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meteordust) wrote2024-01-21 04:48 pm
meteordust) wrote2024-01-21 04:48 pm
Entry tags:
Defiance
By CJ Cherryh and Jane S Fancher. The first of the Foreigner novels under both their names. (In the foreword, Cherryh says: "Jane is no stranger to this series. She's bounced ideas back and forth with me on no few of Bren's stories. And since she has been co-author with me on the Alliance books, it seems only just that she share credit in this series as well, in which she has definitely had a hand and written many scenes.")
This is not really a review, because this is Book 22 of the series and a terrible place to start. It's more my reactions and musings, since there are so many books to keep track of and I want to get down some notes while I remember.
Spoilery musings:
Ilisidi's health
This is the first book where we see alarming signs of Ilisidi's ill health and possible decline. Which, thankfully, turns out to be a feint on her part, to draw out her enemies. (And sets off unexpected actions among her allies. I love her chagrined look when Tatiseigi tells her he thought she was dying.)
But it had me worried for a while. Ilisidi is one of the pillars of the story. I really hope that this is one of those series where the main characters are immortal. (Like how the VI Warshawski books have the world's oldest golden retriever.) It's not like Cherryh has any reluctance to do terrible things to her characters (thank you, Downbelow Station), but I kind of want Foreigner to be a cosy space (despite the assassinations and machinations).
We also get some expanded backstory on Ilisidi, with Bren literally reading from two history books from the library: The Dual Regencies of Ilisidi of Malguri, Her Acts and Proposals on the Southern Coasts, and Alliance and Betrayal: The Dual Regencies of Ilisidi of Malguri, Her Acts and Proposals in the Midlands. She really did shape so much of the politics of the continent.
Cajeiri's plan
This whole sequence was the highlight of the book for me. Cajeiri is desperately worried about his great-grandmother, and he can't trust if accurate information is getting past the obstacles. So he comes up with a bold and unorthodox plan: bypass those obstacles, by asking the young lord of Dur, who owns a small plane, to secretly fly Tatiseigi directly there.
Tatiseigi has enough authority to find out what's going on, and the personal relationship with Ilisidi to persuade her to take care. And more importantly, Cajeiri is convinced that if Ilisidi is actually dying, and Tatiseigi is not told in time, that will permanently fracture his loyalty.
Cajeiri is making judgment calls! Weighing the situation, and coming to the opposite conclusion as his father, because Cajeiri knows Tatiseigi better. And he also realises that his father is constrained from acting, because he is responsible for the entire association, but Cajeiri isn't.
I also love him trying to figure out how to write the letter to his father explaining it all. ("Lord Tatiseigi has taken a trip south with Lord Reijiri..." No. That sounded like a country outing of two fools.)
I would love to be a fly on the wall as Tabini reads through the letter. His son and heir is a player in the game and making moves on the board! At a very precocious ten years old. But he's been steeped in politics all his life, and taught by the very best, so I guess this is what happens when you give him staff and resources - he uses his initiative.
There was a long, long silence. Father's angry stare scared people. He had never been the recipient of it. Now he was. And he resolved, if he was ever aiji, he had to develop a stare of his own. He set his jaw, met Father's eyes and stared back, and for a long, long time there was quiet.
I love this so much. It's a great illustration of what it means for atevi to have that quality that makes them leaders. Cajeiri isn't intimidated by his father's stare! He wants to have one of his own!
I do think Cajeiri is one of the most interesting characters, with his unique experiences and his growing map of connections. In a way, he reminds me of Elrond, who unites a lot of bloodlines in his person, and also has a knack for making allies. I wonder about the future world he'll inhabit. I wonder about his future relationship with his sister, who's still a baby and not an active character yet. The world they're growing up in is very different from the world Bren knew. Atevi are in space. The kyo are neighbours. Humans and atevi are associating, and maybe those biologically determined psychological differences aren't an absolute barrier after all.
Bren's flight
Bren is trying to figure out how to stop the Shadow Guild from getting a stranglehold on Jorida Isle. How to communicate with the populace all at once, to warn them of invasion and to urge them to resist. And then realising, in one of those magical moments:
There was an answer rooted in human history, deep, deep in the era of little planes...
A pamphlet drop from the little yellow plane. And of course Bren is the obvious passenger, being the lightest, despite the horror of his bodyguards.
When Bren wonders if they should take some supper with them:
"No, no," Reijiri said, and flashed a grin. "No food, no drink. One will absolutely regret it."
He did not ask Reijiri to explain. The grin said enough.
(Fancher's brother Chip is credited as the technical advisor for the piloting in this book. The love of flying clearly shines through.)
Machigi
I should mention that he shows up briefly, to rescue Bren and Reijiri after their plane is downed. He notices that Bren is cold, when his speech becomes incoherent. And he even carries Bren up the stairs, when Bren is struggling to manage them. I'm sure Cherryh isn't pandering to me personally, but I appreciated it.
Miscellaneous
I love Reijiri and Tatseigi developing a mutual admiration and declaring a lasting alliance, after their gruelling flight.
And Reijiri briefly getting into trouble with the Edi, because when he speaks their language, it's with the accent of their enemies the Gan.
I'm still not invested in anything to do with taking down the Shadow Guild.
I'm continually intrigued by the Southern Isle that was destroyed by the Great Wave.
At the end, there's a moment when a Navy ship enters the bay, and shows how much the world has changed:
There was no question at all it had come from the north, the third ship of the navy of the aishidi'tat, moved down from its eternal watch over Mospheira...
For the first time since the War of the Landing, there were no ships standing guard between Mospheira and the aishidi'tat.
The thing about this series is, the early books are incredibly eventful and focused, and then the later books progress at a much slower rate, and feel a lot more diffuse. But when they get into it, they really get into it. And I'm still here for that.
This is not really a review, because this is Book 22 of the series and a terrible place to start. It's more my reactions and musings, since there are so many books to keep track of and I want to get down some notes while I remember.
Spoilery musings:
Ilisidi's health
This is the first book where we see alarming signs of Ilisidi's ill health and possible decline. Which, thankfully, turns out to be a feint on her part, to draw out her enemies. (And sets off unexpected actions among her allies. I love her chagrined look when Tatiseigi tells her he thought she was dying.)
But it had me worried for a while. Ilisidi is one of the pillars of the story. I really hope that this is one of those series where the main characters are immortal. (Like how the VI Warshawski books have the world's oldest golden retriever.) It's not like Cherryh has any reluctance to do terrible things to her characters (thank you, Downbelow Station), but I kind of want Foreigner to be a cosy space (despite the assassinations and machinations).
We also get some expanded backstory on Ilisidi, with Bren literally reading from two history books from the library: The Dual Regencies of Ilisidi of Malguri, Her Acts and Proposals on the Southern Coasts, and Alliance and Betrayal: The Dual Regencies of Ilisidi of Malguri, Her Acts and Proposals in the Midlands. She really did shape so much of the politics of the continent.
Cajeiri's plan
This whole sequence was the highlight of the book for me. Cajeiri is desperately worried about his great-grandmother, and he can't trust if accurate information is getting past the obstacles. So he comes up with a bold and unorthodox plan: bypass those obstacles, by asking the young lord of Dur, who owns a small plane, to secretly fly Tatiseigi directly there.
Tatiseigi has enough authority to find out what's going on, and the personal relationship with Ilisidi to persuade her to take care. And more importantly, Cajeiri is convinced that if Ilisidi is actually dying, and Tatiseigi is not told in time, that will permanently fracture his loyalty.
Cajeiri is making judgment calls! Weighing the situation, and coming to the opposite conclusion as his father, because Cajeiri knows Tatiseigi better. And he also realises that his father is constrained from acting, because he is responsible for the entire association, but Cajeiri isn't.
I also love him trying to figure out how to write the letter to his father explaining it all. ("Lord Tatiseigi has taken a trip south with Lord Reijiri..." No. That sounded like a country outing of two fools.)
I would love to be a fly on the wall as Tabini reads through the letter. His son and heir is a player in the game and making moves on the board! At a very precocious ten years old. But he's been steeped in politics all his life, and taught by the very best, so I guess this is what happens when you give him staff and resources - he uses his initiative.
There was a long, long silence. Father's angry stare scared people. He had never been the recipient of it. Now he was. And he resolved, if he was ever aiji, he had to develop a stare of his own. He set his jaw, met Father's eyes and stared back, and for a long, long time there was quiet.
I love this so much. It's a great illustration of what it means for atevi to have that quality that makes them leaders. Cajeiri isn't intimidated by his father's stare! He wants to have one of his own!
I do think Cajeiri is one of the most interesting characters, with his unique experiences and his growing map of connections. In a way, he reminds me of Elrond, who unites a lot of bloodlines in his person, and also has a knack for making allies. I wonder about the future world he'll inhabit. I wonder about his future relationship with his sister, who's still a baby and not an active character yet. The world they're growing up in is very different from the world Bren knew. Atevi are in space. The kyo are neighbours. Humans and atevi are associating, and maybe those biologically determined psychological differences aren't an absolute barrier after all.
Bren's flight
Bren is trying to figure out how to stop the Shadow Guild from getting a stranglehold on Jorida Isle. How to communicate with the populace all at once, to warn them of invasion and to urge them to resist. And then realising, in one of those magical moments:
There was an answer rooted in human history, deep, deep in the era of little planes...
A pamphlet drop from the little yellow plane. And of course Bren is the obvious passenger, being the lightest, despite the horror of his bodyguards.
When Bren wonders if they should take some supper with them:
"No, no," Reijiri said, and flashed a grin. "No food, no drink. One will absolutely regret it."
He did not ask Reijiri to explain. The grin said enough.
(Fancher's brother Chip is credited as the technical advisor for the piloting in this book. The love of flying clearly shines through.)
Machigi
I should mention that he shows up briefly, to rescue Bren and Reijiri after their plane is downed. He notices that Bren is cold, when his speech becomes incoherent. And he even carries Bren up the stairs, when Bren is struggling to manage them. I'm sure Cherryh isn't pandering to me personally, but I appreciated it.
Miscellaneous
I love Reijiri and Tatseigi developing a mutual admiration and declaring a lasting alliance, after their gruelling flight.
And Reijiri briefly getting into trouble with the Edi, because when he speaks their language, it's with the accent of their enemies the Gan.
I'm still not invested in anything to do with taking down the Shadow Guild.
I'm continually intrigued by the Southern Isle that was destroyed by the Great Wave.
At the end, there's a moment when a Navy ship enters the bay, and shows how much the world has changed:
There was no question at all it had come from the north, the third ship of the navy of the aishidi'tat, moved down from its eternal watch over Mospheira...
For the first time since the War of the Landing, there were no ships standing guard between Mospheira and the aishidi'tat.
The thing about this series is, the early books are incredibly eventful and focused, and then the later books progress at a much slower rate, and feel a lot more diffuse. But when they get into it, they really get into it. And I'm still here for that.