Foreigner by C J Cherryh

[Bick]

I would agree @Bick that "Invader" was a bit leaden. As the series goes on it gets more interest and filled with activity again, but of course it's written by Cherryh and she does not do action story fiction. She does psychologically insightful fiction. In my opinion when it comes to aliens and their motivation in acting she has no peers.

I agree she prioritises character motivation and plot complexity over action, but there’s still heaps of action in her other books as well. It needs the action to balance the other aspects she clearly enjoys to make it a full and enjoyable reading experience in my view. And with Invader she got the balance all wrong imho.