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>From: Lesley Grant <lgrant@maths.tcd.ie>
>Subject: cherryhlist
>Date: Wed, 7 Apr 93 9:41:43 BST

> >From: Jo Jaquinta <jaymin@maths.tcd.ie>
> >Subject: CherryhList: Sweet 17
> 	Actually, I've thought of a much more likely, yet mundane,
> reason for it. Most of Cherryh's readers are probably 17. As has already
> been evidenced, 17 is a time of "issues to address". It is probably easy
> for 17 year olds to empathise with a fictional 17 year old having
> problems much more magnified than their own.

	I really don't think that Cherryh's readership is mostly so young.
In fact, I could see 17-yr-olds not liking her work much at all -- it's
too introverted, the characters have too many problems, the men are too
human, the women are too strong (a lot of posts on the net dislike Cherryh
because the male characters just aren't macho enough for them. I've lost
count of the men who've told me so in mail), the action (when it finally
happens) is over too quickly.
	It would also be pretty difficult for a young reader (with or without
problems) to identify with many of Cherryh's young characters. Even the more
conventionally 'attractive' have too many wierdnesses -- Vanye and Niun may
at first appeal due to being parts of (different) warrior aristocracies, but
Vanye is way too insecure, having had a terrible childhood, and Niun, perhaps
the least reflective and most secure of Cherryh's young men no sooner realises
his destiny and takes up active warrior-hood than he starts obeying every word
his baby sister says. And as for the others -- how would a 17 year old like to
identify with someone like Sasha (so I've got magical power, great, but I can't
dare to use it), Paul Dekker (What time is it?), Hallan Meras (especially the
solution that Hilfy comes up with :-), any of the young azi (Florian, Quentin,
Grant, Jim, Jin, etc), Justin Warrick (20 years later, he's still 17)?
	Well, that's male readers. Female readers have a wealth of characters
to identify with, but most are older than 17. In general, though I think most
readers are going to be older, and perhaps looking on the luckless 17 year
old characters with the experience of having got past 17 themselves :-)

> --------------------------------------------------------------------
> >From: nancy ott <ott@ansoft.com>
 
> 2. She has finished a fantasy novel for DelRey, which is currently
> titled "Faery in Shadow."  It's set in Scotland in the mythical past;
> one of the characters is (as she put it) "a pooka with an attitude."

	Sounds like it could be a _Dreamstone_ type thing. Perhaps the
land at the end of _Tree of Swords and Jewels_? (Not that much more can
be said without spoilers for _ToSaJ_).

> 4. "Hellburner" may be the last of the early Company War books.  She
> hasn't decided yet whether to do a Merchanter novel or something set
> further down the road.  She mentioned that she'd like to do a novel
> set after Cyteen, and is considering starting a completely new
> universe.

	Noooo! There's so much more she could do with Union/Alliance!
Please, nothing like the (execrable) "Sword of Knowledge" trilogy! (A
trilogy where her friends obviously got the better of her, and made her
co-write this crap).


				Lesley