Foreigner #9 Deliverer [Hardcover]

In this ninth installment of the Foreigner Series ends are tied up nicely for the end of this trilogy. One earnestly hopes that this is by no means the end of this wonderful series.
Because, although there are several series that are popular in the Sci-Fi- / Fantasy genre that have this many volumes, all of them that I have read have lost so much steam, that I am looking forward to being tied up once and for all and finally ended. For with the rest of them, while I have too much time tied up to not read the conclusion, I dread reading another 500, or 1,000 pages of drivel to get there. This is absolutely not the case with the Foreigner Series. The story just gets better and better as the characters are more and more fully developmed.

Deliverer is another wonderfully plotted story, with more action than any of the Foreigner books except the immediate precursor story Pretender. In Deliverer, we begin to see where the Future of Atevia is headed in the next generation as well as the problems that will stir the pot for the next cycle of the story.

Again, this is not the place to start this series; it will make absolutely no sense to the first time reader of the series. So if you haven't read them already do yourself the favor of starting at the beginning with Foreigner and read through this wonderful series all the way to Deliverer. You find it realistic and believable, and I believe the best allegory on the subject of diversity and inclusion ever written.

I envy you!

If you are new to reading Ms. Cherryh, let me prepare you a bit.
C J Cherryh is in my opinion, the greatest writer of our time and maybe ever, in creating new cultures, and worlds. All of her stories have a very large amount of introspection, the protagonist will always suffer from some kind of alienation and be realistically flawed. All of the action in any of her stories is necessary not gratuitous. All of her stories require a lot of set up and character development, because you will be in a completely foreign environment, so expect to read a bit before the story gets going. All of the protagonist will be smart; the dialog will require you to think to keep up. There will never be unfair gotcha moments, only plots that rightfully unfold due to events. And as a final point, almost always, you have to remember details, because what is usually the end of other writers' stories, the climactic event, is generally the beginning of a Cherryh story, because you will see, that as in life, the really interesting stuff lie in the ripples of the pond not the splash itself. She has managed to keep details meshed throughout over 50 novels without having to change rules anywhere.

So, by all means please buy this book, and keep Ms. Cherryh, and her publishers working to write more. But... you owe it to yourself to start at the beginning of the story and read though before you begin Deliverer, and travel to a place that is so foreign, yet so real, you will feel that it must exist.

I've been a Cherryh fan for years, and I was thrilled to see the new "Foreigner" book. "Deliverer" picks up where "Pretender" left off, immediately after all the fighting with everyone picking up the pieces and repairing the pottery and damaged walls. Bren gets back to work, Tabini is firmly in charge, and young Cajeiri is bored. The first 150 pages coast along at a decent clip, but it feels so much like normal life that I had to wonder whether Cherryh forgot to include the conflict.

After that immediate lull, however, the plot takes a sudden left turn (no spoilers!), and the book takes off. Those "pleasant" 150 pages suddenly take on a whole new meaning as I was forced to look back and review dialogue to see who was setting up who, and plots are uncovered that rock the Atevi world from the Eastern Association to the Southern and right back to Shejidan.

Cherryh's put together an amazing book -- especially amazing when you consider this is the 9th book in the series, and she doesn't give any hint that the plot's anywhere near slowing down! An outstanding new addition to the series, but probably not a good place for newcomers to jump into the action. (Go back and start with the first book, "Foreigner." Trust me, it'll be worth it!)

The only real complaint I have is that the book doesn't appear well edited. I don't recall any words spelled wrong, but there are several instances of words doubled up in sentences and also of sentences so convoluted that I had to decipher what Cherryh meant instead of what was written on the page. I would have been willing to wait another month for this book just to have it line-edited better than it was. That aside, however, this is still an outstanding book, and I stayed up half the night finishing it. Couldn't put it down!

Finally! We get a look at Bren from an atevi's perspective! Caijeri not only lets us see the Paidhi through his eyes but he gives us insights into his 'elders' opinions about the human translator as well. Illisidi thinks highly of Bren as does her grandson, the Atevi ruler. We also get a hint at how Bren's associates view his relationship w/atevi bodyguard and lover, Jago. He never did get a chance to ask Tano what everyone was thinking.

Cherryh has got it right with this one for sure. I'm thrilled at seeing Bren back on terrafimra again, although I did miss his major domo and cook. In Deliverer there is plenty of action true but the interaction between these characters is the real treat for me. Algini and Tano have finally...oh well better not give away secrets.

Anyway, if you're a Cherryh/Bren Cameron fan, Deliverer certainly delivers! I read this book in two days (would have been one if not for the need to sleep) and I'm already salivating for more! Oh and I think by some hints dropped in near the end, Bren hasn't seen the last of Barbs ploys; she's a woman we love to hate. She'd better watch out for Jago though ; ).

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