A review by tome15
Alliance Rising by C.J. Cherryh, Jane S. Fancher
4.0
Cherryh, C. J., and Jane S. Fancher. Alliance Rising. The Hinder Stars No. 1. Daw, 2019.
Fans of C. J. Cherryh’s early work have been waiting a long time to her to return to world of Finity’s End, Merchanter’s Luck, and Downbelow Station. The new Hinder Stars trilogy is set at a very early period when the Alliance that will become a major player in the Company Wars is just being formed. We get the back story on the first great merchant ships and the conflict between Earth Company and earth’s first interstellar stations. There is a little adventure, a moderate amount of romance, and a lot of talk about economics. I know how that sounds, but the drama is tense—even in the economics talk. Even though this is a prequel, it is not where I would recommend a new reader to start the merchanter books. Downbelow Station is still the best starting place. Note that most of Cherryh’s merchanter stories can be read as stand-alone works. FYI: Jane Fancher is Cherryh’s longtime partner, and I wonder whether she as been a silent collaborator on any of the earlier works. I look forward to reading the rest of the trilogy.
Fans of C. J. Cherryh’s early work have been waiting a long time to her to return to world of Finity’s End, Merchanter’s Luck, and Downbelow Station. The new Hinder Stars trilogy is set at a very early period when the Alliance that will become a major player in the Company Wars is just being formed. We get the back story on the first great merchant ships and the conflict between Earth Company and earth’s first interstellar stations. There is a little adventure, a moderate amount of romance, and a lot of talk about economics. I know how that sounds, but the drama is tense—even in the economics talk. Even though this is a prequel, it is not where I would recommend a new reader to start the merchanter books. Downbelow Station is still the best starting place. Note that most of Cherryh’s merchanter stories can be read as stand-alone works. FYI: Jane Fancher is Cherryh’s longtime partner, and I wonder whether she as been a silent collaborator on any of the earlier works. I look forward to reading the rest of the trilogy.