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pikachuface's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
5.0
dunecello's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death of parent, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Violence and Injury/Injury detail
nermutbundaloy's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
essinink's review against another edition
4.0
On Pell Station, Fletcher Neihart is no one. Born stationside after his mother’s ship (Finity’s End) was forced to leave her behind during the War, he’s never experienced merchanter life, but lacks station citizenship. In the last seventeen years, he’s lived with six different foster families, but only connected with the Hisa workers. Now, just as he’s starting to make something of his life, Finity’s End has come to reclaim him.
The B-plot is the sequel to Downbelow Station. The age of war and fighting is over, and now it’s time for the merchanter families to turn their ships to peaceful trade again. Senior Captain James Robert Neihart hopes to forge a new station/merchanter treaty before he retires, but with a succeeding generation that has never known peace, that may be easier said than done. Meanwhile, the young JR Neihart is studying to take command.
On the one hand, this is yet again a novel about an outsider resisting integration into a new social group, with interpersonal conflicts and history that spin up into a quick rush of action and a happy-for-now ending. There are actually two earlier books in this series with similar scenarios: Rimrunners and Tripoint (The latter even has family complications). On the other hand… I think this time Cherryh got it right. *
Fletcher is surprisingly stable for a Cherryh protagonist. That’s not to say he’s devoid of hangups—his experiences in foster care after his mother’s death have left him distrustful of humans and resentful toward his unknown relatives—but his reactions are within expectations. At first, he doesn’t want anything to do with his spacefaring family, dreaming instead of working with the Hisa of Downbelow. As time goes on, however, he forges a strong bond with his roommate Jeremy, and reevaluates his understanding of the Hisa.
The story finds a strong balance between Fletcher’s troubled integration with his family-crew and the command & political decisions to which JR is party. Although JR has a command position over Fletcher, they don’t have much direct contact. This back-and-forth between daily life and history-making is one of the strongest parts of the book, keeping the tone from falling too far to one side or the other. I’ve noted Cherryh’s pacing problems in the past, but they’re nearly absent here. Even the final action and resolution come together neatly and organically, rather than in a chaotic race to the end.
It’s not perfect: I don’t particularly care for the Hisa’s presentation, and I never have, but in my opinion, this is the strongest of the Company Wars novels. Like almost all the Alliance/Union Books, it can technically be read standalone, but I think readers with at least a passing understanding of the events of Downbelow Station will enjoy it more.
---
*Footnote: Do not, if you can help it, read Rimrunners > Tripoint > Finity's End one right after another. They differ in the details, but the basic setup is similar.
The B-plot is the sequel to Downbelow Station. The age of war and fighting is over, and now it’s time for the merchanter families to turn their ships to peaceful trade again. Senior Captain James Robert Neihart hopes to forge a new station/merchanter treaty before he retires, but with a succeeding generation that has never known peace, that may be easier said than done. Meanwhile, the young JR Neihart is studying to take command.
On the one hand, this is yet again a novel about an outsider resisting integration into a new social group, with interpersonal conflicts and history that spin up into a quick rush of action and a happy-for-now ending. There are actually two earlier books in this series with similar scenarios: Rimrunners and Tripoint (The latter even has family complications). On the other hand… I think this time Cherryh got it right. *
Fletcher is surprisingly stable for a Cherryh protagonist. That’s not to say he’s devoid of hangups—his experiences in foster care after his mother’s death have left him distrustful of humans and resentful toward his unknown relatives—but his reactions are within expectations. At first, he doesn’t want anything to do with his spacefaring family, dreaming instead of working with the Hisa of Downbelow. As time goes on, however, he forges a strong bond with his roommate Jeremy, and reevaluates his understanding of the Hisa.
The story finds a strong balance between Fletcher’s troubled integration with his family-crew and the command & political decisions to which JR is party. Although JR has a command position over Fletcher, they don’t have much direct contact. This back-and-forth between daily life and history-making is one of the strongest parts of the book, keeping the tone from falling too far to one side or the other. I’ve noted Cherryh’s pacing problems in the past, but they’re nearly absent here. Even the final action and resolution come together neatly and organically, rather than in a chaotic race to the end.
It’s not perfect: I don’t particularly care for the Hisa’s presentation, and I never have, but in my opinion, this is the strongest of the Company Wars novels. Like almost all the Alliance/Union Books, it can technically be read standalone, but I think readers with at least a passing understanding of the events of Downbelow Station will enjoy it more.
---
*Footnote: Do not, if you can help it, read Rimrunners > Tripoint > Finity's End one right after another. They differ in the details, but the basic setup is similar.
lian_tanner's review against another edition
4.0
There's something about Cherryh's writing that I absolutely love. Her books aren't easy to get into - they invariably have internal monologues that go on for pages and strain my patience, and the politics is often arcane and confusing. But the characters are so interesting and so convincing that I am willing to keep going until the point where the book completely grips me. The main story in 'Finity's End' is that of Fletcher, who is a lost boy, a child of foster families and courts, his own worst enemy much of the time. It's a story that held me totally, right to the end and beyond, the story of a boy at last finding the place he belongs.
katmarhan's review against another edition
5.0
An excellent story that succeeds both as an up-close coming of age story (Fletcher, Jeremy, and JR) as well as a a larger science fiction tale in the Union-Alliance universe. It ties in beautifully with Downbelow Station. Engaging, real characters and a plot complicated enough to make me slow down and read more carefully.
murraycampobianco's review
4.0
I liked this one a lot. The characters grabbed me. In this one Cherryh manages to create a stranded loner within a different group of humanity, without resorting to aliens. I enjoyed the different take on what a ship's cargo needs to be and I love the ship's name.
sleeping_while_awake's review
3.0
After reading all the other Alliance books, I didn't think Finity's End truly made a substantial impact. It felt too similar to Tripoint, the same sort of loner kid learning to fit in with the other kids that don't play so nice.
I liked that Fletcher was a bit toned down compared to some previous main characters. There are many psychologically unstable and messed up people in this universe. I think for good reason, although it's somewhat hard to root for someone who is constantly punching people in the face over any argument.
There's not so much action in this installment. Even light for the rest of the books, which don't have much either.
Finity's End is focused on Fletcher's transition from an orphan to a family unit. He is raised by two Downers, Melody and Patch, but not like a feral creature on Downbelow - they're all on Pell station. Fletcher runs into the tunnels away from his foster families to spend time with them, and they form a close attachment.
He is taken aboard Finity's End, quite against his will. His mother, who overdosed years ago, was left on Pell Station, and the ship had intended to pick her up, but things became delayed. Fletcher is a citizen of the ship, whether he wants to be or not, and the skilled lawyers make him leave the Downers he loved.
What I liked the most is that Fletcher truly grows up during the book. There's a big change from him from beginning to end, and he makes a lot of very mature realizations about his life and the people in it.
I may be in the minority, but I like the hisa (Downers) and their return to the story. Their presence serves as a means for humanity to question their violence and war.
I liked that Fletcher was a bit toned down compared to some previous main characters. There are many psychologically unstable and messed up people in this universe. I think for good reason, although it's somewhat hard to root for someone who is constantly punching people in the face over any argument.
There's not so much action in this installment. Even light for the rest of the books, which don't have much either.
Finity's End is focused on Fletcher's transition from an orphan to a family unit. He is raised by two Downers, Melody and Patch, but not like a feral creature on Downbelow - they're all on Pell station. Fletcher runs into the tunnels away from his foster families to spend time with them, and they form a close attachment.
He is taken aboard Finity's End, quite against his will. His mother, who overdosed years ago, was left on Pell Station, and the ship had intended to pick her up, but things became delayed. Fletcher is a citizen of the ship, whether he wants to be or not, and the skilled lawyers make him leave the Downers he loved.
What I liked the most is that Fletcher truly grows up during the book. There's a big change from him from beginning to end, and he makes a lot of very mature realizations about his life and the people in it.
I may be in the minority, but I like the hisa (Downers) and their return to the story. Their presence serves as a means for humanity to question their violence and war.