James Nicoll Reviews

1984’s Chanur’s Venture is the second volume in C. J. Cherryh’s Chanur science fiction series. Venture is also the first volume in the trilogy made up of the second, third, and fourth books in the five-book series. More on that later.

Having successfully resolved the matter of the human Tully, now living on The Pride of Chanur, Pyanfar Chanur is free to continue her unremarkable and entirely trouble-free life as the captain of the interstellar trading vessel, Pride. Or she would be, except for all the cascading effects of the earlier conflict.

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C. J. Cherryh’s 1984 Voyager in Night is a stand-alone science fiction horror novel set in Cherryh’s Alliance-Union universe.

With the Company War over, Alliance traders can rebuild lives shattered by the conflict. Rafe Murray, his sister Jillan, and Jillan’s husband Paul Gaines set out in the Lindy in hopes of fortune… or at least enough income to raise a family.

Instead, they were eaten by Trishanamarandu-kepta.

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C. J. Cherryh’s 1983 Forty Thousand in Gehenna is an anthropological, generational, epic science fiction novel. ISFDB classifies it as the first Unionside novel (more on that later). Gehenna functionally stands alone, as was the custom in those days.

Gehenna II is a terrestrial world orbiting the star catalogued as Zeta Reticuli. The Gehenna system is within Union space — at least at present — and it is a natural choice for a colony.

If not for the usual reasons.

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C. J. Cherryh’s 1981 Sunfall is a themed collection of science fiction short stories.

The Sun is old and dimming. Humans long ago spread to the stars and few now visit the home world. A handful remains. These are their stories.

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C. J. Cherryh’s The Tree of Swords and Jewels is the second volume of her Ealdwood series.

Ciaran’s bold embrace of otherworldly powers saved the besieged at Caer Wiell. There was a price. Two prices: one immediate and one long term.

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1983’s The Dreamstone¹ is the first of two novels in C. J. Cherryh’s Ealdwood series.

Human encroachment being seemingly unstoppable, the Fair Folk went elsewhere. Some retreated deep underground or underwater. Others left for Faery. All save Arafel.

Arafel remained in her Ealdwood. Only the brave, the arrogant, the naïve, or the desperate Men trespassed in the Ealdwood.

Niall was desperate.

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C. J. Cherryh’s Port Eternity is a stand-alone science fiction novel set in her Alliance/Union milieu. Port Eternity is also an Arthurian novel… in a sense.

Wealthy beyond reason, Lady Dela Kirn whimsically travels from world to world in her lavish starship Maid of Astolat. A luxury craft demands a crew of exceptional quality. Thus, the Lady Dela Kern purchased azi¹ servants designed and conditioned to serve faithfully. These she named after characters in her favourite tales: Elaine, Gawain, Lancelot, Lynette, Mordred, Percivale, and Vivien.

Having seen Lady Dela Kern through many passing love affairs, the crew believes they know the path Lady Dela’s current infatuation will take. But the azi are wrong. They have no idea that the Maid​’s next voyage will be its last.

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C. J. Cherryh’s 1981 Wave Without a Shore is a stand-alone science fiction novel set in the Alliance-Union universe.

Sculptor Herrin Law is Freedom’s foremost artist, a creative genius without parallel on the thinly populated, backwater planet. Waden Jenks (friend) and Keye Lynn (occasional lover) might consider themselves his peers, but surely Law is superior to Jenks and Lynn.

At least, that’s how Law sees it. If there is one thing the people of Freedom are good at, it is perceiving reality the way they want it to be.

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C. J. Cherryh’s 1980 Serpent’s Reach is a stand-alone science fiction novel. Serpent’s Reach is set in Cherryh’s Alliance-Union universe. Reach is part of the ​“Era of Rapprochement” set of novels; I am not sure what the Era of Rapprochement denotes.

Fifteen-year-old Raen a Sul hant Meth-maren is set for life. As a member of the Kontrin aristocracy, she enjoys wealth, status, power (as soon as she comes of age), and most importantly, agelessness. She will never die of old age.

Assassination at age fifteen is a definite possibility.

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1979’s Fires of Azeroth is the third volume in C. J. Cherryh’s Morgaine science fiction series, which thus far has four volumes.

Morgaine and her faithful companion Vanye fled from a doomed world through an other-dimensional gate, closing the gate in their wake… but not in time to avoid bringing calamity with them.

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