[Mithfânion]

How many series has she written? The most famous one is the Fortress series I believe. What are these books about? What characters do they feature?

[Barbarossa]

That's a tough question:
For once the fortress series is hardly her best known one, only the most recent, and one of her few fantasy works, also the only really good fantasy she wrote.

Her SF is excellent though, but it's hard to number the series since they are interconnected.

Perhaps best known is "Downbelow Station" a Hugo and Nebula winner, it's more or less a stand alone, with several other novels set in the same universe. This includes for example the excellent "Cyteen trilogy" which deals with problem of not only cloning but recreating a genius. Also loosely connected is "40000 in Gehenna" one of my all time SF favorites.


Other SF books of her include the "Chanur series" which describes a first contact from the PoV of aliens, and the faded Sun Trilogy, as well as the Foreigner series.

The Fortress series is pure fantasy though, centered on a young man conjured up out of nowhere by a millenium old wizard. After the death of the wizard the lad has to discover his destiny. This sounds a lot more cheesy than it is.

[sueVee]

The fortress series was different because the hero was not the run of the mill. Afterall he was conjured full grown, not a baker's boy, apprentice, or missing heir. It was interesting learning how this hero matures and learns about his environment and powers. He was a true innocent, yet he had ties to a race that was history. He is not even sure if he will exist longer than a sea

The foreigner series is strong Sci Fiction. A group of human space immigrants land on a planet with an intelligent race, the Atevi. Then the earthlings become a lost colony. Their presence accelerates the growth of the Atevi, whose culture is based on numbers, not emotions. Also the Atevi seem somewhat similiar to a samuri Japanese culture. Because of their cultural differences misunderstandings lead to conflict and the human race is quarantined to a specific land mass. I am not giving anything away as this is the set up of the story when they are rediscovered by Earth. There is strong emphasis put on individual human-atevi relationships.

The Chanur series is a space going series. The Chanur are a cat like race. Humans and Chanur have a long history of conflict. A lone human falls into their hands and they learn to deal with each other and change their perspectives of each other's race.

I hope this helps. I really enjoy almost anything by Cherryl.

[This message has been edited by sueVee (edited January 26, 2002).]

[Songwind]

I think to Morgaine Saga is her best fantasy series.

try http://www.cherryh.com/ for more info on her series

[This message has been edited by Songwind (edited January 28, 2002).]

[fluffy bunny]

i reckon her best one is cyteen. But it's not available in the uk. Is available in the us though (at least waterstones in america had it- waterstones store in the uk had it shipped over here 4 me).

[Rob B]

I would just avoid The Dreaming Tree, I found it rather boring. Though it is the only work of her's I have read, I am going to give her another try.

[Hobbit]

As stated elsewhere, I like a lot of CJ - surprised I've not seen this thread earlier.

Her worlds are normally complex, the machinations and workings of her characters usually complicated and for that reason I can see people's complaints. I haven't finished the Foreigner series, for example, though I can see that it's a clever series and a complex one.

Usual faves - Downbelow Station in the SF - the start of the Merchanter Series (in which the majority of her Sf belongs). Cyteen would go in there (so too Heavy Time, Merchanter's Luck, Hellburners, Finity's End....) but Downbelow is probably the place to start.

Of her Fantasy series I really enjoyed the Morgaine series. Other honourable mentions would probably be the Faded Sun Series and the Fortress series though I can't really comment on those as I haven't read them.

An author who does try to be different.

Hobbit

[This message has been edited by Hobbit (edited February 28, 2002).]

[Kamakhya]

I have only read Downbelow Station and Cyteen (I'm more into SF than Fantasy), but I loved them both. On that basis, I recently began her new novel, Hammerfall. I am about half-way through and will most likely finish it, but so far I am just not impressed. The characters are not well developed and the plot is rather dull and tedius. Maybe the second half will make up for the rest of the story, but I have my doubts.

[Hobbit]

Yes - I meant to ask for comments on that, Kamakhya - I've heard similar comments. It's the first new book not connected to any of her other loosely connected series for years, but I've heard mixed comments - very similar to yours in fact! http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/smile.gif

Hobbit

[Rob B]

Not to go off on a tangent, but doesn't the cover of that book look rather, shall we say, how can I phallic?