A review by branch_c
The Pride of Chanur by C.J. Cherryh

3.0

I thought this would be a quick read, but in fact it had some surprising depth, and was worth lingering over a bit longer than expected. The plot itself is indeed rather brief and straightforward; the depth comes from the sophisticated writing style, as well as the content, which is an unusual but interesting split between the technical details of alien spacecraft mechanics and the complex character interactions. The style reminded me a bit of Niven, with the hani being perhaps similar to the kzin. The info about this world is dumped only sparingly, and the reader is additionally kept off balance by having an alien POV character, Pyanfar - she was a bit abrasive for my taste, but I understand that’s the feeling the author was going for by focusing on her. Overall, certainly enjoyable, and I’ve heard other work by Cherryh is even better, so I’ll be looking to try some more.