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A review by colossal
Chanur's Legacy by C.J. Cherryh
5.0
This is a reread for me and part of the buddy read of the Chanur series with the SpecFic Buddy Reads group. The series is structured is an initial volume, a middle trilogy and this book, a sequel following Pyanfur's neice Hilfy as the captain of her own ship.
There were five years between the publication of [b:Chanur's Homecoming|57166|Chanur's Homecoming (Chanur #4)|C.J. Cherryh|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1316469063s/57166.jpg|55694] and this book (and I suspect most of that book was written straight after the previous two) and it really shows. The writing of this is so much smoother and the world so much better thought out.
Hilfy Chanur takes on an unusually lucrative contract with the Stsho governor of Meetpoint Station. Unfortunately she almost immediately regrets the decision as she becomes embroiled in political machinations regarding Stsho internal government with both Mahendo'sat and Kif muddying the waters. Meanwhile her relatively inexperienced crew is having to contend with a male Hani spacer that Hilfy has somehow acquired in the midst of the action on Meetpoint.
The story is told through alternating viewpoints of Hilfy, Hallan (the Hani male) and one of Hilfy's crew Tiar Chanur. Hallan's point-of-view is compelling as stepping beyond gender stereotypes in an environment where all his companions believe he doesn't belong. Hilfy's point-of-view is familiar from the other Chanur books, but she's done a lot of growing up and does a lot more during this book. By the end of it, it's clear that Pyanfur has an heir if she wants one.
This book also gives the Stsho some overdue attention and we learn a lot more about them and their peculiar and fragile psyche as well as their gender system.
If you can slog through the earlier Chanur books and their dense writing, this one is well worth getting to.
There were five years between the publication of [b:Chanur's Homecoming|57166|Chanur's Homecoming (Chanur #4)|C.J. Cherryh|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1316469063s/57166.jpg|55694] and this book (and I suspect most of that book was written straight after the previous two) and it really shows. The writing of this is so much smoother and the world so much better thought out.
Hilfy Chanur takes on an unusually lucrative contract with the Stsho governor of Meetpoint Station. Unfortunately she almost immediately regrets the decision as she becomes embroiled in political machinations regarding Stsho internal government with both Mahendo'sat and Kif muddying the waters. Meanwhile her relatively inexperienced crew is having to contend with a male Hani spacer that Hilfy has somehow acquired in the midst of the action on Meetpoint.
The story is told through alternating viewpoints of Hilfy, Hallan (the Hani male) and one of Hilfy's crew Tiar Chanur. Hallan's point-of-view is compelling as stepping beyond gender stereotypes in an environment where all his companions believe he doesn't belong. Hilfy's point-of-view is familiar from the other Chanur books, but she's done a lot of growing up and does a lot more during this book. By the end of it, it's clear that Pyanfur has an heir if she wants one.
This book also gives the Stsho some overdue attention and we learn a lot more about them and their peculiar and fragile psyche as well as their gender system.
If you can slog through the earlier Chanur books and their dense writing, this one is well worth getting to.