Reviews

I can't govern what happens to me on the way. I never could. And every change has been away, not toward, and every change makes the circle of those who've been through this with me smaller, not larger, until at this moment I think I'm becoming a sort of black hole, and I'm going to pull everything I know into a pinpoint so none of us can get out, and then I'll stop existing at all in this universe.

Maybe it's that I'm tired, and it does the book a disservice, or maybe it's that this installment is so tropey, but so far I think this is the least compelling Foreigner novel. Which isn't to say at all that it's bad, just a bit stretched.

Cherryh's ship folk are all of a similar stripe. Authoritarian, orderly, familial, ship-first, crew-first, and so on. This book feels like many Cherryh books I've felt before, even entangled as it is with questions like what was Ramirez planning? Why was Jase born? How much does Sabin know? How far does the conspiracy go? And what, of all things, are they going to do about the second station and the other aliens that have been stirred up in the expanse?

There's still some humor. Cajeiri, while atevi, is still a bored kid. And Bren pulls some chameleon acts in the text to amusing effect. But by and large this is a very human-centric installment, and ship-human at that. To that end, it's all fairly predictable.

The new aliens are vaguely interesting, I suppose, but the details of first contact are all pretty standard SF fare. Visual communication, specific object ID, etc. Nothing novel, nothing daring. I may take a break before the next sub-trilogy. At least a day. Give the series some time to percolate and the next books some room to breathe. Or maybe I won't. I do dearly want to know what happens next... 3/5

twentythree_sunrise's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

A novel of intrigue, daring adventure, and heartwarming humor. Explorer captures the best elements the Foreigner series has seen thus far, while also opening a world of new opportunities. Cherryh tells a story here of how, despite our differences and our fears, a bit of courage, honesty, and goodwill can make all the difference.

rxh05d's review against another edition

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5.0

I love the way this universe just gets bigger and bigger each book.

melomindy's review against another edition

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4.0

Borrowed hard cover copy from coworker

I think I enjoyed this one more than the others in this smaller trilogy. I loved the space travel, and the whole second half of the book just flew by. I have a harder time getting into the books in this series because there tends to be a time jump between them and the action is slow to ramp up again. However I don’t have a hard time picking them back up between long pauses, since I technically started reading this book two years ago.
Overall I enjoyed this book and will likely get the next one from the library at some point.

cathepsut's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The finale of the second trilogy. And it was a great finale. Quite a lot of action, pretty exciting. Everything that came before this was a great read as well. I loved the look at language and how it works or could work, verbally and body language.

We are headed towards that abandoned space station and potentially aggressive aliens. And Cherryh takes us in an unexpected direction again. She gets me every time. There are politics again as well, but the machinations between Atevi, Mospheirans, ship crew and Bren in the middle don‘t seem as strenuous this time around. Or maybe I am getting used to Bren‘s daily navigation through diplomatic minefields.

Bren Cameron is a pretty settled character by now. I really liked his ongoing letters to those he left behind. Then there is Ilisidi with her no-nonsense attitude and adorable Cajeiri—great addition. I really like him and I can‘t wait to find out into what kind of adult he will develop in coming books. I laughed a lot at the toy car shenanigans.

Did I mention the great action? And new aliens. Exciting and a great first contact situation.

And isn‘t it nice, how sharing food and polite company break down all those barriers? Some tea, dear?

buuboobaby's review against another edition

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5.0

5 stars

Explorer was the best installment of the Foreigner series to date. Loved this one. Lots of action to complement Bren's never-ending internal monologues and self doubts. This poor guy would benefit from some Xanax. Love getting to know the secondary characters, too.

opalynx's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

5.0

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