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Age of Exploration #3
Cuckoo's Egg
They named him Thorn. They told him he was of their people, although he was so different. He was ugly in their eyes, strange, sleek-skinned instead of furred, clawless, different. Yet he was of their power class: judge-warriors, the elite, the fighters, the defenders.
Thorn knew that his difference was somehow very important - but not important enough to prevent murderous conspiracies against him, against his protector, against his castle, and perhaps against the peace of the world. But when the crunch came, when Thorn finally learned what his true role in life was to be, that on him might hang the future of two worlds, then he had to stand alone to justify his very existence.
319 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 1, 1985
13 people are currently reading
906 people want to read
About the author
C.J. Cherryh
291 books3,533 followersCurrently resident in Spokane, Washington, C.J. Cherryh has won four Hugos and is one of the best-selling and most critically acclaimed authors in the science fiction and fantasy field. She is the author of more than forty novels. Her hobbies include travel, photography, reef culture, Mariners baseball, and, a late passion, figure skating: she intends to compete in the adult USFSA track. She began with the modest ambition to learn to skate backwards and now is working on jumps. She sketches, occasionally, cooks fairly well, and hates house work; she loves the outdoors, animals wild and tame, is a hobbyist geologist, adores dinosaurs, and has academic specialties in Roman constitutional law and bronze age Greek ethnography. She has written science fiction since she was ten, spent ten years of her life teaching Latin and Ancient History on the high school level, before retiring to full time writing, and now does not have enough hours in the day to pursue all her interests. Her studies include planetary geology, weather systems, and natural and man-made catastrophes, civilizations, and cosmology…in fact, there's very little that doesn't interest her. A loom is gathering dust and needs rethreading, a wooden ship model awaits construction, and the cats demand their own time much more urgently. She works constantly, researches mostly on the internet, and has books stacked up and waiting to be written.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 113 reviews
November 14, 2016
One of these days CJ Cherryh and I are going to really connect on a story. I believe it. I have a dozen Cherryh books on my “to read” table. “Cuckoo’s egg” is not that story though.
One of the daunting things about Cherryh is that her books are loooong and they make up parts of larger series. I can’t stand reading things out of order even though it seems Cherryh’s books work fine as “Stand alones”. I really want to read “Foreigner” but if I like it as much as I think I will, I have 15+ more books to read. I want to read “Cyteen” but it looks to be double the size of “Downbelow Station” and that took me a month to read. While “Cuckoo’s egg” is listed as “Age of Exploration #3” it is actually a book a lot of Cherryh fans recommend for newcomers to start with. It’s not very long, it is accessible and requires no previous reading.
The non-spoiler premise of “Cuckoo’s Egg” as we can see from the cover, is that of a human baby being raised by an alien. The Alien’s name is Duun-Hatani, Hatani being his caste. Hatani are essentially the warrior-judges of their society. We don’t know much about Duun initially but he is clearly an important figure in his society. He raises the human, named Thorn in accordance with what he believes to be a proper childhood, in total isolation from the world. For 16 years Thorn wonders “why am I different”? “Am I mistake”?
To call this novel a “slow burn” would be an understatement. For a good 2/3 of the novel not a whole lot happens. We watch Thorn grow up and ask lots of questions and get very few answers. Things pick up about 3/4 of the way through and then rush at warp speed to a conclusion. The answers we receive are satisfying and well thought out. I just think the pacing of the book was too slow, then too fast, even though it isn’t a long book.
The book raises a number of questions about the nature of our identities and how the way we are raised effects who are. Given the character’s personalities it was hard to get overwhelmingly invested in them. We essentially want Thorn's questions to be answered and we slowly become as frustrated as he does at the "tricks" employed to keep him in the dark.
A word of advice, don’t read the back cover of this book. It spoils a plot element we only learn 3/4 of the way through.
One of the daunting things about Cherryh is that her books are loooong and they make up parts of larger series. I can’t stand reading things out of order even though it seems Cherryh’s books work fine as “Stand alones”. I really want to read “Foreigner” but if I like it as much as I think I will, I have 15+ more books to read. I want to read “Cyteen” but it looks to be double the size of “Downbelow Station” and that took me a month to read. While “Cuckoo’s egg” is listed as “Age of Exploration #3” it is actually a book a lot of Cherryh fans recommend for newcomers to start with. It’s not very long, it is accessible and requires no previous reading.
The non-spoiler premise of “Cuckoo’s Egg” as we can see from the cover, is that of a human baby being raised by an alien. The Alien’s name is Duun-Hatani, Hatani being his caste. Hatani are essentially the warrior-judges of their society. We don’t know much about Duun initially but he is clearly an important figure in his society. He raises the human, named Thorn in accordance with what he believes to be a proper childhood, in total isolation from the world. For 16 years Thorn wonders “why am I different”? “Am I mistake”?
To call this novel a “slow burn” would be an understatement. For a good 2/3 of the novel not a whole lot happens. We watch Thorn grow up and ask lots of questions and get very few answers. Things pick up about 3/4 of the way through and then rush at warp speed to a conclusion. The answers we receive are satisfying and well thought out. I just think the pacing of the book was too slow, then too fast, even though it isn’t a long book.
The book raises a number of questions about the nature of our identities and how the way we are raised effects who are. Given the character’s personalities it was hard to get overwhelmingly invested in them. We essentially want Thorn's questions to be answered and we slowly become as frustrated as he does at the "tricks" employed to keep him in the dark.
A word of advice, don’t read the back cover of this book. It spoils a plot element we only learn 3/4 of the way through.
January 1, 2008
A human infant raised by another species in its strictest discipline. This is not, despite moments of tenderness, a particularly warm tale; it's an introduction to an alien society and a foreign standard of honor, or, from the bleakest angle, a story of the lengths one must go to in order to survive. As seems typical with Cherryh, the build-up is masterful and the pacing near the end hurried, but the entire arc is beautifully rendered.
April 10, 2022
I don’t know what - or why - I just read. What is this pacing? What is this title? What is this non-communication? What is this rural-to-spaceship development? Why doesn’t science fiction work for me?
February 17, 2011
I wasn't sure whether to give this a four or a five so I went with five.
Its funny, when you read the words of a really, solidly talented writer you just sense that you are on solid ground. There are no plot devices trying to herd you in a particular direction, no manufactured tensions. It feels real.
This book was unusual in that the story was told in the world of an alien intelligence but the reader, as a human, is the only other human along with the young man being raised in this alien world. It was an interesting perspective.
Cherryh drew me in from the very beginning. I can see why she is a hugo award winning novelist.
Its funny, when you read the words of a really, solidly talented writer you just sense that you are on solid ground. There are no plot devices trying to herd you in a particular direction, no manufactured tensions. It feels real.
This book was unusual in that the story was told in the world of an alien intelligence but the reader, as a human, is the only other human along with the young man being raised in this alien world. It was an interesting perspective.
Cherryh drew me in from the very beginning. I can see why she is a hugo award winning novelist.
January 1, 2015
This is one of my favourite books of all time! I bought a copy in hardcover to survive the number of times I have re-read this book. It stands up with Ursula Le Guin's Left Hand of Darkness (another one of the best). I have read and enjoyed so many of the author's books and her wonderful imaginative ideas and places but none grabbed me the way this one did.
September 15, 2015
Notable for its alien pov & "human as other" effect, but also of note is that it shares the same year and concept as Ender's Game. Must have been an '80s trend to write simple stories about kids trained to become war criminals.
March 28, 2010
One of my favorite books. I've begged Ms. Cherryh for a sequel. I love the way that the human boy is the alien. I loved the warrior culture. I would love to see the hero deal with the incomming humans.
August 9, 2012
Cherryh does write the most amazing books. About an alien boy raised by an elite warrior/judge alone on a planet far from earth, the story is intense, emotional, sad, and fascinating. No one does alien cultures like Cherryh.
Read
June 26, 2023Read long ago. Rachel Neumeier is a big CJC fan. This novella is currently her #1 rank in her long, interesting ranked list of Cherryh's SF works:
https://www.rachelneumeier.com/2023/0...
-- which is certainly worth studying.
https://www.rachelneumeier.com/2023/0...
-- which is certainly worth studying.
August 13, 2019
A child who looks suspiciously human is raised under the exacting eye of an alien. Cherryh has any number of recurring themes, but perhaps the most frequent is the way that society and individuals cause and ameliorate trauma, and her argument is generally that society, its structures and standards, causes harm, often intentionally; and individuals, particularly when they deviate from social limitations, have the ability to alleviate that harm--to an extent. Communication is pivotal but ambiguous, because it's a tool of both society and individuals; individual relationships frequently exist in subtext, in the struggle for language. The theme is never straightforward, as the boundary between society and individual, and the ways in which individuals reject or perpetuate society, are complex.
Cuckoo's Egg is about the highly suspect justification for poor communication and trauma. The poor communication is a plot device, used badly to build tension, but within the narrative it harms, it helps, it's interrogated but reinforced. Trauma is socially-sparked by individually enacted; it's inevitable, it's larger than the characters, but it never feels forgivable. The worldbuilding is reminiscent of Le Guin's Hainish novels, particularly the role of technology and the guild of warrior-monk-judges; as mentioned, the pacing is contrived; Cherryh's human-alien interactions are consistently strong--and these details inform the book's quality, which to be honest is just okay. But that central theme is far more interesting. This isn't weirder or more disconcerting, or complex or gracefully rendered, than what Cherryh does with the theme elsewhere, but the fact that it does feel forced makes it more confrontational and self-interrogative. There's not a lot of comfort in Cherryh's hurt/comfort, but I love that comfort, I love its intensity and reliability and and subtext--and this refuses that comfort and calls the trope itself into question. This is another Cherryh that I'd call more interesting than enjoyable, but I love how it speaks to her body of work and I'm glad I read it.
Cuckoo's Egg is about the highly suspect justification for poor communication and trauma. The poor communication is a plot device, used badly to build tension, but within the narrative it harms, it helps, it's interrogated but reinforced. Trauma is socially-sparked by individually enacted; it's inevitable, it's larger than the characters, but it never feels forgivable. The worldbuilding is reminiscent of Le Guin's Hainish novels, particularly the role of technology and the guild of warrior-monk-judges; as mentioned, the pacing is contrived; Cherryh's human-alien interactions are consistently strong--and these details inform the book's quality, which to be honest is just okay. But that central theme is far more interesting. This isn't weirder or more disconcerting, or complex or gracefully rendered, than what Cherryh does with the theme elsewhere, but the fact that it does feel forced makes it more confrontational and self-interrogative. There's not a lot of comfort in Cherryh's hurt/comfort, but I love that comfort, I love its intensity and reliability and and subtext--and this refuses that comfort and calls the trope itself into question. This is another Cherryh that I'd call more interesting than enjoyable, but I love how it speaks to her body of work and I'm glad I read it.
January 14, 2023
This book was unputdownable. It was fascinating and poignant and kind of sad, the story carrying a melancholy and ponderous tone, as well as deep sympathy for the human character who undergoes severe manipulation his entire life.
The most fascinating thing about this novel is that Thorn - the human - grows up isolated from the Shounin society and Duun deliberately withholds information from him about the world and culture. The story jumps between Duun and Thron in terms of third-person POV, so we learn somewhat of why Duun is doing this but we also identify with Thorn because of his confusion, desire to fit in, and desperation to please his adopted father and live up to his legacy.
Duun starts training Thron in his “hatani” warrior culture as a child, a rigorous, somewhat emotionally abusive process that further leads to his confusion, as everything about Thorn’s life seems to be a test by Duun. As such, the entire book has a bit of a mystery quality to it, as we’re never sure what Thorn is or where he’s from (though he’s obviously Terran). This withholding aspect makes perfect sense at the end of the book though, with a satisfying reveal.
In terms of alien culture, while there was some difference in the way society was set up, at times Duun felt like a human with fur. I suppose some of this is because it’s an intimate novel, focusing mainly on the dynamic and relationship between Thorn and Duun, so we don’t see a lot of the aliens at large and the fact that we are afforded such a close purview into Duun's head serves to lessen his alienness. There also wasn’t space in the novel for too much complexity, as the relationship aspect was intricate enough. Still, I loved how Thorn was the displaced one and how we learn about the aliens as he does.
Overall, it’s an addictive read that I highly recommend.
The most fascinating thing about this novel is that Thorn - the human - grows up isolated from the Shounin society and Duun deliberately withholds information from him about the world and culture. The story jumps between Duun and Thron in terms of third-person POV, so we learn somewhat of why Duun is doing this but we also identify with Thorn because of his confusion, desire to fit in, and desperation to please his adopted father and live up to his legacy.
Duun starts training Thron in his “hatani” warrior culture as a child, a rigorous, somewhat emotionally abusive process that further leads to his confusion, as everything about Thorn’s life seems to be a test by Duun. As such, the entire book has a bit of a mystery quality to it, as we’re never sure what Thorn is or where he’s from (though he’s obviously Terran). This withholding aspect makes perfect sense at the end of the book though, with a satisfying reveal.
In terms of alien culture, while there was some difference in the way society was set up, at times Duun felt like a human with fur. I suppose some of this is because it’s an intimate novel, focusing mainly on the dynamic and relationship between Thorn and Duun, so we don’t see a lot of the aliens at large and the fact that we are afforded such a close purview into Duun's head serves to lessen his alienness. There also wasn’t space in the novel for too much complexity, as the relationship aspect was intricate enough. Still, I loved how Thorn was the displaced one and how we learn about the aliens as he does.
Overall, it’s an addictive read that I highly recommend.
May 8, 2016
I have been reading and rereading this book since sometime in the 80s, I think. My first reading notation says that I'd read it at least twelve times before 2007. The author uses elements of Zen that remind me of Alan W. Watts' "The Way of Zen". I've used Cuckoo's Egg to instruct, soothe, minister -- in fact, it reminds me of my mother's quote from John Denham — 'Books should to one of these four ends conduce, For wisdom, piety, delight, or use.' Cuckoo's Egg does all four.
The only part of the book that's fantasy is given away on the cover itself: an alien has the care of a human baby. The unfolding of that care, the revealed profession of the alien, and ultimately how the situation came to be is truly marvelous. This is one of the vanishingly few books I would rank with Mary Doria Russell's "The Sparrow", although the two books have very little in common. The level of authorial thinking continues to impress me after all these years and readings.
The only part of the book that's fantasy is given away on the cover itself: an alien has the care of a human baby. The unfolding of that care, the revealed profession of the alien, and ultimately how the situation came to be is truly marvelous. This is one of the vanishingly few books I would rank with Mary Doria Russell's "The Sparrow", although the two books have very little in common. The level of authorial thinking continues to impress me after all these years and readings.
November 12, 2020
I AM A RIOT OF EMOTIONS. THIS SOLDIER DAD LOVES HIS UGLY ALIEN CHILD SO MUCH.
February 8, 2025
Begins from an alien perspective but morphs into a story all about and from they eyes of a man raised under the care of an alien race. With his contacts carefully limited, we follow the coming of age of our main character who slowly puts the questions and curiosities of his life together and sheds his innocence.
I liked this book a bit better than pride of chanur.
This book’s premise may seem intriguing to learn about an alien culture, but i was a bit disappointed by Cherryh’s imagination here as it is ultimately still about humans, our mindset and what it says about us overall. This was a bit disappointing to me, as i wanted a cool and unique alien culture to be immersed in.
October 2, 2011
Review Title: How do you communicate with a race that you never met or never seen before?
Story:
The world had faced a threat that it had never seen before and had never expected to come to pass. This threat was averted, but at a terrible cost to those who faced it. There was only one man that survived the encounter and the world said that it would give him whatever he asked of it. This man’s name was Dunn and he did not ask for fame or for riches.
Instead he asked for something that came from the vanquished enemy that had threatened the people of his world. This came in the form of a young boy named Thorn. It was Dunn’s intention to raise this boy in the ways of his people and prepare him for the day that he would go forward and lead Dunn’s people forward into the future that awaited them in the stars.
Unfortunately Dunn underestimated how tricky humans can be….
--------------------
This story kept me turning the pages. There is not a lot of violence or action found in this story until the end, but the interactions between the various characters are almost as good as any battle scene. The author keeps the dialogue tight and it’s hard not to feel the tension as Dunn and Thorn test each other as he grows up. It’s also very easy to understand how lost Thorn feels after a certain event unleashes the world on him. The only complaint I have is that I wanted to read more about these characters, but it appears this is a standalone book that was written in the beginning of the author’s but toward the end of the timeline of the universe she created. So the following books never really touch on this story line again. It’s a great read though, and makes you wonder what could have happened after the last page is turned. I would recommend this to anyone that likes books that build their story around how the characters interact with each other versus how many explosions can be crammed into one book. Mac
Story:
The world had faced a threat that it had never seen before and had never expected to come to pass. This threat was averted, but at a terrible cost to those who faced it. There was only one man that survived the encounter and the world said that it would give him whatever he asked of it. This man’s name was Dunn and he did not ask for fame or for riches.
Instead he asked for something that came from the vanquished enemy that had threatened the people of his world. This came in the form of a young boy named Thorn. It was Dunn’s intention to raise this boy in the ways of his people and prepare him for the day that he would go forward and lead Dunn’s people forward into the future that awaited them in the stars.
Unfortunately Dunn underestimated how tricky humans can be….
--------------------
This story kept me turning the pages. There is not a lot of violence or action found in this story until the end, but the interactions between the various characters are almost as good as any battle scene. The author keeps the dialogue tight and it’s hard not to feel the tension as Dunn and Thorn test each other as he grows up. It’s also very easy to understand how lost Thorn feels after a certain event unleashes the world on him. The only complaint I have is that I wanted to read more about these characters, but it appears this is a standalone book that was written in the beginning of the author’s but toward the end of the timeline of the universe she created. So the following books never really touch on this story line again. It’s a great read though, and makes you wonder what could have happened after the last page is turned. I would recommend this to anyone that likes books that build their story around how the characters interact with each other versus how many explosions can be crammed into one book. Mac
November 17, 2013
Just reread this. I picked it up while I was shifting books around my living room, read the first couple of pages and then nothing would satisfy except to polish it off that afternoon.
It's almost a copmpanion piece to The Palladin in that they both concentrate on the student/master relationship but in this one the the student is the involountary subject whereas in The Paladin it is the master. The slow build up and, this being CJ Cherryh book, acceleration to breath taking speed still dragged me to the end of the book even though I already knew the twist.
It's almost a copmpanion piece to The Palladin in that they both concentrate on the student/master relationship but in this one the the student is the involountary subject whereas in The Paladin it is the master. The slow build up and, this being CJ Cherryh book, acceleration to breath taking speed still dragged me to the end of the book even though I already knew the twist.
March 14, 2015
This is one of my absolute favorite's of C J Cherryh! I love the story of a human baby being created by and raised as another species. Thorn only knows he doesn't look like his guardian or any others on the planet. He doesn't know why others are afraid of him or shun him. He only knows he will do anything to be accepted. When he finally learns not only how he came into being buy why he has to decide if he will accept his destiny.
This was the first book I read from this author and because of it I became a fan for life! I would highly recommend this or any others of her work.
This was the first book I read from this author and because of it I became a fan for life! I would highly recommend this or any others of her work.
October 19, 2024
This was a great short novel that kind of flips the narrative on first contact and has an alien raising a human orphan at the center of the story. As usual, Cherryh does a fantastic job at world-building describing yet another alien species, the Shonunin, and how Thorn realizes his own identity and comes into his own agency. It is a standalone novel that is a real pleasure to read and could be one that I would recommend to folks unfamiliar with Cherryh to give them a taste before diving into the longer and far more complex stories that make up the larger cycles such as Alliance-Union.
February 2, 2015
Got really interesting at page 170. Unfortunately, it was only 185 pages long.
February 1, 2014
A simple story that stays with you - even years later
April 22, 2025
Cuckoo's Egg takes place on an alien planet, inhabited by a grey-furred, fang-toothed race of aliens called the Shonunin. At the beginning of the novel, an alien called Duun is presented with a human baby that he is tasked with raising. Duun is something called a Hatani, which C.J. Cherryh doesn't really explain for most of the book, but it seems to be a highly regarded group of formidable individuals responsible for carrying out solutions to problems.
The child is named Thorn, and he is taken to an isolated rural manor house to be trained in the ways of the Hatani by Duun. Thorn recognises fairly early on that he is different to the limited number of Shonunin he interacts with, feeling insecure about his lack of body hair, sharp teeth and claws. While he questions his true nature, Duun acts as a relentless mentor who withholds information from Thorn, pushing him to his limits for an undefined purpose. He is trained in the art of combat, hunting and deception, seemingly preparing him for some greater purpose. Just as Duun withholds important details from Thorn, Cherryh withholds much from the reader, raising many questions in your mind that aren't resolved until the very end of the book. While this approach is not quite as sophisticated as something like 'Inverted World' by Christopher Priest or the Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe, it pulled me through the story as I was intrigued to get to the answers.
This works so well because the character work is incredibly good, combined with a clear prose style that makes for easy reading. Many readers will feel like the book lingers for too long on Thorn's training, suffering from repetitive sections and pacing issues. I was personally invested in the characters and world enough to sit in those slower moments, absorbing the tiny morsels of information that Cherryh is putting down for you. I found the ending to be very satisfying, and it made me wish that there was some kind of continuation of Thorn and Duun's story. Sadly, there isn't, but there are many other novels in the Alliance-Union universe for me to dive into. This is the second book I've read from her after 'Serpent's Reach', and I've loved both. On to the next one.
The child is named Thorn, and he is taken to an isolated rural manor house to be trained in the ways of the Hatani by Duun. Thorn recognises fairly early on that he is different to the limited number of Shonunin he interacts with, feeling insecure about his lack of body hair, sharp teeth and claws. While he questions his true nature, Duun acts as a relentless mentor who withholds information from Thorn, pushing him to his limits for an undefined purpose. He is trained in the art of combat, hunting and deception, seemingly preparing him for some greater purpose. Just as Duun withholds important details from Thorn, Cherryh withholds much from the reader, raising many questions in your mind that aren't resolved until the very end of the book. While this approach is not quite as sophisticated as something like 'Inverted World' by Christopher Priest or the Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe, it pulled me through the story as I was intrigued to get to the answers.
This works so well because the character work is incredibly good, combined with a clear prose style that makes for easy reading. Many readers will feel like the book lingers for too long on Thorn's training, suffering from repetitive sections and pacing issues. I was personally invested in the characters and world enough to sit in those slower moments, absorbing the tiny morsels of information that Cherryh is putting down for you. I found the ending to be very satisfying, and it made me wish that there was some kind of continuation of Thorn and Duun's story. Sadly, there isn't, but there are many other novels in the Alliance-Union universe for me to dive into. This is the second book I've read from her after 'Serpent's Reach', and I've loved both. On to the next one.
May 5, 2018
This is one of the few books I've reread at least 4 times. It's not very long and can be finished in a day with some carving out of time, it moves along, gives some mystery and I always seem to forget the ending so it's always a nice surprise when I get there.
I didn't realize this is part of a series, I'll have to check out the rest.
I didn't realize this is part of a series, I'll have to check out the rest.
August 10, 2022
A fine tale that modern society could take to heart. Excellent tale. =)
June 17, 2022
Five plus stars, so wish I could give it more. This has been a long-time favorite- HUGE favorite, one of my top books- for so many years. How have I not reviewed it before now??
Getting ready to re-read it now, 6/4/22, and am so excited to fall back into this incredible story. It's just beautiful. And hard. And heartbreaking.
Wonderful.
6/26/22 Glorious re-read. Such a fantastic book. Oh, to write such a book.
Getting ready to re-read it now, 6/4/22, and am so excited to fall back into this incredible story. It's just beautiful. And hard. And heartbreaking.
Wonderful.
6/26/22 Glorious re-read. Such a fantastic book. Oh, to write such a book.
February 1, 2025
Von C.J. Cherryh habe ich noch nicht sehr viel gelesen, was mir als Versäumnis vorkommt.
Auf dem Planeten der raubtierhaften Shonun: Veteran Duun aus der Kriegergilde der Hatani zieht ein Menschenbaby auf. Wie kommt das? Wo sind die anderen Menschen? Wie ist das Verhältnis der Rassen?
Rätsel über Rätsel.
Cherryh lüftet diese erst kurz vor Schluss. Die Plotidee stellt sich als beeindruckend cool heraus. Allerdings erfordert diese "Geheimniskrämerei" während des 280 Seiten langen Romans einige Handstände und viele Dialoge und Handlungsdetails bleiben auf frustrierende Weise unverständlich. Zwischendurch machte mir das Lesen darum nicht so viel Spaß.
Ich weiß darum zum Schluss nicht, wieviel Sterne ich dem Roman geben soll. 3 oder 4?
Auf dem Planeten der raubtierhaften Shonun: Veteran Duun aus der Kriegergilde der Hatani zieht ein Menschenbaby auf. Wie kommt das? Wo sind die anderen Menschen? Wie ist das Verhältnis der Rassen?
Rätsel über Rätsel.
Cherryh lüftet diese erst kurz vor Schluss. Die Plotidee stellt sich als beeindruckend cool heraus. Allerdings erfordert diese "Geheimniskrämerei" während des 280 Seiten langen Romans einige Handstände und viele Dialoge und Handlungsdetails bleiben auf frustrierende Weise unverständlich. Zwischendurch machte mir das Lesen darum nicht so viel Spaß.
Ich weiß darum zum Schluss nicht, wieviel Sterne ich dem Roman geben soll. 3 oder 4?
September 11, 2020
C.J. Cherryh's work is always a gamble; it tends to be slow-building and heavy on the details, but it usually pays off. Keyword: Usually.
The human boy Haras (called Thorn) is an infant when he's given into old Duun's keeping. Duun is Hataani, a kind of warrior-monk-judge in the alien Shonun society. His ways are harsh and uncompromising, but he raises and teaches Thorn as he would any other Shonun infant. Of course, as Thorn grows, he can't help but notice that no one in the world looks like him. And so the questions grow: Who is he? What is he? Where did he come from? What is his purpose? Duun gives few answers, and meanwhile others watch to see what this boy becomes.
It's an interesting idea, to raise a human in an alien society and see what comes of it, but while it's notable for its human-as-other perspective and twists on alien contact, I found the execution tepid. Usually Cherryh borders on overwhelming facts and claustrophobic psychological insights. Not so here. If anything, I wish the prose had been been more detailed. Between Thorn's sheltered understanding and Duun's taciturn narrative, Shonun society remains frustratingly opaque, with key caste elements only announced in the run-up to the finale. While I understood the gist of the factors at play, it was a bit of a muddle.
Not bad, but far from Cherryh's best. 2/5 stars.
The human boy Haras (called Thorn) is an infant when he's given into old Duun's keeping. Duun is Hataani, a kind of warrior-monk-judge in the alien Shonun society. His ways are harsh and uncompromising, but he raises and teaches Thorn as he would any other Shonun infant. Of course, as Thorn grows, he can't help but notice that no one in the world looks like him. And so the questions grow: Who is he? What is he? Where did he come from? What is his purpose? Duun gives few answers, and meanwhile others watch to see what this boy becomes.
It's an interesting idea, to raise a human in an alien society and see what comes of it, but while it's notable for its human-as-other perspective and twists on alien contact, I found the execution tepid. Usually Cherryh borders on overwhelming facts and claustrophobic psychological insights. Not so here. If anything, I wish the prose had been been more detailed. Between Thorn's sheltered understanding and Duun's taciturn narrative, Shonun society remains frustratingly opaque, with key caste elements only announced in the run-up to the finale. While I understood the gist of the factors at play, it was a bit of a muddle.
Not bad, but far from Cherryh's best. 2/5 stars.
September 2, 2014
With the bits of information I gleaned from publishing and writer presentations, this book would not be published today because it starts well before the action begins and ends just as the action begins. I was hooked from the beginning though by the character Thorn's struggles and the immense obstacle he faces. He must figure out the world around him while he is isolated from it. As he understands more about himself, his commitment to the world around him, even though he is an alien increases, even as the world rejects him. I liked how the author examines humans through alien eyes.
A weakness in the story is that the technology is almost exactly the same as 1980's Earth with a few tweaks.
A weakness in the story is that the technology is almost exactly the same as 1980's Earth with a few tweaks.
March 17, 2017
Too much about the tough training, like Duun is kinda like Yoda or a martial-arts monk or something. A little bit Ender's Game, too. Beautiful writing... almost too beautiful, draws too much attention to itself. And the ending; well, I read to the end to confirm my prediction and get more information, but I didn't, really. And I suppose Cherryh's challenging the reader to figure it out herself, just as Thorn has to figure out most of his lessons on his own. Well humbug, not my style or preference. Also, despite it being a challenging read in some ways, it's really just a YA novel. :sigh:
January 22, 2010
Imagine growing up amongst people that you look nothing like, with no knowledge of where you come from. This is a great story about a human child raised in an alien civilization, under a strict code of conduct. Really great read.
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