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Book Description
Downbelow Station is the book that won Cherryh a Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1982. A blockbuster space opera of the rebellion between Earth and its far-flung colonies, it is a classic science fiction masterwork.
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Most helpful customer reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beirut in space...,
By "scotus2" (Denver, CO USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Downbelow Station (Mass Market Paperback)
...many authors write themselves into corners. Few can write their way out. C.J. Cherryh starts herself out in a corner: Imagine Beirut in space, a space station caught in the effects of nearby wars, suddenly dealing with an influx of refugees (some of whom are surely terrorist agents of governments who may be looking here for their next target).But Cherryh is not content with the difficulty of writing her way out of this. She makes it even harder by weaving a layered tapestry of conflicts, overlapping in ways that make them hard to resolve. In one storyline the protagonist (heck, call them "good guys," they usually are) may be the bad guy at another level in the tapestry. And yet she gets the reader rooting for and against them simultaneously. This is hard enough to achieve, yet almost impossible to resolve. Still, somehow Cherryh manages to attack this Gordian Knot with a climax which slices through to enormous complexities she's raised with a thoroughly satisfying conclusion. Perhaps we should send her as our next ambassador to Lebanon.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Incredibly intelligent, fascinating, political, entertaining,
By
This review is from: Downbelow Station (Mass Market Paperback)
I'm very disappointed that Cherryh's work has not achieved the status that it deserves. But I understand why - she writes well above the level of many readers. While she doesn't win the popularity contests, she obviously has achieved great success working for her audience.There are plenty of places to find out what this book is about - what I want to discuss is the framework she created to house this book. I once read that Frank Herbert spent many years doing the preperation for writing DUNE, and that's why he was able to continue writing so many books based on the series. We all know how much time Tolkien put into his universe before he published his first Middle Earth book. Cherryh has accomplished something similar with this book - the first of the Merchanter series. But this book deals with important human issues - politics, ethics, government, love, relationships, friendship, human rights, environmental issues, etc... - in ways that none of those others do. Her world is gritty and realistic - you can actually envision living in it. And this is the first of many set in this universe. I've read other reviews claiming it is too complicated with too many characters and too many motivations. Uhm... Okay. The beauty of the book is how she makes this complex world come together and really hum. Amazing. Well worth the effort to read. And not in any way a chore to work your way through.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Well thought out, fascinating universe,
By
This review is from: Downbelow Station (Mass Market Paperback)
There is no doubt that this book portrays a dark, frightening universe in which various forces fight for their very survival. Not too different from our world, eh? What is refreshing about this book is that, unlike most other science fiction writers (and today's newspapers, radio, and government spokesmen!), Cherry does NOT gives us a simplistic view of right/wrong, good/bad, but makes the clear the economic and ideological forces that put whole peoples into opposition. The opening scenes of this book are unforgettable, with panicked civilians driven to riot, violence, and murder. And yet even the most villainous characters are not irrational and clearly have reasons for what they are doing. I found this a fascinating book, with an intelligently thought out political and economic system. I only wish Cherryh could so clearly explain why WE continue to have violence and riots in OUR world.
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