Fiction. Science Fiction. HTML:The second volume of the Chanur saga, set in the Alliance-Union universe, featuring the alien spaceship captain Pyanfar Chanur and her human crewmate Tully.
In this sequel to The Pride of Chanur, Pyanfar Chanur and her human companion, Tully, must sensitive complex interstellar politics without getting caught in an all-out war.
Two years after the events of the previous book, Pyanfar returns to Meetpoint Station with the hani spaceship The Pride of Chanur to find her comrades Goldtooth and Tully. Goldtooth advises Pyanfar to take Tully, whom the enemy kif are hunting, and head for mahen space. The mahendo'sat, on the other hand, retrieved Tully from human space and are paving the way for a fleet of human ships to open up trade with the central Compact.
But the kif and the stsho oppose the humans' presence, for fear of losing their place and influence in the Compact. The kif are themselves involved in a power struggle: two kif leaders, Akkhtimakt and Sikkukkut, are vying for the lofty position of mekt-hakkikt. Sikkukkut draws a reluctant Pyanfar into the feud, and her association with the kif puts her at odds with the han. Then, when the kif conflict spills over into hani space, all she and Tully can do is stay alive until Goldtooth and the human ships arrive.

Tully, the lone human who had disrupted the peace of Meetpoint Station, is back bringing a priceless trade contract with human space.

In the sequel to Pride of Chanur, Tully returns, and brings with him a priceless trade contract with human space--a contract that could mean vast power, riches, and a mess of trouble for Pyanfar Chanur.

Fiction. Science Fiction. HTML:This book picks up about a year after "The Pride of Chanur" leaves off. From the very first moment, you're caught up in the plot and furiously trying to turn the pages faster and faster in order to see what's going to happen. But, then, after about 170 pages of extremely well written, tightly packed, emotionally wrenching, pages, right at the very pinnacle of tension, it ENDS! Aaaargh! There's no excuse for this except pure greed on the part of the publisher. This book should never have been published without its sequel, "The Kif Strike Back." I feel really bad giving such an excellent piece of work such a bad rating. But, unless you have the sequel handy (perhaps as part of the "omnibus edition" "The Chanur Saga" (which apparently ends without ITS finish)), I can't recommend you read it. If you've got the sequel(s), definitely read all of them. But, don't get just this book.
-- David A. Lessnau (Niceville, FL USA) on Amazon.com.

Fiction. Science Fiction. HTML:

More information to be announced soon on this forthcoming title from Penguin USA

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C. J. Cherryh planned to write since the age of ten. When she was older, she learned to use a type writer while triple-majoring in Classics, Latin and Greek. At 33, she signed over her first three books to DAW and has worked with DAW ever since. She can be found at cherryh.com.