Status
Available
Series
Collection
Publication
DAW Hardcover (2001), Edition: First Edition, 314 pages
Description
The fifth novel in Cherryh's Foreigner space opera series, a groundbreaking tale of first contact and its consequences... Nearly ten years after the unexpected return of the starship Phoenix, the alien atevi have three functioning space shuttles, and teams of atevi engineers labor in orbit to renovate the space station. But these monumental advances not only add a dangerously powerful third party to an already precarious diplomatic situation, but rouse pro- and anti-space factions in atevi society to incendiary levels. To help negotiate these treacherous diplomatic waters, Tabini-aiji, the powerful head of the atevi's Western Association, has sent the only human he fully trusts into space: his own paidhi, Bren Cameron. However, the threat of possible invasion by hostile aliens who attacked Phoenix's station in a far-off sector of space hangs over them all. And when one of the senior captains of the Phoenix confesses that this station was not completely destroyed, as had been previously thought, the crew mutinies. How can Bren hope to mediate on a station overcome by a rebellious crew intent on taking the Phoenix on a rescue mission back into hostile alien territory? The long-running Foreigner series can also be enjoyed by more casual genre readers in sub-trilogy installments. Defender is the fifth Foreigner book and the the second book of the second sub-trilogy.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Pferdina
Almost nothing happens in this volume, but I became so engrossed in it anyway that I barely noticed. This, the fifth book in the Atevi series, concerns the imminent departure of the human starship Phoenix which has been docked at the space station above the Atevi home world for the last several
Unlike some previous volumes in this series, there are no great battles, no new Atevi landscapes to explore, and hardly any new characters (the Atevi ruler's six year old heir is one exception). Most of the book is consumed by Bren's conflicts with his human family and his difficulty understanding the Atevi reaction to the death of Captain Ramirez.
There is a lot of intrigue and suspicion among the factions in this book. So much that the reader spends most of the time trying to figure out what is going on. It is not unpleasant, and the delicious alien-ness of the setting helps. This is obviously a world in which the author feels comfortable.
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years. Again, we follow translator and diplomat Bren Cameron as he negotiates interspecies communication.Unlike some previous volumes in this series, there are no great battles, no new Atevi landscapes to explore, and hardly any new characters (the Atevi ruler's six year old heir is one exception). Most of the book is consumed by Bren's conflicts with his human family and his difficulty understanding the Atevi reaction to the death of Captain Ramirez.
There is a lot of intrigue and suspicion among the factions in this book. So much that the reader spends most of the time trying to figure out what is going on. It is not unpleasant, and the delicious alien-ness of the setting helps. This is obviously a world in which the author feels comfortable.
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LibraryThing member zette
A deathbed confession, overheard by the wrong person, sets a wildfire of emotion through both the station and the ship crews as they learn there may be survivors on a station they abandoned when they ran back to the Atevi world.
Betrayal, anger and distrust are rampant in every interface between the
The hope that friends and family might still be holding on in the partially destroyed station is going to lead to a mutiny if a rescue isn't immediately launched -- and even that would take a year to reach the station -- then there is going to be serious trouble.
Into this atmosphere, Bren Cameron must try to work a solution to everyone's liking -- but he's working blind in one respect. He has had no instructions from the Aiji or the Atevi government. Urgent messages go unanswered at a time when he most needs the guidance of his friend.
He knows friend is not a word he can apply to any Atevi. He knows that he doesn't feel what they feel, and yet he can't help but feel a level of betrayal when he learns the Aiji has been working with another rather than with him. He's been cut off with no one but his loyal Atevi companions to stand by him in a dangerous situation where he can only guess what the leader of the Atevi world will want. Add the pressure of family commitments he can in no way deal with, and believing himself abandoned and betrayed, Bren can only do what he's always trained to do -- mediate between groups of people who are one step away from open warfare. When the indomitable Illisidi and the Aiji's young son come to the station, intending to travel aboard the ship, the situation grows even more complex.
Defender is an exciting book from start to finish, with enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing just what might be the truth and what enemies might Bren faces. As always, the alien society is exceptionally well-written and the plotting superb. This book is a real treat for fans of the series.
Betrayal, anger and distrust are rampant in every interface between the
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various human groups and even with the Atevi. However, with the ship refueled, there is no reason why the crew can't go back to get the missing people. A year-long journey and a chance of a hostile alien encounter are only part of the problem. A decade has passed since they abandoned Reunion. What will they find when they return?The hope that friends and family might still be holding on in the partially destroyed station is going to lead to a mutiny if a rescue isn't immediately launched -- and even that would take a year to reach the station -- then there is going to be serious trouble.
Into this atmosphere, Bren Cameron must try to work a solution to everyone's liking -- but he's working blind in one respect. He has had no instructions from the Aiji or the Atevi government. Urgent messages go unanswered at a time when he most needs the guidance of his friend.
He knows friend is not a word he can apply to any Atevi. He knows that he doesn't feel what they feel, and yet he can't help but feel a level of betrayal when he learns the Aiji has been working with another rather than with him. He's been cut off with no one but his loyal Atevi companions to stand by him in a dangerous situation where he can only guess what the leader of the Atevi world will want. Add the pressure of family commitments he can in no way deal with, and believing himself abandoned and betrayed, Bren can only do what he's always trained to do -- mediate between groups of people who are one step away from open warfare. When the indomitable Illisidi and the Aiji's young son come to the station, intending to travel aboard the ship, the situation grows even more complex.
Defender is an exciting book from start to finish, with enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing just what might be the truth and what enemies might Bren faces. As always, the alien society is exceptionally well-written and the plotting superb. This book is a real treat for fans of the series.
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LibraryThing member reading_fox
Bren now lives up in the station fleeting trips back down. Aveti are up in numbers as well and the repair is going well, but he is called back down suddenly to attend an Aveti cermony, Tabeni paying late respects to his father - one of the best passages in the whole series, paused between the
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second and third bells ... absolutely gripping writing - and Bren has no idea why he was called down or why he has recieved no official communication. Back Above, Rameriz dies and suddenly secrets supposedly held tight are loose amoungst the crew. Bren's pride is shattered but he still has his job to do - hoping he can correctly intrepret aveti wishes against the captains plans, but crew are a completely different mindset, and he still isn't used to dealing with them, for all that they look human ... Show Less
LibraryThing member TadAD
See Foreigner and Precursor.
LibraryThing member bragan
Book five in Cherryh's Foreigner series, in which two groups of humans and one group of aliens deal with messy politics, a push for technological advancement, and a lurking external threat. This one is set something like seven years after the previous volume, and features some shocking, well-kept
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secrets finally coming out. It feels very much like a transitional part of the story, a setting-up for what comes next, but despite that, and despite the fact that even for this series the ratio of things actually happening to people sitting around talking is very low, I found it a surprisingly fast and engaging read. Maybe that's because those were some darned interesting shocking secrets. Or maybe I've just gotten thoroughly into the groove of Cherryh's leisurely, decades-spanning storytelling. Either way, I'll be interested to see where it goes from here. Show Less
LibraryThing member LisCarey
This is the fifth of the Foreigner series, and Bren Cameron has made the terrible mistake of becoming comfortable in his new role as the representative of the atevi ruler aboard the space station. He has spent the last several years carefully maintaining peaceful relations among the atevi, the
So, of course, at this point, the senior Phoenix captain, Ramirez, dies, and with his dying breath imparts a dangerous secret to the most junior captain, Bren's old friend and fellow paidhi, Jase Graham. The space station the Phoenix crew had built in another star system was not completely destroyed by the aliens who attacked it; there were survivors on board who were left behind to begin repairs while Phoenix went for help. Only a tiny number of people knew this; virtually the entire crew was lied to, being told that their family members were dead. In addition, because part of the station survived and there were survivors aboard, it's possible that the aliens, if they returned, could have obtained information about the location of the atevi homeworld and the fact that it's the nearest thing to a home base that humans in these parts have. This is overheard by a station worker who came to the infirmary with a minor injury, and the rumor gets out, and all hell breaks loose, as atevi, Mospheirans, and crew realize how critically they've been lied to. The Phoenix captains vote to go back to the other star system and rescue those remaining on the partially-destroyed station, because they'll have a mutiny on their hands if they don't.
Meanwhile, Bren's mother is ill, possibly seriously, his brother's marriage is being seriously damaged by his efforts to Make Mother Happy (an impossible task) and he wants Bren to come home, take care of Mother, and fix his marriage, and Bren's ex-fiancee is hinting that she wants to get back together. In his professional life, Bren is unable to communicate with Tabini, the atevi ruler he serves. He's receiving no communication, directly or indirectly, and gets no response to his own messages, no matter h ow urgent. Has he lost favor with Tabini? If so, this could be a serious problem, given how thoroughly he's burned his bridges with Mospheira.
And then Ilisidi, Tabini-aiji's grandmother, arrives aboard the space station, with Tabini's six-year-old heir, Cajeiri, in tow, and Bren's life gets exciting.
If you're allergic to Cherryh's prose, avoid this; it's more of the same. If not, however, this is an enjoyable new entry in an enjoyable series.
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humans of the island of Mospheira on the planet, and the humans of the returned starship, Phoenix. Phoenix is refueled, the first of the new starships is well along in construction. One of the atevi aboard the space station, Lord Geigi, has even worked out a method of raising fish (a food acceptable to atevi at all seasons) on board the space station in manner that's practical and yet also complies with the strict atevi taboo against raising captive food animals.So, of course, at this point, the senior Phoenix captain, Ramirez, dies, and with his dying breath imparts a dangerous secret to the most junior captain, Bren's old friend and fellow paidhi, Jase Graham. The space station the Phoenix crew had built in another star system was not completely destroyed by the aliens who attacked it; there were survivors on board who were left behind to begin repairs while Phoenix went for help. Only a tiny number of people knew this; virtually the entire crew was lied to, being told that their family members were dead. In addition, because part of the station survived and there were survivors aboard, it's possible that the aliens, if they returned, could have obtained information about the location of the atevi homeworld and the fact that it's the nearest thing to a home base that humans in these parts have. This is overheard by a station worker who came to the infirmary with a minor injury, and the rumor gets out, and all hell breaks loose, as atevi, Mospheirans, and crew realize how critically they've been lied to. The Phoenix captains vote to go back to the other star system and rescue those remaining on the partially-destroyed station, because they'll have a mutiny on their hands if they don't.
Meanwhile, Bren's mother is ill, possibly seriously, his brother's marriage is being seriously damaged by his efforts to Make Mother Happy (an impossible task) and he wants Bren to come home, take care of Mother, and fix his marriage, and Bren's ex-fiancee is hinting that she wants to get back together. In his professional life, Bren is unable to communicate with Tabini, the atevi ruler he serves. He's receiving no communication, directly or indirectly, and gets no response to his own messages, no matter h ow urgent. Has he lost favor with Tabini? If so, this could be a serious problem, given how thoroughly he's burned his bridges with Mospheira.
And then Ilisidi, Tabini-aiji's grandmother, arrives aboard the space station, with Tabini's six-year-old heir, Cajeiri, in tow, and Bren's life gets exciting.
If you're allergic to Cherryh's prose, avoid this; it's more of the same. If not, however, this is an enjoyable new entry in an enjoyable series.
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LibraryThing member fuzzi
Bret finds himself, as usual, immersed in political machinations, surrounded by scheming factions, but this time he's aboard the space station. Communications to his allies on the planet are cut off so he's on his own, aside from his two bodyguards and a loyal staff of Atevi. Never boring,
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occasionally so deep that I would turn the pages back to reread a passage. Good stuff. Show Less
Subjects
Awards
Locus Recommended Reading (2001)
Language
Original language
English