Foreigner Series ends are tied up nicely for the end of this trilogy. One earnestly hopes that this is by no means the end of this wonderful series. Because, although there are several series that are popular in the Sci-Fi- / Fantasy genre that have this many volumes, all of them that I have read have lost so much steam, that I am looking forward to being tied up once and for all and finally ended. For with the rest of them, while I have too much time tied up to not read the conclusion, I dread reading another 500, or 1,000 pages of drivel to get there. This is absolutely not the case with the Foreigner Series. The story just gets better and better as the characters are more and more fully developmed. Deliverer is another wonderfully plotted story, with more action than any of the Foreigner books except the immediate precursor story Pretender. In Deliverer, we begin to see where the Future of Atevia is headed in the next generation as well as the problems that will stir the pot for the next cycle of the story. Again, this is not the place to start this series; it will make absolutely no sense to the first time reader of the series. So if you haven't read them already do yourself the favor of starting at the beginning with Foreigner and read through this wonderful series all the way to Deliverer. You find it realistic and believable, and I believe the best allegory on the subject of diversity and inclusion ever written. I envy you! If you are new to reading Ms. Cherryh, let me prepare you a bit. C J Cherryh is in my opinion, the greatest writer of our time and maybe ever, in creating new cultures, and worlds. All of her stories have a very large amount of introspection, the protagonist will always suffer from some kind of alienation and be realistically flawed. All of the action in any of her stories is necessary not gratuitous. All of her stories require a lot of set up and character development, because you will be in a completely foreign environment, so expect to read a bit before the story gets going. All of the protagonist will be smart; the dialog will require you to think to keep up. There will never be unfair gotcha moments, only plots that rightfully unfold due to events. And as a final point, almost always, you have to remember details, because what is usually the end of other writers' stories, the climactic event, is generally the beginning of a Cherryh story, because you will see, that as in life, the really interesting stuff lie in the ripples of the pond not the splash itself. She has managed to keep details meshed throughout over 50 novels without having to change rules anywhere. So, by all means please buy this book, and keep Ms. Cherryh, and her publishers working to write more. But... you owe it to yourself to start at the beginning of the story and read though before you begin Deliverer, and travel to a place that is so foreign, yet so real, you will feel that it must exist.

Finally! We get a look at Bren from an atevi's perspective! Caijeri not only lets us see the Paidhi through his eyes but he gives us insights into his 'elders' opinions about the human translator as well. Illisidi thinks highly of Bren as does her grandson, the Atevi ruler. We also get a hint at how Bren's associates view his relationship w/atevi bodyguard and lover, Jago. He never did get a chance to ask Tano what everyone was thinking. Cherryh has got it right with this one for sure. I'm thrilled at seeing Bren back on terrafimra again, although I did miss his major domo and cook. In Deliverer there is plenty of action true but the interaction between these characters is the real treat for me. Algini and Tano have finally...oh well better not give away secrets. Anyway, if you're a Cherryh/Bren Cameron fan, Deliverer certainly delivers! I read this book in two days (would have been one if not for the need to sleep) and I'm already salivating for more! Oh and I think by some hints dropped in near the end, Bren hasn't seen the last of Barbs ploys; she's a woman we love to hate. She'd better watch out for Jago though ; ).