The Chanur Saga

This book represents the first half of one of the best stories around. The most interesting twist for the reader is you are so immersed in the alien culture that the one human in the story is the dialog that has to be translated. The incredibly original idea of the cultures. What if Lions were the evolved species on a planet... What would they be like, what would their values be etc. To try to compare this work to any other author would be pitiful for example the Nivens stories about the Tiger men (Man Kizn Wars)pullleezz! No other author is in the same league when it comes to world building, and making plausible cultures and belief systems. Another amazing thing is Ms. Cherryh is able to keep her many books to the same universe. All the stories can eventually be patched to an understanding in another. This book is also a great essay into the aspect of lonlines of responsibility, and of being culturally alone. If you have not read this series you are in for a treat!

C.J. Cherryh is every bit the equal of Heinlein, Asimov,Brin and, yes, even Frank Herbert and J.R.R. Tolkien.And from amongst an overwhelmingly creative and prolificoutput of novels this Chanur series is, to my mind andtaste, her finest and most impressive achievement.It is difficult to describe how thoroughly and yet howeffortlessly Cherryh evokes her alien races; their psychological, mercantile and poltical twists and turns,so subtle, so compelling and fascinatingly mature, woveninto plots that are both intriguing and fast-paced.In other words: C.J. Cherryh offers the sophisticatedreader everything that Star Wars and Star Trek and all theother rip-off drivel ought to be but rarely are! Yes, she does make the reader work to get acclimated to the complexities of this strange yet familiar universe,but that effort pays off because her storytelling skillsare so full-bodied - with plenty of good, old-fashionedspace-opera action to boot!The only drawback to this republication is that it omits thefirst volume, The Pride of Chanur, (Chanur's Legacy is a follow-up though not expressly a sequel), even though it has the original cover to Pride (which is the poorest of MichaelWhelan's otherwise superb four!). It would have been preferrable, and more respectful to the genuinely valuable, though underrated and underappreciated, stature of C.J. Cherryh's marvelous creation - to have provided us with a nicely bound boxed setinstead of this lack-luster edition. Nevertheless, I urge any and all true Science Fictionenthusiasts to read the Chanur Saga as soon as possible. Nearly beyond compare.

I'll keep it short, as this is more of a "vote" than a "review". I've been fruitlessly waiting for additional "Chanur" novels for years. Sure wish the publishers would get a clue and work with Cherryh for more of these gems! They are addictive, as, I find, are the novels of the "Foreigner" Universe.

Note that despite the mediocre votes, the reviews below rave about the books themselves: it's the omnibus packaging of only half the series that is drawing complaints. Ms. Cherryh herself explains on her web site that these bulk releases are the best way to get old material back on the shelf so booksellers will accept new books in the series. And a new Chanur book would be a very good thing! These books are a perfect intersection between Ms. Cherryh's insightful extra-anthropological works and straightout adventure, with the most convincing space battles I've encountered, station docksides that make the cantina from Star Wars look like a walk in the park, and aliens characters so engaging that the humans seem, well, alien. Buy it, vote it up, and hope the message gets to the publishers!

The Chanur series may be my most dearly loved books; if I had to choose one series to take to a desert island, the 5 Chanur books would top my list. I've read them repeatedly, finding them deeply satisfying time after time. I am, however, astonished at the publisher's including only 2 books of the 3-part set. The first book, Pride of Chanur, can be read alone. The next 3, however, together form one giant novel, as the 3 volumes of Lord of the Rings did, and it's very strange that the publisher did not include the final book of that set. I'd urge prospective readers to get this and advertise for Chanur's Homecoming, as well as getting Chanur's Legacy, the 5th book of the set. Some of Cherryh's fiction is too grim for me, but this series is some of the richest, most fascinating, and most upbeat fantasy I know.