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This review does not represent the opinions of the general public. It reflects my personal thoughts and opinions on the book.
That said, on to the review!
Title: Explorer
Author: C. J. Cherryh
Publisher: DAW Books
Format: Hardcover
Copyright Date: 2002
After a long, seemingly endless year aboard the Phoenix, Bren Cameron and his companions have finally made it to Reunion Station, which they had initially been told had been completely destroyed. Only later--a year before this trip began--did they learn that it had not been destroyed, but was instead still inhabited, still maintained, and still operating under the control of the Pilot's Guild...the very same guild that Bren and his people rebelled against. And now they're going back to rescue them from their own folly. It isn't until they arrive, however, that they learn that there's more going on than they were first lead to believe. The station was attacked by aliens...but no one told them that an alien was captured! And now there's an alien watch-station...er...watching the station. And when the ship's head captain transfers to the station to arrange for the station's evacuation, all sorts of trouble starts. Now, with a desperate Pilot's Guild determined to take the Phoenix back under their control, armed conflict aboard the station, frightened evacuees flooding towards and aboard the spaceship, and an alien watch-station...er, watching and waiting, can Bren and his team bring about a workable peace between station, alien, and ship? In other words, the Guild, the aliens, and the atevi-Mospheiran alliance?
C.J. Cherryh's Explorer concludes the second trilogy set in the Foreigner universe. It, however, leaves far too many questions unanswered, suggesting that this may not be the author's last venture into this series. Actually, I'd welcome the chance to read more about the atevi and Bren Cameron. To be honest, though, I think I'd rather spend more time back on the atevi homeworld instead of around Reunion Station, which is where all the action seems to be heading.
I'll be honest: as with the previous book, I had a great deal of trouble keeping all the facts straight. This was less because of a time lag between readings of the different books than it was the many convolutions in the plot and various storylines. Trying to keep all the different conflicts straight was a continual effort, and that's not even including the continual reflections on numerology and the atevi insistance on protocol and balance of power, etc. It all worked out, of course, but it was still rather difficult. On the other hand, if you just ignore it all and focus primarily on the overall story--the expedition to evacuate Reunion Station--then you shouldn't have too much trouble. Of course, if you do that, you'll miss out on a lot!
Explorer wraps up a terrific trilogy, and if my suspicions are right, it is a good set-up for the next set of books in the Foreinger universe. Stay tuned, and we'll see how it all turns out!
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This page uploaded April 1, 2003.
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