message 0057

• Where to start when reading C.J. Cherryh's books

>From: nancy ott <ott@ansoft.com>
>Subject: cherryhlist - more cherryh books
>Date: Thu, 10 Dec 92 11:08:48 EST

>>:From: seth@cie.uoregon.edu (Seth Scott)
>>:A question, to whoever wants to field it:  having read only the _Chanur_ books
>>:and being of a mind to read the rest of Cherryh's work, where 'should' I start?
>>:Is there a particular chronological order that I might find helpful, or a 
>>:particular order that I should avoid...?
> 
>       The Union/Alliance books in chronological order are:
> Heavy Time   ---Fleet
> Hellburners  ---Fleet
> Downbelow Station ---Fleet/Alliance
> Rimrunners  ---Fleet
> Merchanter's Luck ---Alliance 
> Voyager in Night ---Alliance
> 40 000 in Gehenna ---Union
> Cyteen ---Union
> Serpent's Reach ---Union
> 
> I'd read them in the order: Downbelow station, Merchanter's Luck, Rimrunners,
> 40 000, Cyteen, Heavy Time, Hellburners (these two get a lot of impact from
> knowing their 'future'), Voyager, Serpent's Reach.

I'd also recommend:

1. Gate series

These novels are tangentially related to Cyteen and the Company War
novels (Downbelow Station, etc.).  They tell the story of Morgaine,
who is single-handedly trying to shut down a network of time/space
gates in order to avert future catastrophe, and her servant/sidekick
Vanye.  They are:
        Gate of Ivrel
        Well of Shiuan
        Fires of Azeroth
        Exile's Gate
Read them in order if at all possible.

2. Faded Sun series

These novels are about a war between Alliance and the alien Mri and
Regul, and its aftermath.  They are: 
        The Faded Sun: Kesrith
        The Faded Sun: Shon Jir
        The Faded Sun: Kutath
Read them in order. 

3. Merovingen Nights

This group consists of a novel ("Angel with the Sword") and a number
of "shared universe" anthologies with stories by Cherryh and other
writers.  They are all set in Merovingen -- a city that seems to be a
lot like Renaissance Venice, only on an abandoned Union colony.  I
liked the novel, but thought the stories were pretty uneven (the usual
fate of shared universe anthologies).

A timeline of the Cherryh future is in the back of "Angel with the
Sword".

4. Miscellaneous SF

Most of Cherryh's SF novels are set in the universe that's described
in Downbelow Station, Cyteen, etc.  These novels fit loosely into this
future, but don't seem to be part of any specific chain of events
(like the Company War) or series (like the Chanur novels).  Several of
them deal with human reactions to being raised in or immersed in an
alien society.

Port Eternity -- A retelling of King Arthur's court with azi and
humans trapped in hyperspace (Union)

Wave without a Shore -- An artist and the State (Alliance)

Cuckoo's Egg -- Human raised by aliens

Brothers of Earth -- Human lands on alien planet (Alliance) 

Hunter of Worlds -- Aliens and a human in search of an interstellar
outlaw 

Visible Light -- short story collection

I have no idea how many of these books are still in print, but I've
had decent luck finding Cherryh novels in the library and used
bookstores.

- nancy