Explorer by C.J. Cherryh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really love re-reading this series. As this second mini-trilogy comes to a close, it shines in all the ways that the slow burn of book 5 does not. We're hurtling through space to new destinations for some and an intense rescue mission for others.

The space station that was left behind, Reunion, could be hurting bad or it could be besieged or it could be the source of a whole slew of headaches for all those people who mistrust the Guild. This is Space Opera, through and through.

How did we get from a translator in an alien society that barely had TV to this point, only ten years and 6 books in?

Easy! Read the books! :) And just to make sure you're on your toes, Cherryh makes absolutely certain that there's always THREE sides to the situations. Felicitous Three. :)

ALIENS. (New aliens! Oh goodness! What a scary turn! :) The Atevi, the Humans, and ... mysterious aliens! :) And of course the Atevi for all their assassinations seems to be much better suited for survival, politically, intellectually, and martially. Only the single human, our favorite Bren-nandi, seems to have the wits and wherewithal to handle both first-contact situations and hairy numbers theories at the same time. :)

God, I love this series. :) Translators KICK ASS.

Suffice to say, this is a thrilling novel that has just about everything, from strike forces to serious negotiations to seriously dark decisions and a HUGE can of worms.

And now we're getting set up for the next mini-trilogy, and translation is getting pushed to the forefront once more! :)

Ilsidi STILL ROCKS. :)

View all my reviews