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A review by metalphoenix
Downbelow Station by C.J. Cherryh
3.0
This is one of those times where I wish I could give half stars, because this book is more of a 3.5 for me.
Things I liked:
- Different POVs, giving us insight into many of the major parties involved in the Pell situation. Giving each facet of the conflict a voice helped bring a depth to the politics of the universe, and for much of the book I wasn't entirely sure who was "right" and who was "wrong."
- Josh and Mallory, for very different reasons. Josh is the character I'm most sympathetic to, from his troubled origins and Adjustment, to his loyalty to Damon and Elene. I was most interested in his story, and I wish I could have gotten more of it. Mallory, on the other hand, is a straight up jerk. She does some super questionable things, and I'm not sympathetic to her at all. But she's very REAL, and one of the most complex POVs we get in this book. Her actions, her thought processes, and her loyalties are very much analytical and calculating. Emotions do not factor in much here, and when they do it's pride and selfishness.
- The complicated politics and multifaceted conflict. This isn't a straight up good guys vs. bad guys situation. There are many factors that throw a wrench in any attempts at a two-sided showdown between Earth Company and Union, and each one is intriguing.
Things I didn't like:
- The writing. The first couple sections were particularly dense and hard to get into, thanks to the necessary info dump. The first chapter was just 300 years of history to set the stage, and while that's important, I feel there might have been a better approach. Her writing style is odd, dense but also fragmented. It reads almost like stream-of-consciousness, and important events are revealed too subtly. I don't like authors taking me by the hand, but I also don't like puzzling out meanings in the text itself.
- The Hisa. At first I hoped the Hisa would bring more to the story than just being loveable and sweet. I'm entirely sympathetic to them, and I love their society, but they're pretty pointless in this story.
- The Konstantins. Not that I didn't like them as people, but they were a little too straightforward. The rest of the characters have nuance and depth. The Konstantins are just the Good Guys, and this is evident because they're actually ~nice~ to the Hisa. This is literally the only role the Hisa have, to show how good the Konstantins are. In fact, the Hisa refer to good men as Konstantin-men, versus all bad guys as Lukas-men. This is pretty silly. In 300 years of humans being on Pell and interacting with Hisa, only the Konstantins have ever been nice to them and only Lukas has ever been mean? No one is in between? Humans are pretty much an invading species on their planet and recruiting Hisa labor for their own supply bases, you'd think there would be more to Hisa/human relations. Another thing which doesn't really make sense, since the bases are pretty rudimentary and still in the process of being built, even though Pell has been supplying stations with food and water for centuries.
I'm definitely interested in Cherryh's universe, though. I will likely read more of her books in the future, if I can get a better grip on her writing style.
Things I liked:
- Different POVs, giving us insight into many of the major parties involved in the Pell situation. Giving each facet of the conflict a voice helped bring a depth to the politics of the universe, and for much of the book I wasn't entirely sure who was "right" and who was "wrong."
- Josh and Mallory, for very different reasons. Josh is the character I'm most sympathetic to, from his troubled origins and Adjustment, to his loyalty to Damon and Elene. I was most interested in his story, and I wish I could have gotten more of it. Mallory, on the other hand, is a straight up jerk. She does some super questionable things, and I'm not sympathetic to her at all. But she's very REAL, and one of the most complex POVs we get in this book. Her actions, her thought processes, and her loyalties are very much analytical and calculating. Emotions do not factor in much here, and when they do it's pride and selfishness.
Spoiler
Even when she decides to help Josh and Damon, it's less about her being humane and more about what's best for her crew, believing that Mazian has gone too far. She respects them both for being strong and determined even under duress, more than any affection she has toward them as people.- The complicated politics and multifaceted conflict. This isn't a straight up good guys vs. bad guys situation. There are many factors that throw a wrench in any attempts at a two-sided showdown between Earth Company and Union, and each one is intriguing.
Things I didn't like:
- The writing. The first couple sections were particularly dense and hard to get into, thanks to the necessary info dump. The first chapter was just 300 years of history to set the stage, and while that's important, I feel there might have been a better approach. Her writing style is odd, dense but also fragmented. It reads almost like stream-of-consciousness, and important events are revealed too subtly. I don't like authors taking me by the hand, but I also don't like puzzling out meanings in the text itself.
- The Hisa. At first I hoped the Hisa would bring more to the story than just being loveable and sweet. I'm entirely sympathetic to them, and I love their society, but they're pretty pointless in this story.
- The Konstantins. Not that I didn't like them as people, but they were a little too straightforward. The rest of the characters have nuance and depth. The Konstantins are just the Good Guys, and this is evident because they're actually ~nice~ to the Hisa. This is literally the only role the Hisa have, to show how good the Konstantins are. In fact, the Hisa refer to good men as Konstantin-men, versus all bad guys as Lukas-men. This is pretty silly. In 300 years of humans being on Pell and interacting with Hisa, only the Konstantins have ever been nice to them and only Lukas has ever been mean? No one is in between? Humans are pretty much an invading species on their planet and recruiting Hisa labor for their own supply bases, you'd think there would be more to Hisa/human relations. Another thing which doesn't really make sense, since the bases are pretty rudimentary and still in the process of being built, even though Pell has been supplying stations with food and water for centuries.
I'm definitely interested in Cherryh's universe, though. I will likely read more of her books in the future, if I can get a better grip on her writing style.