C.J. Cherryh

[iansales]

It doesn't particularly matter if you read them out of sequence - each novel stands well enough alone. As you can see they were not written in internal chronological order, so any references to earlier events in the books' universe is usually explained.

I'd also recommend Cherryh's The Faded Sun trilogy, Serpent's Reach, and Angel with a Sword. They're among my favourite of her novels.

 

[Connavar]

Good to know.


Faded Sun series sounded intresting to me. Maybe cause the cover of the first book and short synopsis looked good in fantasticfiction.

 

[Ian Whates]

The Faded Sun books are very good -- quite intense and full of pathos.

I went through a phase of devouring Cherryh books, which lasted for several years and I read forty-odd along the way. The Chanur/Hani books are definitely my favourites, although by no means the only excellent stuff she's written.

The Paladin, Cuckoo's Egg, Cloud's Rider, Downbelow Station, Rimrunners, Foreigner and many others are all fabulous.

A word of caution, though. First Cherryh I ever read was Merchanter's Luck, which I took out the library on the basis if the cover blurb stating that it was 'set in the same world as the Hugo-winning Downbelow Station'. I hated it. A really minor, inconsequential tale, with a central character I didn't warm to at all. Feeling cheated by the blurb, I resolved never to read Cherryh again -- a resolution that lasted eighteen months, until I reluctantly read the first of the Hani books and realised what I'd been missing.

So choose the first one with care.

 

[clovis-man]

Company Wars
1. Downbelow Station (1981)
2. Merchanter's Luck (1982)
3. Rimrunners (1989)
4. Heavy Time (1991)
5. Hellburner (1992)

(snip)

Which of these lists is the correct order for Alliance/Union series?

I know where to start but in the case of i like the series where do i go from Downblow Station. I mean chrono wise or does even matter if you read the books chrono wise?

Im getting the first book so i wonder.

I would go with your first list (above), which is ordered by copyright date. Actually, after you have read the first three, you could go to just about any book on any of your lists and not suffer as a result. You'll have the ideas well in hand and the subsequent tales are not all that dependent on knowing much else.

Plus you'll have a good idea if it's your cup of tea or not.

Jim

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

I'd also recommend Cherryh's The Faded Sun trilogy, Serpent's Reach, and Angel with a Sword. They're among my favourite of her novels.

Most readers seem to think that Serpent's Reach is one of her lesser efforts, but it's one of my favorites, too. It's nice to know that I have company.

 

[iansales]

Perhaps it's because I have a soft spot for Christopher Rowley's sf, and his The War for Eternity also features an insect-like alien race which produces a longevity drug. It's similar in that respect to Serpent's Reach, although the rest of the plot is very different.

 

[murphy]

IIRC, Heavy Time and Hellburner take place much earlier in time than the rest of the books. They also take place in our solor system. I, for one, wasn't as fond of those two and I was of the others. Also, check out the Chanur books. They're a lot of fun.

 

[Junomidge]

The original poster was asking for opinions, so I will offer mine. I have tried reading Cherryh so many times it is not funny, and I have yet to make through a complete book. The closest I came was Faded Sun, but it's still sitting on my book shelf with a dog eared page 5/6th of the way through.

I wish I could enjoy them, as I am in awe of her imagination and settings. I just lose interest as the books drag on and on and on.

But, as is evidenced here, many, many people love the books. Just my opinion.

 

[Kissmequick]

Chronicles of Morgaine for me, has to be my fave book after LOTR.

The second part's setting was so gruesomely realised it was almost painful to read - because it was almost as though I was there suffering the wet, the disgusting occupants, everything along with Vanye.

If I could write like that...

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

The second part's setting was so gruesomely realised it was almost painful to read - because it was almost as though I was there suffering the wet, the disgusting occupants, everything along with Vanye.

When people talk about books that are realistically gritty, I always wonder why her name doesn't come up immediately. Because nobody suffers more from cold and wet, and chafing leather, and armor resting heavily on bruised flesh, and stones in their shoes, and grit in all the tender places than some of Cherryh's heroes.

And that's before somebody comes along and beats the &^*%$ out of them. (Which is frequently only a prelude to the time when things really get uncomfortable.)

 

[Pyan]

Because nobody suffers more from cold and wet, and chafing leather, and armor resting heavily on bruised flesh, and stones in their shoes, and grit in all the tender places than some of Cherryh's heroes.

Totally agree, Teresa. Try The Paladin for some cracking examples of the unpleasant side of life in a pre-technology society.

 

[clovis-man]

When people talk about books that are realistically gritty, I always wonder why her name doesn't come up immediately. Because nobody suffers more from cold and wet, and chafing leather, and armor resting heavily on bruised flesh, and stones in their shoes, and grit in all the tender places than some of Cherryh's heroes.

And that's before somebody comes along and beats the &^*%$ out of them. (Which is frequently only a prelude to the time when things really get uncomfortable.)

I always wondered why she insisted on this. Her characters never get to ride on tall ships. Instead they're always on a raft. They never sink, but their feet are always wet.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Her characters never get to ride on tall ships.

In short, they never have any fun at all.

 

[clovis-man]

In short, they never have any fun at all.

Her writing is always literate and readable, but never any humor. Even the most serious of SF writers put in a funny here and there, even if it's gallows humor. Heinlein, Clarke, Card, etc., as grim as they could be, would sometimes find a lighter moment. Cherryh seems always to be dead serious.

Jim

 

[Pyan]

I don't know...there's a fair bit of dry humour scattered through the Chanur books...

 

[Connavar]

I choosed Kesrith (Faded Sun book 1) and Serpent's Reach as my first books to read of her. Serpent's Reach synopsis grabbed me for some reason.

Im getting them from a site people give away their books to get books from the others.

Most of her famous work were listed there except Downblow Station. Anyway i didnt feel comfortable with the idea of getting her best works for free.

Im just gonna sample her and if i like her writing then i rather get brand new editions of her books.

I choosed those two just over Pride of Chanur and Angel with the Sword.

I didnt even think about Paladin orGate of Ivrel cause they were too much fantasy for my current reading taste.

Must say after having read what most of her work was about, she has many interesting sounding stories. Its unusuall for me to go through a writers biblioghrapy and think i must have most of the books.

Looking for to having those two books in my hands and seeing what her writing is about.

 

[Pyan]

I didnt even think about Paladin orGate of Ivrel cause they were too much fantasy for my current reading taste.

Paladin isn't really fantasy at all, Conn - it could be a historical novel about Japan under the Shogunate. The only fantasy in the book is that it's not!

 

[Connavar]

Paladin isn't really fantasy at all, Conn - it could be a historical novel about Japan under the Shogunate. The only fantasy in the book is that it's not!

Fantasticfiction synopsis :

Swordmaster Shoka bids farewell to court intrigue after the death of the old Emperor. Taizu, who is determined to become a swordwoman, seeks out Shoka and begs his help to exact revenge upon the evil tyrant Lord Ghita. Soon, Shoka and Taizu become the stuff of legends. A fantasy epic by the author of the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning novels Cyteen and Downbelow Station.


It doesnt matter really if its Fantasy or Historical Fiction or Alternate History or Historical Fantasy.

I choosed the other two books cause they were SF. I want more SF for more SF writers. Not get stuck on my favorites.

 

[Pyan]

Fantasticfiction synopsis :

Swordmaster Shoka bids farewell to court intrigue after the death of the old Emperor. Taizu, who is determined to become a swordwoman, seeks out Shoka and begs his help to exact revenge upon the evil tyrant Lord Ghita. Soon, Shoka and Taizu become the stuff of legends. A fantasy epic by the author of the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning novels Cyteen and Downbelow Station.


It doesnt matter really if its Fantasy or Historical Fiction or Alternate History or Historical Fantasy.

I choosed the other two books cause they were SF. I want more SF for more SF writers. Not get stuck on my favorites.

Well, the quote is accurate as far as it goes....when I said it's not fantasy, I mean that all the characters are human, with no extra powers, there's no magic in it, and it's realistic in that it could have happened right here on Earth...
The Chanur books are are about as hard SF as you can get, if you like politics mixed in as well....
Hope you enjoy Serpent's Reach and Kesrith...but if you don't, please try the others, and don't just give up on CJC!

 

[clovis-man]

I don't know...there's a fair bit of dry humour scattered through the Chanur books...

Your point is well taken. It's certainly true that the Chanur series is probably the most "good-natured" of her works. The mental images of barroom brawls in the docking stations with the Chanur crew causing innocent patrons to spill out of the door is indeed amusing. But the Kif are always lurking in the background.

Jim