Synopses & Reviews
Exhausted from a two-year rescue mission in space, the crew of the starship
Phoenix return home to find disaster: civil war has broken out, the powerful Western Association has been overthrown, and Tabini-aiji, its forceful leader, is missing. In a desperate move,
paidhi Bren Cameron and Tabini's grandmother Ilisidi, the aiji-dowager, along with with Cajeiri, Tabini's eight-year-old heir, make planetfall and succeed in reaching the mainland. The brilliant and forceful Ilisidi seeks refuge at the estate of an old ally, and Tabini-aiji arrives at the door.
As word of Tabini's whereabouts circulates, clans allied with Tabini descend upon the estate, providing a huge civilian presence that everyone involved hopes will deter impending attacks by the usurpers. But as more and more supporting clans arrive, Bren finds himself increasingly isolated, and it becomes clear that both his extremely important report of alien contact in space, and even his life, rest on the shoulders of only two allies: Ilisidi and Cajeiri.
Can one elderly ateva and and eight-year-old boyhimself a prime target for assassinationprotect Bren, a lone human involved in a civil war that most atevi believe he caused?
The long-running Foreigner series can also be enjoyed by more casual genre readers in sub-trilogy installments. Pretender is the 8th Foreigner novel. It is also the 2nd book in the third subtrilogy.
Review
Superior...this is serious space opera at its very best by one of the leading SF writers in the field today. (Publishers Weekly, starred review)
Review
Intrigue, adventure, thoughtfulness, even brief touches of humor in a wonderfully exotic setting. (
Science Fiction Chronicle)
Superior...this is serious space opera at its very best by one of the leading SF writers in the field today. (Publishers Weekly, starred review)
Review
"Cherryh alternates long stretches of brilliant, often oblique dialogue and complex political maneuvering with shorter interludes of violent, well-executed action. A science fictional equivalent of George R.R. Martin's
Song of Ice and Fire sequence,
this series represents contemporary SF at its finest." —
Publishers Weekly "[Cherryh's] world building, aliens, and suspense rank among the strongest in the whole sf field. May those strengths be sustained indefinitely, or at least until the end of Foreigner."—Booklist
"Intrigue, adventure, thoughtfulness, even brief touches of humor in a wonderfully exotic setting." —Science Fiction Chronicle
"Cherryh's follow-up to Destroyer opens up new aspects of atevi civilization, while introducing a younger generation of characters. Superbly realized characters and an intriguing, Asian-based civilization." —Library Journal
Synopsis
After making planetfall on the world of Mosphiera, Bren and Ilisidi meet Lord Tatiseigi, an old ally and, while protecting Tibini's son and heir, find themselves in the middle of a civil war led by Lord Murini. Reprint.
Synopsis
The eighth novel in Cherryh's Foreigner space opera series, a groundbreaking tale of first contact and its consequences...
Exhausted from a two-year rescue mission in space, the crew of the starship Phoenix return home to find disaster: civil war has broken out, the powerful Western Association has been overthrown, and Tabini-aiji, its forceful leader, is missing. In a desperate move, paidhi Bren Cameron and Tabini's grandmother Ilisidi, the aiji-dowager, along with with Cajeiri, Tabini's eight-year-old heir, make planetfall and succeed in reaching the mainland. The brilliant and forceful Ilisidi seeks refuge at the estate of an old ally, and Tabini-aiji arrives at the door.
As word of Tabini's whereabouts circulates, clans allied with Tabini descend upon the estate, providing a huge civilian presence that everyone involved hopes will deter impending attacks by the usurpers. But as more and more supporting clans arrive, Bren finds himself increasingly isolated, and it becomes clear that both his extremely important report of alien contact in space, and even his life, rest on the shoulders of only two allies: Ilisidi and Cajeiri.
Can one elderly ateva and and eight-year-old boy--himself a prime target for assassination--protect Bren, a lone human involved in a civil war that most atevi believe he caused?
The long-running Foreigner series can also be enjoyed by more casual genre readers in sub-trilogy installments. Pretender is the 8th Foreigner novel, and the 2nd book in the third subtrilogy.
Synopsis
The epic tale of the human survivors of a lost spacecraft, marooned on a planet inhabited by a hostile alien race, follows the civilization's rise from the age of steam through early space flight to confrontations with other alien species in distant sectors of space.
About the Author
C. J. Cherryh planned to write since the age of ten. When she was older, she learned to use a type writer while triple-majoring in Classics, Latin and Greek. At 33, she signed over her first three books to DAW and has worked with DAW ever since. She can be found at cherryh.com.