CJ Cherryh audiobooks
Jun. 27th, 2021 11:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
meteordustI've been on a bit of a CJ Cherryh binge the last few months. (The benefits of reading an author with an extensive backlist!) I've been getting more into audiobooks in recent years, so where the library was missing some books in a series, I picked up the audiobook instead. Pleasantly surprised that so many are available, even for older works, and pretty happy that the quality is high.
The Morgaine Saga
Book 4: Exile's Gate
Read by Jessica Almasy
The final (or maybe not???) book about the Gates that span time and space, the last survivor of the mission to destroy them, and the loyal warrior sworn to serve her. Science fiction disguised as fantasy, and epic fantasy at that.
It works really well in audio! Hearing the archaic dialogue spoken aloud brings it to life, like listening to Shakespeare. The drawback though is not being able to see the names of new characters. I like to visualise them to lock them into my mind. Also essential if you want to write meta or fic. (I spent most of the book guessing how Chei was spelt, and guessing wrong.)
The Chanur Series
Book 4: Chanur's Homecoming
Book 5: Chanur's Legacy
Read by Dina Pearlman
Often in Cherryh, the aliens are us. But here, the aliens are aliens, with the Compact being a trading alliance of six different alien species. This includes the lionlike hani, whose ships are run by all female crews. The aliens are also us, aka Tully, a lone human rescued by Pyanfar, a hani captain. The discovery of his existence shakes the Compact to its core.
I do not envy the narrator her job! There are many complicated names, and she deals with them fairly smoothly. Cherryh gave the kif, the stsho, and the mahendo'sat different speech patterns, and Pearlman follows up by giving them different accents. I appreciated it as an effective way to distinguish between the alien species. But it's a fine line to tread, between characterisation and caricature, and sometimes it works better than at others.
The Foreigner Series
Book 2: Invader
Read by Daniel Thomas May
The one about the human colony on an alien planet, and the sole translator bridging the gulf between humans and atevi. I've actually read all the Foreigner books before, but this was my first time listening.
I always appreciate a narrator who can do distinct voices - makes it feel like a full cast audio drama, and makes it feel like an immersive world. Also props to yet another male narrator who does female characters without that weird falsetto thing. Jago, Ilisidi, Damiri, Saidin, Barb, and Deana Hanks - all have fitting and distinct voices.
The only voice that kind of jarred me was Tabini's. As the ruler of the nation, and a young man the same age as Bren, I always imagined him to have a deep commanding voice. But he has the low raspy voice of a much older man. I get that it's important for the main characters to be clearly distinguishable, and Banichi was the one who got the deep bass rumble, so I guess I can get used to it as a creative choice.
Lastly, Bren's introspection is a lot more engaging to hear as a monologue than to read as a wall of text. (I love you, Bren, but you overthink everything.)
The Morgaine Saga
Book 4: Exile's Gate
Read by Jessica Almasy
The final (or maybe not???) book about the Gates that span time and space, the last survivor of the mission to destroy them, and the loyal warrior sworn to serve her. Science fiction disguised as fantasy, and epic fantasy at that.
It works really well in audio! Hearing the archaic dialogue spoken aloud brings it to life, like listening to Shakespeare. The drawback though is not being able to see the names of new characters. I like to visualise them to lock them into my mind. Also essential if you want to write meta or fic. (I spent most of the book guessing how Chei was spelt, and guessing wrong.)
The Chanur Series
Book 4: Chanur's Homecoming
Book 5: Chanur's Legacy
Read by Dina Pearlman
Often in Cherryh, the aliens are us. But here, the aliens are aliens, with the Compact being a trading alliance of six different alien species. This includes the lionlike hani, whose ships are run by all female crews. The aliens are also us, aka Tully, a lone human rescued by Pyanfar, a hani captain. The discovery of his existence shakes the Compact to its core.
I do not envy the narrator her job! There are many complicated names, and she deals with them fairly smoothly. Cherryh gave the kif, the stsho, and the mahendo'sat different speech patterns, and Pearlman follows up by giving them different accents. I appreciated it as an effective way to distinguish between the alien species. But it's a fine line to tread, between characterisation and caricature, and sometimes it works better than at others.
The Foreigner Series
Book 2: Invader
Read by Daniel Thomas May
The one about the human colony on an alien planet, and the sole translator bridging the gulf between humans and atevi. I've actually read all the Foreigner books before, but this was my first time listening.
I always appreciate a narrator who can do distinct voices - makes it feel like a full cast audio drama, and makes it feel like an immersive world. Also props to yet another male narrator who does female characters without that weird falsetto thing. Jago, Ilisidi, Damiri, Saidin, Barb, and Deana Hanks - all have fitting and distinct voices.
The only voice that kind of jarred me was Tabini's. As the ruler of the nation, and a young man the same age as Bren, I always imagined him to have a deep commanding voice. But he has the low raspy voice of a much older man. I get that it's important for the main characters to be clearly distinguishable, and Banichi was the one who got the deep bass rumble, so I guess I can get used to it as a creative choice.
Lastly, Bren's introspection is a lot more engaging to hear as a monologue than to read as a wall of text. (I love you, Bren, but you overthink everything.)
