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justinsdrown's review
4.0
C.J. Cherryh is so underrated it's unreal. I have a lot to say about this book. Consider this review a placeholder.
kaa's review
4.0
... well, no wonder this is a classic. Downbelow Station is a fucking epic, with at least as much in common with the best bloody political fantasy epics as it does with typical military sf and space opera.
The book starts slowly - honestly, the first 40% was a bit of a slog for me. However, although I am often one to complain about extraneous detail an author should have cut, in this case I actually felt that the extended descriptions and world-building in the beginning paid off in emotional investment at the end. Through her careful crafting of universe and characters, Cherryh drew me into her story, so that I raced through the last half of the book. I truly cared about what might happen, both to the named, familiar characters and to the thousands of others, unnamed, who populated the station and planet.
I loved the interplay of the broad historical and political context with the intimate details of the characters' lives - this is a book about both galaxy-spanning political maneuvering and the ties of family and friendship that bind individuals together. There is a gorgeous sense of hope and optimism in the story, which is only strengthened by the feeling of real threat hanging over much of the narrative. A true masterpiece.
The book starts slowly - honestly, the first 40% was a bit of a slog for me. However, although I am often one to complain about extraneous detail an author should have cut, in this case I actually felt that the extended descriptions and world-building in the beginning paid off in emotional investment at the end. Through her careful crafting of universe and characters, Cherryh drew me into her story, so that I raced through the last half of the book. I truly cared about what might happen, both to the named, familiar characters and to the thousands of others, unnamed, who populated the station and planet.
I loved the interplay of the broad historical and political context with the intimate details of the characters' lives - this is a book about both galaxy-spanning political maneuvering and the ties of family and friendship that bind individuals together. There is a gorgeous sense of hope and optimism in the story, which is only strengthened by the feeling of real threat hanging over much of the narrative. A true masterpiece.
jerentropic's review against another edition
2.0
DNF after a third of the way through. Boring. The stilted, abbreviated narrative voice was somewhat maddening. The pace is glacial. It was a slog to read through and I just couldn't get any enthusiasm to turn the pages. And it was just plain depressing, no fun at all. The one positive was the character development; the author has a subtle hand at filling out personalities. That is why it got a second star from me, despite the DNF. I had high hopes; but it just wasn't for me.
elbrazoonofre's review against another edition
3.0
I kinda cheated with the Graphic Audio adaptation, but I'm OK with that. Doesn't really kick in until 70% in, after which it was entertaining enough yet ultimately predictable. It was hard keeping all the characters straight.
aliehsn's review against another edition
3.0
It took me until the second half to feel engaged. Ultimately the Hisa were the best part.
drelyk's review against another edition
5.0
What starts as a large scale refuge crisis aboard a remote space station, turns into a vast interstellar conflict, highlighting the thoughts and deeds of numerous characters. The station master and patriarch, Angelo Konstantin, grapples with crisis after crisis and wonders how to escape from this man-made hell. The two Konstantin brothers do their best to lead their own spheres of influence, keeping to their values while wrought with internal conflict. Captain Mallory, the ruthless commander, struggles to justify continuing to follow Mazian, the rouge Fleet commander. The mind-wiped and tortured former Union soldier, Josh Talley, struggles with his own resurfacing memories, and longs to feel like he belongs aboard Pell. Jon Lukas, the leader of a prosperous company aboard the station, undergoes subterfuge to hand the station over to the enemy and gets far more than he bargained for. Ayres, a representative of the isolated Earth Company, struggles to stall invasion of the last remaining neutral station in the long conflict with the Union. And the native Hisa, so loving and trusting, who long to see the Sun in her own domain.
There were a lot of characters, a lot of different perspectives as things ramped up and the citizens of Pell dealt with numerous occupations. Each character has their own nuance and perspective to tell, everyone being a different shade of gray. Mallory and Josh were the highlights for me, especially when Mallory went Rouge and Josh found out the truth about his past.
I love the idea of the Union, this vast empire with unchecked growth far beyond the reaches of Earth's once long-reaching influence. I look forward to exploring more of this universe and seeing how the newly formed Merchanter's Alliance interacts with the existing superpowers. It's about time the stations and merchanters has a voice of their own.
There were a lot of characters, a lot of different perspectives as things ramped up and the citizens of Pell dealt with numerous occupations. Each character has their own nuance and perspective to tell, everyone being a different shade of gray. Mallory and Josh were the highlights for me, especially when Mallory went Rouge and Josh found out the truth about his past.
I love the idea of the Union, this vast empire with unchecked growth far beyond the reaches of Earth's once long-reaching influence. I look forward to exploring more of this universe and seeing how the newly formed Merchanter's Alliance interacts with the existing superpowers. It's about time the stations and merchanters has a voice of their own.
rafadiazgaz's review against another edition
2.0
Me da mucha rabia darle 2⭐️ a CJ Cherryh porque me venía recomendadísima. Ha sido duro terminar el libro. Empieza bien, directo y explicativo sin ser cargante. Luego se lía y se vuelve pastoso. Me ha parecido aburrido, la trama diluida, los diálogos irrelevantes y un final insulso. A lo mejor no era mi momento con este libro o a lo mejor he abordado a Cherryh por el libro equivocado. Qué rabia. Qué rabia, de verdad.
destrier's review
2.0
DNF. I wanted to like this book, and the introductory chapter was terrific: it succinctly set up the universe and key plot arc. But after 100 pages, I'm completely bored. No deep characters have appeared, everything that happened was some generic sci-fi scene, and I have no reason to care about the various factions. The burn is just too slow for me on this one when there are plenty of books and series where I'm hooked by the end of the first page.
staticdistance's review
3.0
It took me a couple tries to actually get into this book. The first couple hundred pages are so dull. There's mention of some big event that is quickly brushed over by political bickering, but slowly, the characters started to develop and the story sucked me in. By the end, I was engrossed and probably read the last half in a few days vs the couple weeks it took me to get through the first half. I guess the short review would be that this book was enjoyable, but incredibly uneven.
dr_vicnven's review
5.0
good gracious but I love this book. It's always such a fast read and once I'm about 20% of the way into it I absolutely cannot put it down.