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Synopsis
The station at Pell's Star, traditionally neutral, holds the key to victory in a struggle between the decaying stellar empire of Earth and the rebel forces of the colonies.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I think this is the first of Cherryh's 'Alliance-Union Universe' books that I read. I liked it so much, I went out and bought a whole load more of them, and have now read, and own, most of them.
So I'm a bit biased, as I'd probably read a shopping list if Cherryh wrote it. And who knows, I might even end up paying for it, so please don't tell her...
As with some of Cherryh's best books, things do get a little depressing for the main characters, and the reader. Which shows that you actually do care what happens to them.
Not all the concepts are defined as they appear in later books, and this book has a limited viewpoint. But that's the advantage of creating your own Universe, and writing several books in it. Otherwise, every SF book would be as long as 'Lord of the Rings', and we'd have no trees left.
It's got some nice ideas, and some good characters in it. As well as several plot twists that seem natural, and keep you interested. Cherryh does have a tendency to just dump you in a situation and expect you to understand it, so a bit of science, and some SF basics helps, but the story keeps on moving, and I don't think this is too crucial.
The best thing about the book (and Cherry's work in general), is that it doesn't simply boil down to good versus evil, but is a bit more real than that. The characters face unfolding events, and make the choices they have to, as they come up. The book is internally consistent, and if you like it, there's a whole universe of books to explore afterwards.
So I'm a bit biased, as I'd probably read a shopping list if Cherryh wrote it. And who knows, I might even end up paying for it, so please don't tell her...
As with some of Cherryh's best books, things do get a little depressing for the main characters, and the reader. Which shows that you actually do care what happens to them.
Not all the concepts are defined as they appear in later books, and this book has a limited viewpoint. But that's the advantage of creating your own Universe, and writing several books in it. Otherwise, every SF book would be as long as 'Lord of the Rings', and we'd have no trees left.
It's got some nice ideas, and some good characters in it. As well as several plot twists that seem natural, and keep you interested. Cherryh does have a tendency to just dump you in a situation and expect you to understand it, so a bit of science, and some SF basics helps, but the story keeps on moving, and I don't think this is too crucial.
The best thing about the book (and Cherry's work in general), is that it doesn't simply boil down to good versus evil, but is a bit more real than that. The characters face unfolding events, and make the choices they have to, as they come up. The book is internally consistent, and if you like it, there's a whole universe of books to explore afterwards.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I have just reread this book after a gap of 20 years,and I've really enjoyed it. Together with Merchanters Luck,it has made me want to read more novels set in the same Union/Alliance Universe- difficult to find a list out of the many C.J.Cherryh entries on this site.
I like the way the characters are drawn, one really cares what happens to them,the men and women characters are described in a humanistic and understanding way without stereotypes. The story is gripping, with unexpected turns. The parallels with colonies seeking independence is interesting,I thought,and I don't see how a writer would make cheap comparison with Capitalism v. Communism at the same time evoking these American Indepedence parallels as has been suggested elsewhere
I like the way the characters are drawn, one really cares what happens to them,the men and women characters are described in a humanistic and understanding way without stereotypes. The story is gripping, with unexpected turns. The parallels with colonies seeking independence is interesting,I thought,and I don't see how a writer would make cheap comparison with Capitalism v. Communism at the same time evoking these American Indepedence parallels as has been suggested elsewhere
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is still one of the best and most compelling of space operas written in a way that utterly convinces the reader that its characters are real people facing real problems. If you like your science hard, your politics realistically murky and your moral philosophy less than clear cut than this is the book for you.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Solidly entertaining, but lacks depth.
AD 2352. Humanity is divided into two factions, the Company which rules over Earth and the Sol system, and the Union, which rules over the outer colonies and worlds. Read more
Published 22 months ago by A. Whitehead
Flawed but enjoyable
I enjoyed reading this book, despite its many flaws. Most frustrating and damaging was the fact that the sentence structure is frequently utterly dreadful. Read more
Published on 8 Nov 2009 by Sulkyblue
Intricately plotted, with memorable characters.
This is a Merchanters World novel, set on a space station under threat. The themes of kinship, interspecies relationships and survival in strange land are all beautifully linked in... Read more
Published on 27 Sep 2001
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