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mjfmjfmjf's review against another edition
4.0
A re-read of an old favorite. I think this has lost a bit of its shine. Some of it may be its age, some my age. Some might be reading it just after Downbelow Station. This is a small book both in pages and scope. It does a great job of dropping you into the world without warning and giving you just enough to follow along. So it was a bit jarring reading it second - perhaps I knew too much about the world. This was my first Cherryh from what I remember - pretty sure I acquired the book in late 1984 as a remaindered book, it was a while afterwards when I replaced that copy with a used one that had a cover - not that the cover is much of a prize.
Previously rated as 5-star
Previously rated as 5-star
essinink's review against another edition
4.0
After the fascinating (but ponderous) station politics of Downbelow Station, Merchanter’s Luck was a brisk adventure story; I devoured it within hours. It’s been ages since I did that for anything longer than a novella, and while Luck is short, it’s not that short (I’d place the wordcount somewhere around 75-80k). It was exactly what I was hoping to read, and worth the 2-week library wait.
Sandor Kreja, last of his name, has been skating by on small jobs, luck, and a touch of fraud for most of his life. As the sole surviving owner of a Merchanter vessel, he’s traded across Union space under false name and registration for years, swapping identities when the debts piled too high or the profit margin too low for him to slip beneath notice. But it’s a hard life; Merchanter crews are all family, suspicious of lone operators. Alone on a ship full of ghosts, Sandor’s time is limited.
Allison Reilly was born into the 1,082-soul crew of the jumpship Dublin Again. The Reilly name means a lot among Merchanters, but Allison knows, despite her ambitions, that the odds of a ‘posted’ crew position coming open in her lifetime are slim. A chance meeting between her and Sandor in a dockside bar opens up the possibility of new opportunities… if she can trust him.
Bear with me a moment. I’ll admit, given that premise, I was prepared to slog through some kind of torrid cross-class romance subplot. Instead, I found myself treated to a tightly-paced and psychologically-astute tale of adventure, ambition, and loss.
Perspective is split evenly between the disintegrating Sandor and the ambitious Allison, who each learn something about family and teamwork. There’s a race through jumpspace, pressure from the authorities, and a handful of cameos from the Downbelow cast. (That said, I promise this book can be read standalone, and I might recommend that, depending on your reading preferences).
Sandor has a lot of issues, and with good reason. He’s been without trustworthy human contact for a decade, and the decade before that was limited to two other people. Early on in the book he makes some really dumb decisions, which was frustrating even though I understood why he was making them. It was a very impulsive-human moment, and I think that’s what I like about Cherryh so far: she has an exceptionally good grasp of what makes people tick in illogical ways.
Allison is young, and ambitious, but not stupid. She spends most of the book as the one with all the power; even before they’re on the same ship, the class divide between her and Sandor is clear in the difference between how they handle money, trade deals, and unexpected situations. Cherryh’s Union/Alliance books are hardly post-scarcity, and it shows.
I won’t say there’s no love story here, because there is one, but it sits at a low simmer, and the ending is very quiet and very human. Satisfying, without promising a perfect future.
It’s not without flaws, of course. There were a couple of rushed moments in the middle, and one rather dated conversation on gender roles between Allison and her cousin Curran, but overall it was a wonderfully engaging book, and one I can see myself rereading more than once.
Sandor Kreja, last of his name, has been skating by on small jobs, luck, and a touch of fraud for most of his life. As the sole surviving owner of a Merchanter vessel, he’s traded across Union space under false name and registration for years, swapping identities when the debts piled too high or the profit margin too low for him to slip beneath notice. But it’s a hard life; Merchanter crews are all family, suspicious of lone operators. Alone on a ship full of ghosts, Sandor’s time is limited.
Allison Reilly was born into the 1,082-soul crew of the jumpship Dublin Again. The Reilly name means a lot among Merchanters, but Allison knows, despite her ambitions, that the odds of a ‘posted’ crew position coming open in her lifetime are slim. A chance meeting between her and Sandor in a dockside bar opens up the possibility of new opportunities… if she can trust him.
Bear with me a moment. I’ll admit, given that premise, I was prepared to slog through some kind of torrid cross-class romance subplot. Instead, I found myself treated to a tightly-paced and psychologically-astute tale of adventure, ambition, and loss.
Perspective is split evenly between the disintegrating Sandor and the ambitious Allison, who each learn something about family and teamwork. There’s a race through jumpspace, pressure from the authorities, and a handful of cameos from the Downbelow cast. (That said, I promise this book can be read standalone, and I might recommend that, depending on your reading preferences).
Sandor has a lot of issues, and with good reason. He’s been without trustworthy human contact for a decade, and the decade before that was limited to two other people. Early on in the book he makes some really dumb decisions, which was frustrating even though I understood why he was making them. It was a very impulsive-human moment, and I think that’s what I like about Cherryh so far: she has an exceptionally good grasp of what makes people tick in illogical ways.
Allison is young, and ambitious, but not stupid. She spends most of the book as the one with all the power; even before they’re on the same ship, the class divide between her and Sandor is clear in the difference between how they handle money, trade deals, and unexpected situations. Cherryh’s Union/Alliance books are hardly post-scarcity, and it shows.
I won’t say there’s no love story here, because there is one, but it sits at a low simmer, and the ending is very quiet and very human. Satisfying, without promising a perfect future.
It’s not without flaws, of course. There were a couple of rushed moments in the middle, and one rather dated conversation on gender roles between Allison and her cousin Curran, but overall it was a wonderfully engaging book, and one I can see myself rereading more than once.
wunder's review against another edition
5.0
Subtle plotting, keeping everyone off balance. The first sentence puts two characters together, so I knew that a few pages later, Allison would end up filling the empty crew slot on Sandor's freighter. But instead, she heads off, as scheduled, on her family's ship. And it keeps going like that. We know how space opera romance is supposed to work, and this one has a realistic streak that spurns that at every juncture while sticking tight to the genre.
And still, it is a great story, an easy read, but with so much more than that first sentence suggests. It is a bit like the first time you have Thai food -- how is this sweet and tart and crunchy and soft, all in one dish?
And still, it is a great story, an easy read, but with so much more than that first sentence suggests. It is a bit like the first time you have Thai food -- how is this sweet and tart and crunchy and soft, all in one dish?
snazel's review against another edition
3.0
Trust and PTSD without directly talking about trust or PTSD.
I think the character I loved most was a the disembodied voice of a dead man. That can't be healthy.
I think the character I loved most was a the disembodied voice of a dead man. That can't be healthy.
pctek's review against another edition
3.0
3 starts because, while it's a fast read and well-written...
It's a good adventure tale, but the irritation creeps in.
Why are her male stars so pitiful? They curl up and cry, they panic, they can't cope.....and why
So the family got killed, then his last family member, well report that and continue using the real name....so what if he hires other people, that's not illegal! All the silliness with the new hires could have been avoided and done so much better if it hadn't been for that
Didn't make sense and it was very irritating.
It's a good adventure tale, but the irritation creeps in.
Why are her male stars so pitiful? They curl up and cry, they panic, they can't cope.....and why
Spoiler
does he have the ship under a fake name and all the illegal difficulties that entails?So the family got killed, then his last family member, well report that and continue using the real name....so what if he hires other people, that's not illegal! All the silliness with the new hires could have been avoided and done so much better if it hadn't been for that
Didn't make sense and it was very irritating.
oleksandr's review against another edition
3.0
This is a space opera, set in the Union-Alliance Universe. This book can be read as a stand alone.
This is a story of love and trade, family and allegiances. The story is told by two main protagonists: Sandor Kreja and Allison Reilly. Sandor is the sole survivor of an attack by a Company’s ship, which pirated their supplies during lean times. He runs the ship alone, in clear violation of rules and works ‘on edge’: he is under false papers for both himself and the ship. Seeking for an assistant on a station he meets Allison and instantly falls in love with her. Allison is from a giant family ship, with over 1000 strong crew, who are the family. She wants to work on helm but rejuv plus large family means she has almost zero chance to ever get her hands on ship’s command.
They have a sleepover, an old practice of family ships to get some gene diversity from outside. Finding out that her ship, Dublin Again goes to Pell, he does a crazy stunt and rides his empty ship the same route without external help or even necessary recovery periods after jumps.
A new view on the same universe. Earlier, I read [b:Downbelow Station|57045|Downbelow Station (The Company Wars, #1)|C.J. Cherryh|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388858297l/57045._SY75_.jpg|55573] and [b:Cyteen|834518|Cyteen (Cyteen, #1-3)|C.J. Cherryh|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1316469389l/834518._SX50_.jpg|820134] and both of them are more ‘grand’, showing grandiose changes. Here is a small life story of small people, who just go with the flow just trying to survive. The Author’s style is quite sterile and detached and her love story is quite unusual.
This is a story of love and trade, family and allegiances. The story is told by two main protagonists: Sandor Kreja and Allison Reilly. Sandor is the sole survivor of an attack by a Company’s ship, which pirated their supplies during lean times. He runs the ship alone, in clear violation of rules and works ‘on edge’: he is under false papers for both himself and the ship. Seeking for an assistant on a station he meets Allison and instantly falls in love with her. Allison is from a giant family ship, with over 1000 strong crew, who are the family. She wants to work on helm but rejuv plus large family means she has almost zero chance to ever get her hands on ship’s command.
They have a sleepover, an old practice of family ships to get some gene diversity from outside. Finding out that her ship, Dublin Again goes to Pell, he does a crazy stunt and rides his empty ship the same route without external help or even necessary recovery periods after jumps.
A new view on the same universe. Earlier, I read [b:Downbelow Station|57045|Downbelow Station (The Company Wars, #1)|C.J. Cherryh|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388858297l/57045._SY75_.jpg|55573] and [b:Cyteen|834518|Cyteen (Cyteen, #1-3)|C.J. Cherryh|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1316469389l/834518._SX50_.jpg|820134] and both of them are more ‘grand’, showing grandiose changes. Here is a small life story of small people, who just go with the flow just trying to survive. The Author’s style is quite sterile and detached and her love story is quite unusual.
nicolereneegu's review against another edition
3.0
80% worldbuilding, 10% character, 8% language/craft, and 2% plot. I loved what the author did with building up the world and Sandor as a traumatized product of the way that world functions, but the story was just not there. I will try another Union-Alliance novel and maybe all the effort I put into understanding this one will pay off with a more engaging story.
endlesswonder's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-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
4.0
nwhyte's review against another edition
2.0
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2707440.html
Don't hate me, but I have often found C.J. Cherryh's work difficult to engage with. (I have similar problems with John Crowley and M. John Harrison.) I bought this at Eastercon to give her another try, having rather bounced off both Downbelow Station, to which this is a sequel, and Cyteen a few years back. I'm afraid this didn't work for me either; I appreciate the tightness of the prose, but I lost track of the plot early on and could not work out why I should care much about the characters. Lesson learned, I guess.
Don't hate me, but I have often found C.J. Cherryh's work difficult to engage with. (I have similar problems with John Crowley and M. John Harrison.) I bought this at Eastercon to give her another try, having rather bounced off both Downbelow Station, to which this is a sequel, and Cyteen a few years back. I'm afraid this didn't work for me either; I appreciate the tightness of the prose, but I lost track of the plot early on and could not work out why I should care much about the characters. Lesson learned, I guess.