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Foreigner #5
Defender
It has been over two centuries since the starship Phoenix disappeared into space, leaving an isolated colony of humans to fend for themselves on the world of the alien atevi. Two centuries during which humanity fought a devastating war with these volatile aliens, nearly facing planetary extinction before devising an interface which allowed these two so-different sentient races to coexist in peace.
Since that time, humans have lived in exile on the island of Mospheira, using a single diplomat, the paidhi, to trade bits of advanced technology for the continued peace and safety of their people.
But the unexpected return of the Phoenix has shattered forever the fragile, carefully maintained political balance of these two nearly incompatible races. For the captains of the Phoenix offer the atevi something the Mospheiran humans never could - access to the stars.
But the captains of the Phoenix do not offer this incalculable treasure for free. In return they ask for atevi manpower and supplies to rebuild their long-derelict space station and refuel and rearm their aging starship.
Guided by technological designs provided by Phoenix's Pilots' Guild, the atevi now have three functioning space shuttles, and teams of atevi engineers labor in orbit to renovate the space Station and build a new starship - one designed to atevi specifications.
But these monumental advances have not come easily to the tradition-bound atevi, for they not only add a dangerously powerful third party to an already fragile diplomatic situation, but rouse pro- and anti-space factions in atevi society to near-incendiary levels. To help negotiate these treacherous diplomatic waters, Tabini-aiji, the powerful head of the atevi's Western Association, has sent the only human he fully trusts into space: his own paidhi, Bren Cameron.
A brilliant and wily negotiator, Cameron has severed his alliance with Mospheira, the land of his birth, and now exclusively represents Tabini's interests in space. Far surpassing the accomplishments of his predecessors, Bren is the first human who has been truly accepted into atevi society. Privy to the most intimate decisions of Tabini's household, Bren is acutely aware of how dangerous, yet how easy it is for a human to assume familiar emotions and drives where only alien motivations exist.
Bren, now residing on the station, is empowered to use any means at his disposal to achieve the aiji's aim - the representation of atevi interests - but his job is not easy. For Cameron cannot be completely sure that either human faction is telling him the truth. And the threat of possible invasion by the hostile aliens who destroyed Phoenix's Station in a far-off sector of space hangs over them all.
But when, with his dying breath, one of the senior captains of the Phoenix admits to treachery against his own crew, it threatens to rip apart every enterprise in space. For when Phoenix fled that alien attack, the crew had been told that there were no human survivors - that they left a deserted and ruined station behind. But that was not true. The station was only partly destroyed, and there were survivors - friends and family of the Phoenix's crew-who may or may not still be alive.
How can Bren hope to mediate on the aiji's behalf on a station overcome by a mutinous rebellion which threatens to take the Phoenix and all its crew on a mission back into hostile alien territory?
Since that time, humans have lived in exile on the island of Mospheira, using a single diplomat, the paidhi, to trade bits of advanced technology for the continued peace and safety of their people.
But the unexpected return of the Phoenix has shattered forever the fragile, carefully maintained political balance of these two nearly incompatible races. For the captains of the Phoenix offer the atevi something the Mospheiran humans never could - access to the stars.
But the captains of the Phoenix do not offer this incalculable treasure for free. In return they ask for atevi manpower and supplies to rebuild their long-derelict space station and refuel and rearm their aging starship.
Guided by technological designs provided by Phoenix's Pilots' Guild, the atevi now have three functioning space shuttles, and teams of atevi engineers labor in orbit to renovate the space Station and build a new starship - one designed to atevi specifications.
But these monumental advances have not come easily to the tradition-bound atevi, for they not only add a dangerously powerful third party to an already fragile diplomatic situation, but rouse pro- and anti-space factions in atevi society to near-incendiary levels. To help negotiate these treacherous diplomatic waters, Tabini-aiji, the powerful head of the atevi's Western Association, has sent the only human he fully trusts into space: his own paidhi, Bren Cameron.
A brilliant and wily negotiator, Cameron has severed his alliance with Mospheira, the land of his birth, and now exclusively represents Tabini's interests in space. Far surpassing the accomplishments of his predecessors, Bren is the first human who has been truly accepted into atevi society. Privy to the most intimate decisions of Tabini's household, Bren is acutely aware of how dangerous, yet how easy it is for a human to assume familiar emotions and drives where only alien motivations exist.
Bren, now residing on the station, is empowered to use any means at his disposal to achieve the aiji's aim - the representation of atevi interests - but his job is not easy. For Cameron cannot be completely sure that either human faction is telling him the truth. And the threat of possible invasion by the hostile aliens who destroyed Phoenix's Station in a far-off sector of space hangs over them all.
But when, with his dying breath, one of the senior captains of the Phoenix admits to treachery against his own crew, it threatens to rip apart every enterprise in space. For when Phoenix fled that alien attack, the crew had been told that there were no human survivors - that they left a deserted and ruined station behind. But that was not true. The station was only partly destroyed, and there were survivors - friends and family of the Phoenix's crew-who may or may not still be alive.
How can Bren hope to mediate on the aiji's behalf on a station overcome by a mutinous rebellion which threatens to take the Phoenix and all its crew on a mission back into hostile alien territory?
314 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2001
About the author
C.J. Cherryh
298 books3,670 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 125 reviews
March 26, 2013
Still loving the series! It's like a warm glass of SF milk by a fire on a stormy winter night, so comfortable and steady. I mean, seriously, what's more steady than the slow retrofitting of a space station and the refueling of an interstellar spacecraft while juggling aliens, lies, and family problems back home?
I mean, besides a cool drink of poison?
Is this the beginning of another coup attempt? Poor Bren has been left out of the loop again, but at least he thinks quickly on his toes!
And yes, time has passed, and yet that's all for the good because the Phoenix has been refueled and now we've got to deal with the Captain's lies. Time to go off to uncharted realms? Oh yes, I like where the series is headed. And of course, the Atevi will find a way to be in the center of it. :)
Bren feeling inadequate. Again. (Not that this is such a bad thing. I really like him and it's always a pleasure to see him get richly rewarded for being himself.)
I love this series. It's like a competence-porn soap-opera of diplomatic relations and translation errors in the middle of assassination attempts. What's not to love? :)
I mean, besides a cool drink of poison?
Is this the beginning of another coup attempt? Poor Bren has been left out of the loop again, but at least he thinks quickly on his toes!
And yes, time has passed, and yet that's all for the good because the Phoenix has been refueled and now we've got to deal with the Captain's lies. Time to go off to uncharted realms? Oh yes, I like where the series is headed. And of course, the Atevi will find a way to be in the center of it. :)
Bren feeling inadequate. Again. (Not that this is such a bad thing. I really like him and it's always a pleasure to see him get richly rewarded for being himself.)
I love this series. It's like a competence-porn soap-opera of diplomatic relations and translation errors in the middle of assassination attempts. What's not to love? :)
January 11, 2017
fifth book - 2nd of second trilogy
“Actually, you’re the alien”
Another great instalment in the Foreigner Saga. A few more years have passed by since the previous book and the space programme is well under way. The orbital station is finally operational, served by several shuttles, and the new ship in construction. Once again we have politics galore, and with the news that the senior captain of the Phoenix, Ramirez, has died, everything that could go wrong threatens to do so. Not only this but Bren has been kept out of the loop...
Defender does very much feel like a transition book, and yet it is still a very entertaining and taut intrigue. Apart from the memorial service for Tabini’s father, the setting is firmly on the station, which has become Bren’s 'home’. There is also the ubiquitous family crisis.
I really can’t wait for the next novel and to see how the change of setting will shape the narration.
“Actually, you’re the alien”
Another great instalment in the Foreigner Saga. A few more years have passed by since the previous book and the space programme is well under way. The orbital station is finally operational, served by several shuttles, and the new ship in construction. Once again we have politics galore, and with the news that the senior captain of the Phoenix, Ramirez, has died, everything that could go wrong threatens to do so. Not only this but Bren has been kept out of the loop...
Defender does very much feel like a transition book, and yet it is still a very entertaining and taut intrigue. Apart from the memorial service for Tabini’s father, the setting is firmly on the station, which has become Bren’s 'home’. There is also the ubiquitous family crisis.
I really can’t wait for the next novel and to see how the change of setting will shape the narration.
December 27, 2021
Cherryh writes a complex plot here, replete with who-has-said-what-to-whom confusion from beginning to end. Secrets are revealed on Captain Ramirez's deathbed, causing consternation among the three party agreements that were hammered out ten years previously. From Bren Cameron's point of view, it's the humans who are the problem, both the ones in the star ship and the ones on the planet. They all have to accept the atevi as trusted equals if the mission is to be successful and Bren is willing to be pretty ruthless on the atevis' behalf to make that happen. But both flavors of human are xenophobic toward their atevi partners, a major hurdle.
I'm somewhat dismayed that there has been so little change in ten years with Bren's mother, brother, and ex-girlfriend. They are still looking for attention and expecting him to solve all their problems. Even if he was there, they would all still be unhappy, for they just seem to be wired that way. The current mission, however, promises to solve this situation for Bren, as he will be incommunicado for at least two years. They will get on with things or they won't. But I doubt that we will find out in the next book—maybe in two books time?
So, nothing is settled at the end of this novel, and the ship commanders are going to have to decide if their other human and atevi passengers are friend or foe. Are they together against the hostile aliens or are they on different teams? Perhaps it will take a hostile outsider to unite this motley crew.
Book Number 435 of my Science Fiction & Fantasy Reading Project.
I'm somewhat dismayed that there has been so little change in ten years with Bren's mother, brother, and ex-girlfriend. They are still looking for attention and expecting him to solve all their problems. Even if he was there, they would all still be unhappy, for they just seem to be wired that way. The current mission, however, promises to solve this situation for Bren, as he will be incommunicado for at least two years. They will get on with things or they won't. But I doubt that we will find out in the next book—maybe in two books time?
So, nothing is settled at the end of this novel, and the ship commanders are going to have to decide if their other human and atevi passengers are friend or foe. Are they together against the hostile aliens or are they on different teams? Perhaps it will take a hostile outsider to unite this motley crew.
Book Number 435 of my Science Fiction & Fantasy Reading Project.
January 3, 2017
OMFG these people.
1. Bren's mother is a PITA and I frankly look forward to her death.
2. Barb has some fucking cheek with her "oh I know you're with Jago, but maybe I could come to the station to visit on weekends."
3. Toby needs to let his wife leave him. Or, on the flip side, he needs to leave his mother for his wife. Mom has Barb now. Let Barb look after her.
4. Ilisidi needs to be put in her place. Oh, yes, I did just say that. I love the old lady, but she can't go around people who piss her off.
5. Sabin needs to get her attitude under control. I wanted Bren to say to her, Bitch, this ain't your planet, back the attitude truck up.
I'm at the stage where I'm convinced Jago and Bren are the only sensible people left in the universe.
1. Bren's mother is a PITA and I frankly look forward to her death.
2. Barb has some fucking cheek with her "oh I know you're with Jago, but maybe I could come to the station to visit on weekends."
3. Toby needs to let his wife leave him. Or, on the flip side, he needs to leave his mother for his wife. Mom has Barb now. Let Barb look after her.
4. Ilisidi needs to be put in her place. Oh, yes, I did just say that. I love the old lady, but she can't go around people who piss her off.
5. Sabin needs to get her attitude under control. I wanted Bren to say to her, Bitch, this ain't your planet, back the attitude truck up.
I'm at the stage where I'm convinced Jago and Bren are the only sensible people left in the universe.
September 17, 2022
The human and atevi space program has advanced to the point of weekly shuttle missions to the space station orbiting the atevi homeworld and Phoenix is now refueled. The station is crewed by atevi and humans interacting like never before, but tensions are high, with constant worries about the hostile aliens that Phoenix encountered before returning. Tabini has again sent Bren into space where he finds himself in an unexpected position and where Tabini and the human leadership aren't telling him everything.
There's an interesting theme in this book: that of the growing personal power of Bren, both as the most experienced of the growing paidhiin, the humans tasked with the incredibly difficult job of not just translating languages and cultures, but different biology-based emotional contexts, and as Tabini's go-to diplomatic envoy. It will be interesting to see if the author explores this in coming books.
The other addition here is Tabini's heir, Cajeiri, a very young foster child of Ilsidi who continues to be both awesome and terrifying. Cajeiri eventually becomes a viewpoint character for the series so this introduction is important.
Other than that, this is very much the middle book of the trilogy, primarily setting out the new state of the world after the events of the previous book and setting stage for Bren's first starship voyage.
There's an interesting theme in this book: that of the growing personal power of Bren, both as the most experienced of the growing paidhiin, the humans tasked with the incredibly difficult job of not just translating languages and cultures, but different biology-based emotional contexts, and as Tabini's go-to diplomatic envoy. It will be interesting to see if the author explores this in coming books.
The other addition here is Tabini's heir, Cajeiri, a very young foster child of Ilsidi who continues to be both awesome and terrifying. Cajeiri eventually becomes a viewpoint character for the series so this introduction is important.
Other than that, this is very much the middle book of the trilogy, primarily setting out the new state of the world after the events of the previous book and setting stage for Bren's first starship voyage.
January 9, 2011
Not as interesting as Book #4, but still a quick read. This was definitely a transition book; getting the characters from Point A - the Space Station - to Point B, the space ship, where they can then start to transition to Point C, the abandoned space station.
My main complaint with this book is the characters don't seem to have evolved or matured. Bren is still wrestling with family issues, even though he's been on the space station and out of communication for two years. Jase is still behaving like a petulant teenager rather than a mature ship-captian. The Atavi continue not to tell Bren-padhi anything, leaving him to run in circles and scream and shout. The Ship continues not to tell Jase and Bren anything, leaving them to grouse and shout. And then events force all hands and they have nothing more to do than to react.
But oddly, I still enjoy this series and I am looking forward to reading the next one.
My main complaint with this book is the characters don't seem to have evolved or matured. Bren is still wrestling with family issues, even though he's been on the space station and out of communication for two years. Jase is still behaving like a petulant teenager rather than a mature ship-captian. The Atavi continue not to tell Bren-padhi anything, leaving him to run in circles and scream and shout. The Ship continues not to tell Jase and Bren anything, leaving them to grouse and shout. And then events force all hands and they have nothing more to do than to react.
But oddly, I still enjoy this series and I am looking forward to reading the next one.
June 30, 2024
C. J. Cherryh's excellent series has been very interesting and fun. This fifth book, for me, was the weakest one but it is still quite good.
In a nutshell this story revolves around the Atevi and the humans working together as they board the ship to travel to the station. Of course, there is much more to this non-spoilery statement. From the deaths of Ship Captains causing power issues, Bren and Lase must also use their diplomatic skills to ascertain what Tabini really wants, as he sends his intimidating grandmother, Ildisi, and his heir on the trip.
This series shines in how it looks at the differences in alien and human cultures and explores how the complex world of diplomacy evolves around such a potentially volatile mixture. While this series is not a grand action adventure with violence, war, and epic battles. This is very different and it shines in what it does- a study of culture and diplomatic politics viewed through the eyes of Bren who must negotiate this minefield.
In a nutshell this story revolves around the Atevi and the humans working together as they board the ship to travel to the station. Of course, there is much more to this non-spoilery statement. From the deaths of Ship Captains causing power issues, Bren and Lase must also use their diplomatic skills to ascertain what Tabini really wants, as he sends his intimidating grandmother, Ildisi, and his heir on the trip.
This series shines in how it looks at the differences in alien and human cultures and explores how the complex world of diplomacy evolves around such a potentially volatile mixture. While this series is not a grand action adventure with violence, war, and epic battles. This is very different and it shines in what it does- a study of culture and diplomatic politics viewed through the eyes of Bren who must negotiate this minefield.
October 9, 2026
Book 6 in a series.
This book was so tense all the way through. So good.
This book was so tense all the way through. So good.
November 12, 2018
Review to come!
October 7, 2019
To read more reviews, check out my blog keikii eats books!
Quote:
Review:
BREN, GOING DEEPER INTO SPACE!
Defender was a book of mysteries. We learned almost nothing the entire time. Every step of the way there were more questions. Which isn't how the other books went, but it isn't not how the others went, either. We just typically have more answers than we got throughout Defender.
There is a massive time skip between this book and the last. A few years worth of time skip. It had me very confused. On the one hand, I get it, it makes sense. On the other hand, I was just confused. I couldn't keep the timeline straight. I'm not used to series with such big time skips. I'm pretty positive I don't like it because it skipped over so much character development I was craving to have.
I don't remember when we find this out, and I may be breaking my own personal rule where the first 20% of a book is fine to spoil but be wary after that. But if I didn't talk about it there would be nothing to talk about at all: the Reunion outpost that was attacked by aliens is actually alive and hopefully well, and the ship is going back to rescue them. Bren has been volunteered to go by Tabini, the ruler of the atevi. To go with Bren is Ilisidi, Tabin's grandmother, and Cajeiri, Tabini's kid. Yeah. Interesting times! This book is mostly setting up that journey and leaving.
There are some parts I don't like, like the time skip. And the fact that Bren's home life keeps interrupting important business and distracting him just when he needs to concentrate the most. But overall I'm so happy to be reading this series I could overlook a great many sins. This is just the best.
Quote:
“We are not mentioning to the captain that Cajeiri is six,” Bren said. “She believes sixteen.”
“Sixteen?” Cajeiri crowed, delighted.
“Hush, rascal,” Ilisidi said.
“It’s a convenient misunderstanding,” Bren said, “saving argument. And there would be argument about his presence otherwise, in a dangerous place. Human custom is against it.”
“Do you hear?” Ilisidi said. “You must pretend ten more years, young scoundrel, to satisfy the ship-aiji’s expectations of your wisdom, your sense and your self-restraint.”
“I think the ship-aiji will suspect me,” Cajeiri said sadly, and the Ragi-speakers could not but laugh a little.”
Review:
BREN, GOING DEEPER INTO SPACE!
Defender was a book of mysteries. We learned almost nothing the entire time. Every step of the way there were more questions. Which isn't how the other books went, but it isn't not how the others went, either. We just typically have more answers than we got throughout Defender.
There is a massive time skip between this book and the last. A few years worth of time skip. It had me very confused. On the one hand, I get it, it makes sense. On the other hand, I was just confused. I couldn't keep the timeline straight. I'm not used to series with such big time skips. I'm pretty positive I don't like it because it skipped over so much character development I was craving to have.
I don't remember when we find this out, and I may be breaking my own personal rule where the first 20% of a book is fine to spoil but be wary after that. But if I didn't talk about it there would be nothing to talk about at all: the Reunion outpost that was attacked by aliens is actually alive and hopefully well, and the ship is going back to rescue them. Bren has been volunteered to go by Tabini, the ruler of the atevi. To go with Bren is Ilisidi, Tabin's grandmother, and Cajeiri, Tabini's kid. Yeah. Interesting times! This book is mostly setting up that journey and leaving.
There are some parts I don't like, like the time skip. And the fact that Bren's home life keeps interrupting important business and distracting him just when he needs to concentrate the most. But overall I'm so happy to be reading this series I could overlook a great many sins. This is just the best.
September 10, 2022
Good thing that I don‘t really read the blurbs before diving into these books, because the main plot line of this one was a complete surprise, for me and Bren Cameron. So I experienced it all firsthand though him. Fun!
“Actually, you’re the alien.“
Oh yes, that was a good one. The crew of the Phoenix in all their entitlement still haven‘t understood that the colonists have moved on and are their own society now.
And by now it seems that Bren Cameron is more Atevi than Mospheiran. Stretched out between all those different cultures and not quite belonging to his own origin society anymore.
It doesn‘t feel like a transition or „middle-book“ at all for me, as other reviewers hinted at. Well, yes, it really is a middle-book in this sub-trilogy, but the story was entertaining and had some great new developments. Bren being kept out of the loop of some back-door dealings between two of the major players was quite a revelation to him and leading him to question Tabini‘s trust in him.
I wonder how this trip will shape Cajeiri and I can‘t wait to find out about that other station, the other aliens and what they will find when they all get back home…
Defender is the 5th Foreigner book. It is also the 2nd book in the second subtrilogy.
“Actually, you’re the alien.“
Oh yes, that was a good one. The crew of the Phoenix in all their entitlement still haven‘t understood that the colonists have moved on and are their own society now.
And by now it seems that Bren Cameron is more Atevi than Mospheiran. Stretched out between all those different cultures and not quite belonging to his own origin society anymore.
It doesn‘t feel like a transition or „middle-book“ at all for me, as other reviewers hinted at. Well, yes, it really is a middle-book in this sub-trilogy, but the story was entertaining and had some great new developments. Bren being kept out of the loop of some back-door dealings between two of the major players was quite a revelation to him and leading him to question Tabini‘s trust in him.
I wonder how this trip will shape Cajeiri and I can‘t wait to find out about that other station, the other aliens and what they will find when they all get back home…
Defender is the 5th Foreigner book. It is also the 2nd book in the second subtrilogy.
October 7, 2018
Soooo good!
Very grateful for this series.
Very grateful for this series.
April 23, 2022
Poor Bren continues to be dragged off on adventures and not being told anything when all he wants is a nice long vacation, his family continues to be The Worst™, and Ilisidi and Tabini are up to shit. So, business as usual. A new character I enjoyed was Cajeiri, the atevi chaos child. This one was a little weaker since it felt like the first half of a plot that'll surely be continued in book 6, but I enjoyed it regardless.
This series feels a lot like a tv show, episodic to an extent, but with just enough loose ends at the end of each book to keep you hooked.
This series feels a lot like a tv show, episodic to an extent, but with just enough loose ends at the end of each book to keep you hooked.
not-going-there
September 5, 2020First published in 2001 and look at this cover:
July 2, 2023
Bren, Bren, Bren...
April 22, 2021
This is book five in a long-running science fiction series that began with Foreigner (1994) and currently numbers twenty-one books. I've greatly enjoyed the first five books and will begin with general remarks that apply to them collectively, before progressing to comments on book five in particular. Mild spoilers ahead.
Overall, I found the fifth installment slightly less compelling than its predecessors, but that is a high bar.
Four out of five clandestine stars.
About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).
Overall, I found the fifth installment slightly less compelling than its predecessors, but that is a high bar.
Four out of five clandestine stars.
About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).
July 31, 2022
"Baji-naji," Gin said, in human terms here goes nothing.
And in atevi--here goes everything.
Defender is the second book of the second trilogy--"infelicitous two," so to speak, and it is slow. This is a transitional book in every sense of the word; it's entirely set-up for the book to come, and it is needed. That said, even as someone who's read a lot of Cherryh at this point, the ponderous build of this book was at times trying.
(Note: I do try to keep things spoiler-free, but at a certain point I have to assume that knowledge of previous books is in play.)
Bren's been in orbit for 6 or 7 years now. The station is an ongoing success, the aishidi'tat is strong, Phoenix is fueled, things are going right in the world... and our protagonist hasn't been to Mospheira since the beginning of the previous book.
While I've appreciated that Bren (unlike some SF protagonists) has this nagging family in the background, I've also had the mind that it's been a bit distracting. There's a reason many protagonists just seem to float free of familial attachment and obligations, existing wholly within their job. The backbeat of "Oh you were in town on business and you didn't call? No I don't care that the world is at stake! I'm your mother!" is just a little too real.
And yet here, at the turn of the plot, it has to be resolved one way or the other. There's a theme of change and acceptance running through Defender. Even in space, Bren has been caught in the orbit of his family drama, but it's just not sustainable. And even though I thought it was slightly annoying, I'm still really glad that plot thread has been there, because without it Bren is just another untethered super!diplomat trope.
Ilisidi is here again, because of course she is, but this time she's less "slightly frightening grandmother" and more "please remember this is the 2nd most powerful person on the planet and she doesn't think like you do." This is the Ilisidi from the first book, unleashed on ship-folk, and it has the potential to end very badly.
And that's refreshing. Since the first book (and to lesser degree the second), we haven't seen much on-page evidence of atevi-human flashpoints. They exist in the background, we're told about them (the ongoing drumbeat of "atevi aren't humans"), but we don't see it. Interactions between human and atevi have been very carefully mediated to prevent it. But now we do, because even after a decade there are ship-folk who don't GET it.
Bren Cameron is a human protagonist, but he's a human protagonist working for atevi authority and interests. He doesn't see atevi as aliens, because it's their planet. Humans are the aliens. Humans are the slightly unwelcome guests. And if humans want atevi resources, they need to play by atevi rules. This is--understandably--an unwelcome shock for some.
Which brings me to Sabin. Sabin is one of the ship captains, and arguably the most human-centric of the lot. She doesn't like "aliens," and she doesn't like Bren Cameron. She makes for a good antagonist. And the thing is, as a reader I can understand her position. The Ship is everything. The Ship is the world. Her job as captain is to maintain the security and good operation of the Ship, and atevi threaten that. Unfortunately for her, the Ship is now bound up in atevi interests. It's a great dynamic, and I'm looking forward to seeing how it will play out in subsequent books.
Giving this 3.5 for the filler-drama-content and rounding to 4 stars for necessity and actually making the filler-drama-content interesting.
February 12, 2020
The fifth volume of the foreigner series picks up not too long after the previous volume. Our intrepid Bran is basically living on the space station helping to coordinate the various factions (planet bound survivors from the ship over 200 years ago, the current ship crew, and of course, the atevi) in the rebuilding effort. The ship is fully fueled and ready to go, and the space station houses some 50 thousand people. Like the other volumes, a sudden crisis emerges that challenges the whole shebang, in this case, the dying revelations of one of the ship captains, who mentions that the space station founded by the ship in another solar system was not totally destroyed and that there were many survivors! (no spoilers, this is on the cover blurb).
Naturally, the ship's crew want to lead a rescue mission ASAP, the entire agreement between the three groups is threatened. I will not go further in details, only to say that what happens in the rest of the book takes place in less than a week.
I have mentions that this series is formulaic, and this volume is no exception. If you are vested in Bran and atevi politics by this point, you will not be disappointed. What amazing me most in this series is how little tech is even mentioned, let alone described. I have no idea what the star ship looks like, or the station, and even less how they work. Cherryh simply uses scifi motifs as a prop to develop her sociological investigation of the the alien atevi. 3.5 stars.
Naturally, the ship's crew want to lead a rescue mission ASAP, the entire agreement between the three groups is threatened. I will not go further in details, only to say that what happens in the rest of the book takes place in less than a week.
I have mentions that this series is formulaic, and this volume is no exception. If you are vested in Bran and atevi politics by this point, you will not be disappointed. What amazing me most in this series is how little tech is even mentioned, let alone described. I have no idea what the star ship looks like, or the station, and even less how they work. Cherryh simply uses scifi motifs as a prop to develop her sociological investigation of the the alien atevi. 3.5 stars.
March 2, 2020
Not my favorite in the series so far. This is one of those books where many things change but very little happens. The book really focused on the politics between the three different factions which I do find interesting but not necessarily a full novel of it. Moving on to Explorer.
November 20, 2020
3.5 stars
The extra .5 is for the middle of this book where three mind-blowing things happen in quick succession. It left me breathless and excited for whatever else the plot would bring, but things ended on a gasp instead of a bang. Maybe that's fitting for the middle book of a "sub-trilogy", but I was still hoping for a little more.
The extra .5 is for the middle of this book where three mind-blowing things happen in quick succession. It left me breathless and excited for whatever else the plot would bring, but things ended on a gasp instead of a bang. Maybe that's fitting for the middle book of a "sub-trilogy", but I was still hoping for a little more.
July 15, 2026
As ever, a stellar book in an incredible series. Damnit Cherryh you’ve done it again, currently my favorite series and growing favorite author! Book 5 of the Foreigner series and I’m still hooked!
January 12, 2011
This is the fifth of the Foreigner series, and Bren Cameron has made the terrible mistake of becoming comfortable in his new role as the representative of the atevi ruler aboard the space station. He has spent the last several years carefully maintaining peaceful relations among the atevi, the humans of the island of Mospheira on the planet, and the humans of the returned starship, Phoenix. Phoenix is refueled, the first of the new starships is well along in construction. One of the atevi aboard the space station, Lord Geigi, has even worked out a method of raising fish (a food acceptable to atevi at all seasons) on board the space station in manner that's practical and yet also complies with the strict atevi taboo against raising captive food animals.
So, of course, at this point, the senior Phoenix captain, Ramirez, dies, and with his dying breath imparts a dangerous secret to the most junior captain, Bren's old friend and fellow paidhi, Jase Graham. The space station the Phoenix crew had built in another star system was not completely destroyed by the aliens who attacked it; there were survivors on board who were left behind to begin repairs while Phoenix went for help. Only a tiny number of people knew this; virtually the entire crew was lied to, being told that their family members were dead. In addition, because part of the station survived and there were survivors aboard, it's possible that the aliens, if they returned, could have obtained information about the location of the atevi homeworld and the fact that it's the nearest thing to a home base that humans in these parts have. This is overheard by a station worker who came to the infirmary with a minor injury, and the rumor gets out, and all hell breaks loose, as atevi, Mospheirans, and crew realize how critically they've been lied to. The Phoenix captains vote to go back to the other star system and rescue those remaining on the partially-destroyed station, because they'll have a mutiny on their hands if they don't.
Meanwhile, Bren's mother is ill, possibly seriously, his brother's marriage is being seriously damaged by his efforts to Make Mother Happy (an impossible task) and he wants Bren to come home, take care of Mother, and fix his marriage, and Bren's ex-fiancee is hinting that she wants to get back together. In his professional life, Bren is unable to communicate with Tabini, the atevi ruler he serves. He's receiving no communication, directly or indirectly, and gets no response to his own messages, no matter h ow urgent. Has he lost favor with Tabini? If so, this could be a serious problem, given how thoroughly he's burned his bridges with Mospheira.
And then Ilisidi, Tabini-aiji's grandmother, arrives aboard the space station, with Tabini's six-year-old heir, Cajeiri, in tow, and Bren's life gets exciting.
If you're allergic to Cherryh's prose, avoid this; it's more of the same. If not, however, this is an enjoyable new entry in an enjoyable series.
So, of course, at this point, the senior Phoenix captain, Ramirez, dies, and with his dying breath imparts a dangerous secret to the most junior captain, Bren's old friend and fellow paidhi, Jase Graham. The space station the Phoenix crew had built in another star system was not completely destroyed by the aliens who attacked it; there were survivors on board who were left behind to begin repairs while Phoenix went for help. Only a tiny number of people knew this; virtually the entire crew was lied to, being told that their family members were dead. In addition, because part of the station survived and there were survivors aboard, it's possible that the aliens, if they returned, could have obtained information about the location of the atevi homeworld and the fact that it's the nearest thing to a home base that humans in these parts have. This is overheard by a station worker who came to the infirmary with a minor injury, and the rumor gets out, and all hell breaks loose, as atevi, Mospheirans, and crew realize how critically they've been lied to. The Phoenix captains vote to go back to the other star system and rescue those remaining on the partially-destroyed station, because they'll have a mutiny on their hands if they don't.
Meanwhile, Bren's mother is ill, possibly seriously, his brother's marriage is being seriously damaged by his efforts to Make Mother Happy (an impossible task) and he wants Bren to come home, take care of Mother, and fix his marriage, and Bren's ex-fiancee is hinting that she wants to get back together. In his professional life, Bren is unable to communicate with Tabini, the atevi ruler he serves. He's receiving no communication, directly or indirectly, and gets no response to his own messages, no matter h ow urgent. Has he lost favor with Tabini? If so, this could be a serious problem, given how thoroughly he's burned his bridges with Mospheira.
And then Ilisidi, Tabini-aiji's grandmother, arrives aboard the space station, with Tabini's six-year-old heir, Cajeiri, in tow, and Bren's life gets exciting.
If you're allergic to Cherryh's prose, avoid this; it's more of the same. If not, however, this is an enjoyable new entry in an enjoyable series.
January 29, 2011
A deathbed confession, overheard by the wrong person, sets a wildfire of emotion through both the station and the ship crews as they learn there may be survivors on a station they abandoned when they ran back to the Atevi world.[return][return]Betrayal, anger and distrust are rampant in every interface between the various human groups and even with the Atevi. However, with the ship refueled, there is no reason why the crew can't go back to get the missing people. A year-long journey and a chance of a hostile alien encounter are only part of the problem. A decade has passed since they abandoned Reunion. What will they find when they return?[return][return]The hope that friends and family might still be holding on in the partially destroyed station is going to lead to a mutiny if a rescue isn't immediately launched -- and even that would take a year to reach the station -- then there is going to be serious trouble.[return][return]Into this atmosphere, Bren Cameron must try to work a solution to everyone's liking -- but he's working blind in one respect. He has had no instructions from the Aiji or the Atevi government. Urgent messages go unanswered at a time when he most needs the guidance of his friend. [return][return]He knows friend is not a word he can apply to any Atevi. He knows that he doesn't feel what they feel, and yet he can't help but feel a level of betrayal when he learns the Aiji has been working with another rather than with him. He's been cut off with no one but his loyal Atevi companions to stand by him in a dangerous situation where he can only guess what the leader of the Atevi world will want. Add the pressure of family commitments he can in no way deal with, and believing himself abandoned and betrayed, Bren can only do what he's always trained to do -- mediate between groups of people who are one step away from open warfare. When the indomitable Illisidi and the Aiji's young son come to the station, intending to travel aboard the ship, the situation grows even more complex.[return][return][return][return]Defender is an exciting book from start to finish, with enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing just what might be the truth and what enemies might Bren faces. As always, the alien society is exceptionally well-written and the plotting superb. This book is a real treat for fans of the series.
July 25, 2018
Story: 4 (Slow-paced and doesn’t go anywhere)
Characters: 7 (Same as in previous volumes)
Thrill to the Adventure of Boarding a Ship!
Marvel at the Discussion of Relative Interpersonal Authority!
Stand in Awe of Fish in Space!
This book is the least impactful of the series so far. Everything that happens here is what we know will happen after reading the last book and the only major new mystery is left unresolved despite an underwhelming cliffhanger that was built around answering it. Instead we have to wait until book six to get all the interesting stuff. The book starts with the sudden preparation for departure in search of their lost base and ends with the departure in search of their lost base. Things happen in the interim, but nothing all that exciting.
Characters: 7 (Same as in previous volumes)
Thrill to the Adventure of Boarding a Ship!
Marvel at the Discussion of Relative Interpersonal Authority!
Stand in Awe of Fish in Space!
This book is the least impactful of the series so far. Everything that happens here is what we know will happen after reading the last book and the only major new mystery is left unresolved despite an underwhelming cliffhanger that was built around answering it. Instead we have to wait until book six to get all the interesting stuff. The book starts with the sudden preparation for departure in search of their lost base and ends with the departure in search of their lost base. Things happen in the interim, but nothing all that exciting.
September 13, 2017
Still loving Bren, human disaster. I love that other humans are, rightly, wondering where his loyalties are and how human he still is, after years of living in the mental space of an atevi. I love that the dysfunction of his family relationships are written so wince-inducingly well; I don't doubt that Cherryh has either been there or knows someone who has.
Still loving atevi diplomacy. Got a problem? Throw Illisidi at it. Then it won't be a problem because it'll either be handled or levelled and you can rearrange the rubble in pleasing patterns.
Still loving atevi diplomacy. Got a problem? Throw Illisidi at it. Then it won't be a problem because it'll either be handled or levelled and you can rearrange the rubble in pleasing patterns.
July 20, 2010
This was especially good. Bren and his atevi associates leave for a far star. The process of getting to that point is incredibly complicated with political secrets, intrigue, and bold moves, shaking Bren's confidence and his sense of safety. A great series. On to Explorer
December 31, 2018
In terms of the long arc nothing much really happening in this entry of the series. It was, nevertheless, highly entertaining.
The characters really do drive this story, which is interesting given the amount of "don't do 'feelings'" that is a cornerstone of more than half of the characters in the series.
Still, it's all court intrigue all the time - in space.
The characters really do drive this story, which is interesting given the amount of "don't do 'feelings'" that is a cornerstone of more than half of the characters in the series.
Still, it's all court intrigue all the time - in space.
February 25, 2013
Review to come! :D
August 28, 2024
3.5 stars
October 29, 2023
I think when I first started this series, I expected the novels to be more standalone than they really are. By now I've embraced the fact that while each story has its own little arc, the Foreigner series is more an overarching epic than a series of self-contained novels. And having accepted that, I'm having a lot more fun.
This book marks a pretty major shift in the series--we're officially leaving the planet! I'm not entirely happy about that bc I love atevi society but it will certainly be interesting to see how two just barely allied species deal with even more different societies in space. And I love how Bren just keeps on getting hit with unexpected tasks by the aiji. Honestly I think Tabini doesn't always warn him about things partly bc he already has so much to think about, partly so he won't have too much time to obsess, and partly to keep him obedient--a paidhi asked to leave at a moment's notice is not a paidhi with time to construct logical coherent reasons for why he shouldn't, or meddle too much in how Tabini wants things arranged in his absence. At the same time Tabini values him a great deal, in the way of valuing a very useful weapon. Their relationship beyond that runs into some tricky areas on the atevi-human interface, but when Tabini said he summoned Bren down one last time just to get a good look at him before he left, and Bren was like "that can't be it, it can't be that simple, and Tabini can't feel things for me or I'm going to feel things about him feeling things for me".... it hits. And Bren hugged Tano and Algini! They've grown to a point where even if they don't feel the same things, they can accept each other's feelings and customs and still have mutual closeness, if not quite defined the same way on both sides.
I do worry about Bren's relationship with Jase. It's always been complicated, but with Jase now in a position of authority, I wonder how their priorities in the future might conflict, and if they can still be friends. They have their own difficulties with that interface even though they're both human--Bren's mind always being in a half-atevi mindset, Jase having the ship-human unfamiliarity with strangers. I hope in future books they can still get along and work together. We'll have to see.
This book marks a pretty major shift in the series--we're officially leaving the planet! I'm not entirely happy about that bc I love atevi society but it will certainly be interesting to see how two just barely allied species deal with even more different societies in space. And I love how Bren just keeps on getting hit with unexpected tasks by the aiji. Honestly I think Tabini doesn't always warn him about things partly bc he already has so much to think about, partly so he won't have too much time to obsess, and partly to keep him obedient--a paidhi asked to leave at a moment's notice is not a paidhi with time to construct logical coherent reasons for why he shouldn't, or meddle too much in how Tabini wants things arranged in his absence. At the same time Tabini values him a great deal, in the way of valuing a very useful weapon. Their relationship beyond that runs into some tricky areas on the atevi-human interface, but when Tabini said he summoned Bren down one last time just to get a good look at him before he left, and Bren was like "that can't be it, it can't be that simple, and Tabini can't feel things for me or I'm going to feel things about him feeling things for me".... it hits. And Bren hugged Tano and Algini! They've grown to a point where even if they don't feel the same things, they can accept each other's feelings and customs and still have mutual closeness, if not quite defined the same way on both sides.
I do worry about Bren's relationship with Jase. It's always been complicated, but with Jase now in a position of authority, I wonder how their priorities in the future might conflict, and if they can still be friends. They have their own difficulties with that interface even though they're both human--Bren's mind always being in a half-atevi mindset, Jase having the ship-human unfamiliarity with strangers. I hope in future books they can still get along and work together. We'll have to see.
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