What do you think?
Rate this book
Finisterre #1
Rider at the Gate
Rider at the Gate (Nighthorse, Book 1)
Stranded on a distant planet that abounds with fertile farmland, human colonists appear to be in paradise. But all the native animals communicate by telepathy, projecting images that drive humans mad. Only Nighthorses stand between civilization and madness. When a flare of human emotion spreads to all the horses, chaos erupts.
Stranded on a distant planet that abounds with fertile farmland, human colonists appear to be in paradise. But all the native animals communicate by telepathy, projecting images that drive humans mad. Only Nighthorses stand between civilization and madness. When a flare of human emotion spreads to all the horses, chaos erupts.
496 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
9 people are currently reading
791 people want to read
About the author
C.J. Cherryh
293 books3,592 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
December 7, 2012
Although this book has a slow and confusing beginning, it eventually picks up into a really fascinating thriller/murder-mystery in an exceedingly intriguing world. The basic premise is that human colonists have been marooned for generations on a planet where most of the wildlife is "telepathic" (considering that radio signals are one of the most dangerous attractants, I suspect there's some semi-scientific explanation possible for the telepathy). The only thing that prevents humans from getting swarmed and devoured by the wildlife is the presence around every human settlement of Nighthorses--omnivorous horse analogues (and one of the planet's upper-level predators) that tend to pair up with particular human Riders (humans being the suppliers of interesting, focused thoughts...and bacon).
If this set-up sounds a little too much like McCaffrey's Pern, Lackey's Companions, and every other magical animal pairing story you've ever heard of...well, I think it's *supposed* to. It's a wry (but subtle) send-up of that kind of story, with companion animals who very definitely have minds of their own and are not merely compliant extensions of their human friends' wishes. Cherryh uses a logical lens rather than a rose-colored one on the scenario, and I really enjoyed the result. I just wish she'd write more in this universe (the second book, Cloud's Rider, ends with far too much unanswered).
April 16, 2018
This sounded like a concept that would be quite fascinating: on a remote planet, a colony of humans have set up a sort of wild west society in which they depend on the sentient nighthorses, creatures which bond with humans. Most of the wildlife is telepathic and has the ability to send distorting emotion laden images which can overwhelm and kill human beings in umpteen different ways: the nighthorses defend against those and keep most at bay. They also enable travel and trade, with their riders acting like a travel guild who ride gunshot, literally, on convoys of trucks between settlements, enabling people to live a fairly comfortable if precarious existence.
Into this, early in the tale, comes the rumour of a rogue horse: one which can turn human emotions and impressions back on themselves and amplify negative emotions to a fever pitch, resulting in fights, murders, and at worse, people opening the gates of towns and letting in the multitude of predators great and small which look on human beings as a walking larder. A man called Guil Stuart is told his partner Aby has died because of a rogue horse, but then enemies of his start to twist things, amplified by the large numbers of nighthorses in the rider camp beside a large settlement town, into making out Stuart and his horse to be the rogue. He is forced to set off into the wilderness, initially unarmed and wounded, on a quest to kill the real rogue.
Another main character is a young man, Danny Fisher, a town boy who has been 'called' by a nighthorse, Cloud, and villified by his family and the local priests who teach that listening to nighthorse sendings means people will go to hell - despite the fact that without nighthorses, human existence is impossible on the planet. Danny is struggling to come to terms with his alienation from his family and his inability to calm his young horse at crucial moments. Feeling a debt to Stuart who once gave him sound advice, he becomes involved in an attempt to track Stuart and then falls in with Stuart's enemies.
The story switches constantly between the different characters, mainly Stuart and Danny, but others also, as the situation with the rogue becomes deadly for all.
So far so good. But I found the execution of the story a barrier to enjoying it fully. The narrative is an attempt at immersion in the experience of emotion-laden telepathy, with words constantly appearing in pointy brackets, and becomes quite hard to follow in places. Also, the story seems overworked and laborious, taking pages and pages for the smallest bit of action, and a lot of emphasis on travelling in the onset of winter. The story didn't really need 468 pages to tell in my opinion and might have worked better with some judicious cutting of what came over in places as unnecessary blow by blow spelling out of every piece of character internal dialogue. For that reason, I can only give it a 3-star rating.
Into this, early in the tale, comes the rumour of a rogue horse: one which can turn human emotions and impressions back on themselves and amplify negative emotions to a fever pitch, resulting in fights, murders, and at worse, people opening the gates of towns and letting in the multitude of predators great and small which look on human beings as a walking larder. A man called Guil Stuart is told his partner Aby has died because of a rogue horse, but then enemies of his start to twist things, amplified by the large numbers of nighthorses in the rider camp beside a large settlement town, into making out Stuart and his horse to be the rogue. He is forced to set off into the wilderness, initially unarmed and wounded, on a quest to kill the real rogue.
Another main character is a young man, Danny Fisher, a town boy who has been 'called' by a nighthorse, Cloud, and villified by his family and the local priests who teach that listening to nighthorse sendings means people will go to hell - despite the fact that without nighthorses, human existence is impossible on the planet. Danny is struggling to come to terms with his alienation from his family and his inability to calm his young horse at crucial moments. Feeling a debt to Stuart who once gave him sound advice, he becomes involved in an attempt to track Stuart and then falls in with Stuart's enemies.
The story switches constantly between the different characters, mainly Stuart and Danny, but others also, as the situation with the rogue becomes deadly for all.
So far so good. But I found the execution of the story a barrier to enjoying it fully. The narrative is an attempt at immersion in the experience of emotion-laden telepathy, with words constantly appearing in pointy brackets, and becomes quite hard to follow in places. Also, the story seems overworked and laborious, taking pages and pages for the smallest bit of action, and a lot of emphasis on travelling in the onset of winter. The story didn't really need 468 pages to tell in my opinion and might have worked better with some judicious cutting of what came over in places as unnecessary blow by blow spelling out of every piece of character internal dialogue. For that reason, I can only give it a 3-star rating.
Did not finish
January 7, 2024It has been over a year since I DNFed a book, and that’s a statistic I am pleased with. I am afraid that C.J. Cherryh, despite being recognized as a titan of science fiction, might be one of those authors whose books just don’t work for me. My other outing,
The Paladin
was all right but didn’t leave me astonished the way I hope most of my science fiction and fantasy does. I picked up Rider at the Gate and its sequel at the same time from the used bookstore—but I won’t be reading the sequel. I couldn’t get through this one, and that’s OK.
Classically, the original Star Trek series was described as “Wagon Train to the Stars”—a western in space. Rider at the Gate taps into exactly this motif. If that works for you—if you’re into westerns with a patina of science fiction layered over it—then you might enjoy this book. Unfortunately, I don’t really like westerns all that much, and it takes a lot of science fiction (like Killjoys or Defiance) to make it palatable to me, and that doesn’t happen here.
It also doesn’t help that the protagonist is a very horny teenage boy. (I guess Cherryh knows her target audience?) I noted this in my review of The Paladin: Cherryh’s writing style is heavy on description and exposition and light on dialogue. This makes these novels, not all that long, quite dense. If you are enjoying the happenings, then that’s ideal. Since I was not, it felt … interminable.
Suffice it to say, Rider at the Gate is not for me. That doesn’t make it bad, which is why I chose to DNF it instead of trudge onwards and give it an unhelpful rating. I don’t want to discourage anyone from picking up Cherryh if you think her books will be for you, but I am now wise enough to recognize when I am not getting the return I want on my reading time.
Originally posted on Kara.Reviews, where you can easily browse all my reviews and subscribe to my newsletter.
Classically, the original Star Trek series was described as “Wagon Train to the Stars”—a western in space. Rider at the Gate taps into exactly this motif. If that works for you—if you’re into westerns with a patina of science fiction layered over it—then you might enjoy this book. Unfortunately, I don’t really like westerns all that much, and it takes a lot of science fiction (like Killjoys or Defiance) to make it palatable to me, and that doesn’t happen here.
It also doesn’t help that the protagonist is a very horny teenage boy. (I guess Cherryh knows her target audience?) I noted this in my review of The Paladin: Cherryh’s writing style is heavy on description and exposition and light on dialogue. This makes these novels, not all that long, quite dense. If you are enjoying the happenings, then that’s ideal. Since I was not, it felt … interminable.
Suffice it to say, Rider at the Gate is not for me. That doesn’t make it bad, which is why I chose to DNF it instead of trudge onwards and give it an unhelpful rating. I don’t want to discourage anyone from picking up Cherryh if you think her books will be for you, but I am now wise enough to recognize when I am not getting the return I want on my reading time.
Originally posted on Kara.Reviews, where you can easily browse all my reviews and subscribe to my newsletter.
Read
February 5, 2026DNF @ 10%
This made me feel depressed and claustrophobic. A very unpleasant reading experience of what could have been a cool concept (psychic alien horses choose their riders). I've liked books from C.J. Cherryh before, but this was a bust.
This made me feel depressed and claustrophobic. A very unpleasant reading experience of what could have been a cool concept (psychic alien horses choose their riders). I've liked books from C.J. Cherryh before, but this was a bust.
April 22, 2016
Telepathic Nighthorses are the most powerful creatures on the planet, and partnering with them enable humans to maintain settlements and trade. But a rogue Nighthorse is a fearsome threat, with the power to drive entire settlements mad. There's a lot going on here: four convergent groups of characters, a modicum of worldbuilding based around telepathic bond animals and early winter alien frontierism, and a mystery plot--all written in Cherryh's terse, minute style. Those aspects don't always coalesce--I disliked the aesthetic, rarely cared about the characters's interconnections, and, while the final tableau is effective, the plot's resolution is too simple. But I came to this book for telepathic horses companions, and there it delivers without qualification. The focus is communication: the intimacy of Rider/Nighthorse interactions played to effect against grim winter; the fallout of telepathy, how it forces some intimacies and denies others. The unforgiving and rewarding focus on the (inter)personal is precisely what I wanted from this trope by this author. Rider at the Gate is difficult to recommend, as it's hardly an essential read even for fans of Cherryh--but if you love this trope, it won't disappoint.
January 12, 2025
A surprising western from a sci fi master that will please fans of both genres.
Alright dig this, on a forgotten colony planet, society has reached a similar state as the old west, the only hiccup is that the animals on the planet can read your mind and are constantly projecting their thoughts. This leads to each “rider” (think cowboy frontiersman) being able to communicate with their own horse but also that when a horse is around everyone can hear everyone else’s thoughts.
It’s a really interesting look at the concept of what it would actually be like to have a telepathic link with an animal companion, which I believe was a common trope in sci fi and fantasy in this period. Also the concept of the humans being able to share thoughts makes for an interesting twilight zone-esque thought experiment. Even though the concept is somewhat far fetched, Cherryh handles it very well and manages to keep the animal characters distinct but still animal.
As to the overall plot/conflict a crazed horse that can cause huge mental chaos is on the loose. It has killed a rider and is headed towards population in the mountains. We primarily follow Stuart but there are several point of view characters. Stuart is the partner/lover of the killed rider who attempts to hunt down the deadly horse. We also follow Danny, a rookie rider, as he joins a posse to find Stuart because of help Stuart gave him in the past. Plus there’s Tara, a female rider that lives in a mountain town and makes harrowing contact with the rogue horse. As is typical with Cherryh there are many intricacies to the plot, but that’s the premise and protagonists at a glance.
The hunt for the horse makes for a good western premise as our gritty cast of riders fight the elements, a deadly creature, and each other. Plus with the inclusion of Danny, the author fits in a solid coming of age story and the rogue horse brings in some horror elements.
With top notch world building and plotting, this is a must read for any sci fi or fantasy reader that enjoys a western every now and then.
Alright dig this, on a forgotten colony planet, society has reached a similar state as the old west, the only hiccup is that the animals on the planet can read your mind and are constantly projecting their thoughts. This leads to each “rider” (think cowboy frontiersman) being able to communicate with their own horse but also that when a horse is around everyone can hear everyone else’s thoughts.
It’s a really interesting look at the concept of what it would actually be like to have a telepathic link with an animal companion, which I believe was a common trope in sci fi and fantasy in this period. Also the concept of the humans being able to share thoughts makes for an interesting twilight zone-esque thought experiment. Even though the concept is somewhat far fetched, Cherryh handles it very well and manages to keep the animal characters distinct but still animal.
As to the overall plot/conflict a crazed horse that can cause huge mental chaos is on the loose. It has killed a rider and is headed towards population in the mountains. We primarily follow Stuart but there are several point of view characters. Stuart is the partner/lover of the killed rider who attempts to hunt down the deadly horse. We also follow Danny, a rookie rider, as he joins a posse to find Stuart because of help Stuart gave him in the past. Plus there’s Tara, a female rider that lives in a mountain town and makes harrowing contact with the rogue horse. As is typical with Cherryh there are many intricacies to the plot, but that’s the premise and protagonists at a glance.
The hunt for the horse makes for a good western premise as our gritty cast of riders fight the elements, a deadly creature, and each other. Plus with the inclusion of Danny, the author fits in a solid coming of age story and the rogue horse brings in some horror elements.
With top notch world building and plotting, this is a must read for any sci fi or fantasy reader that enjoys a western every now and then.
May 7, 2020
This books could fit into so many different categories! It has suspense, horror, a big mystery to solve, a fantasy element with telepathic horses and it's an adventure story too! I never expected so much from this book as I was simply looking for a horse related book to read and wow, I'm glad I picked this one up! It has totally surpassed my expectations. And the characters are wonderfully developed too. There is really nothing to complain about which I think is very rare in a book...
So this is about a young man named Danny and his horse named Cloud. Danny feels he owes a debt of gratitude to another man named Stuart, who is much older than him and who rides Burn. Stuart knew a lady (who was also a rider) and he has heard that she and her horse had recently died due to a rogue horse, so Stuart sets off on a long journey to kill this dangerous rogue. Danny meanwhile sets out a bit later, following. And that is the beginning of a very complicated plot that really kept me entertained.
This story had turned out a lot darker than I had thought. It definitely has some real horror elements to it (which I of course totally enjoyed as I love creature tales) and the main idea behind this horror is what do you do when you can't trust your senses? For you are on an alien world and all of the native creatures including the Nighthorses can send images directly to your brain. And not just images but emotions as well. Imagine brawls breaking out among humans because horses are upset and angry. Imagine hungry predators using these abilities to hunt you. And then imagine horses that eat fried bacon and biscuits too...and watch your fingers! Some townsfolk think the horses are demons and simply don't trust them.
The author has created a very detailed world with different viewpoints from different characters. Different towns too. I kept reading as I needed to know how it would all end. My one guess was correct but even when I was about 15 pages from the end I just didn't see how it was all going to resolve itself. The plot has a lot of different plot threads that come together for the climax. Some of the things I had hoped would happen didn't. And that was ok.
I must say at the beginning I was a little bit confused until I got used to how the horses talk using the images they send. They might use phrases like or to express their emotions. The scenes near the beginning were chaotic but I quickly grew used to it.
I do think some of the ideas in here are based off of real horses. Horses do like it peaceful and quiet. And Danny's relationship with Cloud and what he learns from the older riders - that his own jittery behaviors can indeed affect the horse he is bonded to. The most successful people who work with horses are usually those who have very peaceful personalities. I was glad to see this reflected in the story and it was indeed a part of the plot. Of course this book explores what it might be like to actually talk to your horse. A horse won't understand everything you do either as they have limits.
I look forward to reading the sequel.
So this is about a young man named Danny and his horse named Cloud. Danny feels he owes a debt of gratitude to another man named Stuart, who is much older than him and who rides Burn. Stuart knew a lady (who was also a rider) and he has heard that she and her horse had recently died due to a rogue horse, so Stuart sets off on a long journey to kill this dangerous rogue. Danny meanwhile sets out a bit later, following. And that is the beginning of a very complicated plot that really kept me entertained.
This story had turned out a lot darker than I had thought. It definitely has some real horror elements to it (which I of course totally enjoyed as I love creature tales) and the main idea behind this horror is what do you do when you can't trust your senses? For you are on an alien world and all of the native creatures including the Nighthorses can send images directly to your brain. And not just images but emotions as well. Imagine brawls breaking out among humans because horses are upset and angry. Imagine hungry predators using these abilities to hunt you. And then imagine horses that eat fried bacon and biscuits too...and watch your fingers! Some townsfolk think the horses are demons and simply don't trust them.
The author has created a very detailed world with different viewpoints from different characters. Different towns too. I kept reading as I needed to know how it would all end. My one guess was correct but even when I was about 15 pages from the end I just didn't see how it was all going to resolve itself. The plot has a lot of different plot threads that come together for the climax. Some of the things I had hoped would happen didn't. And that was ok.
I must say at the beginning I was a little bit confused until I got used to how the horses talk using the images they send. They might use phrases like or to express their emotions. The scenes near the beginning were chaotic but I quickly grew used to it.
I do think some of the ideas in here are based off of real horses. Horses do like it peaceful and quiet. And Danny's relationship with Cloud and what he learns from the older riders - that his own jittery behaviors can indeed affect the horse he is bonded to. The most successful people who work with horses are usually those who have very peaceful personalities. I was glad to see this reflected in the story and it was indeed a part of the plot. Of course this book explores what it might be like to actually talk to your horse. A horse won't understand everything you do either as they have limits.
I look forward to reading the sequel.
May 4, 2022
I'm a die-hard Cherryh fan, but I don't love all of her stuff. I wanted so to love this, but it turned into more of a slog than I expected.
One of the things I love best about her is how she does stream-of-consciousness thoughts, that put you so solidly in the character's head. No one does it better. But in this one, where the nighthorses and their riders speak in telepathy so much, it bogs it down for me. Instead of putting me in the mindset, it keeps yanking me out of the action.
And because the telepathy is so ubiquitous, and there are several main characters, it gets hard to differentiate. I found myself having to double check whose perspective I was reading, never a good thing.
The world is wonderful, and so is the relationship between nighthorses and riders. I read Cloud's Rider first years ago and adored it (hope I do when I re-read in the near future) but I found this book a little ragged and hard to sink into.
5/4/22 I'm upping this one to 4 after this re-read. I don't disagree with my earlier review. I had a pretty hard time getting into it, and by the time I was done I was tired from trying to decipher all the S-O-C fragments. But I enjoyed it more overall this time, simply for the gorgeous world-building and the characters.
One of the things I love best about her is how she does stream-of-consciousness thoughts, that put you so solidly in the character's head. No one does it better. But in this one, where the nighthorses and their riders speak in telepathy so much, it bogs it down for me. Instead of putting me in the mindset, it keeps yanking me out of the action.
And because the telepathy is so ubiquitous, and there are several main characters, it gets hard to differentiate. I found myself having to double check whose perspective I was reading, never a good thing.
The world is wonderful, and so is the relationship between nighthorses and riders. I read Cloud's Rider first years ago and adored it (hope I do when I re-read in the near future) but I found this book a little ragged and hard to sink into.
5/4/22 I'm upping this one to 4 after this re-read. I don't disagree with my earlier review. I had a pretty hard time getting into it, and by the time I was done I was tired from trying to decipher all the S-O-C fragments. But I enjoyed it more overall this time, simply for the gorgeous world-building and the characters.
March 19, 2017
As much as it pains me to say - I can't finish this one. I just can't connect to the characters (on the contrary, when certain characters are the POV, I get angry) and the story/writing itself.
Which is sad, because the concept of the book is great and I really wish I could get into it. But, I can't and I won't force myself to read further.
Which is sad, because the concept of the book is great and I really wish I could get into it. But, I can't and I won't force myself to read further.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 26, 2020
'So how did you work it out, that God arranged it so some people had to sin so the rest could go to Heaven?'
Well, this was a surprise!
The planet Finisterre is no place most would like to call home. The winters are harsh, the summers short, and the dangers are straight out of a horror story, because every animal on this planet communicates through a field called the 'ambient', a sort of telepathy that humans can hear as well. But the ambient will destroy human minds, which did not evolve to live with the constant intrusion.
Enter the nighthorses, a native species of this planet, omnivorous and three-toed, always (it would seem) coal-dark in color, and humanity's only salvation. Because nighthorses like human minds, and together a nighthorse and a human can accomplish things that neither could alone. One of these is that teams of horses and their riders can protect walled human settlements from both mental and physical intrusions by fierce native predators. But these benefits that allow survival and settlement come at a price.
And so we are introduced to Dan (don't call him Danny) Fisher, a young dude with a young horse called Cloud, who are on a mission to save another dude who helped Dan out when he needed it most, long ago. And this dude he is trying to save, Guil, whose horse is Burn, are also on a mission: to take care of some serious unfinished business in the desolate mountainous lands known as the High Wilds.
To say anymore would spoil it, I think. Are you interested yet?
So why the five stars for this one? Because this is a western like none I've ever read. Cherryh didn't just set out to write a science fiction High Plains Drifter, she gave us a world that feels very real and believable. The economy and ecology are discussed in equal measure. You can tell that even though this is an alien world, you come to understand it and it works as a functioning society.
Another really interesting thing about this book is the way it's written. It took me about 50pgs to really get into because it's very stream-of-conciousness in many respects. This fits well with the communication between nighthorses and everyone around them, but it can make for a bit of a tough read in parts (and I can imagine it was harder to write as well). There were definitely times where I went back and reread a sentence to understand what was going on. At first I was frustrated, and almost wanted to give this book a single star and chuck it. I'm very glad I didn't, I'm not sure telling the story any other way would have made it so good.
I thoroughly enjoyed the sources of tension as well. So many of them were based in the natural world (man against nature). It reminded me of the books I liked as a teen, wilderness survival stories that focused more on the inner turmoil of the human protagonist as they fought for survival against an unforgiving natural world. This was doubly so because of how this world works, Cherryh used the extremes of her world to move the story, and she even showed the extent of the horror that could naturally unfold. It was a small story, but a dramatic one, and nobody was safe.
My only regret is that there is only one more book in this series. I already have Cloud's Rider so I'll definitely be starting it shortly. I do wish there were more, though! The world is compelling and the characters were people I enjoyed getting to know. They grew over the course of the book, from folks I barely cared about to well-built personalities by the end. And despite the fact that this was 'cowboys in space', it carved out its own unique place and added something new to the talking-animal trope.
Well, this was a surprise!
The planet Finisterre is no place most would like to call home. The winters are harsh, the summers short, and the dangers are straight out of a horror story, because every animal on this planet communicates through a field called the 'ambient', a sort of telepathy that humans can hear as well. But the ambient will destroy human minds, which did not evolve to live with the constant intrusion.
Enter the nighthorses, a native species of this planet, omnivorous and three-toed, always (it would seem) coal-dark in color, and humanity's only salvation. Because nighthorses like human minds, and together a nighthorse and a human can accomplish things that neither could alone. One of these is that teams of horses and their riders can protect walled human settlements from both mental and physical intrusions by fierce native predators. But these benefits that allow survival and settlement come at a price.
And so we are introduced to Dan (don't call him Danny) Fisher, a young dude with a young horse called Cloud, who are on a mission to save another dude who helped Dan out when he needed it most, long ago. And this dude he is trying to save, Guil, whose horse is Burn, are also on a mission: to take care of some serious unfinished business in the desolate mountainous lands known as the High Wilds.
To say anymore would spoil it, I think. Are you interested yet?
So why the five stars for this one? Because this is a western like none I've ever read. Cherryh didn't just set out to write a science fiction High Plains Drifter, she gave us a world that feels very real and believable. The economy and ecology are discussed in equal measure. You can tell that even though this is an alien world, you come to understand it and it works as a functioning society.
Another really interesting thing about this book is the way it's written. It took me about 50pgs to really get into because it's very stream-of-conciousness in many respects. This fits well with the communication between nighthorses and everyone around them, but it can make for a bit of a tough read in parts (and I can imagine it was harder to write as well). There were definitely times where I went back and reread a sentence to understand what was going on. At first I was frustrated, and almost wanted to give this book a single star and chuck it. I'm very glad I didn't, I'm not sure telling the story any other way would have made it so good.
I thoroughly enjoyed the sources of tension as well. So many of them were based in the natural world (man against nature). It reminded me of the books I liked as a teen, wilderness survival stories that focused more on the inner turmoil of the human protagonist as they fought for survival against an unforgiving natural world. This was doubly so because of how this world works, Cherryh used the extremes of her world to move the story, and she even showed the extent of the horror that could naturally unfold. It was a small story, but a dramatic one, and nobody was safe.
My only regret is that there is only one more book in this series. I already have Cloud's Rider so I'll definitely be starting it shortly. I do wish there were more, though! The world is compelling and the characters were people I enjoyed getting to know. They grew over the course of the book, from folks I barely cared about to well-built personalities by the end. And despite the fact that this was 'cowboys in space', it carved out its own unique place and added something new to the talking-animal trope.
September 25, 2015
For human settlers on the planet of Finisterre life is hard, holed up in frontier towns amongst the peaks and valleys, subject to harsh winters and more threateningly to the thoughts and minds of the native animal population, which can both read and project feelings and emotions into the surrounding "ambient".
Only the nighthorses are friendly to humans, picking out riders with whom they form a symbiotic relationship. These riders fulfill the crucial role of shepherding resources from one town to the other, yet are shunned by the majority of society, who consider it evil to converse with the beasts.
Within this grim environment, Cherryh builds a suspenseful and engrossing fantasy-horror Western, full of laconic frontiersmen and women, remote outposts that need defending, and the constant threat of a shoot out.
It's also a convincing, empathetic coming of age story, as junior rider Danny Fowler and his horse Cloud join a trio of hardened veterans on a grueling trek through the frozen wastes, attempting to locate avenging rider Guil Stewart and his mount Burn, hell-bent on finding and killing the "rogue" nighthorse that caused the death of his partner, Aby.
I mention the horses names above as they are as much characters as the humans that ride them. Similar and different from horses as we understand them, the nighthorses and their riders are in constant communication with each other in an equal partnership, the mood of each affecting the other.
When masses numbers of nighthorses and humans come in close contact projected feelings can merge and intensify within the "ambient" to create mass panic and hysteria. Cherryh plays this for all it's worth, and she writes with a great sense of her created environment.
Rarely have I experienced a terrain and ecology brought to life so vividly, you really feel like you are out there in the wind and snow, suffering the same numbing privations that the characters are subjected to throughout.
The story was brought to an exciting and satisfying conclusion, though there is a sequel too, which I will certainly be aiming to get hold of. Cherryh is a prolific writer of science fiction and fantasy novels, but this was my first by her.
If her others are as well written and emotionally involving as this one I will be looking to read more.
Only the nighthorses are friendly to humans, picking out riders with whom they form a symbiotic relationship. These riders fulfill the crucial role of shepherding resources from one town to the other, yet are shunned by the majority of society, who consider it evil to converse with the beasts.
Within this grim environment, Cherryh builds a suspenseful and engrossing fantasy-horror Western, full of laconic frontiersmen and women, remote outposts that need defending, and the constant threat of a shoot out.
It's also a convincing, empathetic coming of age story, as junior rider Danny Fowler and his horse Cloud join a trio of hardened veterans on a grueling trek through the frozen wastes, attempting to locate avenging rider Guil Stewart and his mount Burn, hell-bent on finding and killing the "rogue" nighthorse that caused the death of his partner, Aby.
I mention the horses names above as they are as much characters as the humans that ride them. Similar and different from horses as we understand them, the nighthorses and their riders are in constant communication with each other in an equal partnership, the mood of each affecting the other.
When masses numbers of nighthorses and humans come in close contact projected feelings can merge and intensify within the "ambient" to create mass panic and hysteria. Cherryh plays this for all it's worth, and she writes with a great sense of her created environment.
Rarely have I experienced a terrain and ecology brought to life so vividly, you really feel like you are out there in the wind and snow, suffering the same numbing privations that the characters are subjected to throughout.
The story was brought to an exciting and satisfying conclusion, though there is a sequel too, which I will certainly be aiming to get hold of. Cherryh is a prolific writer of science fiction and fantasy novels, but this was my first by her.
If her others are as well written and emotionally involving as this one I will be looking to read more.
May 13, 2012
I have read more novels by C.J. Cherryh than any other author. This may not be unusual in that we are age mates (born within a month of each other) and may have something of a temporal commonality. But, without going into specifics, I have to say that she has provided me with both the zenith and the nadir of much of my reading experience. Mind you, I don't think it has much to do with when the work was created. I have loved both her earliest and most recent works and much from in between. But not everything. This novel was completed somewhere in the midst of the first Foreigner novels.
I found it to be among the best of her work with rich character development that not only allowed the reader to get to know them well, but also to see them change and progress. All-in-all, her tales work best when the people involved are the prime focus. In this case, the humans on the planet created by Ms. Cherryh are faced with the problems created by an indigenous population of fauna which have telepathic abilities. Happily, in the instance of the horse-like creatures (the nighthorses), they are willing partners to those who can aspire to and succeed at a relationship with them as riders.
But it is an uneasy relationship, often frought with conflict and cross-purposes which can be fomented by either horse or rider. In this story, the sudden appearance of a "rogue" horse creates chaos and murderous conflict throughout the entire human/nighthorse milieu. The task of resolving the conflict is not either easily conferred or pursued. To put it bluntly, the issue is in doubt until the very last pages.
A good read and plenty of incentive to go directly to the sequel Cloud's Rider.
I found it to be among the best of her work with rich character development that not only allowed the reader to get to know them well, but also to see them change and progress. All-in-all, her tales work best when the people involved are the prime focus. In this case, the humans on the planet created by Ms. Cherryh are faced with the problems created by an indigenous population of fauna which have telepathic abilities. Happily, in the instance of the horse-like creatures (the nighthorses), they are willing partners to those who can aspire to and succeed at a relationship with them as riders.
But it is an uneasy relationship, often frought with conflict and cross-purposes which can be fomented by either horse or rider. In this story, the sudden appearance of a "rogue" horse creates chaos and murderous conflict throughout the entire human/nighthorse milieu. The task of resolving the conflict is not either easily conferred or pursued. To put it bluntly, the issue is in doubt until the very last pages.
A good read and plenty of incentive to go directly to the sequel Cloud's Rider.
April 8, 2021
I really think this was mis-genre'd as sci-fi, which hurt the rating. The world Cherryh built was interesting, and I wanted to hear more about why it was chosen as a colony (especially if there's so much hostile animal activity to the point that everybody lives behind palisade walls) and why they seem to no longer have any sort of support from "home," wherever that was. Unfortunately, the author felt it was more important to focus on the emotions of the animals and characters in the book to the exclusion of any real plot-building action. It felt slow and I didn't really want to root for any of the characters because they all seemed alternately stubborn to the point of inconveniencing everyone (and themselves) and some weird combination of smug/confrontational that I guess was inspired by their connection with their horses? By the end it seemed like every problem was both created and repetitively solved by "magical horsey sense." I started wondering why they didn't just find some way to stay the hell away from the horses (and most of the fauna of this planet) entirely, which I think was the opposite of Cherryh's point. There's also a weird, grafted-on preachy bit about how horrible technology is, culminating in an odd stance in favor of illiteracy and the impulse to hoard all your gold under your mattress; to hell with banks.
It seems like this book had a lot of potential, but I really wanted to hear more from aspects of the world the author doesn't seem to be interested in at all. It seems a shame to create such a detailed, interesting world and then fill it with boring, pain-in-the-ass, cookie cutter characters. Also really could've done without the telepathic horse sex descriptions. That got uncomfortable fast. A rare miss by a talented author.
It seems like this book had a lot of potential, but I really wanted to hear more from aspects of the world the author doesn't seem to be interested in at all. It seems a shame to create such a detailed, interesting world and then fill it with boring, pain-in-the-ass, cookie cutter characters. Also really could've done without the telepathic horse sex descriptions. That got uncomfortable fast. A rare miss by a talented author.
March 12, 2009
C.J. Cherryh is well known for her ability to develop wonderful ecosystems for the worlds she creates. Even though her worlds are fantastical, they always speak to what is most human. In Rider at the Gate and its sequel Cloud's Rider, Cherryh does not disappoint. We get a mostly recognizable landscape inhabited by previously starfaring humans and the native telepathic fauna. Among the native fauna of this unnamed planet is the fierce and intelligent nighthorse. Nighthorses are curious and addicted to the thoughts and emotions of the human mind and often choose a particular human to be a "rider." The symbiotic relationship that develops between nighthorse and rider is a strong connection meant to be mutually beneficial but sometimes results in a pairing of devastating proportions. Within this alien system Cherryh builds a beautiful coming of age story that captures the often painful and baffling aspects that accompany the human journey to adulthood -- desparate feelings of longing, loneliness and a desire to be independent yet "fit in."
Cherryh is known to take quite a bit of time developing her story and I suggest patience when starting this set. I didn't feel completely drawn into the story until about page 150 of the first book, but after that point couldn't put the books down.
Cherryh is known to take quite a bit of time developing her story and I suggest patience when starting this set. I didn't feel completely drawn into the story until about page 150 of the first book, but after that point couldn't put the books down.
October 24, 2020
C.J. Cherryh is amazing. Her books are so dense and delicious, like a raspberry chocolate torte. It always takes me a while to sink into the world of the novels, but that's because they're so fully realized that you have to really escape, and then you don't want to come back to the real world. I'm so excited that there is at least one more of these. The sci fi concept was wonderful, the characters were fantastic, and the scary parts were hair-raising.
March 29, 2009
I love Cherryh's Foreigner series so I picked up this book which sounded intriguing. It wasn't. It was one of the most boring books I have ever read. I had to force myself to finish it and when I did I promptly donated it.
May 24, 2016
An exhausting read about false assumptions and the effort of trying not to think or imagine anything.
January 18, 2026
Unlike anything I have read before, save for maybe a few of Anne McCaffrey's dragon riders of Pern stories.
Basically a Western set on an alien planet, with a human population so many generations removed from when they first arrived, their space faring past is irrelevant to their present situation and hardly even clearly remembered.
Instead, we find ourselves in an alien world where all the native creatures can telepathically project and receive thoughts/mental images, and only through some humans forging a bond with single members of an apex species, the nighthorses, have the settlers managed to create a sustainable system.
But it's a harsh, harsh world, full of psychic predators and predominantly hard winter weather. Most of the settlers now live 19th century like gated villages to keep the telepathic native animals out of range, and employ the otherwise ostracized riders and their nighthorses to protect the villages' perimeters and shepherd goods and individuals when travel is need between each hub of civilization.
On the plus side, Cherrryh does a magnificent job creating the internal telepathic link between riders and their horses, and an equally magnificent job portraying the myriad ways the telepathic "ambient" changes and complicates the way humans interact with their environment, the native species, truth, and each other.
My only real complaint is a very fan boyish one - I wanted more payoff on some of the books more exciting ideas.
1. Characters are in constent fear of encountering all manner of the planet's telepathic predators beyond the nighthorses. Yet despite sending all the stories main characters into the wild, we never once actually get an encounter with any of these feared characters.
2. The ending, while quite sad and a satisfyingly logical conclusion within the story's setup-one that reinforces the novels exploration of the challenges of living in a telepathic world-is incredibly rushed. Like starts and ends in a flash.
Imagine the final attack on the Death Star as Luke flying solo into the trench, meeting zero resistance from the empire, sticking his one in a million shot on the first effort without having to employ the force, and then to add a slight bit of tension, takes one grazing hit from Vader only after the Death Star has blown up before Vader himself is permanently vanquished by Hans Solo, then stopping down to debrief the resistance for a few moments - that's basically this book's ending, and it is unsatisfying in its thinness.
So docking this otherwise exceptionally well-crafted novel a full star for the imbalance between voluminous setup and skimpy payoff, but otherwise, definitely well worth reading if SF married to a western backdrop appeals.
Basically a Western set on an alien planet, with a human population so many generations removed from when they first arrived, their space faring past is irrelevant to their present situation and hardly even clearly remembered.
Instead, we find ourselves in an alien world where all the native creatures can telepathically project and receive thoughts/mental images, and only through some humans forging a bond with single members of an apex species, the nighthorses, have the settlers managed to create a sustainable system.
But it's a harsh, harsh world, full of psychic predators and predominantly hard winter weather. Most of the settlers now live 19th century like gated villages to keep the telepathic native animals out of range, and employ the otherwise ostracized riders and their nighthorses to protect the villages' perimeters and shepherd goods and individuals when travel is need between each hub of civilization.
On the plus side, Cherrryh does a magnificent job creating the internal telepathic link between riders and their horses, and an equally magnificent job portraying the myriad ways the telepathic "ambient" changes and complicates the way humans interact with their environment, the native species, truth, and each other.
My only real complaint is a very fan boyish one - I wanted more payoff on some of the books more exciting ideas.
1. Characters are in constent fear of encountering all manner of the planet's telepathic predators beyond the nighthorses. Yet despite sending all the stories main characters into the wild, we never once actually get an encounter with any of these feared characters.
2. The ending, while quite sad and a satisfyingly logical conclusion within the story's setup-one that reinforces the novels exploration of the challenges of living in a telepathic world-is incredibly rushed. Like starts and ends in a flash.
Imagine the final attack on the Death Star as Luke flying solo into the trench, meeting zero resistance from the empire, sticking his one in a million shot on the first effort without having to employ the force, and then to add a slight bit of tension, takes one grazing hit from Vader only after the Death Star has blown up before Vader himself is permanently vanquished by Hans Solo, then stopping down to debrief the resistance for a few moments - that's basically this book's ending, and it is unsatisfying in its thinness.
So docking this otherwise exceptionally well-crafted novel a full star for the imbalance between voluminous setup and skimpy payoff, but otherwise, definitely well worth reading if SF married to a western backdrop appeals.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 8, 2017
Detta var minst sagt en liten revansch från Cherryh, med tanke på vad jag senast läste av henne. Fading Sun-trilogin var ju inte världens bästa första intryck. Jag vill minnas att det nog mest var karaktärerna som satte käppar i hjulet för ett välutvecklat och intressant universum. Språket var väl inte skitspännande, heller. Med det sagt är inte karaktärerna perfekta eller språket sprakande här heller men de är i alla fall så pass bra att de inte är i vägen. Det är helt dugligt hantverk båda två och ibland riktigt bra. En minst sagt lite schizofren bekantskap med författaren, minst sagt.
Nåväl.
"Rider at the Gate" kan enklast beskrivas som en western där hästarna är telepatiska. Det pratas förvisso om att människorna kommit ned i rymdskepp (den utspelas inte på jorden) men det är också det enda som egentligen är uttalat SF, utom hästarna, då. Jag hade ärligt talat förväntat mig mer av just science fiction än vad som faktiskt finns med i boken. Det är nämnda hästar (och i och för sig alla djur då de alla är telepatiska) och deras förhållanden till människorna som är bokens bästa del. De attraheras av människor på grund av deras tankemönster och människor har dragit nytta av detta för att skydda sina boplatser, då allt annat på planeten fruktar nämnda hästar. De är också allätare och har tre tår på sina hovar. En av dem har en mild besatthet med bacon, men inget koncept alls om vart det kommer ifrån. Cherryh lyckas över förväntan med att skriva förhållanden mellan hästarna och deras ryttare som man kan investera känslomässigt i. Speciellt det mellan Burn (den som gillade bacon) och en av huvudkaraktärerna, Stuart, fungerar bra. Djuren är inte bara människor som råkar vara hästformade, hästarna tänker inte som människor och beter sig inte som människor heller.
Men det är inte en lätt bok att komma in i. Cherryh är inte så brydd i att förklara lätt och smidigt för läsaren hur världen funkar. Det kan lätt bli förvirrande även när man vant sig då hästar och ryttare sällan pratar i ord. Speciellt i början när Westman med vänner kommer till staden. Väldigt förvirrande. Men hon ror ändå iland det i slutändan.
Nåväl.
"Rider at the Gate" kan enklast beskrivas som en western där hästarna är telepatiska. Det pratas förvisso om att människorna kommit ned i rymdskepp (den utspelas inte på jorden) men det är också det enda som egentligen är uttalat SF, utom hästarna, då. Jag hade ärligt talat förväntat mig mer av just science fiction än vad som faktiskt finns med i boken. Det är nämnda hästar (och i och för sig alla djur då de alla är telepatiska) och deras förhållanden till människorna som är bokens bästa del. De attraheras av människor på grund av deras tankemönster och människor har dragit nytta av detta för att skydda sina boplatser, då allt annat på planeten fruktar nämnda hästar. De är också allätare och har tre tår på sina hovar. En av dem har en mild besatthet med bacon, men inget koncept alls om vart det kommer ifrån. Cherryh lyckas över förväntan med att skriva förhållanden mellan hästarna och deras ryttare som man kan investera känslomässigt i. Speciellt det mellan Burn (den som gillade bacon) och en av huvudkaraktärerna, Stuart, fungerar bra. Djuren är inte bara människor som råkar vara hästformade, hästarna tänker inte som människor och beter sig inte som människor heller.
Men det är inte en lätt bok att komma in i. Cherryh är inte så brydd i att förklara lätt och smidigt för läsaren hur världen funkar. Det kan lätt bli förvirrande även när man vant sig då hästar och ryttare sällan pratar i ord. Speciellt i början när Westman med vänner kommer till staden. Väldigt förvirrande. Men hon ror ändå iland det i slutändan.
March 27, 2021
Cherryh is a master of complex social interactions and relationships; a writer gifted at constructing relatable, often insecure or deeply troubled characters attempting to comprehend difficult situations that test them almost to breaking point. Her dialogue, both inner and what is spoken, reflects this apprehension, confusion and despair with many observations and clever nuances, giving protagonists genuine humanity, which additionally defines the nature of the intricate plots she favours. The struggle is very real – the outcome just one of many possibilities.
Rider at the Gate also includes many other compelling elements: a dangerous landscape, telepathic nighthorses and a wild rogue, plus adds a suspicious incident combining all of the above. These key components combine to propel the story forward with considerable effectiveness, creating a tone equally reminiscent of westerns, crime thrillers, and the best of non-fantastical fantasy.
Cherryh’s writing is, as always, highly suggestive yet very efficient and direct, constantly noting ongoing tension and simmering personal differences that rarely end well. The remarkable relationships between the nighthorses and their riders are intriguing and at times utterly alien, as are the unique circumstances of this dramatic world, which features both fantastic and mundane elements.
The story builds slowly as the reader is introduced to key characters, important memories and critical happenings – a somewhat dry beginning that soon evolves into a classic Cherryh adventure where every new chapter drives the narrative towards a very satisfying conclusion. I’ve read a lot of Cherryh’s work over many years, and although this is not the best of her outstanding writing career, it certainly is a memorable adventure of high quality.
Rider at the Gate also includes many other compelling elements: a dangerous landscape, telepathic nighthorses and a wild rogue, plus adds a suspicious incident combining all of the above. These key components combine to propel the story forward with considerable effectiveness, creating a tone equally reminiscent of westerns, crime thrillers, and the best of non-fantastical fantasy.
Cherryh’s writing is, as always, highly suggestive yet very efficient and direct, constantly noting ongoing tension and simmering personal differences that rarely end well. The remarkable relationships between the nighthorses and their riders are intriguing and at times utterly alien, as are the unique circumstances of this dramatic world, which features both fantastic and mundane elements.
The story builds slowly as the reader is introduced to key characters, important memories and critical happenings – a somewhat dry beginning that soon evolves into a classic Cherryh adventure where every new chapter drives the narrative towards a very satisfying conclusion. I’ve read a lot of Cherryh’s work over many years, and although this is not the best of her outstanding writing career, it certainly is a memorable adventure of high quality.
November 21, 2017
Cherryh's "Rider at the Gate" and "Cloud's Rider" are part of her experiment with the Western genre. However, the author is doing more than placing cowboys in space or creating a "Wagon Train in the stars" or costuming a la Han Solo or "Firefly", in fact, she has invented a new High Plains Drifter and a society dependent on upon him. This stories are also an exploration of the nature of telepathic societies and its relationship with the mindblind.
Both stories pivot around the relationship of the cowboys and their "horses". However, these are not your normal equines, rather, they are alien four-legged carnivores with telepathic abilities. Nor are they beast of burdens but intelligent beings who choose to enter symbiotic relationships with their riders. This symbiosis has enabled humans to survive on a planet where all fauna have evolved telepathy as an adaptive mechanism.
The stories are exciting and action driven, and, in fact, more violent than C.J.'s normal work - this is the Wild West re-envisioned in the stars after all. Culture clash is as always the point and in these books it is literally on everybody's mind. As always the author delivers the goods.
Both stories pivot around the relationship of the cowboys and their "horses". However, these are not your normal equines, rather, they are alien four-legged carnivores with telepathic abilities. Nor are they beast of burdens but intelligent beings who choose to enter symbiotic relationships with their riders. This symbiosis has enabled humans to survive on a planet where all fauna have evolved telepathy as an adaptive mechanism.
The stories are exciting and action driven, and, in fact, more violent than C.J.'s normal work - this is the Wild West re-envisioned in the stars after all. Culture clash is as always the point and in these books it is literally on everybody's mind. As always the author delivers the goods.
March 9, 2024
Cherryh does western-frontier-calamity-horror. Of high quality like all she does. Found it to be an emotionally overwhelming and sometimes confusing experience, because (no major spoilers) it deals with beings that share their experience telepathically - not words but emotions, images and sensations - and who make the humans around them similarly telepathic and sensitive, often against their will, because it makes emotions run rampant through a group. This was both really interesting, and really emotionally taxing.
August 12, 2020
I haven't read horror for a while. This was really good, occupying my thoughts often, including some nightmare-ish elements in my dreams!
The main character isn't perfect, which is great! He grows and learns throughout the story, until he realises that he still has even more to learn.
The backstory of the world is mysterious and thought provoking, I'd love to know more.
The main character isn't perfect, which is great! He grows and learns throughout the story, until he realises that he still has even more to learn.
The backstory of the world is mysterious and thought provoking, I'd love to know more.
September 19, 2022
A little confusing, a little long, but good story line, well thought out aliens, and decent descriptions. I really like this author, and will read a sequel to see if it holds up. Now my only real complaint, and it's a very small complaint, but why on earth did the cover artist not even try to make the aliens fit the descriptions? Bothered me every time I picked up the darn book.
May 8, 2024
A thrilling and creative story with a premise I'd not seen in any other book at the time of publication- a world where the native animals are telepathic. And most are hungry!
Terrifying at times.
CONTENT WARNING- Aside from the truly scary suspense, there are scenes which includes inappropriate sexual activity and language. Occasional minor violence.
Terrifying at times.
CONTENT WARNING- Aside from the truly scary suspense, there are scenes which includes inappropriate sexual activity and language. Occasional minor violence.
April 13, 2020
Another great read from CJ 'Cherryh. She has come up with a wonderful world where the animal life has varying degrees of psi ability. Good action novel that you can't predict the turns in the plot. Highly recommended. Don't miss this one.
April 2, 2021
I usually adore Cherryh’s novels, both fantasy and science fiction. This one was good, but I didn’t find it as compelling as her other works. The confusing medley of real/ nighthorse memory and assorted link ups between characters had me going back, trying to figure out who was who.
December 24, 2021
Less up my alley than Cyteen, but Cherryh's writing is still really good, and nighthorses are an interesting concept... very claustrophobic mood, characters can't allow themselves to feel strongly bc their horses will pick up on it. Stressful.
October 16, 2022
The writing is good, but somehow this book did not grab my attention like a four star book does, so I rate this one at 3 1/2 stars. One character seems to take over this book leaving the starting main character in a supporting role and not that relevant to the main drama.
May 6, 2019
Confusing approach to a very interesting story line.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews