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Yes there is 'action' but always the main driver of the story is the characters and the interaction between them as individuals and representatives of their cultural backgrounds
In this book Bren and of course Banichi, Jago, Sidi-ji etc combine to join with 'the Ship' to journey to the Reunion station to rescue the 4000 survivors of an alien attack.
Fascinating negotiations with 'Pilots Guild' running Reunion and also the besieging 'Kyo' aliens lead into a satisfying conclusion
I am looking forward to Destroyer!
The starship Phoenix has returned to the atevi planet. Jase, the man born out of Taylor's Legacy is recalled aboard and finds the senior Captain, Ramirez, dying. At the same time, word gets around that Reunion Station, built by the Phoenix crew somewhere far off in space, was not totally destroyed, but was abandoned by Phoenix. This sparks a near mutiny by those of the Phoenix crew who were descended from stationers and Phoenix is tasked with going back to Reunion and finding out exactly what had happened to the station.
Bren, 'Sidi-ji (Tabini's grandmother) and Cajeiri (Tabini's 7-year old son and heir) join Phoenix on the journey and it is Bren's skill in dealing with non-human cultures which averts an outright war with the alien Kyo, who consider Reunion to be an infiltration into their territory and who want one of their own, taken prisoner by the Reunion crew years before, returned.
There might not be a series of deep space battles or gun battles everywhere, but the aliens are totaly believable and there is plenty of suspense just from wondering 'who is doing what to whom?'
On a rescue mission to Reunion Station, the Phoenix encounters layers of political complexity, a hostile station government and a potentially hostile alien ship.
This book contains more action than many of Cherryh's other recent works; it's almost as if someone told her that her protag wasn't protagging enough, because suddenly he's the action hero. But he always remains in character, and the scenes are fast-moving and believable. It's interesting to me how much tension and action Cherryh manages to convey *without* describing a lot of gore.
There are also some humorous bits--involving the atevi response to what they find in the Archive of human culture, but most especially the first moment of communication with a member of a new species. It's not that common for me to laugh out loud while reading, and I did here.
A few plot elements could have done with a little more elaboration. I wanted to know a bit more about why the stationers at Reunion were so disenchanted with the Guild, and I would have liked to see meetings between long-lost Phoenix and Reunion kin, since rescuing them was the original reason for the mission. Still, this is a worthy conclusion.
In the previous volume, the Phoenix has been refueled at Alpha Station and prepared for the voyage, the atevi and Mospheiran passengers have come aboard, and the ship's crew has set course for Reunion. But all is not yet settled; the various factions are still not fully reconciled, the events at Reunion remain unexplained, and Jase, the new Second Captain, is still uneasy about his competence. The year long voyage isn't likely to be peaceful for Bren Cameron.
As Lord of the Province of Heaven, Bren is responsible for everything in the ship, but has only as much power over events as he can persuade others to give him. One of his tasks is to establish a working relationship with Sabin, the First Captain, and to encourage her to share more information with Jase. Just to add more complexity to his life, he also has to cope with Cajeiri, the ajii-apparent, who is practicing archery in the corridors and likewise being an active child. However, Bren does have allies in Jase, the ajii-dowager Ilisidi, the Mospheiran roboticist Ginny, and his atevi staff.
When they get to Reunion, they find that the station has been attacked, but not destroyed, and the Pilots' Guild is in firm, even rigid, control. They also find an alien ship observing the station. Bren takes measures to undermine the Guild and to contact the aliens.
Although this novel concludes a phase of the atevi-human story, there are many questions left unanswered, so another trilogy should be forthcoming. Right? Ah, the sweet agony of waiting for the next installment!
-Arthur W. Jordin
Cherryh's experience as a translater has clearly aided her in creating an interesting character in Bren Cameron and a fascinating society in the world of the Atevi/humans. Marooned by his dedication to the spirit of his job and his sense of justice in an alien culture, Bren manages to form attachments and create his own role in Atevi society. That the relationships he develops with his alien hosts are easier for him to understand than his relationships with his family is a great piece of irony.
In this book the introduction of the second alien culture, the necessity of the association of Atevi and humans to withstand the stresses involved in contact with this new force, creates an engrossing storyline that expands on the previous themes introduced by Cherryh.
This is definitely the thinking being's science fiction.
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