A review by manuphoto
Downbelow Station by C.J. Cherryh

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Although it precedes Cyteen and is set in the same universe, it reads very differently. Instead of a slow-paced intellectual psychological tale, we have a space opera with some deeper themes touched upon.

Despite its grand scale, lots of action, and interesting characters, I think that Downbelow Station is not as coherent or good as the sum of its parts. The different facets of the story are quite well done, but it always lacks a unifying element to make me really care about what happens to the characters and their world. Pell Station is supposed to be that link, but somehow, at least for me, it fails to evoke concern for its fate.

That being said, I found some characters well-executed. Elene is a great character, and Signy would make a fantastic villain in a movie. Josh is also interesting, and his storyline with Signy is troubling.

The rivalry between the Konstantins and Lukases felt a bit silly to me. I understand that this universe is based on the role of certain families, but it didn’t work for me. I just don’t see how human colonization of the universe could operate that way.

The other villains, or pseudo-villains, like Jon Lukas or Mazian, felt very cliché. Union is also not very well defined, although that is addressed in Cyteen.

Cherryh’s prose is less dense here than in Cyteen, so on a sentence-by-sentence basis, it was not tedious to read. Some chapters were actually gripping! But overall, the themes of the book seemed eroded by all the storylines. And I’ve not even mentioned the Downers, those “simple” aliens who stand by while humans kill each other. They are probably the most underdeveloped idea of sentient aliens I’ve ever encountered. They don’t serve much purpose, and we never really get to know them. Maybe they get more attention in the sequels, but here, they often feel dull and uninteresting, especially in the first two-thirds of the novel. A missed opportunity for me, as the core idea is actually good.

And that sums it up for me: a nice core concept, but too many ideas thrown in too many different directions. I appreciate a multilayered story; I usually love those, but here… I don’t know, it never felt totally connected or coherent. I liked, sometimes very much, many elements of this story, but I never loved the ensemble. It’s one of those frustrating novels for me because it has this “almost there” feeling—that feeling that it’s “almost” a great novel. It is good, don’t get me wrong, and it’s not a slog. But it’s not fantastic either.