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A review by essinink
Chanur's Legacy by C.J. Cherryh
4.0
Well, this is an odd one.
Yes, there's some machinations. A couple fights. The usual interspecies wrangling. But mostly this is one darn lighthearted book.
Yes, "lighthearted." As a descriptor for something written by Cherryh. I know.
Some years after [b:Chanur's Homecoming|57166|Chanur's Homecoming (Chanur #4)|C.J. Cherryh|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1316469063l/57166._SY75_.jpg|55694], Hilfy Chanur (previously a Junior Officer on The Pride) is captain of Chanur's Legacy and urgently trying to make a living and name separate from her aunt's. It starts with a stsho contract, is complicated by a stranded hani male, and spirals from there.
We learn a lot about the Stsho. Legalistic, herd-minded, tri-sexed herbivores that they are, they're also hilarious. Every time Hilfy had to sit in conversation with one, I found myself snickering. To say nothing of their 500+ page contracts. (And it's a credit to Cherryh that she made spacefaring trade and legalese, complete with indemnity clauses, both interesting and humorous).
And then there's Hallan, who we first saw in the epilogue of Homecoming. As a young Hani male breaking ground in space (recall that this was taboo, until Pyanfar started shaking things up), he is a wide-eyed blundering innocent who got himself stranded lightyears away from home. Naturally, Hilfy's not about to leave him stranded, even though taking him along is yet another complication.
As funny/interesting as the stsho plot is, the Hallan plot is slightly more interesting. It's a bit of the coming-of-age, a bit of the romantic comedy, and no small amount of serious reflection on the ramifications of rapid social change.
And not just Hallan himself. Hilfy's been through a lot over the years, and didn't part ways with Pyanfar on good terms. She's still finding her feet, and Hallan is a catalyst that forces her to confront her own hang-ups.
In some ways, this is the best of the Chanur books; it's fairly straightforward, with a delicate balance on humor and depth. That said, I don't know that it would make sense without knowledge from the preceding stories.
In other ways... well, it's definitely not perfect. Hallan is extremely naïve, and as much as I adore his character, the rom-com plot thread and its ultimate conclusion doesn't quite sit well with me. Still, I enjoyed this, and I can see myself rereading it. Solid 4/5.
Yes, there's some machinations. A couple fights. The usual interspecies wrangling. But mostly this is one darn lighthearted book.
Yes, "lighthearted." As a descriptor for something written by Cherryh. I know.
Sheets dropped into the printout tray. One ... two ... three ...
... ten ... eleven. The thing was a monster.
... forty-nine... fifty...
My gods, was the printer on a loop?
...one hundred ... one hundred one ...
Out of paper.
Some years after [b:Chanur's Homecoming|57166|Chanur's Homecoming (Chanur #4)|C.J. Cherryh|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1316469063l/57166._SY75_.jpg|55694], Hilfy Chanur (previously a Junior Officer on The Pride) is captain of Chanur's Legacy and urgently trying to make a living and name separate from her aunt's. It starts with a stsho contract, is complicated by a stranded hani male, and spirals from there.
"Honor it with your ownership. Your discrimination is of wide repute."
"Your graciousness is most extravagent."
"Your excellency's delicacy and sensitivity amply justify our admiration."
It went on like that for two and three more rounds of compliments and deprecations.
We learn a lot about the Stsho. Legalistic, herd-minded, tri-sexed herbivores that they are, they're also hilarious. Every time Hilfy had to sit in conversation with one, I found myself snickering. To say nothing of their 500+ page contracts. (And it's a credit to Cherryh that she made spacefaring trade and legalese, complete with indemnity clauses, both interesting and humorous).
And then there's Hallan, who we first saw in the epilogue of Homecoming. As a young Hani male breaking ground in space (recall that this was taboo, until Pyanfar started shaking things up), he is a wide-eyed blundering innocent who got himself stranded lightyears away from home. Naturally, Hilfy's not about to leave him stranded, even though taking him along is yet another complication.
As funny/interesting as the stsho plot is, the Hallan plot is slightly more interesting. It's a bit of the coming-of-age, a bit of the romantic comedy, and no small amount of serious reflection on the ramifications of rapid social change.
And not just Hallan himself. Hilfy's been through a lot over the years, and didn't part ways with Pyanfar on good terms. She's still finding her feet, and Hallan is a catalyst that forces her to confront her own hang-ups.
"Nobody had told her when she was growing up that every attitude and opinion she had learned was going to be obsolete when she was twenty-five.
In some ways, this is the best of the Chanur books; it's fairly straightforward, with a delicate balance on humor and depth. That said, I don't know that it would make sense without knowledge from the preceding stories.
In other ways... well, it's definitely not perfect. Hallan is extremely naïve, and as much as I adore his character, the rom-com plot thread and its ultimate conclusion doesn't quite sit well with me. Still, I enjoyed this, and I can see myself rereading it. Solid 4/5.