I just re-read this book and loved it just as much as the first time I read it. But this time I realized that this is the "original" version of Cherryh's wonderful Foreigner series. Well, it's not really the original, but it reads like the "origin."
A lone human is forced to adapt to a confusingly different, yet familiar, alien mindset (mri) -- and to act as a go-between and cultural translator for humans and mri.
Cherryh's writing style is less confusing in this book than it is in Heavy Time (one of her most confusing); however, she does like to just set you down in her world without any preamble, leaving you to navigate the new environment much as the human character, Duncan, has to. But this book has the hallmarks of a great Cherryh story -- wonderfully realized aliens, the mri and the Regul; politics, politics, politics; military intrigue; culture clash; and a little religious fervor thrown in for good measure.
It's a good adventure too.
If you've already read the Foreigner series, then you should really backtrack and read this one. If you haven't read Foreigner (and you really, really should), then read Faded Sun and then move on up. It's a good first taste and a satisfying read.
A lone human is forced to adapt to a confusingly different, yet familiar, alien mindset (mri) -- and to act as a go-between and cultural translator for humans and mri.
Cherryh's writing style is less confusing in this book than it is in Heavy Time (one of her most confusing); however, she does like to just set you down in her world without any preamble, leaving you to navigate the new environment much as the human character, Duncan, has to. But this book has the hallmarks of a great Cherryh story -- wonderfully realized aliens, the mri and the Regul; politics, politics, politics; military intrigue; culture clash; and a little religious fervor thrown in for good measure.
It's a good adventure too.
If you've already read the Foreigner series, then you should really backtrack and read this one. If you haven't read Foreigner (and you really, really should), then read Faded Sun and then move on up. It's a good first taste and a satisfying read.
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