What do you think?
Rate this book
Cyteen #1-3
Cyteen
A brilliant young scientist rises to power on Cyteen, haunted by the knowledge that her predecessor and genetic duplicate died at the hands of one of her trusted advisors. Murder, politics, and genetic manipulation provide the framework for the latest Union-Alliance novel by the author of Downbelow Station. Cherryh's talent for intense, literate storytelling maintains interest throughout this long, complex novel.
680 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
119 people are currently reading
8465 people want to read
About the author
C.J. Cherryh
293 books3,582 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 482 reviews
May 4, 2013
Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted authors to release new works. Something had to be done.
On the spur of the moment I set myself a challenge, to read every book to have won the Locus Sci-Fi award. That’s 35 books, 6 of which I’d previously read, leaving 29 titles by 14 authors who were new to me.
While working through this reading list I got married, went on my honeymoon, switched career and became a father. As such these stories became imprinted on my memory as the soundtrack to the happiest period in my life (so far).
Back in '89, when Cyteen was winning the Locus Sci-Fi award, I was a precocious five year old chatterbox who was obsessed with dinosaurs and had just learnt how to pronounce 'stegosaurus'.
It wasn't a vintage year for Sci-Fi - a couple of good-looking Bujold stories, Asimov's Prelude to Foundation and Gibson's Mona Lisa Overdrive were the other main contenders.
I can’t think of another book that I whinged about so much while reading and then said at the end, “yeah, that was really good.”
We had a battle of wills, did Cyteen and I, and Cherryh won out.
At the beginning I thought it was slow, impenetrable and quite frankly rather dull.
By the end I still thought Cyteen was slow, but had come to recognise that it was imbued with the same kind of irresistible majesty as a glacier slowly crushing an abandoned Swiss village. What once seemed like an impenetrable tangle of details, keeping me a distant, impartial observer, had morphed (without me noticing) before the story’s conclusion into a snarl of barbed heart-strings that was impossible to escape from without being emotionally flayed. A drop of pond water can, at first glance, seem disinteresting but under a microscope it transforms into a vivid ebb and flow of outlandish and fascinating microlife battling for survival and supremacy. This is Cyteen : dismiss it at your peril.
This a book with depth, complex characters that gradually capture your affections, and no hesitation in striking out with its thematic sledgehammer. Cyteen is hard work, I won’t lie. There’s nothing else to have won the Locus Sci-Fi award with the same kind of scope and density.
I’m trying to think of books to compare it too, and I’m struggling. It’s a little like Robinson’s Red Mars , in that it’s dry, convincing but seems to lack joy in the telling. It’s a touch like Bujold’s Vorkosigan books – in that it’s a female sci-fi writer with a good eye for character and political intrigue. An unusual touchstone – but it reminded me a little of Eco with the flood of minutiae. And there was something Chronicles of Thomas Covenant about the whole experience – a feeling that it was a reading ratio of one-third endurance to two-thirds enjoyment.
But I’m a sucker for a good clone story. I love questions of identity and ethics: the psychoanalysis we all perform over the relative importance of formative events. I ploughed through Cyteen , complaining the whole way, but couldn’t put it down!
Definitely worth checking out if you like a challenging read.
June 23, 2010
5.5 stars. This is one of the most brilliantly written books I have ever read and I believe it is a work of special genius (no pun intended based on the subject matter of the book). This is not an EASY book to read and is not what I would describe as TONS of FUN. It is a complex, richly detailed, psychological science fiction mystery peopled by characters of vast intellect and extreme cunning. This makes the story one in which the reader must pay close attention. However, the pay off for such attention is well worth it. This is a very important book. In sum this book is BRILLIANT, VERY ORIGINAL AND A SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT. HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION.
Winner: Hugo Award for Best Novel
Winner: Locus Award Best Novel
Nominee: British Science Ficion Award
Number 30 on Locus list of All Time Best SF Novels.
Winner: Hugo Award for Best Novel
Winner: Locus Award Best Novel
Nominee: British Science Ficion Award
Number 30 on Locus list of All Time Best SF Novels.
May 12, 2020
This is the second of Cherryh’s two Hugo-winning novels I’ve read now — the first being Downbelow Station — and I can safely say that she has quickly become one of my most admired SFF authors. In both books, I found myself totally compelled throughout, even when (or maybe because?) her approach is willfully oblique at times. She writes with such unabashed confidence and authority, never giving anything away, that even when details are difficult to parse fully, each scene is fascinating in and of itself, with the hint of layers and textures and tensions that promise to reveal themselves as the story progresses. She has an unerring knack for making me feel like I am absolutely *there,* in the world she’s created, living alongside her complex and human and brilliant characters as they struggle to survive in a society that’s predicated on manipulation, brainwashing, state secrets, and political power.
Infusing this book in particular are fascinating questions about the nature of human personae; of the ethics of cloning; of loyalty; and how can you survive — or even thrive — in a world in which you can never know for certain what’s true and what isn’t?
As with Downbelow Station, I recognize that Cherryh’s work isn’t for everyone; it’s dense, tightly wound, a bit chilly at times, and packed with jargon and political infighting that’s not always easy to follow. But it’s also incredibly interesting, compelling, exciting, fascinating, and at times quite moving. I will be reading more and more of her work.
Infusing this book in particular are fascinating questions about the nature of human personae; of the ethics of cloning; of loyalty; and how can you survive — or even thrive — in a world in which you can never know for certain what’s true and what isn’t?
As with Downbelow Station, I recognize that Cherryh’s work isn’t for everyone; it’s dense, tightly wound, a bit chilly at times, and packed with jargon and political infighting that’s not always easy to follow. But it’s also incredibly interesting, compelling, exciting, fascinating, and at times quite moving. I will be reading more and more of her work.
May 30, 2018
Cyteen: Exhausting study of clones, identity, and power
Originally posted at Fantasy Literature
After enjoying C.J. Cherryh's 1982 Hugo Award winner Downbelow Station, it was a natural thing to move on to her 1989 Hugo winner Cyteen. I know that Cyteen is a very different creature, of course. It is a hefty 680 pages long, and extremely light on action. In fact, if you removed the extensive dialogue and exposition, I think the story would be about 100 pages long. That means the story had better be pretty compelling or it could be quite an ordeal to get through. Unfortunately, at 36 hours, I found Cyteen to be more of a chore than a pleasure.
There’s no question of the seriousness and rigor of its exploration of power politics, the ethics of cloning, genetic engineering, and social conditioning, and a very drawn-out (and inconclusive) murder mystery. But it’s waaaaaay too long, utterly humorless, and the characters are quite unlikeable. If it weren’t a Hugo winner, I don’t think I could have gotten through it. If you are a very patient reader and fan of Cherryh’s larger Alliance-Union universe, this is definitely a key part of a grander, detailed future history. But as a stand-alone book, it was not an entertaining experience.
The story centers Ariane Emory, a brilliant scientist and politician who runs the Reseune cloning research facility in Cyteen, the home planet of the Union that split from the Earth alliance (the story detailed in Downbelow Station). Ariane is embroiled in the political struggle between the Expansionist and Centrist factions, and is also instrumental in researching and refining the genetic engineering and conditioning techniques used to to create the ‘azi’ army of mentally-conditioned soldiers for the Union army. They are human and self-conscious, but their conditioning is so powerful that their free will is quite limited. ‘Azi’ are considered anathema in the Alliance, yet another reason for their conflict.
The book throws the reader directly into the thick of the political scheming, introducing character after character, and the first 100 pages or so is a major struggle to follow. The story doesn’t get going until a dreadful incident involving Ariane, a rival scientist named Jordan Warrick, his cloned son Justin Warrick, and his ‘azi’ companion Grant. This soon leads to the death of Ariane and the decision to clone Ariane as her loss will disrupt the balance of power in Union. Sounds like a promising start to an exciting story of political intrigue, with a murder to solve amid a complex and constantly changing galactic milieu.
Instead, the story slows to a painful crawl for the next several hundred pages, as we see Ari II growing up under the careful control of Denis and Giraud Nye. This could have been quite an interesting story at a fraction of the level of detail. Questions of free will, ethics, and nature vs. nurture are discussed in great depth, but the story…hardly anything happens for chapter after chapter. I’ve never read so much for so little gain. At times it feels like a far-future textbook on cloning techniques. This is in major contrast to Downbelow Station, which was also dense and complex, but that book had a breakneck pace that pulled the reader forward. It had terse dialogue and a constantly-shifting perspective among dozens of characters. In Cyteen, we have a large caste of characters, but all they do is talk, discuss, argue, and plot with little kinetic action or change of scenery.
Even when the perspective shifts to the 16-year old Ariane II, which promises to make things interesting, very little of importance happens. There is a potentially tense story buried deep down, but it is hurt by the interminable pacing. The final 100 pages pick up the pace slightly, but only to end so inconclusively it’s a massive let-down. After all that work…Speaking of which, narrator Gabra Zackman does a valiant effort narrating this door-stopper, but I can only imagine she also must have been pretty exhausted by the end of it.
Here’s an excerpt about the conditioning process that will give you a taste…hungry for more?
Once an Alpha stops re-analyzing his input and starts outputting only, he’s gone completely eetee. Which is why, Justin says, Alpha azi can’t be tape-trained past a certain point, because they don’t learn to analyze and question the flux-level input they get later, and when they socialize too late, they go more and more internal because things actually seem too fast and too random for them, exactly the opposite of the problem the socialized Alphas have - too fast, though, only because they’re processing like crazy trying to make more out of the input than’s really there, because they don’t understand there is no system, at least there’s no micro-system, and they keep trying to make one out of the flux they don’t understand.
Originally posted at Fantasy Literature
After enjoying C.J. Cherryh's 1982 Hugo Award winner Downbelow Station, it was a natural thing to move on to her 1989 Hugo winner Cyteen. I know that Cyteen is a very different creature, of course. It is a hefty 680 pages long, and extremely light on action. In fact, if you removed the extensive dialogue and exposition, I think the story would be about 100 pages long. That means the story had better be pretty compelling or it could be quite an ordeal to get through. Unfortunately, at 36 hours, I found Cyteen to be more of a chore than a pleasure.
There’s no question of the seriousness and rigor of its exploration of power politics, the ethics of cloning, genetic engineering, and social conditioning, and a very drawn-out (and inconclusive) murder mystery. But it’s waaaaaay too long, utterly humorless, and the characters are quite unlikeable. If it weren’t a Hugo winner, I don’t think I could have gotten through it. If you are a very patient reader and fan of Cherryh’s larger Alliance-Union universe, this is definitely a key part of a grander, detailed future history. But as a stand-alone book, it was not an entertaining experience.
The story centers Ariane Emory, a brilliant scientist and politician who runs the Reseune cloning research facility in Cyteen, the home planet of the Union that split from the Earth alliance (the story detailed in Downbelow Station). Ariane is embroiled in the political struggle between the Expansionist and Centrist factions, and is also instrumental in researching and refining the genetic engineering and conditioning techniques used to to create the ‘azi’ army of mentally-conditioned soldiers for the Union army. They are human and self-conscious, but their conditioning is so powerful that their free will is quite limited. ‘Azi’ are considered anathema in the Alliance, yet another reason for their conflict.
The book throws the reader directly into the thick of the political scheming, introducing character after character, and the first 100 pages or so is a major struggle to follow. The story doesn’t get going until a dreadful incident involving Ariane, a rival scientist named Jordan Warrick, his cloned son Justin Warrick, and his ‘azi’ companion Grant. This soon leads to the death of Ariane and the decision to clone Ariane as her loss will disrupt the balance of power in Union. Sounds like a promising start to an exciting story of political intrigue, with a murder to solve amid a complex and constantly changing galactic milieu.
Instead, the story slows to a painful crawl for the next several hundred pages, as we see Ari II growing up under the careful control of Denis and Giraud Nye. This could have been quite an interesting story at a fraction of the level of detail. Questions of free will, ethics, and nature vs. nurture are discussed in great depth, but the story…hardly anything happens for chapter after chapter. I’ve never read so much for so little gain. At times it feels like a far-future textbook on cloning techniques. This is in major contrast to Downbelow Station, which was also dense and complex, but that book had a breakneck pace that pulled the reader forward. It had terse dialogue and a constantly-shifting perspective among dozens of characters. In Cyteen, we have a large caste of characters, but all they do is talk, discuss, argue, and plot with little kinetic action or change of scenery.
Even when the perspective shifts to the 16-year old Ariane II, which promises to make things interesting, very little of importance happens. There is a potentially tense story buried deep down, but it is hurt by the interminable pacing. The final 100 pages pick up the pace slightly, but only to end so inconclusively it’s a massive let-down. After all that work…Speaking of which, narrator Gabra Zackman does a valiant effort narrating this door-stopper, but I can only imagine she also must have been pretty exhausted by the end of it.
Here’s an excerpt about the conditioning process that will give you a taste…hungry for more?
Once an Alpha stops re-analyzing his input and starts outputting only, he’s gone completely eetee. Which is why, Justin says, Alpha azi can’t be tape-trained past a certain point, because they don’t learn to analyze and question the flux-level input they get later, and when they socialize too late, they go more and more internal because things actually seem too fast and too random for them, exactly the opposite of the problem the socialized Alphas have - too fast, though, only because they’re processing like crazy trying to make more out of the input than’s really there, because they don’t understand there is no system, at least there’s no micro-system, and they keep trying to make one out of the flux they don’t understand.
December 1, 2020
5 Stars
Really, I'm still processing this one.
Uncertainty of any sort creates demagogues.
For me, Cherryh's Cyteen is on the same level as The Left Hand of Darkness (Le Guin) and The Broken Earth Trilogy (NK Jemisen) -- stories of immensely epic proportions, brought down to an agonizingly intimate focus. Her brilliant intersectional play between political, social, and psychological aspects of humanity is painful, realistic, and entirely prescient. She is well aware there is really no disconnect between any factors on the micro and macro level -- no disconnect between the individual and the societ(ies) in which a person exists.
Her characters jump off the page, completely real in their nuanced actions and thoughts. Confused and frightened by the world around them. Playing a very dangerous game of chess -- some choosing passivity; others manipulating the board with razor-sharp viciousness. All, in the case of this story, to effect either a future with continued use of azi (people created for a purpose) or a future with... less? predetermination.
Really, I'm still processing this one.
Uncertainty of any sort creates demagogues.
For me, Cherryh's Cyteen is on the same level as The Left Hand of Darkness (Le Guin) and The Broken Earth Trilogy (NK Jemisen) -- stories of immensely epic proportions, brought down to an agonizingly intimate focus. Her brilliant intersectional play between political, social, and psychological aspects of humanity is painful, realistic, and entirely prescient. She is well aware there is really no disconnect between any factors on the micro and macro level -- no disconnect between the individual and the societ(ies) in which a person exists.
Her characters jump off the page, completely real in their nuanced actions and thoughts. Confused and frightened by the world around them. Playing a very dangerous game of chess -- some choosing passivity; others manipulating the board with razor-sharp viciousness. All, in the case of this story, to effect either a future with continued use of azi (people created for a purpose) or a future with... less? predetermination.
September 5, 2022
This was such a discovery.
Even with relatively high 'SciFi opera' related expectations carried over from Cherryh's Downbelow Station, Cyteen appeared unassuming and managed to easily meet and exceed most all such presumptions; proving itself not only a captivating 'court intrigue' play, but a potent and considerate speculative work.
The narrative explores unexpectedly elaborate philosophical and moral themes on humanity and individuality, with exceptional nuance and sensitivity. A lot more intimate and stirring topics, than I would've known to await.
The opening notes of grand space-operatic ostentation and rapid array of political machinations can feel quite overwhelming to be thrown into, but once settling to focus on the closer personal journeys, the plot reveals it's most approachable subtleties; engrossing with heartwarming, distressing and increasingly intense events, and poignant passages of thoughtful inner contemplation and self-discovery.
A complex, compelling and compassionate story, with persuasively terse delivery. I am impressed and most eager for more from Cherryh.
______
Reading updates.
Even with relatively high 'SciFi opera' related expectations carried over from Cherryh's Downbelow Station, Cyteen appeared unassuming and managed to easily meet and exceed most all such presumptions; proving itself not only a captivating 'court intrigue' play, but a potent and considerate speculative work.
The narrative explores unexpectedly elaborate philosophical and moral themes on humanity and individuality, with exceptional nuance and sensitivity. A lot more intimate and stirring topics, than I would've known to await.
The opening notes of grand space-operatic ostentation and rapid array of political machinations can feel quite overwhelming to be thrown into, but once settling to focus on the closer personal journeys, the plot reveals it's most approachable subtleties; engrossing with heartwarming, distressing and increasingly intense events, and poignant passages of thoughtful inner contemplation and self-discovery.
A complex, compelling and compassionate story, with persuasively terse delivery. I am impressed and most eager for more from Cherryh.
______
Reading updates.
August 7, 2022
Cherryh received a Hugo for this one but it did not resonate with me. Cyteen is a massive book, really an omnibus of three novels, and must be 300,000+ words, given the tiny font in this 680 page tome, and while immersive to a degree, it quickly became a slog fest. The story takes place roughly 70 years after the events in Downbelow Station, which wrapped up with a treaty among the Union, Alliance and Earth Corporation. Cyteen, the planet, is at the heart of the Union, and the labs there, particularly Reseune, developed the 'azi'-- the famous 'clones' of the Union. Cyteen is primarily focused on the politics of the Union, which are laid out in dreary detail here, alongside the Reseune labs and power struggles there.
Ari Emory started the azi program and when the story starts, she is well over a hundred years old and holds one of the nine seats on the council-- the overall government of the Union itself. Azis are tank bred humans, who from day one, are fed 'tape' which basically programs them. Azi come in many flavors, produced for specific roles (like army, security, agricultural workers, etc.) and are beholden to their programmers. Not quite slaves, but not citizens either.
Shortly after the story starts, Ari is killed in one of her labs. Who or what killed her is a mystery (kinda solved in the last few pages), but Reseune labs decides after the fact to bred another Ari, call her Ari II. The direct cloning of people has obviously been done before, but not their socialization or memories, yielding a very different person from the original. Reseune plans, therefore, to give Ari II the same exact upbringing as her namesake and hopes that she will become really like Ari I. Much of this tome concerns little Ari growing up until she reaches adulthood at the end. By itself, this was of interest, as if the experiment works, it could basically make people immortal.
The politics of the Union were also somewhat interesting, as were the struggles for the future of the Union, divided among 'expansionist' and 'conservative' factions, along with doves and hawks. Cherryh has a knack for expounding the nitty gritty of day to day life in future civilizations and reading this definitely immerses you in Cyteen and Union life.
The problems are that Cyteen was one huge info dump after another and more details than you can shake a stick at. That would be ok if coupled with an exciting plot or even a good character driven story, but neither are found here. The plot? Basically Ari II growing up and learning how to manipulate people. Characters? Ari was kinda interesting, but the rest? Meh. I am not sure what Cherryh's objective with this story was. Detailed explication of the Union and its politics? Sure. Detailed exposition of azi and what makes them tick? Sure. Some ponderings on the future of humanity in space? Check. If you like these types of things, you will love this. Me, meh. I find it hard to understand why this won a Hugo, but so it goes. It did remind me of The Foundation Trilogy and if you liked that, you will probably like this one. Cyteen did help flesh out the Union/Alliance/Earth corporation universe, which I appreciated, but still, what a slog. 1.5 stars, rounding up for the Hugo.
Ari Emory started the azi program and when the story starts, she is well over a hundred years old and holds one of the nine seats on the council-- the overall government of the Union itself. Azis are tank bred humans, who from day one, are fed 'tape' which basically programs them. Azi come in many flavors, produced for specific roles (like army, security, agricultural workers, etc.) and are beholden to their programmers. Not quite slaves, but not citizens either.
Shortly after the story starts, Ari is killed in one of her labs. Who or what killed her is a mystery (kinda solved in the last few pages), but Reseune labs decides after the fact to bred another Ari, call her Ari II. The direct cloning of people has obviously been done before, but not their socialization or memories, yielding a very different person from the original. Reseune plans, therefore, to give Ari II the same exact upbringing as her namesake and hopes that she will become really like Ari I. Much of this tome concerns little Ari growing up until she reaches adulthood at the end. By itself, this was of interest, as if the experiment works, it could basically make people immortal.
The politics of the Union were also somewhat interesting, as were the struggles for the future of the Union, divided among 'expansionist' and 'conservative' factions, along with doves and hawks. Cherryh has a knack for expounding the nitty gritty of day to day life in future civilizations and reading this definitely immerses you in Cyteen and Union life.
The problems are that Cyteen was one huge info dump after another and more details than you can shake a stick at. That would be ok if coupled with an exciting plot or even a good character driven story, but neither are found here. The plot? Basically Ari II growing up and learning how to manipulate people. Characters? Ari was kinda interesting, but the rest? Meh. I am not sure what Cherryh's objective with this story was. Detailed explication of the Union and its politics? Sure. Detailed exposition of azi and what makes them tick? Sure. Some ponderings on the future of humanity in space? Check. If you like these types of things, you will love this. Me, meh. I find it hard to understand why this won a Hugo, but so it goes. It did remind me of The Foundation Trilogy and if you liked that, you will probably like this one. Cyteen did help flesh out the Union/Alliance/Earth corporation universe, which I appreciated, but still, what a slog. 1.5 stars, rounding up for the Hugo.
March 21, 2019
This is a hard(ish)-SF space opera if there is such a thing, which won Hugo 1989 Award.
The readers should be warmed: this is a doorstopper, longer than even many fantasy novel, which says something. It is a part of universe created by the author, which now has 27 novels plus smaller works. While it can be read as a stand alone (as I did), I guess the experience is enhanced if the whole series are read.
The story starts with some political intrigue in some Council far away – I think a poor choice for a new reader doesn’t care one way or another about what is happening, for they have no real attachment yet. One just finds out that there are ‘dog fights under the carpet’ between scientists, who have their extra-territorial university/research center in Reseune on planet Cyteen and military and civil authorities about the best way for future – explosive exploration of new systems vs. consolidating at presently occupied territory. While the book is named after the planet, we have but glimpses of it: two alien biospheres on two continents and humans try to establish local Earth biosphere as well, because the local ones are deadly.
Reseune is the source of azi ("artificial zygote insemination") – vat-born and tape-taught (tape here is a kind of tuned ‘memory/experience’ info, akin to Neo ‘learning’ martial arts in Matrix) humans, who are not citizens. They are mass produced to supply populations necessary for human expansion or wars. Unlike majority of SF, which world made azi slaves or second-rate citizens, they are closer to pets, eager to serve.
One of the chief forces behind development of azi is Ariane Emory. She is a Special, “A certified genius. A national treasure, by law”, one of a few. A slight spoiler ahead just to shift to the main theme of the novel: she is murdered and another Special is accused. Her clone is born and her environment is set to emulate the original one. The rest of the book is dedicated to Ari II growing up, where everyone wander is it truly possible to clone a person, not only a physical body. There is a lot of intrigues and almost everyone is a spider with a web.
Overall the story has a lot of interesting messages and ideas about how our minds work, what are the consequences of separating societies, how we know who we are, etc. At the same time it is a little too long and thus not very focused. So 4.5 start for ideas but only 2 star execution. Maybe the later rating will be higher when (if) I read other books set in the same universe.
The readers should be warmed: this is a doorstopper, longer than even many fantasy novel, which says something. It is a part of universe created by the author, which now has 27 novels plus smaller works. While it can be read as a stand alone (as I did), I guess the experience is enhanced if the whole series are read.
The story starts with some political intrigue in some Council far away – I think a poor choice for a new reader doesn’t care one way or another about what is happening, for they have no real attachment yet. One just finds out that there are ‘dog fights under the carpet’ between scientists, who have their extra-territorial university/research center in Reseune on planet Cyteen and military and civil authorities about the best way for future – explosive exploration of new systems vs. consolidating at presently occupied territory. While the book is named after the planet, we have but glimpses of it: two alien biospheres on two continents and humans try to establish local Earth biosphere as well, because the local ones are deadly.
Reseune is the source of azi ("artificial zygote insemination") – vat-born and tape-taught (tape here is a kind of tuned ‘memory/experience’ info, akin to Neo ‘learning’ martial arts in Matrix) humans, who are not citizens. They are mass produced to supply populations necessary for human expansion or wars. Unlike majority of SF, which world made azi slaves or second-rate citizens, they are closer to pets, eager to serve.
One of the chief forces behind development of azi is Ariane Emory. She is a Special, “A certified genius. A national treasure, by law”, one of a few. A slight spoiler ahead just to shift to the main theme of the novel: she is murdered and another Special is accused. Her clone is born and her environment is set to emulate the original one. The rest of the book is dedicated to Ari II growing up, where everyone wander is it truly possible to clone a person, not only a physical body. There is a lot of intrigues and almost everyone is a spider with a web.
Overall the story has a lot of interesting messages and ideas about how our minds work, what are the consequences of separating societies, how we know who we are, etc. At the same time it is a little too long and thus not very focused. So 4.5 start for ideas but only 2 star execution. Maybe the later rating will be higher when (if) I read other books set in the same universe.
October 10, 2021
I FINALLY DID IT! I FINALLY FINISHED THIS MAMMOTH OF A BOOK!
My brain is too fried and exhausted to write an in-depth review so here's some bullet points:
PROS
-C.J. Cherryh has done a tremendous amount of research into the political, sociological, genetic, economic, scientific, and psychological aspects of a futuristic society that relies on cloning in order to progress.
-Ariane II's life from infancy to eighteen-years-old was genuinely interesting to follow. TO she her grow both physically and mentally was such an interesting journey.
-Going off that, Cherryh shows how a child's rearing can affect their psychological development and how that follows into adulthood well
-How Ariane II goes from an immature brat to an intelligent young woman is very interesting to see.
-Written in 1988, I was really surprised at the small amount of LGBT+ cast here. Justin is bisexual and is in a relationship with Grant (I think Grant is gay) and his father Jordan is gay and has a partner named Paul. They never suffer for their sexual orientations nor are they central to their character arcs.
-Justin is a victim of rape. Cherryh shows with care and seriousness of how male rape victim is manipulated and gaslighted by his rapists' allies. Never seen that before.
-I genuinely felt sorry for both Ariane II and Justin because of how those around them manipulated them for the "good" of the society of Ariane I's legacy. I also felt sorry for Amy, and Ariane II's other classmates, who were either bullied or sent away because of Ariane II's dislike of them. Some of this is resolved, but I genuinely felt for them.
-I LOVED FLORIAN AND CATLIN!!! Soft but strong and smart gadget boy and tough fighter girl for the win!
-Cherryh made me care about these characters!
CONS
-Although her prose is readable, Cherryh writes very matter-of-factly
-There's a lot of info-dumps and massive paragraphs of dialogue
-The book could've been shorter
-I didn't like the whole 12-year-olds having sex thing. It wasn't very graphic and I understand Cherryh did that to show how Ariane II was so lonely and broken AND that Ariane I was a sex pest, but I think she could've handled it differently
My brain is too fried and exhausted to write an in-depth review so here's some bullet points:
PROS
-C.J. Cherryh has done a tremendous amount of research into the political, sociological, genetic, economic, scientific, and psychological aspects of a futuristic society that relies on cloning in order to progress.
-Ariane II's life from infancy to eighteen-years-old was genuinely interesting to follow. TO she her grow both physically and mentally was such an interesting journey.
-Going off that, Cherryh shows how a child's rearing can affect their psychological development and how that follows into adulthood well
-How Ariane II goes from an immature brat to an intelligent young woman is very interesting to see.
-Written in 1988, I was really surprised at the small amount of LGBT+ cast here. Justin is bisexual and is in a relationship with Grant (I think Grant is gay) and his father Jordan is gay and has a partner named Paul. They never suffer for their sexual orientations nor are they central to their character arcs.
-Justin is a victim of rape. Cherryh shows with care and seriousness of how male rape victim is manipulated and gaslighted by his rapists' allies. Never seen that before.
-I genuinely felt sorry for both Ariane II and Justin because of how those around them manipulated them for the "good" of the society of Ariane I's legacy. I also felt sorry for Amy, and Ariane II's other classmates, who were either bullied or sent away because of Ariane II's dislike of them. Some of this is resolved, but I genuinely felt for them.
-I LOVED FLORIAN AND CATLIN!!! Soft but strong and smart gadget boy and tough fighter girl for the win!
-Cherryh made me care about these characters!
CONS
-Although her prose is readable, Cherryh writes very matter-of-factly
-There's a lot of info-dumps and massive paragraphs of dialogue
-The book could've been shorter
-I didn't like the whole 12-year-olds having sex thing. It wasn't very graphic and I understand Cherryh did that to show how Ariane II was so lonely and broken AND that Ariane I was a sex pest, but I think she could've handled it differently
July 1, 2019
This was a difficult one. I'm in two minds about the book.
On one hand the detailed political, social and physiological structure of the world is nothing but awesome. This society feels absolutely real. The political intrigues are believable and intricate. The psychological manipulations, the helplessness of some of the characters in terms of heteronomy is palpable - up to the point where I physically felt nauseated and in actual pain for one of the protagonists. Such a carnal reaction is rather rare for me while reading.
On the other hand the pacing is slow, the book is very talkative. The story unfolds in the heads of the protagonists, not in form of action. I listened to it on audio (solid narration by Gabra Zackman), and I caught myself ever so often squinting at the time display to see when it would be over.
Those readers who like their books to be (action) plotdriven should probably skip this one.
On one hand the detailed political, social and physiological structure of the world is nothing but awesome. This society feels absolutely real. The political intrigues are believable and intricate. The psychological manipulations, the helplessness of some of the characters in terms of heteronomy is palpable - up to the point where I physically felt nauseated and in actual pain for one of the protagonists. Such a carnal reaction is rather rare for me while reading.
On the other hand the pacing is slow, the book is very talkative. The story unfolds in the heads of the protagonists, not in form of action. I listened to it on audio (solid narration by Gabra Zackman), and I caught myself ever so often squinting at the time display to see when it would be over.
Those readers who like their books to be (action) plotdriven should probably skip this one.
May 6, 2022
Premio Hugo 1989
Esta novela de Cherry es bastante larga y las primeras 200 páginas fueron buenas pero lentas. Estuve a punto de rendirme, pero aguante el tipo y las cosas empezaron a mejorar, y luego mejoraron cada vez más hasta el final. Merece la pena.
Cyteen es la novela más compleja de Cherryh, tanto en términos de volumen como en términos de desenredar las diversas tramas y personajes... tan densa, de hecho, bastantes editores la dividieron en tres volúmenes. Si estas algo familiarizado con las obras de Cherryh, esta novela tiene lugar en su Universo Alliance-Union, uno de los dos escenarios donde coloca la gran mayoría de sus libros, y tiene lugar en Cyteen poco después de Company Wars... aproximadamente después de Rimrunners y antes de los Cuarenta Mil en Gehena.
No puedo pensar en nada que decir sobre este libro que no sea spoiler pero avanzo un poco la trama. Ariane Emory, la protagonista, es uno de los pocos genios del planeta Cyteen. Es tan importante que el gobierno la declaró bajo Tutela Especial del Estado, inmune a la mayoría de las leyes y controles. La más grande genetista y psicóloga de todos los tiempos, es la directora de Reseune, los laboratorios que producen el producto más importante de su planeta: las personas. Los "azi" son humanos clonados, esculpidos tanto física como mentalmente para adaptarse a un nicho, desde médico hasta soldado y trabajador agrícola, y son vitales para la expansión de la humanidad a través del espacio a una velocidad que supera las tasas de natalidad. Absolutamente despiadada, un poco sádica, una manipuladora de personas casi sin igual, Ari es también la fuerza política dominante en la Union. Ahi lo dejo, lo demás es avanzar la trama.
La ciencia ficción de Cherryh es casi siempre de naturaleza fuertemente psicológica y sociológica, y esta es, quizás, la que más. la relación entre los azi - seres creados artificialmente que aprenden todo a través de 'cintas' y tienen una psicología artificial llamada 'psychset' - y los humanos natos se examina con gran detalle. A veces, los azi no son mejores que muebles, otras veces son demonios de confianza e incluso amantes, pero en todo se demuestra que los azi no tienen otra opción: están programados para hacer felices a sus supervisores. La difícil situación de los azi fue extremadamente inquietante de leer; no tienen habilidades de adaptación y sufren una profunda depresión cuando ocurre algo inesperado, lo que requiere extensas sesiones de grabación para convencerlos de que todo está bien.
Como nota al margen, Asimov es famoso por las Tres Leyes de la Robótica que, por su misma simplicidad, forman el principio organizador para el control humano de la robótica en sus historias (y las de sus seguidores). Cyteen es casi un reflejo. La composición motivacional de un azi en particular era normalmente monumentalmente compleja: las computadoras realizan un seguimiento de las reglas y las interacciones, pero, ¿qué motivación le das a un azi que está siendo enviado a colonizar un mundo desconocido? Sus 3 leyes podrián ser estas: coloniza un mundo nuevo... descubre sus reglas...vive tanto como puedas.
Esta novela de Cherry es bastante larga y las primeras 200 páginas fueron buenas pero lentas. Estuve a punto de rendirme, pero aguante el tipo y las cosas empezaron a mejorar, y luego mejoraron cada vez más hasta el final. Merece la pena.
Cyteen es la novela más compleja de Cherryh, tanto en términos de volumen como en términos de desenredar las diversas tramas y personajes... tan densa, de hecho, bastantes editores la dividieron en tres volúmenes. Si estas algo familiarizado con las obras de Cherryh, esta novela tiene lugar en su Universo Alliance-Union, uno de los dos escenarios donde coloca la gran mayoría de sus libros, y tiene lugar en Cyteen poco después de Company Wars... aproximadamente después de Rimrunners y antes de los Cuarenta Mil en Gehena.
No puedo pensar en nada que decir sobre este libro que no sea spoiler pero avanzo un poco la trama. Ariane Emory, la protagonista, es uno de los pocos genios del planeta Cyteen. Es tan importante que el gobierno la declaró bajo Tutela Especial del Estado, inmune a la mayoría de las leyes y controles. La más grande genetista y psicóloga de todos los tiempos, es la directora de Reseune, los laboratorios que producen el producto más importante de su planeta: las personas. Los "azi" son humanos clonados, esculpidos tanto física como mentalmente para adaptarse a un nicho, desde médico hasta soldado y trabajador agrícola, y son vitales para la expansión de la humanidad a través del espacio a una velocidad que supera las tasas de natalidad. Absolutamente despiadada, un poco sádica, una manipuladora de personas casi sin igual, Ari es también la fuerza política dominante en la Union. Ahi lo dejo, lo demás es avanzar la trama.
La ciencia ficción de Cherryh es casi siempre de naturaleza fuertemente psicológica y sociológica, y esta es, quizás, la que más. la relación entre los azi - seres creados artificialmente que aprenden todo a través de 'cintas' y tienen una psicología artificial llamada 'psychset' - y los humanos natos se examina con gran detalle. A veces, los azi no son mejores que muebles, otras veces son demonios de confianza e incluso amantes, pero en todo se demuestra que los azi no tienen otra opción: están programados para hacer felices a sus supervisores. La difícil situación de los azi fue extremadamente inquietante de leer; no tienen habilidades de adaptación y sufren una profunda depresión cuando ocurre algo inesperado, lo que requiere extensas sesiones de grabación para convencerlos de que todo está bien.
Como nota al margen, Asimov es famoso por las Tres Leyes de la Robótica que, por su misma simplicidad, forman el principio organizador para el control humano de la robótica en sus historias (y las de sus seguidores). Cyteen es casi un reflejo. La composición motivacional de un azi en particular era normalmente monumentalmente compleja: las computadoras realizan un seguimiento de las reglas y las interacciones, pero, ¿qué motivación le das a un azi que está siendo enviado a colonizar un mundo desconocido? Sus 3 leyes podrián ser estas: coloniza un mundo nuevo... descubre sus reglas...vive tanto como puedas.
August 6, 2014
This is a massive volume that is both fascinating and oddly opaque. It's a murder mystery in which the mystery is never solved. It's a consideration of the ethics of manufactured humans, without going into as much depth as it could. It's a conspiracy that is partially but not entirely explained. And it centres around a rape, which ripples through the rest of the book, and I'm not entirely convinced that it's handled well, in the end.
Note: The rest of this review has been withheld due to the changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here.
In the meantime, you can read the entire review at Smorgasbook
Note: The rest of this review has been withheld due to the changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here.
In the meantime, you can read the entire review at Smorgasbook
March 2, 2025
What an amazing experience. This goes straight to the top of my fave books list. I don't think I've ever read a book so complex and yet so riveting. Truly a masterpiece. Cherryh manages to create an intricate network of volatile post-war politics and political intrigue which keeps the reader on edge throughout the book as well as fully-fleshed out characters whose decisions and motivations inspire all kinds of emotions from sympathy to pity to anger to outrage. Just like her characters, Cherryh explores the macro and the micro levels of all the inputs to her baseline over several decades. This book explores themes around sociology, psychology, ethics, relationships, trauma, purpose, and it goes deep on all of them. There is a big underlying nature v nurture discourse which I find especially fascinating. The pacing is impeccable. The story neatly ties in other Alliance/Union novels by Cherryh and the more I learn about this universe the more I want to know. I just can't praise this book enough. All the stars. All the accolades. Perfection.
October 15, 2011
Some people have complained about Cyteen being too long. The reason is because Cyteen was originally written as a three book series. Most people would do better to get the original three paperbacks and read them instead but be warned: C.J. Cherryh is not a writer for people who like short books. She writes for people who want a long, in-depth read and who aren't afraid of being plunged into a world full of new and often confusing terms, ideas, and vocabulary.
Books such as this are usually written with a man cast in the lead role. Here we find a woman in that role. That fact alone makes Cyteen unique since I don't know of any other science fiction or fantasy book that is written about a female dictator's murder, clonal rebirth, and by her clone's own rise to power.
One of the most frustratingly intriguing elements of this books is the swirl of dangerous political undercurrents that surround both new and old Ari. Will she survive long enough to reach adulthood? Will she survive to adulthood with Resune still in her possession? (Resune was the source of both her wealth and her political power.)
Another intriguing element of these books are the subtle attempts by the adults around Ari to manipulate her into becoming not quite the cast iron b**** her predecessor was. This tug-of-war between the nature vs. nurture schools of thought ultimately works in Ari's favor since it takes the place of the original Ari's much harsher upbringing.
Personally, I really do hope she goes on to write several other books about Ari and her rise to power. I like this book even better than I do her Chanur novels.
Books such as this are usually written with a man cast in the lead role. Here we find a woman in that role. That fact alone makes Cyteen unique since I don't know of any other science fiction or fantasy book that is written about a female dictator's murder, clonal rebirth, and by her clone's own rise to power.
One of the most frustratingly intriguing elements of this books is the swirl of dangerous political undercurrents that surround both new and old Ari. Will she survive long enough to reach adulthood? Will she survive to adulthood with Resune still in her possession? (Resune was the source of both her wealth and her political power.)
Another intriguing element of these books are the subtle attempts by the adults around Ari to manipulate her into becoming not quite the cast iron b**** her predecessor was. This tug-of-war between the nature vs. nurture schools of thought ultimately works in Ari's favor since it takes the place of the original Ari's much harsher upbringing.
Personally, I really do hope she goes on to write several other books about Ari and her rise to power. I like this book even better than I do her Chanur novels.
December 16, 2014
I realised this was a long book when the hefty tome arrived in the post and I viewed the small font but I didn't think it would take me this long to finish.
I don't tend to like long books; I am instantly sceptical and always question whether they genuinely needs to be. I notice that this volume was once published in three parts (against the will of the author) and I have to agree that it doesn't really make sense to break up the story in that way. What it really needed was some good editing, some streamlining to tell the story that could have been told in a far more condensed way.
I oscillated between mild boredom and rapt interest throughout the book. It took a while to get going in the first place and then ended at a seemingly arbitrary point and on an inconclusive note but in was, at times, a deeply engaging narrative. Themes of power, politics, cloning and identity were examined. Character wise only Ari Emory was of any interest, the rest seeming somewhat thin and unconvincing, In particular Grant and Justin Warrick felt poorly conceived; they just seemed like female characters to me even though they were supposed to be male.
It's been a while since I've read a book by this author and, to be honest, after this mammoth undertaking it will probably be a while again before I pick up another. It was good but just didn't quite justify the effort and time involved unfortunately.
I don't tend to like long books; I am instantly sceptical and always question whether they genuinely needs to be. I notice that this volume was once published in three parts (against the will of the author) and I have to agree that it doesn't really make sense to break up the story in that way. What it really needed was some good editing, some streamlining to tell the story that could have been told in a far more condensed way.
I oscillated between mild boredom and rapt interest throughout the book. It took a while to get going in the first place and then ended at a seemingly arbitrary point and on an inconclusive note but in was, at times, a deeply engaging narrative. Themes of power, politics, cloning and identity were examined. Character wise only Ari Emory was of any interest, the rest seeming somewhat thin and unconvincing, In particular Grant and Justin Warrick felt poorly conceived; they just seemed like female characters to me even though they were supposed to be male.
It's been a while since I've read a book by this author and, to be honest, after this mammoth undertaking it will probably be a while again before I pick up another. It was good but just didn't quite justify the effort and time involved unfortunately.
August 5, 2018
Lawd, how am I going to talk about this book? This is going to be a very long review!
As a prelude: I’ve been using a reading tracker app on my phone called Leio, and it is my very favourite thing. It can tell me that I read this book for 16 hours and 42 minutes, over 18 days. And that my average speed was 1 min 28 sec per page. This took longer because I was on vacation for part of it, but Cyteen is still a slow-going complex monster at 680 pages. It’s about power, abuse, and manipulation, on both the macro- and the micro-scale.
I’ve read several of Cherryh’s Alliance-Union books, but this is my first time dipping into the Union side of the universe: a society of genetic engineers who have absolutely zero problem with eugenics and who have created the azi, who are genetically-modified clones bred and tape-trained to be the perfect servants, bodyguards, soldiers, intimate companions (cough), etc. It’s a horrific echo of slavery, and the psychology and ethics and consent issues of it are so, so fascinating. The whole novel is deeply interested in it: what’s the difference between a cit[izen] and an azi? Justin and his azi companion, Grant, someone raised with him in childhood and thus as close to him as a brother, have constant philosophical discussions about it.
It’s an interesting scientific setting, feat. genetic engineers and psych designers. Where both azi and cits alike are tranked down and dosed with hypnotics, all hypnopedia to pick up skills overnight, and suggestibility and subliminal worms (that reminded me of Inception, actually).
But the actual plot, in short: Ariane Emory, lead scientist and master political operative and driving force behind Cyteen, is assassinated — and because they still need her scientific mastery, they decide to not just clone her DNA, but attempt to recreate her as an actual person. They bring both nature and nurture to bear, striving to recreate every last formative experience for the young Ari 2.0, which has horrific repercussions both in terms of what they consciously do and in the places where they fuck up, where they’re botching the experiment. (And again, it circles on back to ethics/consent issues, wherein poor young Ari’s entire life & existence is a scientific guinea pig, a test case under study.)
And at the same time, it’s about her tangled and complicated relationship to another designer/scientist, Justin Warrick. I could write essays about this one, but I won’t say too much except that there’s a reason I put a trigger warning on this book. Which also made me stop and wonder: why is CJ Cherryh’s writing so… rapey? Several of her other Alliance-Union books also went there in very serious ways, and now this. (Jo Walton noted this and kicked off some in-depth discussion about this very aspect, which I’m going to look at after I finally read Downbelow Station.) In the end, I think it jives because the book is very interested in power, and therefore also the abuse of it — including in the unexpected, rarely-seen trajectory of helpless men being raped by powerful women. I was very, very, very uneasy about it for a while because it was very upsetting in the book itself, but it’s treated sensitively imo; it has long-lasting effects and you see how Justin has to wrestle with the aftershocks and trauma of it the entire rest of his life. It isn’t an easy recovery. It’s a pivotal element in the plot and the dynamics between the characters, rather than just an incident thrown in for sheer shock value.
There’s also a hefty, hefty dose of politics, as Ari comes of age amongst political machinations and power struggles in their society. A lot of those particular details are dizzying and confusing. I found it hard to follow the grand politics, and tuned them out a little bit — but where this book really shines is where it’s up close and intimate, where it’s the relationship between Ariane and Justin; or the parent-child and found-family feelings in Justin/Grant, or Jane/Ari, or Denys/Ari, the surrogate parents who stepped in to raise her. I went from seething disgust for the original Ariane to adoring her replicate: this precocious young girl, a manipulative baby sociopath, but who’s also trying to learn from the mistakes of the past. She’s an extremely canny operator, watching all the adults around her, and slowly realising that something is terribly, terribly wrong in her world, sorta Truman Show-style. The adults around her are also putting a heavy, heavy, manipulative burden on a child, which is similar to things that I love about Ender’s Game — because they need her genius, and Ari can’t have a normal childhood as a result of it.
Justin is also a cinnamon roll and I love him and he’s probably the best reader stand-in in this whole novel, the most relatable and understandable person, an innocent swept up in a game that treats him like a pawn.
There are some surprising twists and turns along the way; some that I’d predicted, others that caught me off-guard, one at the end in particular. Unfortunately the ending is rather abrupt and feels fairly rushed, and therefore isn’t super. But there’s a direct sequel in Regenesis, which I’ll read eventually.
4 stars. It is very, very slow-going, but it also made me think and concentrate in ways that not a lot of genre books make me do. (In a way, it’s actually very fitting that I tackled this after finally reading Ursula Le Guin, another Hugo/Nebula winner.) It’s so fleshed-out, so complicated and ambiguous and patient (well, until that ending). It respects the reader to keep up. It’s compared to Dune on the back cover, which is a comparison that I often scoff at, but this one feels deserved, particularly in how they are both very slow examinations of brilliant people who can affect the fate of entire planets, set in a fully-realised sci fi world that feels very lived-in.
Favourite quotes:
As a prelude: I’ve been using a reading tracker app on my phone called Leio, and it is my very favourite thing. It can tell me that I read this book for 16 hours and 42 minutes, over 18 days. And that my average speed was 1 min 28 sec per page. This took longer because I was on vacation for part of it, but Cyteen is still a slow-going complex monster at 680 pages. It’s about power, abuse, and manipulation, on both the macro- and the micro-scale.
I’ve read several of Cherryh’s Alliance-Union books, but this is my first time dipping into the Union side of the universe: a society of genetic engineers who have absolutely zero problem with eugenics and who have created the azi, who are genetically-modified clones bred and tape-trained to be the perfect servants, bodyguards, soldiers, intimate companions (cough), etc. It’s a horrific echo of slavery, and the psychology and ethics and consent issues of it are so, so fascinating. The whole novel is deeply interested in it: what’s the difference between a cit[izen] and an azi? Justin and his azi companion, Grant, someone raised with him in childhood and thus as close to him as a brother, have constant philosophical discussions about it.
It’s an interesting scientific setting, feat. genetic engineers and psych designers. Where both azi and cits alike are tranked down and dosed with hypnotics, all hypnopedia to pick up skills overnight, and suggestibility and subliminal worms (that reminded me of Inception, actually).
But the actual plot, in short: Ariane Emory, lead scientist and master political operative and driving force behind Cyteen, is assassinated — and because they still need her scientific mastery, they decide to not just clone her DNA, but attempt to recreate her as an actual person. They bring both nature and nurture to bear, striving to recreate every last formative experience for the young Ari 2.0, which has horrific repercussions both in terms of what they consciously do and in the places where they fuck up, where they’re botching the experiment. (And again, it circles on back to ethics/consent issues, wherein poor young Ari’s entire life & existence is a scientific guinea pig, a test case under study.)
And at the same time, it’s about her tangled and complicated relationship to another designer/scientist, Justin Warrick. I could write essays about this one, but I won’t say too much except that there’s a reason I put a trigger warning on this book. Which also made me stop and wonder: why is CJ Cherryh’s writing so… rapey? Several of her other Alliance-Union books also went there in very serious ways, and now this. (Jo Walton noted this and kicked off some in-depth discussion about this very aspect, which I’m going to look at after I finally read Downbelow Station.) In the end, I think it jives because the book is very interested in power, and therefore also the abuse of it — including in the unexpected, rarely-seen trajectory of helpless men being raped by powerful women. I was very, very, very uneasy about it for a while because it was very upsetting in the book itself, but it’s treated sensitively imo; it has long-lasting effects and you see how Justin has to wrestle with the aftershocks and trauma of it the entire rest of his life. It isn’t an easy recovery. It’s a pivotal element in the plot and the dynamics between the characters, rather than just an incident thrown in for sheer shock value.
There’s also a hefty, hefty dose of politics, as Ari comes of age amongst political machinations and power struggles in their society. A lot of those particular details are dizzying and confusing. I found it hard to follow the grand politics, and tuned them out a little bit — but where this book really shines is where it’s up close and intimate, where it’s the relationship between Ariane and Justin; or the parent-child and found-family feelings in Justin/Grant, or Jane/Ari, or Denys/Ari, the surrogate parents who stepped in to raise her. I went from seething disgust for the original Ariane to adoring her replicate: this precocious young girl, a manipulative baby sociopath, but who’s also trying to learn from the mistakes of the past. She’s an extremely canny operator, watching all the adults around her, and slowly realising that something is terribly, terribly wrong in her world, sorta Truman Show-style. The adults around her are also putting a heavy, heavy, manipulative burden on a child, which is similar to things that I love about Ender’s Game — because they need her genius, and Ari can’t have a normal childhood as a result of it.
Justin is also a cinnamon roll and I love him and he’s probably the best reader stand-in in this whole novel, the most relatable and understandable person, an innocent swept up in a game that treats him like a pawn.
There are some surprising twists and turns along the way; some that I’d predicted, others that caught me off-guard, one at the end in particular. Unfortunately the ending is rather abrupt and feels fairly rushed, and therefore isn’t super. But there’s a direct sequel in Regenesis, which I’ll read eventually.
4 stars. It is very, very slow-going, but it also made me think and concentrate in ways that not a lot of genre books make me do. (In a way, it’s actually very fitting that I tackled this after finally reading Ursula Le Guin, another Hugo/Nebula winner.) It’s so fleshed-out, so complicated and ambiguous and patient (well, until that ending). It respects the reader to keep up. It’s compared to Dune on the back cover, which is a comparison that I often scoff at, but this one feels deserved, particularly in how they are both very slow examinations of brilliant people who can affect the fate of entire planets, set in a fully-realised sci fi world that feels very lived-in.
Favourite quotes:
September 5, 2025
Outstanding. The precursor to Regenesis (2009), one of the best books I've read, successor to Downbelow Station (1981), which provides some wider backstory of the development of this Union-Alliance series. But this is far and away superior to its precursor, if not as outstanding as its immensely involving successor. It is richly detailed, highly political and immersively psychological, and Cherryh demonstrates a higher proficiency in both spheres than any author I have read, with a confidence to her writing and a surety of her world akin to Asimov, Herbert and Banks. I'm not sure, though, if any sci-fi author comes close to her psychological and political thinking, with the possible exception of Leckie, though with far less detail there.
I have now read seven of Cherryh's various sci-fi novels - four of the Alliance/Union series, one of the Foreigner series, and one of the Rusalka trilogy, and Cyteen and Regenesis are so far beyond the quality of the others, it is still hard to reconcile that they are all by the same author. But clearly, Cherryh not only thought in minute and far-reaching detail about this 'world', but was most at home in it. And I am too.
While not quite full-blown space opera, it has, in its Alliance-Union series prequels, extra-Solar expansion, rivalling Asimov's Foundation series and Herbert's Dune series for the verisimilitude of their sociological foundations that make all great science fiction books GREAT.
It is a psychological thriller and a SF political novel - very rare. Herbert's CHOAM and Asimov's Empire are rivalled here as political meta-civilisations - something Banks has never attained directly like these - but indirectly, as vastly.
Further - perhaps most of all - I love the character and being inside of the young Ari all the way through. You not only like her, you adore her, admire her, smile at her throughout. A perfect character. A bit girly sometimes (a hint of Elizabeth Moon), for she's a girl for much of the story. But she's smart, redefines 'precocious', one of a list of uber-geniuses: Einstein, Bok... Emory. So smart, she feels sometimes 'the universe going too slow for her mind' (audiobook 5, 3, 00:47:15). And, most importantly, she is not cruel like her predecessor.
Despite the obvious technological anachronisms (taking 'tape', microfiche), this is SF of the first order. Premised on the widescale evolution of cloning, it is fundamentally about power in the new galactic quadrant. Both Emorys are constantly under threat, from without and within. Who they trust is a very limited cadre, and even those have to be suspect (it is only her bodyguard-companion clones - Catlin and Florian, beautifully drawn - who can really be trusted). Similarly for Justin and his Grant.
One major story strand is ostensibly thematically about the vicissitudes of their suffering, but the book is saved by the development of the young Ari - for although Justin may be smart, special and necessary to the new Ari, he is also an exceptionally irritating personality throughout the novel - dammit. And although Cherryh subtly alters your opinion of him as the story reaches its climax, he reminds you of having to suffer distasteful work colleagues. Yet it is this tension that pervades the book, more so than the political machinations and threats from outside, or the perverse intimate-enemy tensions from within, from Giraud and Denys. There is a distinctly vinegary flavour to this particular enforced symbiosis with Justin, and tolerance of his acid father Jordan, yet it is also these two who we follow through the sequel Regenesis, tainting everything.
It is also one of the triumphs of these books that Cherryh can lean so heavily on such unpalatable irritating principal characters and yet keep you absorbed in the story and their fates. It deals, very closely, at a personal level of feeling, with what is essentially child abuse, the abuse of power, from those who - and they exist in far too many numbers that is good for the advance of the human race - kill at the whim of a mood, any opposition of even thought, who abuse their power every day, who, even while we have an insight into their reasons, which fall under the guise of a 'bigger picture', have lost that essential need in any human, which makes them human at all: empathy. The reverberations are as profound as any deep-set. For that is a must in this overcrowded, self-destructive, remotely abusive world.
I rate these two Cyteen books so highly because, above everything - the richness of detail and character and place, as well as immersive psychology and politics - it is the person of the young Ari that fascinates and secures your affection. Living within her head, her thoughts, her feelings, her unique place, panders to your own need for being special but above all - makes you feel safe. If there is any presiding feeling while reading Cyteen or Regenesis - beyond total absorption, every reader's need of a novel - it is that wonderful cosy feeling whilst doing so of feeling completely safe. As with Cathy H. Remember her?
I have now read seven of Cherryh's various sci-fi novels - four of the Alliance/Union series, one of the Foreigner series, and one of the Rusalka trilogy, and Cyteen and Regenesis are so far beyond the quality of the others, it is still hard to reconcile that they are all by the same author. But clearly, Cherryh not only thought in minute and far-reaching detail about this 'world', but was most at home in it. And I am too.
While not quite full-blown space opera, it has, in its Alliance-Union series prequels, extra-Solar expansion, rivalling Asimov's Foundation series and Herbert's Dune series for the verisimilitude of their sociological foundations that make all great science fiction books GREAT.
It is a psychological thriller and a SF political novel - very rare. Herbert's CHOAM and Asimov's Empire are rivalled here as political meta-civilisations - something Banks has never attained directly like these - but indirectly, as vastly.
Further - perhaps most of all - I love the character and being inside of the young Ari all the way through. You not only like her, you adore her, admire her, smile at her throughout. A perfect character. A bit girly sometimes (a hint of Elizabeth Moon), for she's a girl for much of the story. But she's smart, redefines 'precocious', one of a list of uber-geniuses: Einstein, Bok... Emory. So smart, she feels sometimes 'the universe going too slow for her mind' (audiobook 5, 3, 00:47:15). And, most importantly, she is not cruel like her predecessor.
Despite the obvious technological anachronisms (taking 'tape', microfiche), this is SF of the first order. Premised on the widescale evolution of cloning, it is fundamentally about power in the new galactic quadrant. Both Emorys are constantly under threat, from without and within. Who they trust is a very limited cadre, and even those have to be suspect (it is only her bodyguard-companion clones - Catlin and Florian, beautifully drawn - who can really be trusted). Similarly for Justin and his Grant.
One major story strand is ostensibly thematically about the vicissitudes of their suffering, but the book is saved by the development of the young Ari - for although Justin may be smart, special and necessary to the new Ari, he is also an exceptionally irritating personality throughout the novel - dammit. And although Cherryh subtly alters your opinion of him as the story reaches its climax, he reminds you of having to suffer distasteful work colleagues. Yet it is this tension that pervades the book, more so than the political machinations and threats from outside, or the perverse intimate-enemy tensions from within, from Giraud and Denys. There is a distinctly vinegary flavour to this particular enforced symbiosis with Justin, and tolerance of his acid father Jordan, yet it is also these two who we follow through the sequel Regenesis, tainting everything.
It is also one of the triumphs of these books that Cherryh can lean so heavily on such unpalatable irritating principal characters and yet keep you absorbed in the story and their fates. It deals, very closely, at a personal level of feeling, with what is essentially child abuse, the abuse of power, from those who - and they exist in far too many numbers that is good for the advance of the human race - kill at the whim of a mood, any opposition of even thought, who abuse their power every day, who, even while we have an insight into their reasons, which fall under the guise of a 'bigger picture', have lost that essential need in any human, which makes them human at all: empathy. The reverberations are as profound as any deep-set. For that is a must in this overcrowded, self-destructive, remotely abusive world.
I rate these two Cyteen books so highly because, above everything - the richness of detail and character and place, as well as immersive psychology and politics - it is the person of the young Ari that fascinates and secures your affection. Living within her head, her thoughts, her feelings, her unique place, panders to your own need for being special but above all - makes you feel safe. If there is any presiding feeling while reading Cyteen or Regenesis - beyond total absorption, every reader's need of a novel - it is that wonderful cosy feeling whilst doing so of feeling completely safe. As with Cathy H. Remember her?
March 16, 2018
It feels pretty late to be reviewing this novel close to thirty years after its publication, so review it I won't. I'll just jot down a few notes.
This is my first novel by Cherryh and I had very little idea what to expect other than knowing it would have a raped male charater. I do want to say that it's dense and hugely satisfying, that it takes on terribly difficult subjects and (mostly) does them justice, and that I loved how it was sprawling and strangely paced (the events from the blurb take place 100+ pages in!), while at the same time commanding my complete attention. It seemed to me to be very different from how novels are written these days, but instead of feeling old-fashioned it felt original and powerful.
And now, the jotted notes:
It is a novel about consent, taking place in a society built in large part by means of slavery and rape and I don't think this should be downplayed.
I have my own theory re: the murder mystery
I found the manner in which Nyes raised and abused Ari to be utterly terrifying.
Halfway through the book, I ordered some more Cherryh novels online and now look forward to receiving them. Who knew reading old school sff could be so amazing! (I knew, I totally knew.)
This is my first novel by Cherryh and I had very little idea what to expect other than knowing it would have a raped male charater. I do want to say that it's dense and hugely satisfying, that it takes on terribly difficult subjects and (mostly) does them justice, and that I loved how it was sprawling and strangely paced (the events from the blurb take place 100+ pages in!), while at the same time commanding my complete attention. It seemed to me to be very different from how novels are written these days, but instead of feeling old-fashioned it felt original and powerful.
And now, the jotted notes:
It is a novel about consent, taking place in a society built in large part by means of slavery and rape and I don't think this should be downplayed.
I have my own theory re: the murder mystery
I found the manner in which Nyes raised and abused Ari to be utterly terrifying.
Halfway through the book, I ordered some more Cherryh novels online and now look forward to receiving them. Who knew reading old school sff could be so amazing! (I knew, I totally knew.)
January 6, 2011
Cyteen by C.J. Cherryh. A 680-page paperback but don't be fooled. I'm pretty sure this novel chalks in at 300K+ words. It certainly weighs a few pounds.
A third of the way through, I'm calling it quits. I might pick it up again if there's nothing else in the house to read. But definitely some other time.
The writing itself is very good. Literally, that is the only thing that kept me going (and the hope things would suddenly get interesting). Cherryh's portrait of the universe has a lot of richness and depth to it. It's realistic and explores a wonderful human-factor that often gets drowned out in SF.
So what did I not like so much it made me stop (when I'm such a masochist for reading worse books than this one)? The characters are a big part of it. Lots of characters, perhaps too many. Ari's developed very well, but I don't like her. I wanted the whole Justin/Jordan dynamic to be played up more because I loved the concept of their relationship. Instead, Justin plays off Grant, who I care nothing about. And the same goes for everyone else in politics, I have no idea who's more than a background character and I have a hard time keeping any of them straight. Which is funny because most of the praise lauds her characterization, and others call it "absorbing, gripping, and fast-paced." No. Just. No. The core SF is where this book shines.
Which brings me to my next beef -- too much politicking. If people had problems with Dune, I don't see how they could possibly follow this one. Plus keeping all the characters' scheming and agendas straight. Too much, too fast. Complex can be good, and if I had more of an attachment to the characters, it'd be easier to follow. That would be reason enough to read on. Or chalk this one up to "I'm just dense and had a hard time following it." That works too.
I have a hard time determining what the plot of the story is (which would be a minor gripe if not for the reasons above). Things happen but at such a meandering rate that it's not clear where the story is heading. Add to that the distinct lack of tension and it's on the cusp of being a real snoozer. Is the mystery reason enough? The characters themselves aren't interested in that. It's obviously a political thing, one I'd need to read the book twice to fully realize. But is the payoff there and will I care?
I cheated and read the wikipedia plot summary for the book, hoping it would lure me into finishing. It didn't. Sad panda. :(
By no stretch of the imagination is this a bad novel. Thus far, it has been very well done; its honors are all deservedly earned. But...I just don't connect to the characters. No empathy, only apathy. And that's when I close the book and say, "The end."
A third of the way through, I'm calling it quits. I might pick it up again if there's nothing else in the house to read. But definitely some other time.
The writing itself is very good. Literally, that is the only thing that kept me going (and the hope things would suddenly get interesting). Cherryh's portrait of the universe has a lot of richness and depth to it. It's realistic and explores a wonderful human-factor that often gets drowned out in SF.
So what did I not like so much it made me stop (when I'm such a masochist for reading worse books than this one)? The characters are a big part of it. Lots of characters, perhaps too many. Ari's developed very well, but I don't like her. I wanted the whole Justin/Jordan dynamic to be played up more because I loved the concept of their relationship. Instead, Justin plays off Grant, who I care nothing about. And the same goes for everyone else in politics, I have no idea who's more than a background character and I have a hard time keeping any of them straight. Which is funny because most of the praise lauds her characterization, and others call it "absorbing, gripping, and fast-paced." No. Just. No. The core SF is where this book shines.
Which brings me to my next beef -- too much politicking. If people had problems with Dune, I don't see how they could possibly follow this one. Plus keeping all the characters' scheming and agendas straight. Too much, too fast. Complex can be good, and if I had more of an attachment to the characters, it'd be easier to follow. That would be reason enough to read on. Or chalk this one up to "I'm just dense and had a hard time following it." That works too.
I have a hard time determining what the plot of the story is (which would be a minor gripe if not for the reasons above). Things happen but at such a meandering rate that it's not clear where the story is heading. Add to that the distinct lack of tension and it's on the cusp of being a real snoozer. Is the mystery reason enough? The characters themselves aren't interested in that. It's obviously a political thing, one I'd need to read the book twice to fully realize. But is the payoff there and will I care?
I cheated and read the wikipedia plot summary for the book, hoping it would lure me into finishing. It didn't. Sad panda. :(
By no stretch of the imagination is this a bad novel. Thus far, it has been very well done; its honors are all deservedly earned. But...I just don't connect to the characters. No empathy, only apathy. And that's when I close the book and say, "The end."
May 13, 2020
Read for the Hugo & Nebula - Best Novels Group.
This novel brought out a whole array of feelings in me, it's a book I could love but there were too many things that did not work for me. I tried, yet I failed (quote by C.J. Cherryh.. Just kidding!).
I also tried thinking of a way to make my points without sounding too harsh and after thinking of various formats I've settled on a simple one, just rating separately every single aspect of the book using Goodreads 5-star rating.
5 stars:
- Artificial Zygote Insemination, a.k.a Azi. Obviously this is the backbone of the whole novel, one that is well thought through and raises important points enough for another 10 books. Everything sci-fi surrounding Azi is great writing - tapes, their rights, their attitudes, the implications on society. Think of it as Asimov's "robot rights" shorts and novels, there's plenty to unpack there.
- Union vs Reseune. It being the most important research cener, Reseune holds a lot of monopolies on various tech used throughout colonized universe. Azi being one aspect of it, tapes being the other, quote: most of the population of Cyteen, most of the population of Union itself, had come in one way or another from Reseune; and those who did not, used tapes . . . that Reseune devised. while I honestly doubt that it is technically possible, from this we get the idea of how important Reseune is. Another interesting point is raised in this book, when one of the councilors proposes nationalization of Reseuene.
4 stars
- politics described in the book, which deal with the larger picture and not inter-personal grievances, seem well thought through. There are various titles besides the regular councils, there are Specials who are pretty much untouchables. Council of Nine and Council fo Worlds both have some fantastic concepts.
- civilian statuses play an important role here. There is this whole range of the regular non-military titles whit each of them carrying their own weight, then there are Specials, CITs, Azi Alphas, PRs and all kinds of stuff.
- cloning a.k.a Parental Reconstruction. There's great stuff surrounding this concept, though some of it seemed slightly dated, the premise of nature vs nurture is explored in a satisfactory manner.
- tech described in the book, security and its hacks, the "Alexa". Usage of tranqs for entertainment purposes is an interesting concept.
- the writing itself, looking forward to her other stuff.
3 stars
- Ari growing up was interesting to follow, though it went downhill fast, focusing on petty subjects and some of it lacked consistency. Some of her reactions when she was 12 seemed by far more childish than when she was 7.
- intrigues of the state, especially in the beginning of the book were absolutely great to follow, it's just that the timing was way off.
2 stars
- Downton Abbey in space. With one major difference, I liked Downton Abbey. There's a very limited vision in the book when it comes to people and their influences on their surroundings. Novel explores almost two decades worth of events but the players hardly change or evolve.
- Justin Warrick, a character with great potential, being a son of a Special and a sibling of an alpha Azi, which is never entirely explored. Within a matter of few chapters he turns into a WLB (whiny little bit... brat)
- Ari-1 demise was a surprise, since I never bothered with reading any reviews or synopses of the book, but the whole premise that one of the most influential people in the known universe could be smacked around and die by banging her head on a counter is a long stretch imo.
- sexuality is explored on different levels, raising questions of Azi's role in the whole affair. But a lot of it feels very dated, we are talking '60s. The whole Ari-1 recorded speech to Ari-2 was embarrassing to read: That's because you're thinking about sex. If I asked you to do complicated math you'd probably make a mistake right now. That's the important lesson, sweet. Biology interferes with logic. Good grief!
- the plot, or rather the lack of it. There was so much potential there, what happened!
1 star
- the Justin affair... where do I even start. So we are centuries into the future, people are cloned on various levels. Human psyche is tampered with to the level where person's character is molded by means of manipulation, scheming and chemicals. Yet Justin cannot get over a foursome he had over a decade ago. Obviously the power of councelling is downplayed to say the least and the power of man's ego is criminally underestimated. Man's ego is powerful enough to overcome any sexual mishap one may encounter and present it in a way that he planned it to happen this way all along. I am more inclined to see Justin bragging of having banged (possibly poor choice of words, but better plot line) Ari-1 than spending 20 years bitching about it.
- back to the subject of Downton Abbey. Or probably a better title would be "The Cloned and The Beautiful". Character interactions to me seemed out of place, the pettiness of them.
- the last but far from being the least is the thing that ruined it all for me. Constant rehashing of boring events in a predictable and uninteresting manner. An event happens and instead of building on it, using the momentum, the story grinds to a screeching halt. We are forced to follow everyone's perspectives on what happened and then watch the reactions on people's reactions to the events and their reactions to the people's reactions on the reactions of the reactions of the people figuring in the event and whose reactions... (at this point you stop giving a damn)
In any case, many complained that the novel is long, I never felt that way. The scenes which weren't going anywhere were long, but had there been content I would be glad to read twice as much. The biggest problem for me was that from the first page forward it's all downhill, even the attention to detail is hard to compare
This novel brought out a whole array of feelings in me, it's a book I could love but there were too many things that did not work for me. I tried, yet I failed (quote by C.J. Cherryh.. Just kidding!).
I also tried thinking of a way to make my points without sounding too harsh and after thinking of various formats I've settled on a simple one, just rating separately every single aspect of the book using Goodreads 5-star rating.
5 stars:
- Artificial Zygote Insemination, a.k.a Azi. Obviously this is the backbone of the whole novel, one that is well thought through and raises important points enough for another 10 books. Everything sci-fi surrounding Azi is great writing - tapes, their rights, their attitudes, the implications on society. Think of it as Asimov's "robot rights" shorts and novels, there's plenty to unpack there.
- Union vs Reseune. It being the most important research cener, Reseune holds a lot of monopolies on various tech used throughout colonized universe. Azi being one aspect of it, tapes being the other, quote: most of the population of Cyteen, most of the population of Union itself, had come in one way or another from Reseune; and those who did not, used tapes . . . that Reseune devised. while I honestly doubt that it is technically possible, from this we get the idea of how important Reseune is. Another interesting point is raised in this book, when one of the councilors proposes nationalization of Reseuene.
4 stars
- politics described in the book, which deal with the larger picture and not inter-personal grievances, seem well thought through. There are various titles besides the regular councils, there are Specials who are pretty much untouchables. Council of Nine and Council fo Worlds both have some fantastic concepts.
- civilian statuses play an important role here. There is this whole range of the regular non-military titles whit each of them carrying their own weight, then there are Specials, CITs, Azi Alphas, PRs and all kinds of stuff.
- cloning a.k.a Parental Reconstruction. There's great stuff surrounding this concept, though some of it seemed slightly dated, the premise of nature vs nurture is explored in a satisfactory manner.
- tech described in the book, security and its hacks, the "Alexa". Usage of tranqs for entertainment purposes is an interesting concept.
- the writing itself, looking forward to her other stuff.
3 stars
- Ari growing up was interesting to follow, though it went downhill fast, focusing on petty subjects and some of it lacked consistency. Some of her reactions when she was 12 seemed by far more childish than when she was 7.
- intrigues of the state, especially in the beginning of the book were absolutely great to follow, it's just that the timing was way off.
2 stars
- Downton Abbey in space. With one major difference, I liked Downton Abbey. There's a very limited vision in the book when it comes to people and their influences on their surroundings. Novel explores almost two decades worth of events but the players hardly change or evolve.
- Justin Warrick, a character with great potential, being a son of a Special and a sibling of an alpha Azi, which is never entirely explored. Within a matter of few chapters he turns into a WLB (whiny little bit... brat)
- Ari-1 demise was a surprise, since I never bothered with reading any reviews or synopses of the book, but the whole premise that one of the most influential people in the known universe could be smacked around and die by banging her head on a counter is a long stretch imo.
- sexuality is explored on different levels, raising questions of Azi's role in the whole affair. But a lot of it feels very dated, we are talking '60s. The whole Ari-1 recorded speech to Ari-2 was embarrassing to read: That's because you're thinking about sex. If I asked you to do complicated math you'd probably make a mistake right now. That's the important lesson, sweet. Biology interferes with logic. Good grief!
- the plot, or rather the lack of it. There was so much potential there, what happened!
1 star
- the Justin affair... where do I even start. So we are centuries into the future, people are cloned on various levels. Human psyche is tampered with to the level where person's character is molded by means of manipulation, scheming and chemicals. Yet Justin cannot get over a foursome he had over a decade ago. Obviously the power of councelling is downplayed to say the least and the power of man's ego is criminally underestimated. Man's ego is powerful enough to overcome any sexual mishap one may encounter and present it in a way that he planned it to happen this way all along. I am more inclined to see Justin bragging of having banged (possibly poor choice of words, but better plot line) Ari-1 than spending 20 years bitching about it.
- back to the subject of Downton Abbey. Or probably a better title would be "The Cloned and The Beautiful". Character interactions to me seemed out of place, the pettiness of them.
- the last but far from being the least is the thing that ruined it all for me. Constant rehashing of boring events in a predictable and uninteresting manner. An event happens and instead of building on it, using the momentum, the story grinds to a screeching halt. We are forced to follow everyone's perspectives on what happened and then watch the reactions on people's reactions to the events and their reactions to the people's reactions on the reactions of the reactions of the people figuring in the event and whose reactions... (at this point you stop giving a damn)
In any case, many complained that the novel is long, I never felt that way. The scenes which weren't going anywhere were long, but had there been content I would be glad to read twice as much. The biggest problem for me was that from the first page forward it's all downhill, even the attention to detail is hard to compare
November 13, 2013
This is only my second C.J. Cherryh novel, and I liked it very much. I found it to be a more intimate, character-driven story than Downbelow Station.
This takes place almost entirely at a research institute called Reseune which specializes in human cloning. They also produce special clones known as “Azi” who are subjected to intense conditioning from birth which gives them a different psychological makeup from regular humans. The Azi exist largely as an enslaved workforce.
I suppose enslaved is the correct word, because while they aren’t physically forced or confined, they are psychologically unable to displease their supervisors. It’s a weird and fascinating setup, because the Azi are intelligent and not discontented, and none of the characters seem to be bothered by what feels to the reader like horrifying mind control.
The novel is about Reseune’s attempt to recreate genius: simply cloning a genius hasn't produced satisfactory results, so now they're trying to raise such a clone in a duplicate of the social and educational environment of the original.
We follow the clone of Ariane Emory, a scary, brilliant scientist and powerful political leader, from birth through her adolescence. Since the human lifespan has been extended to around 140 years, most of the people who knew the first version of the woman are still around to be made nervous by the prospect of a second one.
In particular the story focuses on Justin, a cloned “parental replicate” of his scientist father, and Grant, an Azi created to be Justin’s companion. Justin was psychologically damaged by the first Ariane Emory, and he and Grant spend anguished decades as victims of a tense political environment, waiting for the new one to grow up and make things worse.
I have already ordered several more books set in this universe, including the immediate sequel to this one, which was published several years later.
This takes place almost entirely at a research institute called Reseune which specializes in human cloning. They also produce special clones known as “Azi” who are subjected to intense conditioning from birth which gives them a different psychological makeup from regular humans. The Azi exist largely as an enslaved workforce.
I suppose enslaved is the correct word, because while they aren’t physically forced or confined, they are psychologically unable to displease their supervisors. It’s a weird and fascinating setup, because the Azi are intelligent and not discontented, and none of the characters seem to be bothered by what feels to the reader like horrifying mind control.
The novel is about Reseune’s attempt to recreate genius: simply cloning a genius hasn't produced satisfactory results, so now they're trying to raise such a clone in a duplicate of the social and educational environment of the original.
We follow the clone of Ariane Emory, a scary, brilliant scientist and powerful political leader, from birth through her adolescence. Since the human lifespan has been extended to around 140 years, most of the people who knew the first version of the woman are still around to be made nervous by the prospect of a second one.
In particular the story focuses on Justin, a cloned “parental replicate” of his scientist father, and Grant, an Azi created to be Justin’s companion. Justin was psychologically damaged by the first Ariane Emory, and he and Grant spend anguished decades as victims of a tense political environment, waiting for the new one to grow up and make things worse.
I have already ordered several more books set in this universe, including the immediate sequel to this one, which was published several years later.
July 2, 2015
A truly extraordinary book. Cherryh's insights into "tape" and "deep tape" (much like hypnosis) for training and learning are amazing. Her presentation of politics, psychology and human emotion and failings are wonderful, and her prose is some of the finest around.
I loved the "Boys from Brazil" theme in the book; the re-creation of a person without "magical knowledge transfer" but through re-creation of childhood environments and deep hypnotic training of a life recorded closely.
The social issues of creating test-tube humans ("Azis") for use to populate worlds quickly (for political ends) and as servants are presented very skilfully, and with great compassion.
The brutal manipulation of those surrounding the central character are so well-presented that you agonise with them. Plot twists are fully believable, and move the story along, especially in the last 1/4 of the book.
Characters presented here are complex, with strengths and flaws, redemption and failure, love and broken egos. Superb.
This is a brilliant mind writing at it's peak powers. I can't wait to continue with Regenesis.
Definitely read Forty Thousand in Gehenna first. Reading the other Union-Alliance stories prior to this one will improve your appreciation here.
Winner: Hugo Award for Best Novel
Winner: Locus Award Best Novel
Nominee: British Science Ficion Award
Number 30 on Locus list of All Time Best SF Novels.
For Cherryh, the Alliance-Union universe books are (mostly) fantastic -
* In order to read:
Downbelow Station (1981) - Superb!!
Merchanter's Luck (1982) - Perhaps her best ever!
Rimrunners (1989) – Very good!
Heavy Time (1991) - good, but long winded
Hellburner (1992) - good, but long winded
Tripoint (1994) - very good
Finity's End (1997) – Superb
Forty Thousand in Gehenna (1983) - good but uneven, important for Cyteen and Regenesis
Cyteen (1988) – Superb
Regenesis (2009) - Superb
I loved the "Boys from Brazil" theme in the book; the re-creation of a person without "magical knowledge transfer" but through re-creation of childhood environments and deep hypnotic training of a life recorded closely.
The social issues of creating test-tube humans ("Azis") for use to populate worlds quickly (for political ends) and as servants are presented very skilfully, and with great compassion.
The brutal manipulation of those surrounding the central character are so well-presented that you agonise with them. Plot twists are fully believable, and move the story along, especially in the last 1/4 of the book.
Characters presented here are complex, with strengths and flaws, redemption and failure, love and broken egos. Superb.
This is a brilliant mind writing at it's peak powers. I can't wait to continue with Regenesis.
Definitely read Forty Thousand in Gehenna first. Reading the other Union-Alliance stories prior to this one will improve your appreciation here.
Winner: Hugo Award for Best Novel
Winner: Locus Award Best Novel
Nominee: British Science Ficion Award
Number 30 on Locus list of All Time Best SF Novels.
For Cherryh, the Alliance-Union universe books are (mostly) fantastic -
* In order to read:
Downbelow Station (1981) - Superb!!
Merchanter's Luck (1982) - Perhaps her best ever!
Rimrunners (1989) – Very good!
Heavy Time (1991) - good, but long winded
Hellburner (1992) - good, but long winded
Tripoint (1994) - very good
Finity's End (1997) – Superb
Forty Thousand in Gehenna (1983) - good but uneven, important for Cyteen and Regenesis
Cyteen (1988) – Superb
Regenesis (2009) - Superb
December 5, 2011
Spoilers ahead!
I try to read every Hugo Award nominee. For a reason I don’t remember, I never read Cyteen by C.J. Cherryh when it was nominated in 1989. Maybe my library didn’t have a copy; maybe I was intimidated by the length of the book (680 densely packed pages) (or I didn’t have enough time to finish); or perhaps I had read stuff by Cherryh before and had been underwhelmed. Whatever the reason, I recently decided to give Cyteen a try after I read a blog post extolling its virtues. In fact, the blogger claimed to have read Cyteen over 40 times! That’s almost twice a year, every year since it’s been published. I can only name a handful of books I’ve read twice, and I’ve read only one or two books three times—ever. So when someone takes the time to read a 680-page book twice a year, I figure there must be something worthwhile to it.
It took two months (not every day, to be sure), but I finally finished slogging through Cyteen. I can say that it’s a perfectly fine book, and probably worthy of the Hugo Award versus the other nominees that year: Red Prophet by Orson Scott Card, Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold, Islands in the Net by Bruce Sterling, and Mona Lisa Overdrive by William Gibson.
Cyteen is part of Cherryh’s Alliance-Union future history into which most of her books fall. Cyteen is a world that has become the center of the Union, a far-future federation of human space colonists who have left the Earth behind. Reseune is a scientific facility on Cyteen that is devoted to human cloning. The most influential person in Reseune is the powerful and domineering Ariane Emory, a genius whose political and scientific manipulations have created many enemies. Cyteen tells the story of Ari’s life, death, and rebirth.
Rejuv treatments allow humans to live to be well over 100 years old, perhaps as much as 200. The first quarter of the book chronicles Ari’s life as the 120-year-old Councilor for Science, the de facto leader of Cyteen’s ruling body. Then Ari is found dead, and the authorities rule it murder. Ari’s former research partner, Jordan Warrick, is the prime suspect. He initially denies it, but is eventually coerced into confessing under an agreement to let himself be exiled to another facility and for Justin, his clone “son,” to be left at Reseune. The Cyteen authorities go along with the deal because Jordan is a “Special,” a genius of unparalleled abilities that the government needs to continue working.
When Ari died, she had been working on setting up a project to clone herself. The authorities decide to accelerate the program because they need her expertise to continue the biological research she was involved with. Apparently, they felt no one, not even Jordan, could understand and extend the research, and were willing to wait 20 or more years for Ari’s clone to mature.
The remainder of Cyteen recounts Ari II’s first 20 years. To make sure she is as close to Ari I as possible, Ari II undergoes psychogenetic manipulation: every facet of her childhood is strictly controlled to be as close to Ari I’s as possible, including having her surrogate mother “die” when Ari II is seven. Because Ari I had been planning to clone herself anyway, she had compiled a massive library of interactive computer files that she could use to impart her wisdom to Ari II.
In the universe of Cyteen, there are different classes of clones. Ari II, being the product of a Special, is a PR, or Personal Replicate, considered to be a CIT, or citizen, and is raised by human guardians. Other clones, known as azi, are genetically engineered, have no legal standing, and learn everything from tapes tailored to their specific positions in life—they are essentially slaves. Ari II has two azi companions that are raised alongside of her to simulate Ari I’s azi companions. Florian and Catlin are Ari II’s confidants and bodyguards. Justin has an azi, Grant, whom he loves and lives with. Cyteen’s central question revolves around the ethics of human cloning and whether nature or nurture determines the essence of humanness. It’s also an in-depth study of how powerful individuals are created and to what extent that power is innate. The book is also an allegory about slavery, although that message largely eluded me, since the azis seen most often, Florian, Catlin, and Grant, are essentially treated as equals by their masters.
The writing style is very good. Cherryh's future history is rich and deep. It's realistic and explores serious human issues. Cyteen is a fascinating society, a virtual utopia for CITs and a virtual prison for azis. One of the amazing feats of the book is how it manages to turn a very unsympathetic character like Ari I into the sympathetic and relatable Ari II.
I found a number of drawbacks to the novel. Ari II was developed very well, Ari I and Justin to a lesser extent, but almost everyone else was a cipher. There were so many secondary characters that it was hard to keep track of who was simply background and who was significant. There were dense pages of infodumps explaining the history and nature of the society and its castes, but these were hard to follow for someone not familiar with Cherryh’s universe. The many schemes and hidden agendas that people had were hard to keep straight. Perhaps if I had had more attachment to the characters, it would have been easier to follow. The book is also filled with page after page of dry politics—lots and lots of talk, not a lot of action.
The central mystery of who killed Ari I is not resolved, either. It is clear even at the beginning that Jordan is innocent and is being played for political purposes. Evidence revealed at the end of the book completely exonerates him. My guess is that it was either an accident or suicide; we learn that Ari I knew she had terminal cancer that even rejuv treatments could not overcome, and it would be within character for her to manipulate her second coming by framing her rival. Supposedly, the sequel to Cyteen, Regenesis (2009), answers the mystery, but at this point I don’t think I really care that much.
On the whole, I’m glad I read Cyteen, but I won’t be rereading it.
I try to read every Hugo Award nominee. For a reason I don’t remember, I never read Cyteen by C.J. Cherryh when it was nominated in 1989. Maybe my library didn’t have a copy; maybe I was intimidated by the length of the book (680 densely packed pages) (or I didn’t have enough time to finish); or perhaps I had read stuff by Cherryh before and had been underwhelmed. Whatever the reason, I recently decided to give Cyteen a try after I read a blog post extolling its virtues. In fact, the blogger claimed to have read Cyteen over 40 times! That’s almost twice a year, every year since it’s been published. I can only name a handful of books I’ve read twice, and I’ve read only one or two books three times—ever. So when someone takes the time to read a 680-page book twice a year, I figure there must be something worthwhile to it.
It took two months (not every day, to be sure), but I finally finished slogging through Cyteen. I can say that it’s a perfectly fine book, and probably worthy of the Hugo Award versus the other nominees that year: Red Prophet by Orson Scott Card, Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold, Islands in the Net by Bruce Sterling, and Mona Lisa Overdrive by William Gibson.
Cyteen is part of Cherryh’s Alliance-Union future history into which most of her books fall. Cyteen is a world that has become the center of the Union, a far-future federation of human space colonists who have left the Earth behind. Reseune is a scientific facility on Cyteen that is devoted to human cloning. The most influential person in Reseune is the powerful and domineering Ariane Emory, a genius whose political and scientific manipulations have created many enemies. Cyteen tells the story of Ari’s life, death, and rebirth.
Rejuv treatments allow humans to live to be well over 100 years old, perhaps as much as 200. The first quarter of the book chronicles Ari’s life as the 120-year-old Councilor for Science, the de facto leader of Cyteen’s ruling body. Then Ari is found dead, and the authorities rule it murder. Ari’s former research partner, Jordan Warrick, is the prime suspect. He initially denies it, but is eventually coerced into confessing under an agreement to let himself be exiled to another facility and for Justin, his clone “son,” to be left at Reseune. The Cyteen authorities go along with the deal because Jordan is a “Special,” a genius of unparalleled abilities that the government needs to continue working.
When Ari died, she had been working on setting up a project to clone herself. The authorities decide to accelerate the program because they need her expertise to continue the biological research she was involved with. Apparently, they felt no one, not even Jordan, could understand and extend the research, and were willing to wait 20 or more years for Ari’s clone to mature.
The remainder of Cyteen recounts Ari II’s first 20 years. To make sure she is as close to Ari I as possible, Ari II undergoes psychogenetic manipulation: every facet of her childhood is strictly controlled to be as close to Ari I’s as possible, including having her surrogate mother “die” when Ari II is seven. Because Ari I had been planning to clone herself anyway, she had compiled a massive library of interactive computer files that she could use to impart her wisdom to Ari II.
In the universe of Cyteen, there are different classes of clones. Ari II, being the product of a Special, is a PR, or Personal Replicate, considered to be a CIT, or citizen, and is raised by human guardians. Other clones, known as azi, are genetically engineered, have no legal standing, and learn everything from tapes tailored to their specific positions in life—they are essentially slaves. Ari II has two azi companions that are raised alongside of her to simulate Ari I’s azi companions. Florian and Catlin are Ari II’s confidants and bodyguards. Justin has an azi, Grant, whom he loves and lives with. Cyteen’s central question revolves around the ethics of human cloning and whether nature or nurture determines the essence of humanness. It’s also an in-depth study of how powerful individuals are created and to what extent that power is innate. The book is also an allegory about slavery, although that message largely eluded me, since the azis seen most often, Florian, Catlin, and Grant, are essentially treated as equals by their masters.
The writing style is very good. Cherryh's future history is rich and deep. It's realistic and explores serious human issues. Cyteen is a fascinating society, a virtual utopia for CITs and a virtual prison for azis. One of the amazing feats of the book is how it manages to turn a very unsympathetic character like Ari I into the sympathetic and relatable Ari II.
I found a number of drawbacks to the novel. Ari II was developed very well, Ari I and Justin to a lesser extent, but almost everyone else was a cipher. There were so many secondary characters that it was hard to keep track of who was simply background and who was significant. There were dense pages of infodumps explaining the history and nature of the society and its castes, but these were hard to follow for someone not familiar with Cherryh’s universe. The many schemes and hidden agendas that people had were hard to keep straight. Perhaps if I had had more attachment to the characters, it would have been easier to follow. The book is also filled with page after page of dry politics—lots and lots of talk, not a lot of action.
The central mystery of who killed Ari I is not resolved, either. It is clear even at the beginning that Jordan is innocent and is being played for political purposes. Evidence revealed at the end of the book completely exonerates him. My guess is that it was either an accident or suicide; we learn that Ari I knew she had terminal cancer that even rejuv treatments could not overcome, and it would be within character for her to manipulate her second coming by framing her rival. Supposedly, the sequel to Cyteen, Regenesis (2009), answers the mystery, but at this point I don’t think I really care that much.
On the whole, I’m glad I read Cyteen, but I won’t be rereading it.
August 25, 2025
Unsung masterpiece!!! A challenging and worthwhile 5/5 🌟… also i love the bigger easy to read font in this version! Only way to read it is in 1 big chunk IMO.
We follow a handful of scientists from Resune in a future where genetic engineering 🧬 has reached a peak we can ‘write’ dna the same way we write computer code or programs- which result in whole people who are created to act in certain ways, for certain tasks, called Azi. When something goes wrong or someone acts in a way you dont want you can create a real time fix - known as tape- to alter someone’s psychological thoughts, preferences and memory….
In such a world political power and ability to manipulate others to what you want is everything! And the person who is very best at this is Arianne Emory- who plays both the villian and the victim protagonist.
Words are not enough to properly descibe this one and it isnt for everyone. There is a circle a blackmail and complex manipulation that isnt always the most positive vibes… yet its drama you cant look away from.
The story begins in a senate/council chamber with many characters and was honestly complicated, dry and off-putting…. But once u know this is just to set the scene and learn the factions and motivations of what could one of the most impressive stories of manipulation since Game of thrones (maybe better??) its worth sitting thru the beginning and trusting the process…. At least it was for me.
I can honestly say this was one of the most rewarding stories i have read —- if u can make it to the level where you see cherryh’s vision. I didnt love downbelow station but can’t wait to pickup regenesis!!!
Warning ⚠️ This story does have a non descriptive rape of a man by a woman which might be a trigger for some but does serve a purpose in the end.
We follow a handful of scientists from Resune in a future where genetic engineering 🧬 has reached a peak we can ‘write’ dna the same way we write computer code or programs- which result in whole people who are created to act in certain ways, for certain tasks, called Azi. When something goes wrong or someone acts in a way you dont want you can create a real time fix - known as tape- to alter someone’s psychological thoughts, preferences and memory….
In such a world political power and ability to manipulate others to what you want is everything! And the person who is very best at this is Arianne Emory- who plays both the villian and the victim protagonist.
Words are not enough to properly descibe this one and it isnt for everyone. There is a circle a blackmail and complex manipulation that isnt always the most positive vibes… yet its drama you cant look away from.
The story begins in a senate/council chamber with many characters and was honestly complicated, dry and off-putting…. But once u know this is just to set the scene and learn the factions and motivations of what could one of the most impressive stories of manipulation since Game of thrones (maybe better??) its worth sitting thru the beginning and trusting the process…. At least it was for me.
I can honestly say this was one of the most rewarding stories i have read —- if u can make it to the level where you see cherryh’s vision. I didnt love downbelow station but can’t wait to pickup regenesis!!!
Warning ⚠️ This story does have a non descriptive rape of a man by a woman which might be a trigger for some but does serve a purpose in the end.
January 11, 2019
I will confess it up front. I love this book.
Yes, it's long. It was originally published in three volumes in paperback, in the late 1980s. That made sense from a physical size point of view; it doesn't make sense in terms of the story. This is, like The Lord of the Rings, a long, single novel.
It is, as another review commented, a murder mystery in which the mystery is never solved, and features a conspiracy which is partially but never completely explained. We don't get all the answers.
That's part of what makes it the fascinating, complex book that it is.
Ariane Emory is over a century old, a scientist, head of Reseune, the primary cloning facility on Cyteen, the primary planet of the political entity Union, in Cherryh's Union-Alliance universe. Union and Alliance have a lot of reasons for their conflict, but one of them is the azi, Reseune's clones. Along with being genetically designed to have certain aptitudes and traits, they are also tape-trained from birth to both educate and condition them to their intended roles. They don't have a normal range of free will, though neither are they anything close to automata. There's also internal conflict, both inside Union, and inside Reseune. We see Ariane Emory, or Ari, as very intelligent, very capable, with what may be good goals, but very, very Machiavellian. She's involved in a contest of will that in part involves another clone designer, Jordan Warrick, his cloned son Justin (a clone, but not an azi; Justin is a citizen), and Justin's azi companion, Grant.
And then, quite suddenly, Ari is dead, and it appears to be murder, and of all the people who might have wanted her dead, Jordan Warrick is the one who was there.
The bulk of this novel is about Ari II, a clone of Ariane Emory, initially a deep, deep secret. She's not just a clone, like Justin. She's intended to be a true recreation of Ariane Emory, with all her abilities and ruthlessness.
It's not the plotters we identify with. It is, on the one hand, Justin and Grant, living under constant suspicion and surveillance, and on the other hand, Ari II, struggling to understand how she's being manipulated and why. As a young child, friends she has too much conflict with disappear, they and their families being transferred to distant locations like Fargone Station. Her Maman, Jane Stassen, gets transferred to Fargone without Ari, when she's barely preteen, for reasons that never make sense to her. Her uncles, Denis and Geraud Nye, major powers in Reseune, are her guardians--and Denis at least seems loving and kind, but even at this young age she knows there's more going on than she's being told.
It's not clear how much the Nyes and their allies understood how determined and devious young Ari would be in looking for the answers.
And along the way, Ari is introduced to the resources Ari I left behind for her, because Ari did plan this even if her death didn't happen as she anticipated, and we start to learn a great deal more about the original Ari, about Reseune, about Union, and about the Nyes.
Ari II also starts to acquire friends and allies of her own.
Everyone here is more complicated, layered, and conflicted than they appear at first glance.
It's long, complicated, intricate, absorbing. Highly recommended, though I reluctantly concede that no, it's not for everyone. But, really, highly recommended.
I bought this audiobook.
Yes, it's long. It was originally published in three volumes in paperback, in the late 1980s. That made sense from a physical size point of view; it doesn't make sense in terms of the story. This is, like The Lord of the Rings, a long, single novel.
It is, as another review commented, a murder mystery in which the mystery is never solved, and features a conspiracy which is partially but never completely explained. We don't get all the answers.
That's part of what makes it the fascinating, complex book that it is.
Ariane Emory is over a century old, a scientist, head of Reseune, the primary cloning facility on Cyteen, the primary planet of the political entity Union, in Cherryh's Union-Alliance universe. Union and Alliance have a lot of reasons for their conflict, but one of them is the azi, Reseune's clones. Along with being genetically designed to have certain aptitudes and traits, they are also tape-trained from birth to both educate and condition them to their intended roles. They don't have a normal range of free will, though neither are they anything close to automata. There's also internal conflict, both inside Union, and inside Reseune. We see Ariane Emory, or Ari, as very intelligent, very capable, with what may be good goals, but very, very Machiavellian. She's involved in a contest of will that in part involves another clone designer, Jordan Warrick, his cloned son Justin (a clone, but not an azi; Justin is a citizen), and Justin's azi companion, Grant.
And then, quite suddenly, Ari is dead, and it appears to be murder, and of all the people who might have wanted her dead, Jordan Warrick is the one who was there.
The bulk of this novel is about Ari II, a clone of Ariane Emory, initially a deep, deep secret. She's not just a clone, like Justin. She's intended to be a true recreation of Ariane Emory, with all her abilities and ruthlessness.
It's not the plotters we identify with. It is, on the one hand, Justin and Grant, living under constant suspicion and surveillance, and on the other hand, Ari II, struggling to understand how she's being manipulated and why. As a young child, friends she has too much conflict with disappear, they and their families being transferred to distant locations like Fargone Station. Her Maman, Jane Stassen, gets transferred to Fargone without Ari, when she's barely preteen, for reasons that never make sense to her. Her uncles, Denis and Geraud Nye, major powers in Reseune, are her guardians--and Denis at least seems loving and kind, but even at this young age she knows there's more going on than she's being told.
It's not clear how much the Nyes and their allies understood how determined and devious young Ari would be in looking for the answers.
And along the way, Ari is introduced to the resources Ari I left behind for her, because Ari did plan this even if her death didn't happen as she anticipated, and we start to learn a great deal more about the original Ari, about Reseune, about Union, and about the Nyes.
Ari II also starts to acquire friends and allies of her own.
Everyone here is more complicated, layered, and conflicted than they appear at first glance.
It's long, complicated, intricate, absorbing. Highly recommended, though I reluctantly concede that no, it's not for everyone. But, really, highly recommended.
I bought this audiobook.
March 23, 2019
Big and dense and complicated and really, really, really good.
This is our first real visit to Union; specifically, the capital planet Cyteen (less habitable for humans than either Pell or Earth, but, unlike Pell, unencumbered by intelligent natives so they can start seriously terraforming; but that's really almost entirely secondary to the story), even more specifically, the administrative offices and laboratories of Reseune, the corporation (which, in this context, means quasi-independent, a self-governing entity within Union) that manufactures the azi, the cloned and tape-trained servant class upon which Union's expansion has been built, plus various other projects having to do with psychset manipulation and with cloning and genetic modification, and most specifically, to Arianne Emory, head of Reseune, brilliant, single-minded, and (not to put too fine a point on it) something of a monster, caught up in political infighting in the Union council and bureaucratic infighting within Reseune itself.
Until she's murdered about 100 pages into this 680 page novel.
At which point the focus shifts to the two characters who will be the poles of the book -- Ari 2 (a Personal Replicate (PR), an exact genetic clone of the original Ariane Emory, whose gestation was set in motion at the original's death, and Justin Warrick, himself a PR of one of Ariane's fellow researchers, and whom Ariane, when he was young and vulnerable, took unconscionable liberties with (which action may or may not have precipitated Ariane's murder?).
As Ari 2 grows up (a frighteningly bright and not altogether nice child) she becomes aware that she is not like the other children in her orbit; and she and Justin find themselves caught between Ari 1's design and the machinations of those (internal and external) who did not approve of Ari 1's work and/or who just want to secure power for themselves.
This certainly works well as a standalone, but I'd recommend reading at least Downbelow Station (which provides broad context for the setting) and Forty Thousand in Gehenna (because the Gehenna project features prominently in Cyteen; and it's fascinating to reconsider 40,000 in Gehenna based on the new information found in Cyteen) beforehand.
This is our first real visit to Union; specifically, the capital planet Cyteen (less habitable for humans than either Pell or Earth, but, unlike Pell, unencumbered by intelligent natives so they can start seriously terraforming; but that's really almost entirely secondary to the story), even more specifically, the administrative offices and laboratories of Reseune, the corporation (which, in this context, means quasi-independent, a self-governing entity within Union) that manufactures the azi, the cloned and tape-trained servant class upon which Union's expansion has been built, plus various other projects having to do with psychset manipulation and with cloning and genetic modification, and most specifically, to Arianne Emory, head of Reseune, brilliant, single-minded, and (not to put too fine a point on it) something of a monster, caught up in political infighting in the Union council and bureaucratic infighting within Reseune itself.
Until she's murdered about 100 pages into this 680 page novel.
At which point the focus shifts to the two characters who will be the poles of the book -- Ari 2 (a Personal Replicate (PR), an exact genetic clone of the original Ariane Emory, whose gestation was set in motion at the original's death, and Justin Warrick, himself a PR of one of Ariane's fellow researchers, and whom Ariane, when he was young and vulnerable, took unconscionable liberties with (which action may or may not have precipitated Ariane's murder?).
As Ari 2 grows up (a frighteningly bright and not altogether nice child) she becomes aware that she is not like the other children in her orbit; and she and Justin find themselves caught between Ari 1's design and the machinations of those (internal and external) who did not approve of Ari 1's work and/or who just want to secure power for themselves.
This certainly works well as a standalone, but I'd recommend reading at least Downbelow Station (which provides broad context for the setting) and Forty Thousand in Gehenna (because the Gehenna project features prominently in Cyteen; and it's fascinating to reconsider 40,000 in Gehenna based on the new information found in Cyteen) beforehand.
October 24, 2020
Cyteen is one of the more frustrating books I have read recently. It is on the one hand brilliant and packed with thought provoking intellection, and on the other hand, a plodding and ponderous book in which very little happens and which I found a chore to read.
This book is deep and sweeping, and the points for discussion are innumerable. Clearly at the center are the concepts of how we come to be who we are, the whole nature versus nurture concept, the essence of how we are shaped and learn. C.J. Cherryh delves deeply into how the manipulation of our environment and psyche can influence us. She seems to have been heavily influenced in this by the psychiatric psychotherapy concepts of Cognitive-behavioral therapy and hypnotherapy. She talks of “endocrine learning” clearly drawing on Pavlovian influences. She does this fairly brilliantly, centering around the concepts of cloning. Can a clone, even when the genetic and environmental upbringing are identically recreated, ever be a true duplicate of the original?
Cyteen is also a complex commentary about the psychological effects and use of power and manipulation. Ari, the central character in this book, is in particular a master of this. She is able to read, control and exploit those around her, and she often takes this beyond the limits of what is right.
Cherryh is much like Margaret Atwood in that the science in this book, although certainly often a springboard for her ideas, serves mostly as a backdrop to the more import human messages she is conveying. This is not hard science fiction, and in many ways it feels as though she has simply moved our current world and social structures, with all of their warts and problems, into a different, but mostly the same, other place. It just doesn't feel like the 25th century.
Where this book fell down for me is the pacing and length. It is long and feels long. There are plodding sections of political machinations and long stretches of self-analysis and introspection on the part of the main characters Ari and Justin. And generally, there is just no movement in this book. I frequently found myself counting the number of pages that I had left, never a good sign.
So I rate this book three very conflicted stars. It is a difficult and slow read, long and boring, yet chocked full of brilliance and insight.
This book is deep and sweeping, and the points for discussion are innumerable. Clearly at the center are the concepts of how we come to be who we are, the whole nature versus nurture concept, the essence of how we are shaped and learn. C.J. Cherryh delves deeply into how the manipulation of our environment and psyche can influence us. She seems to have been heavily influenced in this by the psychiatric psychotherapy concepts of Cognitive-behavioral therapy and hypnotherapy. She talks of “endocrine learning” clearly drawing on Pavlovian influences. She does this fairly brilliantly, centering around the concepts of cloning. Can a clone, even when the genetic and environmental upbringing are identically recreated, ever be a true duplicate of the original?
Cyteen is also a complex commentary about the psychological effects and use of power and manipulation. Ari, the central character in this book, is in particular a master of this. She is able to read, control and exploit those around her, and she often takes this beyond the limits of what is right.
Cherryh is much like Margaret Atwood in that the science in this book, although certainly often a springboard for her ideas, serves mostly as a backdrop to the more import human messages she is conveying. This is not hard science fiction, and in many ways it feels as though she has simply moved our current world and social structures, with all of their warts and problems, into a different, but mostly the same, other place. It just doesn't feel like the 25th century.
Where this book fell down for me is the pacing and length. It is long and feels long. There are plodding sections of political machinations and long stretches of self-analysis and introspection on the part of the main characters Ari and Justin. And generally, there is just no movement in this book. I frequently found myself counting the number of pages that I had left, never a good sign.
So I rate this book three very conflicted stars. It is a difficult and slow read, long and boring, yet chocked full of brilliance and insight.
March 22, 2019
I liked this book. I thought I wouldn't because of the long, political start, where I almost gave up, but it was a book club read, so I persevered. I even think it's four stars because I was so interested in the character of Ari2. Great worldbuilding. But pacing was poor.
I think that the amount of lip biting that went on was ridiculous. There are other reactions to stress and emotion. All the characters' lips should have been scarred for life.
And after I read ALL THAT,
Still, an interesting read, though too long. Select it if you have a lot of time. I had to read it in parts because I would get tired of it and have to go read something else for a while.
I think that the amount of lip biting that went on was ridiculous. There are other reactions to stress and emotion. All the characters' lips should have been scarred for life.
And after I read ALL THAT,
Still, an interesting read, though too long. Select it if you have a lot of time. I had to read it in parts because I would get tired of it and have to go read something else for a while.
April 20, 2012
OMG! What a book! Best Cherryh yet! Now I have to read Forty-thousand in Gehenna and Regenesis! I can see why it won the Hugo. It's non stop psychological thriller with so many plot twists and unexpected turns that one can hardly keep up. She makes me hate a character and then come to understand them if not like them in a most interesting way, uncovering layers and layers of meaning.
I could hardly put it down and am now sad that it's over and I'll have to get myself involved in another book to get that feeling again. So, it's off to Forty Thousand in Gehenna which I wish I'd read first.
Listened to audio 4/2012. Awesome narration. So glad it's out in audio.
I could hardly put it down and am now sad that it's over and I'll have to get myself involved in another book to get that feeling again. So, it's off to Forty Thousand in Gehenna which I wish I'd read first.
Listened to audio 4/2012. Awesome narration. So glad it's out in audio.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 482 reviews