Wave Without a Shore (Thorndike Science Fiction) [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Wave Without a Shore (1981) is a standalone SF novel within the Alliance-Union Universe. It is set on the planet Freedom, where humans coexist with ahnit -- the indigenous aliens -- but have little interaction with each other. The planet is mostly agricultural, with few industries. The only spaceport is outside the town of Kierkegaard on the continent of Sartre.

In this novel, Herrin Alton Law is a gifted child -- at least according to the instructional supervisor -- who will surely go on to University in Kierkegaard. When he hears the news, the seven year old Herrin immediately feels a sense of distance from his family. This feeling is strengthened by the reaction of his family and others in his home town.

Perrin Law is his older sister, but she feels like the younger sibling after hearing about his test scores. From this moment on, Herrin is the center of the family, with Perrin relegated to the periphery. She can hardly wait until he goes off to University.

Keye Lynn is a student of ethics and soon becomes Herrin's lover. Herrin considers her probably the third most brilliant student during their time in University. Naturally, Herrin considers himself the most brilliant and Waden Jenks as the second most brilliant.

Waden is the son of First Citizen Cade Jenks, the ruler of Freedom. Waden is an indifferent student, but highly intelligent. He is still preparing himself to succeed his father.

In this story, Man is the measure of all things. Thus, the ahnit are Invisibles, unnoticed by the humans. There are also human Invisibles, who "pilfer" goods to eat and use. Even the offworlders are considered as Invisibles to most of the University trained.

University trains its students in an extreme form of self-centered philosophy. The environment is whatever one makes of it. If it is raining, the precipitation can be ignored by one strong enough. Even the offworlders can be ignored by the strong willed.

Herrin is one of the strongest in willpower. He focuses mostly on his art. Everyone else is a means to achieving his artistic expressions.

Waden thinks that he is the strongest willed, but he is not creative. He uses Herrin to produce an artistic treasure based on himself as a means of influencing future generations. Unfortunately, Herrin comes to know all his apprentices and workers on the project and they come to know him.

The structure is deliberately placed at the center of the town. The population of Kierkegaard wanders through the construction and talks to the workers. They learn that Herrin is the originator of the artform and are highly impressed.

When the sculpture is completed and opened to the public, the masses cry "Master Law" in praise of the artist. Even though a bust of Waden's head is the center of the structure, he is not pleased by Herrin's popularity.

This story is about a world that exists mostly in the imagination of the leading characters. The outsiders usually deal with the First Citizen, so the rest of the population are not annoyed by irrelevant persons. It mostly works until Herrin is confronted by things that he cannot ignore.

This tale is about human preception of reality. Everybody lives in a dream world, seeing only a distorted view of the environment. Herrin and his friends live in an extreme case of such misperceptions.

Highly recommended for Cherryh fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of exotic societies, human perception, and artistic expression.

-Arthur W. Jordin

In an unusual plot for a science fiction genre, Cherryh portrays two friends who combat their philosophies through their creativity. One through political manipulation and the other through artistic endeavor. The depth of character development centers around the artist and his genius. In his effort to create an ever-more transcending sculpture, he discovers that interpersonal relationships (through the device of a minority class race) are in an arena he has totally missed, as has the rest of his society. I enjoyed this book, and have become more interested in stories like it since reading it. My only problem with the book is that its too short - not much of any aspect of the story is explored outside of the artist and his progression. Also, his realizations are only quickly described, leaving the reader with a lot to imagine on their own.

This short novel was my first experience with the writing of C.J. Cherryh. It explores modern philosophy in a realm that allows readers to look at and consider how we feel, what we think, who we allow to lead. It's not your regular science fiction story, but considering that I have a library of Cherryh's works after reading this (and an Amazon associate page devoted to this author) you can tell that I was impressed. It is well worth reading

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