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Foreigner #22
Defiance
The twenty-second book in the beloved Foreigner saga continues the adventures of diplomat Bren Cameron as he navigates the tenuous peace he has struck between human refugees and the alien atevi.
In the east, outright warfare has tied down the Assassins' Guild, and that region is in confusion. Ready to hand is an age-old feud in the west, where the Master of Ashidama Bay has long hated the Edi people of the north shore and equally hated the Aishidi’tat for bringing the Edi to his shores—and hatred is a resource the Shadow Guild knows how to use to its advantage.
Bren Cameron is tasked with getting Ilisidi, the aiji-dowager, back to the capital alive, on an urgent basis. But events are cascading down on the south, the Guild is stretched thin in the east, and the Shadow Guild is within striking distance of critical targets that could bring war to the entire south.
Two lives stand in the breach, two lives the aishidi'tat would not willingly risk—Ilisidi and Bren—and the Shadow Guild will spend anything and everything to take them out.
The Foreigner series sets the standard for sci-fi first contact sagas—a smart, probing, engaging sociopolitical narrative from an acknowledged master of the genre.
In the east, outright warfare has tied down the Assassins' Guild, and that region is in confusion. Ready to hand is an age-old feud in the west, where the Master of Ashidama Bay has long hated the Edi people of the north shore and equally hated the Aishidi’tat for bringing the Edi to his shores—and hatred is a resource the Shadow Guild knows how to use to its advantage.
Bren Cameron is tasked with getting Ilisidi, the aiji-dowager, back to the capital alive, on an urgent basis. But events are cascading down on the south, the Guild is stretched thin in the east, and the Shadow Guild is within striking distance of critical targets that could bring war to the entire south.
Two lives stand in the breach, two lives the aishidi'tat would not willingly risk—Ilisidi and Bren—and the Shadow Guild will spend anything and everything to take them out.
The Foreigner series sets the standard for sci-fi first contact sagas—a smart, probing, engaging sociopolitical narrative from an acknowledged master of the genre.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published October 17, 2023
117 people are currently reading
951 people want to read
About the author
C.J. Cherryh
292 books3,563 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 77 reviews
September 30, 2023
Going in blind!
Last time we saw Bren Cameron, paidhi-aiji, human translator to Tabini-aiji, he was on the Red Train fleeing from, or racing towards, an undisclosed location with the Atevi aiji-dowager Ilisidi, various Guild members, including Bren’s own staff, important lords. All vital to the canny dowager’s plans—as we can best guess, to rid the realm of the Shadow Guild before it rebuilds.
The long, long train journey, only stopping for fuel seems to be heading towards Bren and Lord Geigi lands, on the coast.
During the journey the Dowager is not seen for days. There’s been no communication with Bren, and Bren can’t communicate with Tabini, as Cenedi (ilisidi’s body guard) hasn’t passed on to him the secure com as ordered by Tabini (head of the atevi aishidi’tat).
Meanwhile overhead the space station is sending some 5000 humans down to the surface. Who’s to meet them? How to handle this?
Lord Reijiri of Dur and his yellow biplane make an appearance, along with a longtime friend of Ilisidi’s, Lord Tatiseigi.
Cajeiri who’s about to turn unfelituous ten has a hand in persuading both these Atevi to take action.
Tabini and Cajeiri are concerned for the Dowager. She’s ill. She’s way down South. She hasn’t named an heir. If anything should happen to her that would be a personal blow and a major political disruption.
Oh, the wily Dowager might be down, but one can never underestimate her.
For me this was exhilarating as more pieces of the Atevi/Human story come together. Entrenched in this world I’m thrilled to join even more dots on the canvas of the Atevi story and of humans come as strangers to this land. Humans who are divided into different groups. All have changed, those who came down to the surface, and those who continued to man the space station awaiting the return of a third group, the space voyagers. All sets of humans need to understand the Atevi mindset, so different to their own. That difference is fraught and dangerous. How to coexist is problematic. The human story will be out of balance.
I’ve been reading this series down the years since the first title came out and love it.
I recommend if you’re new to Cherryh’s world of the Atevi you start further back. Ideally from the beginning.
A DAW ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)
Last time we saw Bren Cameron, paidhi-aiji, human translator to Tabini-aiji, he was on the Red Train fleeing from, or racing towards, an undisclosed location with the Atevi aiji-dowager Ilisidi, various Guild members, including Bren’s own staff, important lords. All vital to the canny dowager’s plans—as we can best guess, to rid the realm of the Shadow Guild before it rebuilds.
The long, long train journey, only stopping for fuel seems to be heading towards Bren and Lord Geigi lands, on the coast.
During the journey the Dowager is not seen for days. There’s been no communication with Bren, and Bren can’t communicate with Tabini, as Cenedi (ilisidi’s body guard) hasn’t passed on to him the secure com as ordered by Tabini (head of the atevi aishidi’tat).
Meanwhile overhead the space station is sending some 5000 humans down to the surface. Who’s to meet them? How to handle this?
Lord Reijiri of Dur and his yellow biplane make an appearance, along with a longtime friend of Ilisidi’s, Lord Tatiseigi.
Cajeiri who’s about to turn unfelituous ten has a hand in persuading both these Atevi to take action.
Tabini and Cajeiri are concerned for the Dowager. She’s ill. She’s way down South. She hasn’t named an heir. If anything should happen to her that would be a personal blow and a major political disruption.
Oh, the wily Dowager might be down, but one can never underestimate her.
For me this was exhilarating as more pieces of the Atevi/Human story come together. Entrenched in this world I’m thrilled to join even more dots on the canvas of the Atevi story and of humans come as strangers to this land. Humans who are divided into different groups. All have changed, those who came down to the surface, and those who continued to man the space station awaiting the return of a third group, the space voyagers. All sets of humans need to understand the Atevi mindset, so different to their own. That difference is fraught and dangerous. How to coexist is problematic. The human story will be out of balance.
I’ve been reading this series down the years since the first title came out and love it.
I recommend if you’re new to Cherryh’s world of the Atevi you start further back. Ideally from the beginning.
A DAW ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)
October 23, 2023
So very good! I have read each book as new from the beginning (1994!) and it has been a FABULOUS journey. No one writes like Cherryh, truly one of the greats. And at long last, Jane Fancher is getting her name on the cover!
**I’ve marked this as having spoilers because of the quotes and some specific info but I do not go into specific detail about the train ride or the result of it. :)
This book is not a standalone and if you are new to Cherryh or this series, I strongly suggest starting with book 1, Foreigner. There is so much history, so much narrative, just So Much and it’s all good and necessary to understand atevi and human. Things are picking up as Illisidi’s decades long quest to extend the aishidi’tat to the entire continent gains a huge leap forward. Times were perilous at the end of the last book, several agreements made, many trips around the association, guild actions, shadow guild actions, whew weren’t we glad when the Red Train finally departed the station!
As usual Illisidi is uninterested in following anyone else’ plan for her life…something Tabini is still learning and trying to accept while Cajeiri understands this AND is eager to give her any assistance even if it puts him against his father, Tabini.
<<“I think she is too old to be doing this sort of thing,” Father had said. “She has been a pillar of the sky for so long she makes no plan that involves me, let alone another generation. She will never retire from this life, never facilitate a smooth transition of power. She will drop out of the sky like a thunderbolt, damn the wreckage it generates!”>>
So wonderful to watch Cajeiri begin to come into his maturity! He is fortunate nine, another thing that takes a bit to understand, but ten is fast approaching.
<<—the chancy tenth, composed of a dangerous two of risk-fraught fives, comprised of fortunate and unfortunate numbers, no matter which way one figured it. He was old enough to know that, being a child, he had been beyond unreasonable, and wild, and he had done various things dangerous to his family and the aishidi’tat.>>
And since the last book saw Tabini name Cajeiri as his official heir, they now share many conversations in this book that were not possible before. I loved it!
<<“Clearly,” Father (Tabini) said, “the excess humans must come down in a safe and orderly fashion, and clearly nand’ Bren cannot be in two places at once. Someone must deal with the landing of these unfortunate humans. Someone who speaks both Ragi and Mosphei’ must deal with them on this side of the Strait, someone who can reassure them, who understands all the problems space folk have, and move them over to Mospheiran hands without violating treaties or setting precedents that will trouble us for the rest of time.” Someone who speaks both Ragi and Mosphei’. Suddenly, the shift in topic, his very presence here, began to make absolute sense. Cajeiri’s heart began to beat faster. “I can, honored Father.” >>
This book ends with the news that Cajeiri is on his way to the spaceport and Bren makes up his mind to finish everything quickly in Kajiminda so he can rush to support him.
<>
<Tabini — “Rest, paidhi. Rest. Best you have your wits about you. You have a document to write.”>>
I rarely re-read, and never a series like this, but I am so very tempted to start over. It’s been nearly 30 years since I read Foreigner…
**I’ve marked this as having spoilers because of the quotes and some specific info but I do not go into specific detail about the train ride or the result of it. :)
This book is not a standalone and if you are new to Cherryh or this series, I strongly suggest starting with book 1, Foreigner. There is so much history, so much narrative, just So Much and it’s all good and necessary to understand atevi and human. Things are picking up as Illisidi’s decades long quest to extend the aishidi’tat to the entire continent gains a huge leap forward. Times were perilous at the end of the last book, several agreements made, many trips around the association, guild actions, shadow guild actions, whew weren’t we glad when the Red Train finally departed the station!
As usual Illisidi is uninterested in following anyone else’ plan for her life…something Tabini is still learning and trying to accept while Cajeiri understands this AND is eager to give her any assistance even if it puts him against his father, Tabini.
<<“I think she is too old to be doing this sort of thing,” Father had said. “She has been a pillar of the sky for so long she makes no plan that involves me, let alone another generation. She will never retire from this life, never facilitate a smooth transition of power. She will drop out of the sky like a thunderbolt, damn the wreckage it generates!”>>
So wonderful to watch Cajeiri begin to come into his maturity! He is fortunate nine, another thing that takes a bit to understand, but ten is fast approaching.
<<—the chancy tenth, composed of a dangerous two of risk-fraught fives, comprised of fortunate and unfortunate numbers, no matter which way one figured it. He was old enough to know that, being a child, he had been beyond unreasonable, and wild, and he had done various things dangerous to his family and the aishidi’tat.>>
And since the last book saw Tabini name Cajeiri as his official heir, they now share many conversations in this book that were not possible before. I loved it!
<<“Clearly,” Father (Tabini) said, “the excess humans must come down in a safe and orderly fashion, and clearly nand’ Bren cannot be in two places at once. Someone must deal with the landing of these unfortunate humans. Someone who speaks both Ragi and Mosphei’ must deal with them on this side of the Strait, someone who can reassure them, who understands all the problems space folk have, and move them over to Mospheiran hands without violating treaties or setting precedents that will trouble us for the rest of time.” Someone who speaks both Ragi and Mosphei’. Suddenly, the shift in topic, his very presence here, began to make absolute sense. Cajeiri’s heart began to beat faster. “I can, honored Father.” >>
This book ends with the news that Cajeiri is on his way to the spaceport and Bren makes up his mind to finish everything quickly in Kajiminda so he can rush to support him.
<>
<Tabini — “Rest, paidhi. Rest. Best you have your wits about you. You have a document to write.”>>
I rarely re-read, and never a series like this, but I am so very tempted to start over. It’s been nearly 30 years since I read Foreigner…
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 24, 2023
New installments in long-running series are an interesting and slightly complicated thing to review. When I return to a long-running series, it's like greeting an old friend. The world is known and well-loved, and the visit nearly always enjoyable.
I love the character that is Bren Cameron, in all his introspective and anxious state. I like Atevi politics, and the ups and downs of communication. After I was caught up with the world, the characters I've come to know and love continued to grow and learn and have wonderful new experiences. And so I enjoyed Defiance quite thoroughly.
And yet there's also a downside. Because with each successive plot point and development, the author has added to the weight of history that the reader must remember, and with years between novels the easiest way to do this is via the dreaded recap. (This recap also allows the author to adjust that history if needed, as was the case when Foreigner expanded from a trilogy to its current 22-volume state). Cherryh accomplishes the recap quite handily through the introspection of Bren (already a cerebral and slightly neurotic character) and others. Their ponderings are perfectly in character, but a recap is still a recap, and it takes up pages that could otherwise be spent on forward momentum.
This book finally wraps up many of the plot points on the ground, but the great problem of overpopulation on the space station has been an issue for... six or seven books now? There's set-up for a resolution here, but it's not yet arrived.
If you've stuck with the series this long, you'll probably enjoy this (I did), but if you're hoping for any kind of rapid plot development... well, there are other series.
I love the character that is Bren Cameron, in all his introspective and anxious state. I like Atevi politics, and the ups and downs of communication. After I was caught up with the world, the characters I've come to know and love continued to grow and learn and have wonderful new experiences. And so I enjoyed Defiance quite thoroughly.
And yet there's also a downside. Because with each successive plot point and development, the author has added to the weight of history that the reader must remember, and with years between novels the easiest way to do this is via the dreaded recap. (This recap also allows the author to adjust that history if needed, as was the case when Foreigner expanded from a trilogy to its current 22-volume state). Cherryh accomplishes the recap quite handily through the introspection of Bren (already a cerebral and slightly neurotic character) and others. Their ponderings are perfectly in character, but a recap is still a recap, and it takes up pages that could otherwise be spent on forward momentum.
This book finally wraps up many of the plot points on the ground, but the great problem of overpopulation on the space station has been an issue for... six or seven books now? There's set-up for a resolution here, but it's not yet arrived.
If you've stuck with the series this long, you'll probably enjoy this (I did), but if you're hoping for any kind of rapid plot development... well, there are other series.
October 2, 2024
Well....On the plus side, another Foreigner book! Yay! on the down side, not quite exactly a Foreigner book...Cherryh, and now et. al., has written a book with a lot of the same characters as in the previous 21, but something is not right. The endless Bren thinking sessions no longer get him to a better understanding of what's happening; instead he just complains he doesn't know what's happening. Atevi culture is no longer represented in speech rhythms or vocabulary choices--when before did an Ateva ever say "lucky" instead of "fortunate" before book 22?
Although there is more action than in books 20 and 21, way! more, the upshot of it is Bren being tired and bruised as usual but not really having accomplished much besides talk about a document he has to write instead of saying what's in the document. Maybe the contents are being saved for book 23?
And then there is the willful dismissal of continuity. So unnecessary in an author if one kept notes or re-read the books for earlier details of the same actions and scenes, very easy now that they are all available as e-books. As an example, Kajiminda is in a completely different parallel universe from the Kajiminda of book 3 or again of books 10 and 11. I have re-read the Foreigner series many, many times. Sometimes the continuity errors are just funny, like in book 7 where Antero and Jegeri's parents swap names with each other within the book; otherwise they are inconsequential to the story, or in other words there was no need to change the details deliberately because the story now demands different details, so they read as carelessness. The discontinuities of book 22 are also inconsequential to the story but are so egregious that they have become annoying to me. Just one example: Regeri's plane changes from a three seater (book 8) to a two seater and once again becomes vulnerable to bullets as in book 12 where in book 19 he has used space metal from Lord Geigi to shield the more important underside parts. And although the vulnerability serves a plot development, some other mishap to the plane could have served without making me crazy noticing the discrepancy. AARGH! (Yes, I do take it personally.)
Almost the entire cast makes an appearance--Nomari, Machigi, Homura and Momichi, Ramaso, the Grandmother of the Edi, Tabini, Damiri, Eisi and Liedi, and on and on. Even Uncle Tatiseigi, although injured in an effort to keep the mecheiti from running over the Ajuri camp in Book 19, plays a part, although by no means as magnificent a part as in Books 18-20. What saves the Defiance, once again, is Cajeri. His personality is delightful, he acts with his father's boldness and his great-grandmother's wits still, he is growing into the aiji Mani has trained him to be. I hope we learn how he fares on his first assignment to greet the humans at the spaceport now located at Cobo.
Although there is more action than in books 20 and 21, way! more, the upshot of it is Bren being tired and bruised as usual but not really having accomplished much besides talk about a document he has to write instead of saying what's in the document. Maybe the contents are being saved for book 23?
And then there is the willful dismissal of continuity. So unnecessary in an author if one kept notes or re-read the books for earlier details of the same actions and scenes, very easy now that they are all available as e-books. As an example, Kajiminda is in a completely different parallel universe from the Kajiminda of book 3 or again of books 10 and 11. I have re-read the Foreigner series many, many times. Sometimes the continuity errors are just funny, like in book 7 where Antero and Jegeri's parents swap names with each other within the book; otherwise they are inconsequential to the story, or in other words there was no need to change the details deliberately because the story now demands different details, so they read as carelessness. The discontinuities of book 22 are also inconsequential to the story but are so egregious that they have become annoying to me. Just one example: Regeri's plane changes from a three seater (book 8) to a two seater and once again becomes vulnerable to bullets as in book 12 where in book 19 he has used space metal from Lord Geigi to shield the more important underside parts. And although the vulnerability serves a plot development, some other mishap to the plane could have served without making me crazy noticing the discrepancy. AARGH! (Yes, I do take it personally.)
Almost the entire cast makes an appearance--Nomari, Machigi, Homura and Momichi, Ramaso, the Grandmother of the Edi, Tabini, Damiri, Eisi and Liedi, and on and on. Even Uncle Tatiseigi, although injured in an effort to keep the mecheiti from running over the Ajuri camp in Book 19, plays a part, although by no means as magnificent a part as in Books 18-20. What saves the Defiance, once again, is Cajeri. His personality is delightful, he acts with his father's boldness and his great-grandmother's wits still, he is growing into the aiji Mani has trained him to be. I hope we learn how he fares on his first assignment to greet the humans at the spaceport now located at Cobo.
November 7, 2023
keep hoping for better
Too much reflection and too little action. Characters rehash the same history over and over. It’s just filler.
Each book is worse than the one before. It’s like daytime soaps….you can skip several and you won’t miss a thing
Too much reflection and too little action. Characters rehash the same history over and over. It’s just filler.
Each book is worse than the one before. It’s like daytime soaps….you can skip several and you won’t miss a thing
October 28, 2023
This is the very last book of this series I will read. I bought it on Kindle for 16 dollars and change and that is money and 3 hours of my life I’ll never get back. If you like telling and not showing and page after page of Atevi
Province names, and endless boring policy this is the book for you. Frankly, I read it as my version of a Readers Digest Condensed Book. As soon as the text became long paragraphs of exposition with almost no dialogue I skipped and skimmed. One of the reasons I loved the series was the interaction between human culture and Atevi society. There’s no conflict now. Brent is an Atevi. I enjoyed the diplomacy and political intrigue until the last few books. Each one of them were “ bridge” books, setting the scene for something in the future, probably the conflict that will arise when the station refugees arrive and have to deal with living on a planet that is already in turmoil. This series should have ended with the initial return from space. I doubt the authors are up to the task of taking on a third story line. After 20+ books, I’m done.
Province names, and endless boring policy this is the book for you. Frankly, I read it as my version of a Readers Digest Condensed Book. As soon as the text became long paragraphs of exposition with almost no dialogue I skipped and skimmed. One of the reasons I loved the series was the interaction between human culture and Atevi society. There’s no conflict now. Brent is an Atevi. I enjoyed the diplomacy and political intrigue until the last few books. Each one of them were “ bridge” books, setting the scene for something in the future, probably the conflict that will arise when the station refugees arrive and have to deal with living on a planet that is already in turmoil. This series should have ended with the initial return from space. I doubt the authors are up to the task of taking on a third story line. After 20+ books, I’m done.
January 10, 2024
There was an engaging story in here but it was buried by insane amounts of repetition. Just. Over and over again the same information shared by the same narration. I was dying of wanting it to stop.
November 7, 2023
SO MUCH STRESS OMG! This book started with anxiety. It was fun, back to tired and pissed Bren, love it, and love him getting slung over an Atevi shoulder like a bag of exhausted potatoes. Uncle Tati kicking ass and being wholesome. Cajeri brings me so much joy
December 2, 2023
Complex, tense, full of classic atevi intrigue. Bren really needs a week off with nothing going on, but that's not in the cards. Love seeing Cajieri develop and grow up. Very happy to learn more about the history of Ilisidi. Necessary recap is presented in a lovely fashion as Bren ruminates while on a long train ride. You can read this one without reading the others, as the recap gets you up to speed, but it is so much more fun truly knowing all the players. This one wraps nicely, but of course leaves room for the next event/crisis. Because there will always be one.
October 26, 2023
This is the 22nd book in the Foreigner science-fiction series, a series I have vastly enjoyed. I love Bren Cameron, the central figure throughout the series. Often Bren is the only human in a storyline dominated by the alien atevi. He serves as the paidhi-aiji, a translator and mediator. This book is another piece in a large, slowly unfolding drama.
As with all but the first eight books(!), Cajeiri, a young ateva, is also a point-of-view character. He has a secondary but engaging role to Bren in "Defiance." In addition to Bren and Cajeiri, other significant characters from the series return. I especially enjoyed Ilisidi, Tatiseigi, Reijiri, and Bren's quartet of guards.
While there are striking intervals of action (including notable scenes involving a small plane), much of the book consists of conversation or simply of Bren introspecting on the situation. Yet I am so fond of Bren and so invested in this world that I found both introspection and action a great pleasure. This is one of those instances where I wish that a lengthy series were twice as long! I am already itching for the next installment.
Four and a half out of five shadow 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).
As with all but the first eight books(!), Cajeiri, a young ateva, is also a point-of-view character. He has a secondary but engaging role to Bren in "Defiance." In addition to Bren and Cajeiri, other significant characters from the series return. I especially enjoyed Ilisidi, Tatiseigi, Reijiri, and Bren's quartet of guards.
While there are striking intervals of action (including notable scenes involving a small plane), much of the book consists of conversation or simply of Bren introspecting on the situation. Yet I am so fond of Bren and so invested in this world that I found both introspection and action a great pleasure. This is one of those instances where I wish that a lengthy series were twice as long! I am already itching for the next installment.
Four and a half out of five shadow 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).
November 29, 2023
This is the best Foreigner book in years... which is not such a great compliment. But still, this one has action! It also has the requisite tedious repetitive political discussions, but in between that, things happen! They all ride the bus! (I love the bus.) Bren even rides in Reijiri's plane! There is a good bit of the charming, stylized dialog which I so enjoy.
It's too bad that Cajeiri doesn't get in on any of the action, but he instigates some of it, from a distance. There was some nice character development for him, as the latent ajii is beginning to surface.
It sounds like the next book will be about bringing down the overflow of people from the space station, and I look forward to that.
It's too bad that Cajeiri doesn't get in on any of the action, but he instigates some of it, from a distance. There was some nice character development for him, as the latent ajii is beginning to surface.
It sounds like the next book will be about bringing down the overflow of people from the space station, and I look forward to that.
April 11, 2024
My favorite long running sci-fi/fantasy series and my favorite author. This was #22 and as most of us have come to expect, some novels in the series are on major events, while others are setting the stage for what's next. This was a "setting the stage" in my opinion, although it brought to a definitive conclusion one of the many "Internal" issues of the aishidi'tat Paidhi Bren Cameron, the Aiji-Dowager and their security forces have been pursuing for some time. Namely, elements of the Shadow Guild.
I am always glad for additional insight and world views beyond the translator's household, into the lives of common folks and regions across the Atevi homeworld. And of course, watching the development of the aiji-heir, Cajeiri, as he furthers his network and constituent manchi, which will be vital for his continued survival and the ruling regime. Just the same, it feels like the storyline keeps stretching out and though I do hope the series continues, I feel there needs to be some major changes in the dynamics. I believe this is the works, however, so I will await the next installation.
I am always glad for additional insight and world views beyond the translator's household, into the lives of common folks and regions across the Atevi homeworld. And of course, watching the development of the aiji-heir, Cajeiri, as he furthers his network and constituent manchi, which will be vital for his continued survival and the ruling regime. Just the same, it feels like the storyline keeps stretching out and though I do hope the series continues, I feel there needs to be some major changes in the dynamics. I believe this is the works, however, so I will await the next installation.
October 17, 2025
Well, this was way to drawn out and repetitive. It felt as if Cherryh needed at least 3 pages to hammer home every single sentence of this book. Pages and pages going over the same point again and again. First Bren and then Cajeiri covered the same ground yet again. So much filler!
I very early on started skimming. I wish #21 and #22 had been one novel of this length, then it might have been something actually interesting.
The trips with the plane were fun and exciting and other parts in the last 20% of the book were ok. But that was pretty much it. If this wasn‘t a series buddy read, I would have DNFd this. Open end, obviously, so to get some closure I will read the next book as well, if and when it comes out.
2/5
I very early on started skimming. I wish #21 and #22 had been one novel of this length, then it might have been something actually interesting.
The trips with the plane were fun and exciting and other parts in the last 20% of the book were ok. But that was pretty much it. If this wasn‘t a series buddy read, I would have DNFd this. Open end, obviously, so to get some closure I will read the next book as well, if and when it comes out.
2/5
October 28, 2023
Another really well written novel in this series. Ms. Cherryh has in the 22 books of this series, what I consider the most detailed and well conceived alien race of any Science Fiction I have ever read, and I have read a lot of them. Of course, this has been done over 22 novels, so a dedicated reader has a lot of experience with this culture. Fun stuff.
Overall, this was a really good tale, which kept me reading as much as I could. Very entertaining and leaves the reader wanting more.
Overall, this was a really good tale, which kept me reading as much as I could. Very entertaining and leaves the reader wanting more.
September 26, 2023
I just finished Defiance by C.J. Cherryh and Jane S. Fancher and I had a blast reading it. Defiance is the twenty-second book in the Foreigner saga and these stories continue to captivate. Defiance also begins what should be a new three book arc focused on Bren Cameron. Be warned: This is not a standalone read. While the writing is, as usual, outstanding - there are so many moving parts to this story that you really need to be reading the series. And it's a great series by some of the great authors of science fiction.
There is trouble brewing again and Bren has to get the aiji-dowager back to the capital while he worries about human refugees needing to land on planet. During their travels, all manner of crises happen and you will be on the edge of your seat waiting to see what happens.
There is trouble brewing again and Bren has to get the aiji-dowager back to the capital while he worries about human refugees needing to land on planet. During their travels, all manner of crises happen and you will be on the edge of your seat waiting to see what happens.
January 18, 2024
This may be the book that ends my years-long interest in the series, although hints about the next one's subject have me intrigued.
It took me a few hours to get through the first 38 pages due to my having to read each sentence multiple times to understand, because of convoluted wording. Each sentence was packed with politics, history, economics, and geography from previous books. It did not help that of the two maps at the front, one only covered a small area, and the other was completely illegible due to tiny, dark print on a dark background in the hardcover edition.
It was also a hindrance that the action picked up immediately after the end of book 21 (“Divergence”), which I had read over two years ago. I didn’t recall all of the particulars.
The next time I picked up this book, I simply skimmed the dull or irrelevant passages, which were most of them. The narrative was split as usual between Bren the human diplomat and Cajeiri, the atevi son of the atevi leader. I usually find Cajeiri to be more compelling, simply because he’s an energetic youth. This time I found that to be less the case. He can only worry and follow Bren’s and his troublesome great-grandmother’s predicament from a distance, as well as contemplate his additional responsibilities as he becomes older. Cajeiri laments the end of his childhood.
What little action takes place in this book is as usual at the very end of the book, but it’s charitable to even call it action.
The last few pages of the book are a history of the reign of Cajeiri’s great-grandmother. I briefly glanced at it, then dismissed it as a waste of my time.
The following book promises to deal with the planetary resettlement of the Reunion refugees. Cajeiri is slated to welcome them, as Bren is too far away to get there in time. I hope it’s more exciting.
It took me a few hours to get through the first 38 pages due to my having to read each sentence multiple times to understand, because of convoluted wording. Each sentence was packed with politics, history, economics, and geography from previous books. It did not help that of the two maps at the front, one only covered a small area, and the other was completely illegible due to tiny, dark print on a dark background in the hardcover edition.
It was also a hindrance that the action picked up immediately after the end of book 21 (“Divergence”), which I had read over two years ago. I didn’t recall all of the particulars.
The next time I picked up this book, I simply skimmed the dull or irrelevant passages, which were most of them. The narrative was split as usual between Bren the human diplomat and Cajeiri, the atevi son of the atevi leader. I usually find Cajeiri to be more compelling, simply because he’s an energetic youth. This time I found that to be less the case. He can only worry and follow Bren’s and his troublesome great-grandmother’s predicament from a distance, as well as contemplate his additional responsibilities as he becomes older. Cajeiri laments the end of his childhood.
What little action takes place in this book is as usual at the very end of the book, but it’s charitable to even call it action.
The last few pages of the book are a history of the reign of Cajeiri’s great-grandmother. I briefly glanced at it, then dismissed it as a waste of my time.
The following book promises to deal with the planetary resettlement of the Reunion refugees. Cajeiri is slated to welcome them, as Bren is too far away to get there in time. I hope it’s more exciting.
September 4, 2025
Ilsidi, Bren and company are headed back to Najida after their tense political meeting in the mountains. Ilsidi is keeping Bren in the dark about what she has planned next, and even more concerning, her health seems to be compromised, sending him, and back in Shejidan, Tabini and Cajeiri into deep worry. Not just about her health, but about the possible terrible political ramifications if she were to die suddenly.
Eventually, Ilsidi, canny old operator that she is, reveals what she really has planned, and wouldn't you know it, Bren's small stature, and a certain adventurous pilot of a yellow plane are critical to the implementation.
At the same time, Cajeiri must get ready to deal with an incoming bunch of humans falling to the planet, and find a way to build trust amongst his existing aishid, and the seniors recently assigned to his security detail.
Ilsidi has targeted the Shadow Guild, intent on their eradication, having reliable information about where they've holed up.
The story takes a while to get going, while authors Cherryh and Fancher remind us of the long and very complicated history of the Aishidi’tat, how the Shadow Guild came to exist, and the many, many years Ilsidi has been working to stabilize the political climate through alliances and trade. And assassinations, of course.
It's the kind of stuff I love, and why I absolutely LOVE this long-running series. It's great revisiting all the political stuff, in preparation for the novel's action-filled denouement.
There are great character moments, quiet warmth, and terrific dialogue with bits of sly humour, occasionally. And a great payoff for a plot thread that was introduced in book seven.
Did I enjoy this entry. Darn right I did!
Thank you to Netgalley and to DAW for this ARC in exchange for my review.
Eventually, Ilsidi, canny old operator that she is, reveals what she really has planned, and wouldn't you know it, Bren's small stature, and a certain adventurous pilot of a yellow plane are critical to the implementation.
At the same time, Cajeiri must get ready to deal with an incoming bunch of humans falling to the planet, and find a way to build trust amongst his existing aishid, and the seniors recently assigned to his security detail.
Ilsidi has targeted the Shadow Guild, intent on their eradication, having reliable information about where they've holed up.
The story takes a while to get going, while authors Cherryh and Fancher remind us of the long and very complicated history of the Aishidi’tat, how the Shadow Guild came to exist, and the many, many years Ilsidi has been working to stabilize the political climate through alliances and trade. And assassinations, of course.
It's the kind of stuff I love, and why I absolutely LOVE this long-running series. It's great revisiting all the political stuff, in preparation for the novel's action-filled denouement.
There are great character moments, quiet warmth, and terrific dialogue with bits of sly humour, occasionally. And a great payoff for a plot thread that was introduced in book seven.
Did I enjoy this entry. Darn right I did!
Thank you to Netgalley and to DAW for this ARC in exchange for my review.
November 1, 2023
I have been reading this series from the beginning. I also happen to really enjoy C.J. Cherryh's work. That said I have to confess I stopped reading this series a few books ago when the main overwhelming problem for the cycle of three books was getting nowhere resolved. So picking it up again I worried a little that I may be spoiling something. I hadn't, the main overwhelming problem ( getting the station humans down to Mospheria) still hasn't been resolved. This fact frustrates me. There is also the fact that a good 10% of the book is Bren recaping the last arc where nothing happens with the overwhelming issue (tm). I really get annoyed with long recaps. So this book is taking a while for me to read. Luckily it is picking up with some movement, excitement and worry about Ilsidi. I'm still not completely done reading this book, and it is far more wordy than C.J.'s books have been in the past. Talking about what this group or that group thinks about each other and how that doesn't fit with human behavioral norms. At this point in the series you know how it doesn't fit. Also do NOT start the foreigner series with this book as you will not understand anything that is going on. There is way to many complex us and them politics and behavior for you to follow if you do. This series builds on prior books. All in all a good book for die hard Cherryh and Foreigner series fans. And not for beginners. Thanks for the advanced copy to read netgalley and Cherryh.
November 5, 2023
I love Ms Cherryh and have followed the Foreigner series for several years. (Not since the beginning although I've read back to there.) I'm glad to see Jane Fancher's name on the cover as well.
But ultimately, I'm disappointed with Defiance, as I was with Divergence. Maybe it was the anticipation, and the time gap since Resurgence, but the last two books don't feel like they are going anywhere. For all that happens in Carolyn's thrilling tale telling, not much has happened in the two novels. Cajerii continues to mature into the role of aigi he is expected to play, but it is taking forever to get him there. Ilisidi continues her delightful manipulations of the tribal leaders, with lessons for all of us on healing and soothing ethnic conflicts. But, do we need the details of those tribal politics rehashed again and again - and yet again - in another novel, and again and again as each new event occurs? We are still waiting for the situation on the space station to be resolved, and we're losing clarity on what the actual problem is up there. At least we aren't having to deal with the drama in Bren's family anymore.
As an aside, late in the novel, there is a reference to the atevi planet as "Earth." Also, the planet's moon is mentioned as having phases, which seems a bit un-alien. I'm trying to recall if this occurs elsewhere and/or is explained earlier in the Foreigner series.
But ultimately, I'm disappointed with Defiance, as I was with Divergence. Maybe it was the anticipation, and the time gap since Resurgence, but the last two books don't feel like they are going anywhere. For all that happens in Carolyn's thrilling tale telling, not much has happened in the two novels. Cajerii continues to mature into the role of aigi he is expected to play, but it is taking forever to get him there. Ilisidi continues her delightful manipulations of the tribal leaders, with lessons for all of us on healing and soothing ethnic conflicts. But, do we need the details of those tribal politics rehashed again and again - and yet again - in another novel, and again and again as each new event occurs? We are still waiting for the situation on the space station to be resolved, and we're losing clarity on what the actual problem is up there. At least we aren't having to deal with the drama in Bren's family anymore.
As an aside, late in the novel, there is a reference to the atevi planet as "Earth." Also, the planet's moon is mentioned as having phases, which seems a bit un-alien. I'm trying to recall if this occurs elsewhere and/or is explained earlier in the Foreigner series.
August 23, 2023
Cherryh's Foreigner series are typically written in trilogies within the larger arc of the series. Defiance is the first book in the eighth arc which takes Bren and his aishid (bodyguards) into a conflict in the western port of Jorida Island. This is new territory on the atevi world and Cherryh provides background information in the text and in an addendum to place the story in context. There are plenty of nail-biting moments as the characters engage in political and strategic maneuvering in a conflict situation decades in the making, both within the world of the atevi and in the story that Cherryh has been telling for nearly 30 years.
Newcomers will want to start with the first book, Foreigner.
Newcomers will want to start with the first book, Foreigner.
August 14, 2023
I first met Carolyn Cherry in 1976, when I was a young librarian in Dallas and she was still teaching Latin in the Oklahoma public schools, and had just published Brothers of Earth, her first novel, She attended AggieCom in College Station (her first con, too, I believe), and was startled at being mobbed by a horde of enthusiastic new fans. I was one of them, and I’ve read and enjoyed everything she’s written in the nearly half-century since then. Of course, she’s now a Grand Master and is regarded as having inherited the mantle of Ursula LeGuin when it comes to alien worldbuilding. Cherryh’s coauthor on this, as well as several other recent novels, is Jane Fancher, her partner for many years and her wife since 2014. You won’t really be able to tell which of them was responsible for which parts of the book, though, their joint effort is so seamless.
This series has been organized since its beginning into three-volume plot arcs, within the larger story of what one may think of as “The Saga of Bren Cameron,” and this is Vol. 22, so it’s the beginning of a new section of the story. Cherryh doesn’t do big info dumps at the beginning of each installment to remind you of what you read in the previous book maybe a year ago, but this time -- since it is a new three-volume section -- she spends the whole first chapter summarizing recent events. She also includes some reminders of how very different things are psychologically between the native atevi on their earth-like world and the unintentionally immigrant humans, who live on their legally isolated island of Mosphera, and also what Bren's role is as paidhi-aiji to Tabini-aiji, head of the aishdi'tat (which amounts to a confederation of clans). It won’t take you long to get up to speed, though, as the narrative begins to open up and new crises develop.
Many of the earlier volumes have focused on the Dowager, Ilisidi, the aiji’s grandmother and a true force of nature, and that continues here. She rules the eastern part of the continent in her own right and served as regent for extended periods in the past following the early deaths of first her husband and then her son. She has enormous personal and political power and is extremely canny, but now she’s also very old. That didn’t stop her from attempting to solve the aishdi’tat’s centuries-old problems with the Marid, a desert region to the south, both diplomatically and militarily, as detailed in the previous volume. The remnants of the Shadow Guild (a thoroughly venal and very dangerous spin-off of the legitimate Assassin’s Guild who had attempted Tabini’s overthrow a few years ago and came appalling close to succeeding) are now on the run, having escaped the Dowager's clutches, and are now attempting to reestablish themselves farther up the coast, not far from Bren’s own estate. And Ilisidi seems to have fallen gravely ill at the worst possible time.
The second focus of the story is Tabini’s son, Cajeiri, the equivalent of a human teenager (he’s about to turn ten, but this world’s years are longer), and who (two books ago) was announced as his father’s official heir-designate. We’ve watched him grow up from early childhood in this series, under the strong influence not only of his great-grandmother but of Bren -- and, through him, has become connected to a number of young humans his own age -- the result being an intelligent young atevi unlike any that world has seen before. He just thinks differently than any others of his people, and he takes his position very seriously, but he’s also still a kid. (I will be very interested to see how things change when he eventually comes to power, if the series continues that long.) The thing is, Cajeiri has been in space (with the Dowager and Bren, a very tense story which occupied several volumes), has met and dealt with two powerful alien species that are far more different from himself than he is from the humans, and he understands certain things better than his father would be able to. Cajeiri unstands that one must sometimes take chances, and events this time are necessarily going to accelerate his progress to maturity.
This entire series presents a great many parallel plotlines over a lengthy period of time, all of them complex and interwoven. (In a Cheryh novel, everything is always closely connected to everything else.) To a reader like me, this whole world, and the people in it, and the way they interact, is deeply fascinating. I know the extended observations of the characters’ thought processes as they deal with events will probably be off-putting to readers who prefer their space opera to be heavy on zap-guns and starship battles -- and indeed, there is always some of that in every book, too. But I prefer a more intellectual sort of science fiction adventure, and this saga may well be the best work of that sort every produced in English.
This series has been organized since its beginning into three-volume plot arcs, within the larger story of what one may think of as “The Saga of Bren Cameron,” and this is Vol. 22, so it’s the beginning of a new section of the story. Cherryh doesn’t do big info dumps at the beginning of each installment to remind you of what you read in the previous book maybe a year ago, but this time -- since it is a new three-volume section -- she spends the whole first chapter summarizing recent events. She also includes some reminders of how very different things are psychologically between the native atevi on their earth-like world and the unintentionally immigrant humans, who live on their legally isolated island of Mosphera, and also what Bren's role is as paidhi-aiji to Tabini-aiji, head of the aishdi'tat (which amounts to a confederation of clans). It won’t take you long to get up to speed, though, as the narrative begins to open up and new crises develop.
Many of the earlier volumes have focused on the Dowager, Ilisidi, the aiji’s grandmother and a true force of nature, and that continues here. She rules the eastern part of the continent in her own right and served as regent for extended periods in the past following the early deaths of first her husband and then her son. She has enormous personal and political power and is extremely canny, but now she’s also very old. That didn’t stop her from attempting to solve the aishdi’tat’s centuries-old problems with the Marid, a desert region to the south, both diplomatically and militarily, as detailed in the previous volume. The remnants of the Shadow Guild (a thoroughly venal and very dangerous spin-off of the legitimate Assassin’s Guild who had attempted Tabini’s overthrow a few years ago and came appalling close to succeeding) are now on the run, having escaped the Dowager's clutches, and are now attempting to reestablish themselves farther up the coast, not far from Bren’s own estate. And Ilisidi seems to have fallen gravely ill at the worst possible time.
The second focus of the story is Tabini’s son, Cajeiri, the equivalent of a human teenager (he’s about to turn ten, but this world’s years are longer), and who (two books ago) was announced as his father’s official heir-designate. We’ve watched him grow up from early childhood in this series, under the strong influence not only of his great-grandmother but of Bren -- and, through him, has become connected to a number of young humans his own age -- the result being an intelligent young atevi unlike any that world has seen before. He just thinks differently than any others of his people, and he takes his position very seriously, but he’s also still a kid. (I will be very interested to see how things change when he eventually comes to power, if the series continues that long.) The thing is, Cajeiri has been in space (with the Dowager and Bren, a very tense story which occupied several volumes), has met and dealt with two powerful alien species that are far more different from himself than he is from the humans, and he understands certain things better than his father would be able to. Cajeiri unstands that one must sometimes take chances, and events this time are necessarily going to accelerate his progress to maturity.
This entire series presents a great many parallel plotlines over a lengthy period of time, all of them complex and interwoven. (In a Cheryh novel, everything is always closely connected to everything else.) To a reader like me, this whole world, and the people in it, and the way they interact, is deeply fascinating. I know the extended observations of the characters’ thought processes as they deal with events will probably be off-putting to readers who prefer their space opera to be heavy on zap-guns and starship battles -- and indeed, there is always some of that in every book, too. But I prefer a more intellectual sort of science fiction adventure, and this saga may well be the best work of that sort every produced in English.
October 17, 2023
Defiance is a book with a lot of moving pieces, and continues the "Ilisidi and Bren on a Train Trip Chasing Down the Shadow Guild and Making Alliances," storyline begun in Resurgence. This book takes a worryingly retrospective turn when it becomes apparent that Ilisidi is not well and appears to be operating under the assumption that she has a limited amount of time to finally establish her ultimate goal. (Which is apparently uniting the all of the continent's geopolitical associations.) Since Ilisidi is the cornerstone of all of these developing alliances, there's an immediate panic when she collapses at a train station-because if she falls ill and dies, the entire Jenga tower of alliances and agreements will fall apart.
Among the panicked parties is of course Bren, her grandson Tabini, and her great grandson Cajieri. Everyone's favorite catalyst for plot complications is panicked enough to...not to run headlong into trouble by himself this time. He does however still manage to get into hot water due to involving Great Uncle Tatseigi and Reijiri of Dur (everyone's favorite pilot) in the situation. The kid's allegiance toward his grandmother and having less of a manchi toward his parents while also being very much a leader-type results in Cajieri not understanding "you should probably have consulted with your father instead of going headlong into the situation again." (Cajieri would not be Cajieri if he was not causing someone somewhere a migraine.) Cajieri as of Defiance also has been given more responsibilities, and has been given a position that will be instrumental to getting the refugees off of the space station. (Before the space station literally falls apart because there are too many people living in terrible conditions. It is not a situation with a quick or easy solution due to communication breakdowns and a lack of an ability to evacuate the refugees quickly.)
So again, a lot of moving parts, and Bren is mostly at a loss because Ilisidi is keeping him in a near total communication black out. You can however get a sense for why she's probably doing it--Bren tends to work really well under pressure, and it's clear she's putting him in a situation where he can have lots of it! This is great if you need a solution and are Ilisidi, but much less great if you are Bren Cameron who has to pull miracles out of your unique perspective as a human translator up to his neck in nonhuman politics.
Defiance is not a great book to start with if you are just entering the series. (Which is a given since the series is a long one at twenty books or so.) Some of the plot threads are engaging, but there is also a feel that this is all somewhat drawn out more than it has to be. (Though that's my usual feeling about very long series.) Any of the later Foreigner books are going to be bad places to start off from, but this one especially requires an understanding of the what's happened previously.
Some highlights I found engaging:
- Lord Tatiseigi arriving to fuss at Ilisidi due to Cajieri setting him up with a plane ride (via Our Favorite Pilot).
- Lord Tatiseigi who has come a long way from the distant and hostile lord he was at the beginning of the series being friendly (well, for values of friendly including "atevi don't do friendly") with Bren and also considering Rejieri an associate/a neighbor!
- Cajieri's continuing character arc of "becoming more mature and developing a greater understanding of the larger world." We get to see a lot of how his thinking has been shaped by both his great grandmother and Bren. We also see his continuing struggles to relate in a meaningful way with his parents.
- There are some epistolary bits from an atevi biography/history book about Ilisidi and her goals/successes/history. A lot of it is stuff we already know from what Bren learned earlier in the series but it's an atevi history book so it reads like "outsider point of view." And I love me some Outsider POV.
- Various characters having to deal with Ilisidi taking such huge risks with her health while in pursuit of her goals.
- Ilisidi herself and her interactions with the Edi, who are a different ethnic group from the Ragi. (A marginalized ethnic group that the Ragi have not generally treated very well or very fairly.)
This review is based on a galley copy of the book received from NetGalley.
Among the panicked parties is of course Bren, her grandson Tabini, and her great grandson Cajieri. Everyone's favorite catalyst for plot complications is panicked enough to...not to run headlong into trouble by himself this time. He does however still manage to get into hot water due to involving Great Uncle Tatseigi and Reijiri of Dur (everyone's favorite pilot) in the situation. The kid's allegiance toward his grandmother and having less of a manchi toward his parents while also being very much a leader-type results in Cajieri not understanding "you should probably have consulted with your father instead of going headlong into the situation again." (Cajieri would not be Cajieri if he was not causing someone somewhere a migraine.) Cajieri as of Defiance also has been given more responsibilities, and has been given a position that will be instrumental to getting the refugees off of the space station. (Before the space station literally falls apart because there are too many people living in terrible conditions. It is not a situation with a quick or easy solution due to communication breakdowns and a lack of an ability to evacuate the refugees quickly.)
So again, a lot of moving parts, and Bren is mostly at a loss because Ilisidi is keeping him in a near total communication black out. You can however get a sense for why she's probably doing it--Bren tends to work really well under pressure, and it's clear she's putting him in a situation where he can have lots of it! This is great if you need a solution and are Ilisidi, but much less great if you are Bren Cameron who has to pull miracles out of your unique perspective as a human translator up to his neck in nonhuman politics.
Defiance is not a great book to start with if you are just entering the series. (Which is a given since the series is a long one at twenty books or so.) Some of the plot threads are engaging, but there is also a feel that this is all somewhat drawn out more than it has to be. (Though that's my usual feeling about very long series.) Any of the later Foreigner books are going to be bad places to start off from, but this one especially requires an understanding of the what's happened previously.
Some highlights I found engaging:
- Lord Tatiseigi arriving to fuss at Ilisidi due to Cajieri setting him up with a plane ride (via Our Favorite Pilot).
- Lord Tatiseigi who has come a long way from the distant and hostile lord he was at the beginning of the series being friendly (well, for values of friendly including "atevi don't do friendly") with Bren and also considering Rejieri an associate/a neighbor!
- Cajieri's continuing character arc of "becoming more mature and developing a greater understanding of the larger world." We get to see a lot of how his thinking has been shaped by both his great grandmother and Bren. We also see his continuing struggles to relate in a meaningful way with his parents.
- There are some epistolary bits from an atevi biography/history book about Ilisidi and her goals/successes/history. A lot of it is stuff we already know from what Bren learned earlier in the series but it's an atevi history book so it reads like "outsider point of view." And I love me some Outsider POV.
- Various characters having to deal with Ilisidi taking such huge risks with her health while in pursuit of her goals.
- Ilisidi herself and her interactions with the Edi, who are a different ethnic group from the Ragi. (A marginalized ethnic group that the Ragi have not generally treated very well or very fairly.)
This review is based on a galley copy of the book received from NetGalley.
November 4, 2024
The 22nd Foreigner novel brings to a close the sequence which began in 'Resurgence' with aiji-dowager Illisidi's speculative expedition to the snowy fastness af Hasjuran and thence in 'Divergence' to Koperna. amid the fractious provinces of the Marid. The 'Southern' problem has been a focus of CJ Cherryh's massive series for maybe a dozen installments, so it is pleasing to get some closure at long last. The final action comes as the remnant Shadow Guild with their puppet lord Tiajo, flee to the shores of Ashidama Bay, bringing peril worryingly close to paidhi Bren Cameron's estate at Najida.
A Foreigner novel would not be complete without a deep dive into the intrigues of atevi politics, alliances and the pervasive influence of the need to gain and maintain the instinctual man'chi. And these are really twisty and complex, and the reader is left to wonder just who will keep to their agreements.
There is though, in this installment much more immersive action, and plenty of narrow scrapes. Bren is, as always reluctantly right in the thick of the action, much to the chagrin and worry of his aishid. The yellow biplane of Rajieri, lord of Dur has a starring role, befitting its appearance in pride of place on the cover.
The secondary plotline continues the story of the education of the young heir to the aishidi'tat, Cajieri. Given the task of rehoming his pet paridja Boji, Cajieri senses the currents of disturbance and disagreement at the heart of Shejidan, and branches out making his own moves to protect and inform those who he values. In this plan, his actions are against the wishes of his father Tabini. These events reshape the relationship between Cajieri, his parents and his Guild protectors. Cajieri is growing into his future power, and since Bren Cameron is otherwise occupied, he is assigned the responsibility to meed the first shuttle flight of Reunioner refugees, bound for Mospheira from the space station. These events lurk threateningly behind the other action of the novel.
Fear not though, there are sufficient loose ends so plently of future threats and adventures may still be told. Though I have come to recognise that I might never get the whole story of this fascinating world which CJ Cherryh had given us readers. Jane Fancher now has joint credit for the writing and this does read as a seamless team effort.
A Foreigner novel would not be complete without a deep dive into the intrigues of atevi politics, alliances and the pervasive influence of the need to gain and maintain the instinctual man'chi. And these are really twisty and complex, and the reader is left to wonder just who will keep to their agreements.
There is though, in this installment much more immersive action, and plenty of narrow scrapes. Bren is, as always reluctantly right in the thick of the action, much to the chagrin and worry of his aishid. The yellow biplane of Rajieri, lord of Dur has a starring role, befitting its appearance in pride of place on the cover.
The secondary plotline continues the story of the education of the young heir to the aishidi'tat, Cajieri. Given the task of rehoming his pet paridja Boji, Cajieri senses the currents of disturbance and disagreement at the heart of Shejidan, and branches out making his own moves to protect and inform those who he values. In this plan, his actions are against the wishes of his father Tabini. These events reshape the relationship between Cajieri, his parents and his Guild protectors. Cajieri is growing into his future power, and since Bren Cameron is otherwise occupied, he is assigned the responsibility to meed the first shuttle flight of Reunioner refugees, bound for Mospheira from the space station. These events lurk threateningly behind the other action of the novel.
Fear not though, there are sufficient loose ends so plently of future threats and adventures may still be told. Though I have come to recognise that I might never get the whole story of this fascinating world which CJ Cherryh had given us readers. Jane Fancher now has joint credit for the writing and this does read as a seamless team effort.
March 12, 2024
DNF (Did Not Finish)....sort of.
I should say the three stars aren't for quality, they're for how much I enjoyed it, which is not the same thing. Quality-wise it's probably 4 stars or better. It's a rich, well-crafted world with wonderful characters and an intricate plot. But it's just such a WADE. Every time Bren Cameron stands still for more than 30 seconds he takes three pages to think about the history, relationships, motivations, and potential complications of every single person he's met/worked with/heard about/had sex with. (Far too little of the later; Jago is present in this book but aside from falling asleep on her shoulder there aren't any sexy good-times in this book.)
A couple books ago I gave up. I didn't care enough to read every paragraph of ponderings about government or trade deals. I fully admit I skimmed this entire book, stopping only when there was a conversation, and even then as soon as someone's "conversation" was just a tedious recap of the thing that just happened last chapter I skimmed that too.
It's not that there weren't good parts! Any time his bodyguards look up in alarm and slam him to the ground before the bullets start flying, I'm hooked. We had several scenes of nighttime flights in a ridiculously antique airplane that had me cheering. Even the quiet moments where everyone gets a chance to rest with a glass of brandy followed by a long bath and a soft bed, I'm entranced. It's just a shame we have to deal with pages and pages of endless diplomatic complications and neurotic worry about how a human can't possibly understand the mindset of this alien race that OH MY GOD BREN can you NOT? For one SECOND?
Why read it at all, you ask? Because I've fallen in love with these characters. Bren, his bodyguards, his lover, the crown prince, even the young Lord of Dur (fans of Reijiri will love this book, he has a MAJOR part in the plot, and he's just the best) are enough to keep me coming back just to check in on them and make sure they're okay.
I should say the three stars aren't for quality, they're for how much I enjoyed it, which is not the same thing. Quality-wise it's probably 4 stars or better. It's a rich, well-crafted world with wonderful characters and an intricate plot. But it's just such a WADE. Every time Bren Cameron stands still for more than 30 seconds he takes three pages to think about the history, relationships, motivations, and potential complications of every single person he's met/worked with/heard about/had sex with. (Far too little of the later; Jago is present in this book but aside from falling asleep on her shoulder there aren't any sexy good-times in this book.)
A couple books ago I gave up. I didn't care enough to read every paragraph of ponderings about government or trade deals. I fully admit I skimmed this entire book, stopping only when there was a conversation, and even then as soon as someone's "conversation" was just a tedious recap of the thing that just happened last chapter I skimmed that too.
It's not that there weren't good parts! Any time his bodyguards look up in alarm and slam him to the ground before the bullets start flying, I'm hooked. We had several scenes of nighttime flights in a ridiculously antique airplane that had me cheering. Even the quiet moments where everyone gets a chance to rest with a glass of brandy followed by a long bath and a soft bed, I'm entranced. It's just a shame we have to deal with pages and pages of endless diplomatic complications and neurotic worry about how a human can't possibly understand the mindset of this alien race that OH MY GOD BREN can you NOT? For one SECOND?
Why read it at all, you ask? Because I've fallen in love with these characters. Bren, his bodyguards, his lover, the crown prince, even the young Lord of Dur (fans of Reijiri will love this book, he has a MAJOR part in the plot, and he's just the best) are enough to keep me coming back just to check in on them and make sure they're okay.
December 17, 2023
Another solid entry in the Foreigner saga...
Another solid entry in the ongoing tale of a Human diplomat, participating in the growth & development of an alien culture... and the further development of the interpersonal relationships with the specific aliens that have come to be his family. The Foreigner story is a fascinating look at how one person can have a profound on a Nation and two complexly intertwined culture even when both sides can never perfectly understand each other. I love the story of one person caught halfway between two kinds of perspective on emotions, relationships, and responsibilities.
In his book, various threads of the story advance noticeably-- but it's obvious we are still building towards some of the culminating events I'm really looking forward to; the arrival of the station-born humans (who HAVE to relocate from the overburdened station , to the planet), more information on how the Heir's human friends will adapt to a permanent life on the Human Island, and the final development of the Dowager's plans to settle all the different parts of the Atevi culture into peaceful cooperation.
As usual the satisfaction of finishing the next book in the series directly leads to the English of realizing there's going to be at least another year until you get to read the next installment!
And of course with the impatience to also look forward to the next book in The Alliance series, it's hard to know which book to encourage Cherry to work on hardest! The only solution while waiting for the next Foreigner book, is to read one of the many other fantastic books by this author!
If you haven't read it before I recommend reading through the Chanur series. This is another Series where you get to really understand how members of another alien species think and feel, especially when interfacing with humans who come to love them.
Another one of Cherryh's books with this theme is the one-off Cuckoo's Egg which I also heartily recommend.
Another solid entry in the ongoing tale of a Human diplomat, participating in the growth & development of an alien culture... and the further development of the interpersonal relationships with the specific aliens that have come to be his family. The Foreigner story is a fascinating look at how one person can have a profound on a Nation and two complexly intertwined culture even when both sides can never perfectly understand each other. I love the story of one person caught halfway between two kinds of perspective on emotions, relationships, and responsibilities.
In his book, various threads of the story advance noticeably-- but it's obvious we are still building towards some of the culminating events I'm really looking forward to; the arrival of the station-born humans (who HAVE to relocate from the overburdened station , to the planet), more information on how the Heir's human friends will adapt to a permanent life on the Human Island, and the final development of the Dowager's plans to settle all the different parts of the Atevi culture into peaceful cooperation.
As usual the satisfaction of finishing the next book in the series directly leads to the English of realizing there's going to be at least another year until you get to read the next installment!
And of course with the impatience to also look forward to the next book in The Alliance series, it's hard to know which book to encourage Cherry to work on hardest! The only solution while waiting for the next Foreigner book, is to read one of the many other fantastic books by this author!
If you haven't read it before I recommend reading through the Chanur series. This is another Series where you get to really understand how members of another alien species think and feel, especially when interfacing with humans who come to love them.
Another one of Cherryh's books with this theme is the one-off Cuckoo's Egg which I also heartily recommend.
February 4, 2024
After a nearly four-year hiatus, it was sooooooo good to see a new volume in the Foreigner series -- but actually reading it was a bit of a disappointment. It just feels thinner than previous installments, like there's just not nearly as much story there, for the same number of words.
Part of it may have been Ms Cherryh enlisting her long-term partner Jane S. Fancher as a co-writer in this novel. I remember when another of my favorite writer enlisted a co-writer in later volumes of a long-running series, and what had been richly detailed prose seemed to have become puffy and light. And when I went back to re-read some of the earlier volumes of that series, I noticed how much more telling detail there was, packed in every scene, every sentence.
Not to say that this volume is bad -- I like seeing Cajeiri increasingly taking adult levels of responsibility, in ways which remind us that atevi are most decidedly not human, that they develop not only at a different rate, but also in a different way. Yes, he's been trained from infancy to assume the role of aiji of the Western Association, which his great-grandmother is trying to expand into a world-state for all atevi -- but no human child of nine, almost ten, would be able to do the things he does, even with genius-level intelligence and intense training from infancy.
But reading it just isn't quite as satisfying as previous volumes, and I don't think it's just a matter of the long wait time raising expectations beyond what the author could possibly fulfill. But it really makes me think the author needs to wind up the series. Certainly leave a sense that the characters' lives will go on, but give us a sense of completion, so that the series doesn't trail off into slow decline and end with a whimper.
Part of it may have been Ms Cherryh enlisting her long-term partner Jane S. Fancher as a co-writer in this novel. I remember when another of my favorite writer enlisted a co-writer in later volumes of a long-running series, and what had been richly detailed prose seemed to have become puffy and light. And when I went back to re-read some of the earlier volumes of that series, I noticed how much more telling detail there was, packed in every scene, every sentence.
Not to say that this volume is bad -- I like seeing Cajeiri increasingly taking adult levels of responsibility, in ways which remind us that atevi are most decidedly not human, that they develop not only at a different rate, but also in a different way. Yes, he's been trained from infancy to assume the role of aiji of the Western Association, which his great-grandmother is trying to expand into a world-state for all atevi -- but no human child of nine, almost ten, would be able to do the things he does, even with genius-level intelligence and intense training from infancy.
But reading it just isn't quite as satisfying as previous volumes, and I don't think it's just a matter of the long wait time raising expectations beyond what the author could possibly fulfill. But it really makes me think the author needs to wind up the series. Certainly leave a sense that the characters' lives will go on, but give us a sense of completion, so that the series doesn't trail off into slow decline and end with a whimper.
October 30, 2023
This book gets off to a slow start because authors C.J. Cherryh & Jane Fancher wanted to give NEW readers a chance to enjoy a Foreigner book. This being book 22 and the previous Foreigner book being published in September 2020 [several years ago], I think giving new readers an entry point is worth the slow start.
When the book gets back to normal and Bren is ACTUALLY interacting once again with his bodyguard team (aishid), we are once again immersed in atevi politics. As we should be.
Bren is the only human on the atevi continent by treaty after the War of the Landing. Turned out that atevi and humans were mutually incomprehensible to one another. (Humans were colonists landed on the atevi planet by necessity and only later found out that they could not get along with the neighbors.)
Defiance, in particular, is Ilisidi's book. We get her backstory for the first time and we get to understand her point of view as someone raised outside of the aishidi'tat but ALSO as someone who has served as Regent to the aishidi'tat not just once but twice.
Also, Cajeiri [the other POV character, the atevi ruler's son and heir] is growing up. At nearly 10 years old, he is more mature than an average 10 year old human but certainly not yet an adult.
But old enough to recognize when his experiences have provided him perspectives not available to his father so Cajeiri uses his own initiative for the first time in this book.
Highly recommended to all series fans, all fans of First Contact tales, all Foreigner fans, and of course all C.J. Cherryh fans!
When the book gets back to normal and Bren is ACTUALLY interacting once again with his bodyguard team (aishid), we are once again immersed in atevi politics. As we should be.
Bren is the only human on the atevi continent by treaty after the War of the Landing. Turned out that atevi and humans were mutually incomprehensible to one another. (Humans were colonists landed on the atevi planet by necessity and only later found out that they could not get along with the neighbors.)
Defiance, in particular, is Ilisidi's book. We get her backstory for the first time and we get to understand her point of view as someone raised outside of the aishidi'tat but ALSO as someone who has served as Regent to the aishidi'tat not just once but twice.
Also, Cajeiri [the other POV character, the atevi ruler's son and heir] is growing up. At nearly 10 years old, he is more mature than an average 10 year old human but certainly not yet an adult.
But old enough to recognize when his experiences have provided him perspectives not available to his father so Cajeiri uses his own initiative for the first time in this book.
Highly recommended to all series fans, all fans of First Contact tales, all Foreigner fans, and of course all C.J. Cherryh fans!
November 9, 2023
In Defiance, the twenty-second volume of the Foreigner series, C. J. Cherryh teams up with her life partner, Jane S. Fancher. I suspect that Fancher may have had at least an editorial hand in several of the earlier books. It should go without saying that Defiance should not be your first foray into the series. In fact, by this time, Cherryh feels free to lard her prose with so many Atevi terms that readers new to the series may suspect they have picked up a foreign language edition.
Cherryh’s world-building is meticulous. Her aliens, especially, continue to impress. The Atevi routinely refer to themselves in the third person—not I know, but one knows. Their language is formal and full of honorifics. They seem to weigh every utterance for its political impact. It is always mother and father—never mom and dad. Friendship and love are not Atevi concepts; instead, they have associates, bound by loyalty and a sense of duty. Boundaries are seldom stable, and private armies and a guild of assassins keep what order there is. This setup reminds me of shoguns and samurai.
Although they are hooked on numerology, they are a rational species who seldom think about the past. Their mental life is filled with calculations about the effects of their actions and what others may be planning. Cherryh’s close, shifting third-person narration keeps us involved in their ongoing mental debate.
Recommended.
Cherryh’s world-building is meticulous. Her aliens, especially, continue to impress. The Atevi routinely refer to themselves in the third person—not I know, but one knows. Their language is formal and full of honorifics. They seem to weigh every utterance for its political impact. It is always mother and father—never mom and dad. Friendship and love are not Atevi concepts; instead, they have associates, bound by loyalty and a sense of duty. Boundaries are seldom stable, and private armies and a guild of assassins keep what order there is. This setup reminds me of shoguns and samurai.
Although they are hooked on numerology, they are a rational species who seldom think about the past. Their mental life is filled with calculations about the effects of their actions and what others may be planning. Cherryh’s close, shifting third-person narration keeps us involved in their ongoing mental debate.
Recommended.
February 11, 2024
I'm 22 books into this series. Clearly, I love it! If you're likewise this far into the series, you'll enjoy the latest installment as well.
However, I felt some big differences in this book. Primarily, it was incredibly passive. We start with a recap of maybe 30 pages of Bren ruminating. Then the plot continues by Bren reading a history book with more recapping interspersed. Meanwhile, internal speculation cycles through the same ideas repeatedly. We then switch to Cajeiri for additional recap and additional speculation, with more repetition. Instead of experiencing the action in the story, we received notice of events via letters or reports from the Guild. The on-page action was quite limited, as were the number of events that happened this book. Also, the initial thought spirals all pointed to an Ilisidi-heavy story, which I was so ready for as I love her character, but Ilisidi didn't receive much page time outside of others' speculations. While the start of a trilogy tends to have more set-up than the remaining two books, I admit to some disappointment.
Also, there was a lot of italics, and not just from non-spoken communications. Within dialogue, one word per sentence was often emphasized with italics. It was a bit distracting and a break from the standard style.
I definitely want to keep reading about these characters in this world, but Defiance struck me as a weaker installment in an overall strong story.
However, I felt some big differences in this book. Primarily, it was incredibly passive. We start with a recap of maybe 30 pages of Bren ruminating. Then the plot continues by Bren reading a history book with more recapping interspersed. Meanwhile, internal speculation cycles through the same ideas repeatedly. We then switch to Cajeiri for additional recap and additional speculation, with more repetition. Instead of experiencing the action in the story, we received notice of events via letters or reports from the Guild. The on-page action was quite limited, as were the number of events that happened this book. Also, the initial thought spirals all pointed to an Ilisidi-heavy story, which I was so ready for as I love her character, but Ilisidi didn't receive much page time outside of others' speculations. While the start of a trilogy tends to have more set-up than the remaining two books, I admit to some disappointment.
Also, there was a lot of italics, and not just from non-spoken communications. Within dialogue, one word per sentence was often emphasized with italics. It was a bit distracting and a break from the standard style.
I definitely want to keep reading about these characters in this world, but Defiance struck me as a weaker installment in an overall strong story.
July 30, 2025
I love Cherryh's writing, and I like Fancher's, and clearly I loke the series.
Fancher's contribution made the by-the-numbers conclusion (absent the "petal sail" drop of thousands of humans on the mainland, which will surely be the focus of at least the next book) technically far better than what Cherryh is capable of. It also made the explanation of the politics a good deal clearer, rather as the humour in Northanger Abbey is clearer than in, say Emma, or Pride & Prejudice (reading them outside of class as a teenaged boy, I just thought everyone was kind of mean ... the humour simply didn't translate past my y-chromosome burdened consciousness).
This one was good, but could have spent a bit more time interacting with our aristocratic figurehead of a bad lady, and the chief guildswoman baddie - though perhaps their rather abrupt shuffling off this mortal coil is a good way for a certain Marid ally to cover his disreputable tracks, or a way for them to cover for the wicked powers behind the throne. We shall see.
Cherryh (and Fancher) are getting up there in age. I hope Mercedes Lackey or someone of at least similar calibre is assigned the duty of finishing the series arc, as Brandon Sanderson did Robert L. Jordan's The Wheel of Time (thoughhe never quite got the voice right).
Fancher's contribution made the by-the-numbers conclusion (absent the "petal sail" drop of thousands of humans on the mainland, which will surely be the focus of at least the next book) technically far better than what Cherryh is capable of. It also made the explanation of the politics a good deal clearer, rather as the humour in Northanger Abbey is clearer than in, say Emma, or Pride & Prejudice (reading them outside of class as a teenaged boy, I just thought everyone was kind of mean ... the humour simply didn't translate past my y-chromosome burdened consciousness).
This one was good, but could have spent a bit more time interacting with our aristocratic figurehead of a bad lady, and the chief guildswoman baddie - though perhaps their rather abrupt shuffling off this mortal coil is a good way for a certain Marid ally to cover his disreputable tracks, or a way for them to cover for the wicked powers behind the throne. We shall see.
Cherryh (and Fancher) are getting up there in age. I hope Mercedes Lackey or someone of at least similar calibre is assigned the duty of finishing the series arc, as Brandon Sanderson did Robert L. Jordan's The Wheel of Time (thoughhe never quite got the voice right).
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