Finity's End

The Neiharts must deal with a resentful hostage who bears their name but knows nothing of their lives. Cherryh returns to the award-winning universe of her classic Cyteen and Downbelow Station, in this exploration of loyalty, family and transition.

User reviews

LibraryThing member FicusFan

Another real winner in the Alliance-Union series, and sadly the last.

This story is about the child of a famous Merchanter ship, Finity's End. Due to his mother's illness during pregnancy and the war, he (Fletcher), and his mother were left on Pell during the war. His mother, unable to adjust to

station life, overdoses on jump drugs when he is 5. Once that happens he becomes the ward of an indifferent station administration who move him from foster home to foster home. He also becomes a social and behavioral problem as he grows. With no parents, home, love or guidance, he tries to fit in with rowdy youth gangs.

The story opens with him at 17, having changed his ways, found his niche and trying to build a life for himself. His only constant parental figures were the Downers in the tunnels of Pell when he was growing up. Forbidden by law from contact with them as all humans are, he had to sneak into the tunnels to be with them. 2 in particular parented him. This led him to want to work with the Downers, and straighten up and get into a rigorous academic program. He was on the planet when Finity's End again comes to Pell, and institutes another law suit to recover their lost child (now 17). They were fighting with Pell about financial responsibility for him, and whether it was safe for a child to be on a ship that was active in the war. Political deals are made for lofty goals, Finity's End has changed its status regarding the war, and with no consultation with Fletcher he is shipped off to Finity's End. A year short of being legally an adult, he has no legal say about how his life is being decided.

Of course he is not happy to have no say in his life yet again, and being forced to board a ship with total strangers. Several important people on the ship want him returned for their own reasons, but many others don't. He is after all by birth and upbringing not a spacer, and is ignorant of the ways of a ship.

The story focuses on how he must try to find a way to live, when he is yet again manipulated by outsiders. How he must learn the ways of the ship to survive and not endanger others. It is a searing look at the choices a youngster must make when he has no parents, no home, and nothing good to pattern his actions on. He has to decide who he will be - stationer or spacer, and loner or family member. In doing so he must learn to trust and let go of his past hurts, anger and bitterness.

Wonderful writing, excellent story, and great, believable characters. As always with these stories, Cherryh has layers and layers of story and meaning. From the personal story of Fletcher fitting in, and JR his Junior Caption on ship, who must integrate him into a less than thrilled crew of Juniors, to the political interests of the various entities in their search for peace, economic prosperity, and self-determination, the story looks at what the few must give up for the benefit of the many, and how choices are made and the reverberations to others.

The story also explores the impact of the past on present choices, and how those is power from personal (relatives) to political (stationmaster) often will try to live their idea of the perfect life through others. How it is hard to give up your pain and anger and make positive changes when you have been victimized from childhood on.

This book also brings the Downers back into the mix.

I really liked this book, but having re-read the whole series straight through, it seems to be a central theme of Cherryh's. How a young person out of sync with the world around him/her must make choices when presented with an opportunity, to grow past their pains and hurts, and anger. It also seems that finally the people who force the choices, always seem to be in the right, and the best and true option for the young person. Just once, I want to see one of these young characters, learn and grow, and then say, thanks but no thanks and leave to live their own lives. But that is a minor quibble.

Show Less

8 more

LibraryThing member reading_fox

Another fantastic outing from Cherryh, the current concluding volume to the Company Wars / Merchenter Alliance / Union series. Set some 50 years after Downbelow Station, some of the key personal from then are reaching the end of theit lives, and the young people who've grown up since then, can't

quite comprehend a time of peace, or even what peace might mean. Merchenter captain James Robert Neilhert of Finity's End in some ways founder ofthe Alliance wants to start a process that will lead to peace, but while at Pell he has the leverae to collect one Fletcher Neilhert foster station child after his mother (originally from Finity) suicided. Fletcher doesn't want to jion Finity, after years of running riot he has finally managed to carve out a place for himself Downbelow with the peaceful Downers. However he has no choice and joins the ship, physically youngest onboard but having lived those years rather than spent them in jump he is far more mature than many of his 'elders' and a problem all around.

The story is told almost exclusively from Fletchers POV in Cherryh's customary strict third person, then only other character who gets a lookin is the junior captain JR just about actually older than Fletcher.

And (Ms Rowling take note) if you wnat to write about the angst of growing up, hormones, and a generally "Emo Teen" without irrating your audience the whole book long, THIS is how you do it. No-one understands Fletcher he feels all alone, trying to fit in, he is unprepared for the intensity of Spacer lives.

A stunning read, grappling the very hardest themes superbly.

Show Less

LibraryThing member TadAD

While most of the Alliance-Union novels can be read in any order, I'd definitely read Downbelow Station before this one to get the backstory. Otherwise, it takes place some time after Tripoint.

LibraryThing member meersan

Grumpy teen who loves planetary biology gets blindsided when his long lost spacefaring family shows up to reclaim him.

LibraryThing member joeldinda

On the one hand, Finity's End moves the Alliance/Union backstory along enormously--probably more than any other single book in the series.

On the other hand, this is a tale about teenagers, growing up and coming to terms with each other, with adulthood, with the reality of everyday

life.

Exceptionally well-done.

Show Less

LibraryThing member Phrim

In Finity's End, Cherryh re-uses her formula of the main character trying to fit in on a Merchanter starship. Here, though, the narrative really succeeds in a way that Tripoint or Rimrunners did not, largely on the strength of some brilliantly-written characters. The main character, Fletcher, is a

17-year-old orphan who has had a rough life and the accompanying cynicism, but while he is certainly a bit rough around the edges, he is honestly trying to make something out of his life, and exhibits a surprising amount of maturity about his life situations. It was also a lot of fun to get in the head of JR, a young ship's officer who's given the task of trying to acclimate Fletcher--despite a lot of resistance from both Fletcher and the other crew members, he treats everyone with an earnestness and professionalism that you see so rarely in authority figures. As always, Cherryh blends the larger political picture with the smaller narrative of the story, and the balance is hit perfectly in this book. I really enjoyed this one; it may be my favorite of Cherryh's works that I've read so far.

Show Less

LibraryThing member fuzzi

I enjoyed this book tremendously as a reread this year. It's a little bit of a "growing up" sort of book, as the main character does a lot of that within the pages, but it's also a very good science fiction novel.

Highly recommended.

LibraryThing member John_T_Stewart

Finity's End by CJ Cherryh. This book is from the Union-Alliance series and is set twenty years after the Company Wars. A Merchanter ship (named Finity’s End) is going back to its old trading while trying to reduce the black market trading. While the high end wheeling and political dealing is

taking place the ship continues its attempt to get a child back from Pell Station that had been left behind during the war. Fletcher Neihart is retrieved and must deal with the situation of a coming to age story set in this post war era. This is a well set up story with details in depth. There are even cultural issues dealt with between the alien race called Downers from the world Downbelow, which Pell Station orbits.

Show Less

LibraryThing member JoBass

Fletcher Neihart was born on Pell station. His mother was stranded there when her ship had to suddenly leave. Fletcher has been scuttled from foster home after foster home, never quite fitting in anywhere until he meets two Downers, the natives of the world below Pell. Melody and Patch give him

something no human has seen fit to give: unconditional love. He works hard to get into the ground studies program. Just as he has gotten his first chance down below station, his mother's ship, Finity's End, reclaims him. His experience is stationer. Can he fit in with youth who are technically his age mates, but are experentially younger thanks to jump space? What sort of double game is the Old Man (captain) playing as he seems to return to life as a merchanter?

Show Less

Fewer