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The Company Wars #1
Downbelow Station
A legend among sci-fi readers, C. J. Cherryh's Union-Alliance novels, while separate and complete in themselves, are part of a much larger tapestry—a future history spanning 5,000 years of human civilization. A blockbuster space opera of the rebellion between Earth and its far-flung colonies, it is a classic science fiction masterwork.
526 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1981
About the author
C.J. Cherryh
305 books3,318 followersCurrently resident in Spokane, Washington, C.J. Cherryh has won four Hugos and is one of the best-selling and most critically acclaimed authors in the science fiction and fantasy field. She is the author of more than forty novels. Her hobbies include travel, photography, reef culture, Mariners baseball, and, a late passion, figure skating: she intends to compete in the adult USFSA track. She began with the modest ambition to learn to skate backwards and now is working on jumps. She sketches, occasionally, cooks fairly well, and hates house work; she loves the outdoors, animals wild and tame, is a hobbyist geologist, adores dinosaurs, and has academic specialties in Roman constitutional law and bronze age Greek ethnography. She has written science fiction since she was ten, spent ten years of her life teaching Latin and Ancient History on the high school level, before retiring to full time writing, and now does not have enough hours in the day to pursue all her interests. Her studies include planetary geology, weather systems, and natural and man-made catastrophes, civilizations, and cosmology…in fact, there's very little that doesn't interest her. A loom is gathering dust and needs rethreading, a wooden ship model awaits construction, and the cats demand their own time much more urgently. She works constantly, researches mostly on the internet, and has books stacked up and waiting to be written.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 808 reviews
November 28, 2015
This book was too damn long.
If you take a glass of whiskey and take a sip and it is too strong, add some water or ice and it makes it more enjoyable. But if you were to take the glass of whiskey and mix it with a gallon of water, then you will likely not even taste the whiskey.
If an author takes a great idea and then adds five hundred pages to it, it may be too watered down.
Too damn long.
C.J. Cherryh's Hugo Award winning space opera novel about a far future Earth and its far flung colonial system and how the farthest out colonies go rogue and of the space station in the middle that tries to stay neutral but can’t and there are cutesy poo aliens who talk like intellectually challenged Ewoks who help out and then there are some assassin clones who have memory problems and then … and then .. and then
No doubt Ms. Cherryh is an exceptionally talented writer and her imagination and world building are on wonderful display. Her complicated and fully developed alien structures are first class science fiction. And if this were a short story or even a novella, I may have liked, but this was just too much and drawn out too far.
I almost invoked my 100-page rule because she took so long in developing the plot that I almost collapsed. I took an atropine injection in the thigh same as if I had been exposed to a nerve agent and kept reading. By the middle of the book, I was at least in cruise control and staying with it. But by the end, I just wanted it to be over.
If you take a glass of whiskey and take a sip and it is too strong, add some water or ice and it makes it more enjoyable. But if you were to take the glass of whiskey and mix it with a gallon of water, then you will likely not even taste the whiskey.
If an author takes a great idea and then adds five hundred pages to it, it may be too watered down.
Too damn long.
C.J. Cherryh's Hugo Award winning space opera novel about a far future Earth and its far flung colonial system and how the farthest out colonies go rogue and of the space station in the middle that tries to stay neutral but can’t and there are cutesy poo aliens who talk like intellectually challenged Ewoks who help out and then there are some assassin clones who have memory problems and then … and then .. and then
No doubt Ms. Cherryh is an exceptionally talented writer and her imagination and world building are on wonderful display. Her complicated and fully developed alien structures are first class science fiction. And if this were a short story or even a novella, I may have liked, but this was just too much and drawn out too far.
I almost invoked my 100-page rule because she took so long in developing the plot that I almost collapsed. I took an atropine injection in the thigh same as if I had been exposed to a nerve agent and kept reading. By the middle of the book, I was at least in cruise control and staying with it. But by the end, I just wanted it to be over.
April 14, 2020
[9/10]
As a part of my "Summer of Women 2015" reading challenge, I feel I should say a few words about the importance of C J Cherryh in the storming of the gates of the 'boy's club' that was Science-Fiction in its early days. When she first started publishing her stories, she hid her gender behind those two innocuous initials. She then reached such heights of recognition and praise that she now has an asteroid named after her, deservedly acknowledging her stature and her influence in the field:
Referring to this honor, the asteroid's discoverers wrote of Cherryh: "She has challenged us to be worthy of the stars by imagining how mankind might grow to live among them."
Downbelow Station is a fine example of why she belongs in the SF Hall of Fame (the novel was voted among the best 50 SF novels of all time). It is a good starting point for readers yet unfamiliar with her work, as it has been written as a stand-alone and is the first to set up her Alliance-Union universe: the history of mankind escaping the bounds of its home planet, colonizing the galaxy, coming into contact with alien civilizations and overcoming its self-destructing, predatory, warmongering instincts.
The opening chapter is a necessary setting up of the scene, an infodump of the future history of our civilization, first with Newtonian spaceships and small steps, jumping from one planetary station to the next, and later with faster-than-light travel and a greater liberty of movement. The presentation is a little too dry and factual, but it is saved by the clarity of the presentation and the elegance of the social and economical arguments, leading the reader to the current (24th century) state of war between the Earth based Company that first established the space stations and the Union of rebel colonists who no longer acknowledge the right of the old world to decide their lives and to tax their earnings. The starting point and inspiration might come from the Secession War of the American Colonies from Imperial England, with a strong flavour of the Cold War conflict between free enterprise and absolute state control of all aspects of society, but the details are fully original and constructed around the new technologies and the new social institutions born of space travel. Speaking for myself, I felt like reading here an academic paper, the result of years of research, translated into an accessible language for everyday use, instead of a fanciful speculation about some hypothetical future.
Newly industrialized populations and the discontents of every nation set out on that long, long track in search of jobs, wealth, private dreams of freedom, the old lure of New World, human patterns recapitulated across a new and wider ocean, to stranger lands.
Stranger lands and exotic alien creatures are the strongest selling point of the author. Cherryh excels at world-building and at developing truly alien societies that are not simply clones of Earth based nations, but are determined by the particular environment and the particular economical factors of their home systems. The first such aliens that humanity make contact with are the Hisa of Pell's Planet. They are a peaceful, fun loving, tribally organizaed and technologically backward population, fur covered bipeds, huge eyed and shy of strangers, well adapted to the humid, oxygen rich atmosphere of their home planet. The Hisa are relevant to the present novel because most of the action happens in and around the orbital station that human explorers built near the Hisa homeworld. In colloquial terms, the human colonists refer to the Pell planet as Downbelow, to the Hisa as Downers and to their home away from home as 'Downbelow Station'.
The Hisa though are only one factor in the conflict that is about to erupt in this corner of the Galaxy. My best analogy for the plot developments is a game of chess played by a grandmaster of the art. The Hisa are rooks, moving mostly in the shadows of their huge forests or in the back corridors of the station. Rooks are also the local colonists on the station, trying to maintain their neutrality in the open war between the war fleet of the Company and the newly built spaceships of the Union rebels. One side-effect of the war is the flood of refugees coming to Downbelow Station from other colonies destroyed in the war. The refugees are a wildcard, a knight capable of surprising moves with devastating results. The king is the Downbelow Station itself. Whoever gains control of it, will get the upper hand in the war both in valuable raw materials and in the most important hub for FTL jumps. The queen for me is Signy Mallory, one of the captains of Mazian's Fleet, a derelict rogue squadron that was initially the military arm of the Company, now following only the whims of its charismatic Admiral. Other pieces / factions include the ruling family/corporation on the Station (The Konstantins) and their main rival Jon Lukas; the delegation from the United Nations of Earth who has a plan to end the Company's hegemony on space travel; the independent merchants that are neutral in the conflict and provide the flow of goods and services between colonies; Union saboteurs; victims of torture and brainwashing, cloned soldiers for the Union, and so on.
To continue with my chess analogy, the beginning of the novel can be overwhelming, with all this information about the different parties and their motives to absorb, and with all the positioning of the pieces on the board that may seem random and slow in the opening moves. The patient reader will be rewarded later in the novel, when all these plays become explicit and the hidden identities, the hidden agendas are brought out in the open. Cherryh is also showing the same merciless pragmatism of the chess master about sacrificing her pieces and leaving sentimentality behind with an eye to the end game.
The end game, when it eventually comes, is spectacular. Space battles between ships of the line, assassinations in cramped corridors, friends' betrayals and help from unsuspected allies clash over the Station with the stakes raised until the fate of the whole galaxy hangs in balance. And the rooks become the most important pieces on the depleted board. Magnificent!
The prose of Cherryh takes some getting used to, though. Her academic credentials are undeniable, but, especially in the beginning, until the characters and the setting are established, reading her books feels like work. Her style is dense, informative, uncompromising and sometimes cold / detached. Which makes the human interest passages even more precious, like gems hidden in an ordinary fabric. Downbelow Station is overall a grim story, full of drama and loss, so humour doesn't play a great part of the presentation, but love, tenderness, kindness shine more brightly against the dark background.
The feminism credentials of Cheryh are all the more convincing by being unobtrusive. Equality of opportunity and of aptitudes is taken for granted, nothing to marvel at or to comment upon: her heroines are space ship captains, rebellion leaders, political mavericks, science prodigies as a matter of course, based on personal merits and charisma and not as a result of bedroom games of secret, behind the screens machinations.
My favorite quote comes from a merchanter lady, one of the collateral victims of the Company-Union conflict. She explains why going out into the void changes the whole perspective on life in a person.
You don't get much view on a ship. Not what you'd think. It's the being there; the working of it; the feel of moving through what could surprise you at any moment. It's being a dust speck in that scale and pushing your way through all that empty on your own terms, that no world can do and nothing spinning around one. It's doing that and knowing all the time old goblin Deep is just the other side of the metal you're leaning on. You stationers like your illusions. And world folk, blue-skyers, don't even know what real is.
Highly recommended!
As a part of my "Summer of Women 2015" reading challenge, I feel I should say a few words about the importance of C J Cherryh in the storming of the gates of the 'boy's club' that was Science-Fiction in its early days. When she first started publishing her stories, she hid her gender behind those two innocuous initials. She then reached such heights of recognition and praise that she now has an asteroid named after her, deservedly acknowledging her stature and her influence in the field:
Referring to this honor, the asteroid's discoverers wrote of Cherryh: "She has challenged us to be worthy of the stars by imagining how mankind might grow to live among them."
Downbelow Station is a fine example of why she belongs in the SF Hall of Fame (the novel was voted among the best 50 SF novels of all time). It is a good starting point for readers yet unfamiliar with her work, as it has been written as a stand-alone and is the first to set up her Alliance-Union universe: the history of mankind escaping the bounds of its home planet, colonizing the galaxy, coming into contact with alien civilizations and overcoming its self-destructing, predatory, warmongering instincts.
The opening chapter is a necessary setting up of the scene, an infodump of the future history of our civilization, first with Newtonian spaceships and small steps, jumping from one planetary station to the next, and later with faster-than-light travel and a greater liberty of movement. The presentation is a little too dry and factual, but it is saved by the clarity of the presentation and the elegance of the social and economical arguments, leading the reader to the current (24th century) state of war between the Earth based Company that first established the space stations and the Union of rebel colonists who no longer acknowledge the right of the old world to decide their lives and to tax their earnings. The starting point and inspiration might come from the Secession War of the American Colonies from Imperial England, with a strong flavour of the Cold War conflict between free enterprise and absolute state control of all aspects of society, but the details are fully original and constructed around the new technologies and the new social institutions born of space travel. Speaking for myself, I felt like reading here an academic paper, the result of years of research, translated into an accessible language for everyday use, instead of a fanciful speculation about some hypothetical future.
Newly industrialized populations and the discontents of every nation set out on that long, long track in search of jobs, wealth, private dreams of freedom, the old lure of New World, human patterns recapitulated across a new and wider ocean, to stranger lands.
Stranger lands and exotic alien creatures are the strongest selling point of the author. Cherryh excels at world-building and at developing truly alien societies that are not simply clones of Earth based nations, but are determined by the particular environment and the particular economical factors of their home systems. The first such aliens that humanity make contact with are the Hisa of Pell's Planet. They are a peaceful, fun loving, tribally organizaed and technologically backward population, fur covered bipeds, huge eyed and shy of strangers, well adapted to the humid, oxygen rich atmosphere of their home planet. The Hisa are relevant to the present novel because most of the action happens in and around the orbital station that human explorers built near the Hisa homeworld. In colloquial terms, the human colonists refer to the Pell planet as Downbelow, to the Hisa as Downers and to their home away from home as 'Downbelow Station'.
The Hisa though are only one factor in the conflict that is about to erupt in this corner of the Galaxy. My best analogy for the plot developments is a game of chess played by a grandmaster of the art. The Hisa are rooks, moving mostly in the shadows of their huge forests or in the back corridors of the station. Rooks are also the local colonists on the station, trying to maintain their neutrality in the open war between the war fleet of the Company and the newly built spaceships of the Union rebels. One side-effect of the war is the flood of refugees coming to Downbelow Station from other colonies destroyed in the war. The refugees are a wildcard, a knight capable of surprising moves with devastating results. The king is the Downbelow Station itself. Whoever gains control of it, will get the upper hand in the war both in valuable raw materials and in the most important hub for FTL jumps. The queen for me is Signy Mallory, one of the captains of Mazian's Fleet, a derelict rogue squadron that was initially the military arm of the Company, now following only the whims of its charismatic Admiral. Other pieces / factions include the ruling family/corporation on the Station (The Konstantins) and their main rival Jon Lukas; the delegation from the United Nations of Earth who has a plan to end the Company's hegemony on space travel; the independent merchants that are neutral in the conflict and provide the flow of goods and services between colonies; Union saboteurs; victims of torture and brainwashing, cloned soldiers for the Union, and so on.
To continue with my chess analogy, the beginning of the novel can be overwhelming, with all this information about the different parties and their motives to absorb, and with all the positioning of the pieces on the board that may seem random and slow in the opening moves. The patient reader will be rewarded later in the novel, when all these plays become explicit and the hidden identities, the hidden agendas are brought out in the open. Cherryh is also showing the same merciless pragmatism of the chess master about sacrificing her pieces and leaving sentimentality behind with an eye to the end game.
The end game, when it eventually comes, is spectacular. Space battles between ships of the line, assassinations in cramped corridors, friends' betrayals and help from unsuspected allies clash over the Station with the stakes raised until the fate of the whole galaxy hangs in balance. And the rooks become the most important pieces on the depleted board. Magnificent!
The prose of Cherryh takes some getting used to, though. Her academic credentials are undeniable, but, especially in the beginning, until the characters and the setting are established, reading her books feels like work. Her style is dense, informative, uncompromising and sometimes cold / detached. Which makes the human interest passages even more precious, like gems hidden in an ordinary fabric. Downbelow Station is overall a grim story, full of drama and loss, so humour doesn't play a great part of the presentation, but love, tenderness, kindness shine more brightly against the dark background.
The feminism credentials of Cheryh are all the more convincing by being unobtrusive. Equality of opportunity and of aptitudes is taken for granted, nothing to marvel at or to comment upon: her heroines are space ship captains, rebellion leaders, political mavericks, science prodigies as a matter of course, based on personal merits and charisma and not as a result of bedroom games of secret, behind the screens machinations.
My favorite quote comes from a merchanter lady, one of the collateral victims of the Company-Union conflict. She explains why going out into the void changes the whole perspective on life in a person.
You don't get much view on a ship. Not what you'd think. It's the being there; the working of it; the feel of moving through what could surprise you at any moment. It's being a dust speck in that scale and pushing your way through all that empty on your own terms, that no world can do and nothing spinning around one. It's doing that and knowing all the time old goblin Deep is just the other side of the metal you're leaning on. You stationers like your illusions. And world folk, blue-skyers, don't even know what real is.
Highly recommended!
March 13, 2013
There is an entry in Science Fiction: The Illustrated Encyclopedia regarding Downbelow Station. It reads: "...a 'chamber' opera like Downbelow Station highlights human actors, stagefront, ashen with stress."
Downbelow Station reads like a classical historical epic, with a large cast of characters, many of whom are family, lots of intrigue, shifting allegiances, backstabbing (sometimes quite literally), and of course, tragedy. I'm mentioning this, because many reviewers complain about the novel's slow pacing. It does take a while to get into its stride, but once it does the pace picks up noticeably.
So, a novel about interstellar conflict? Yes, and also no. There are space battles here, but they don't fill a great many of the rather intimidating number of pages of this novel. Neither is this a military science fiction novel from a tactical point of view. Space Opera probably comes close, but refer the quote above. This is a very good novel that just happens to be a Science Fiction novel. The thing is, it is a really good novel. The emphasis, however, is on social sciences, economics, logistics and the importance of family. It is one of the most realistic science fiction novels I've read, too, in its depiction of life on a space station. The reader is right there in the corridors with the rest of the cast, smelling the fear, breathing the often stale air, stomach knotted with tension, while events on a grander scale and totally out of their control determine their fates.
This novel concerns itself with things like Martial Law and the abuse of military power. Reminiscent of cold war era intrigue (the novel won the Hugo Award in 1982), there are also scenes that might be re-enactments of Germany's Kristallnacht during the Second World War. People dragged from their homes, riots, collateral damage.
The resolutions to problems, plot dilemmas, were often vastly different to what I had foreseen. In some cases the suddenness surprised me. I would recommend this novel to anybody, especially science fiction readers, with a decent attention span. Oh, and especially those who don't need to be spoon-fed. It wants to be read!
Downbelow Station reads like a classical historical epic, with a large cast of characters, many of whom are family, lots of intrigue, shifting allegiances, backstabbing (sometimes quite literally), and of course, tragedy. I'm mentioning this, because many reviewers complain about the novel's slow pacing. It does take a while to get into its stride, but once it does the pace picks up noticeably.
So, a novel about interstellar conflict? Yes, and also no. There are space battles here, but they don't fill a great many of the rather intimidating number of pages of this novel. Neither is this a military science fiction novel from a tactical point of view. Space Opera probably comes close, but refer the quote above. This is a very good novel that just happens to be a Science Fiction novel. The thing is, it is a really good novel. The emphasis, however, is on social sciences, economics, logistics and the importance of family. It is one of the most realistic science fiction novels I've read, too, in its depiction of life on a space station. The reader is right there in the corridors with the rest of the cast, smelling the fear, breathing the often stale air, stomach knotted with tension, while events on a grander scale and totally out of their control determine their fates.
This novel concerns itself with things like Martial Law and the abuse of military power. Reminiscent of cold war era intrigue (the novel won the Hugo Award in 1982), there are also scenes that might be re-enactments of Germany's Kristallnacht during the Second World War. People dragged from their homes, riots, collateral damage.
The resolutions to problems, plot dilemmas, were often vastly different to what I had foreseen. In some cases the suddenness surprised me. I would recommend this novel to anybody, especially science fiction readers, with a decent attention span. Oh, and especially those who don't need to be spoon-fed. It wants to be read!
August 30, 2019
I’m finding it difficult to gather into coherent thoughts exactly how and why this novel affected me as powerfully as it did, but I was thoroughly compelled throughout, and ultimately I found it intensely — and surprisingly — moving. This is my first encounter with the incredibly prolific and popular C.J. Cherryh’s work, and it won’t be my last. Her style is highly unusual; she thrusts the reader into the middle of scenes, moments, and places with very little explanation, and she writes in a terse, compact, muscular style, which could have alienated me but didn’t; those aspects never stopped me from feeling like I had access to the many and various characters’ inner lives as they struggled their way through an increasingly intertwined and desperate situation.
I’m not sure I’ve ever read anything else that examined so many facets of a diplomatic and militaristic conflict in such a humane and intriguing manner. The dread and tension that suffused the narrative as it followed refugees and politicians and secret agents and military leaders and the wonderfully-imagined alien Hisas unfailingly drew me along, and I deeply admired the manner in which Cherryh never tipped her hand as to where her complex and incisively rendered plot was headed next.
I have read reviews that say this novel caused some folks to bounce off of it, and I can understand why; it’s dense, and doesn’t always explain its world in easy terms, and the dynamics in the dialogue are often incredibly subtly drawn, and sometimes almost veering into, but never resulting in, obtuseness. But somehow, all of this sprawling, powerful, tough-minded — but ultimately compassionate — novel worked for me. It only got better and better as its threads came together and gathered in a carefully-wrought and hard-won and very satisfying momentum.
There: I’ve tried to convey what impressed me so much, and I wonder at whether or not I was successful at doing so. I highly recommend this novel, but with the full realization that it may not be to your liking at all; I wouldn’t have expected it to be so much to my liking, after all. And yet it was, so very much.
I’m not sure I’ve ever read anything else that examined so many facets of a diplomatic and militaristic conflict in such a humane and intriguing manner. The dread and tension that suffused the narrative as it followed refugees and politicians and secret agents and military leaders and the wonderfully-imagined alien Hisas unfailingly drew me along, and I deeply admired the manner in which Cherryh never tipped her hand as to where her complex and incisively rendered plot was headed next.
I have read reviews that say this novel caused some folks to bounce off of it, and I can understand why; it’s dense, and doesn’t always explain its world in easy terms, and the dynamics in the dialogue are often incredibly subtly drawn, and sometimes almost veering into, but never resulting in, obtuseness. But somehow, all of this sprawling, powerful, tough-minded — but ultimately compassionate — novel worked for me. It only got better and better as its threads came together and gathered in a carefully-wrought and hard-won and very satisfying momentum.
There: I’ve tried to convey what impressed me so much, and I wonder at whether or not I was successful at doing so. I highly recommend this novel, but with the full realization that it may not be to your liking at all; I wouldn’t have expected it to be so much to my liking, after all. And yet it was, so very much.
May 7, 2014
Following the resounding success of my Locus Quest, I faced a dilemma: which reading list to follow it up with? Variety is the spice of life, so I’ve decided to diversify and pursue six different lists simultaneously. This book falls into my HUGO WINNERS list.
This is the reading list that follows the old adage, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". I loved reading the Locus Sci-Fi Award winners so I'm going to crack on with the Hugo winners next (but only the post-1980 winners, I'll follow up with pre-1980 another time).
4 and 5 star reviews are easy to write, you just need to articulate all the reasons you loved a book.
1 and 2 star reviews are easy to write, you just need to articulate all the reasons you didn't like a book.
It's these 3 star reviews I find hardest.
If you've never read any Cherryh, you need to know what you're getting into before you start - if you're not in the right headspace you may well be frustrated and disappointed by her style.
This is space opera territory - a galactic war between the rag-tag fleet of diehard Earth loyalists and the shiny clone-army future of the new frontier. The battle-lines are moving and space-station Pell (and the Downbelow world with it's gentle alien Hisa which Pell Station orbits) has ended up between the two factions, a neutral dot of strategic importance. Refugees are flooding in from other space-stations which have been overrun or destroyed. Pell's capacity is overstretched time and again. Refugee conditions in 'Quarantine' are appalling (riot, rape, murder, etc). The situation is critical. This is our story.
This is what's great about Downbelow Station . A cracking premise, and more tension than a suspension bridge.
Before coming to Downbelow Station , I'd read one other Cherryh book - Cyteen. I didn't realise before I started that they were set in the same Universe (because Goodreads lists them as different series within that universe, and I hadn't done much further research). It took me a long time to get to grips with Cyteen, but by the end I was a fan.
Cherryh's style is dry (very, very dry... more on that later) and serious. There's very little leeway given in Downbelow Station to ease you in - no exposition, no prevaricating, no tricks to smooth the ride. She presents her cast in difficult situations, and then lets you watch them as they try their best to deal with them. End of.
The benefit of Cherryh's approach is an absorbing, convincing world, full of little details and nuances which bind it into a strongly cohesive experience. The politics of the factions and their tactics and consequences all hang-together in a well designed siege set-piece. It's intricate and marvellous - but it's cold.
Every single character in Downbelow Station is a straight arrow. There's not one moment of humour to lighten the mood - and that was kind of unforgivable to me. Humour is a classic coping mechanism for dealing with stress and I find it hard to believe that trait will be lost in this future world! I find it hard to believe that a spaceship can be crewed by loyal automatons, without banter and wind-ups - have you ever spent time around lads in the forces? Yes, there's love and affection, but no joy. At all. No love of life - no sparkleponies, damnit!
For me (and this is just my opinion, everyone's different) when you're talking about war stories, part of the success lies in the dramatic tension, not just of how the situation will be resolved, who lives and who dies, but which side's principles and way of life will prevail. I don't think Cherryh does enough to embody what the opposing philosophies represent. Life on Pell Station before the war seems... dull. During the war it's... tense. There's not enough colour or flavour to make me believe their way of life is really worth saving. Having said that, there's not enough shown of the Union way of life to really guess if that would be better or worse. It's all just shades of grey and question marks.
I said earlier that this is classic space-opera territory - but one of the hallmarks of space-opera is melodrama; big, bold, sweeping, romance, action - a universe overflowing with life and drama! No, no, no - not here.
I got a little annoyed with another review (I wont name and shame) which suggested this type of dry, almost technical sci-fi can only be appreciated properly by sufficiently intelligent readers. I call elitist bullsh!t when I hear it!
Downbelow Station is a good book - it's not a million miles away from being a great book - but Cherryh deliberately shuns many of the storytelling conventions which would have tugged at the heartstrings as effectively as it interests the head. As such, for me at least, it's found lacking.
After this I read: Hominids
February 8, 2019
This remains one of my favorite books. Cherryh works on a large canvas here, combining interstellar war and political intrigue and complex, sympathetic (or not so sympathetic) characters, all in a future that feels "lived in" -- I almost feel like I've walked Pell Station's echoing docks, heard the crash of seals as merchanters came in to berth, been slammed against my seat as Norway pulls a high-G course shift. Fortunes rise and fall, alliances shift, loyalties are tested, and the end comes at a pace that seems breathless without being rushed. Highly, highly recommended.
June 9, 2016
Downbelow Station: Machiavellian intrigue in space
Originally posted at Fantasy Literature
I’ve had C.J. Cherryh‘s 1982 Hugo Award winner Downbelow Station on my TBR list for three decades, and was glad I finally got around to it via Audible Studios, ably narrated by Brian Troxell. It’s an intense, claustrophobic, gritty space opera with a huge cast of hard-nosed characters battling to survive the Machiavellian intrigues of freelance Merchanters, Earth bureaucrats, Company fleet captains, Pell station administrators, Union space forces, secret agents, stationers, and (incongruously) cuddly Downer aliens. It’s a big, complex story, and not easy to follow on audio, but well worth the effort. I emphasize the word effort, because it takes some serious concentration to keep track of all the moving pieces, and Cherryh’s tough, muscular prose and clipped dialogue only reveal enough to keep the reader and characters guessing who is friend or foe, when alliances will be suddenly betrayed, and when help may come from unexpected sources.
Several reviews of Downbelow Station complain that it is too dense and complex, the characters too unsympathetic, and the buildup too slow. Some readers just gave up midway, but I think they missed out. Indeed, the book opens with some exposition to describe the complex political, economic and migratory history of humanity in the 24th century, to give the reader a modicum of grounding before throwing them into the action immediately afterwards. This book is actually the first book in Cherryh’s Company Wars series, each of which are stand-alone but take place in her Alliance-Union universe. In fact, Downbelow Station sets the stage for later events in that world, which are promising for readers who enjoy this book. Having never read one of her books, but having seen so many of them in SF stacks for decades, I knew I would eventually want to try one. Since won the 1982 Hugo Award, I thought this was the best place to start, and if I liked it I would then tackle her imposing 1989 Hugo Award winner Cyteen.
The cast of characters is so large and the plot so complicated that I struggle to describe it, and also, revealing too much spoils some of the story. Suffice to say that the overarching story is the struggle for power between an increasingly isolationist Earth, the Company that initially prospered by setting up mining and trade operations as humanity spread out to nearby star systems, the independent Merchanters that ply the star ways, the stations themselves, and finally the growing power of the Union, an alliance of outer world colonies that see no need to be shackled to outdated Earth policies. As jump technology is developed, this complex web of economic and political ties is thrown into disarray, and all the parties are forced to vie for independence or supremacy amid shifting loyalties and stratagems.
One of my favorite reviewers, Algernon, uses the analogy of a chess match, as all the pieces are laid on the board and make complex moves that affect all the players, from the most powerful pieces down to the pawns themselves. This may be why some readers found the opening chapters slow, but I appreciated the careful introduction of all the elements in this dance of intrigue. And much like Game of Thrones, Cherryh doesn’t hesitate to eliminate major players at unexpected moments. So when the end comes, it’s pretty impressive, and the last 100 pages feature a dizzying number of twists, double-crosses, and snap decisions that will determine events to come for centuries in the Alliance-Union universe. So I found the payoff to be more than enough to justify the time invested.
One of the main characters, captain Signy Mallory of the Company ship Norway, deserves special mention as one of the toughest and most intense female characters I’ve encountered in space opera. There are some elements of Cordelia Naismith from the MILES VORKOSIGAN series, but several readers have hit the nail on the head by comparing her to Lt. Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) in Alien. It’s a perfect fit, that combination of grit, dedication to her friends and crew, practicality, and general badass qualities. She is a match for any of the tough guy captains of this ruthless struggle.
The one discordant note in the story, which probably led me to give it 4 stars rather than 5 stars, is the gentle, cuddly, and hairy alien race known as the Hisa, or informally as Downers. These speak in childish, broken English, are peace-loving and gentle, and while they play a role in the book, they just don’t fit this no-holds-barred story of ruthless humans. Their lines really got quite annoying, as they say things like “Konstantin good man, kind to Hisa, come help to us and not hurt, love you.” Sure, they have some analogies to subjugated peoples in human history, but they just didn’t belong in this story.
Overall, I was quite impressed with Downbelow Station and highly recommend it. While there are some fairly dated parts, especially the constant mention of identification papers, documents and signatures, and hypnotic tapes that betray its 1981 origins (as if we developed interstellar space flight but never developed electronic data storage), it is a good start to the COMPANY WARS series, and the larger Alliance-Union universe.
Originally posted at Fantasy Literature
I’ve had C.J. Cherryh‘s 1982 Hugo Award winner Downbelow Station on my TBR list for three decades, and was glad I finally got around to it via Audible Studios, ably narrated by Brian Troxell. It’s an intense, claustrophobic, gritty space opera with a huge cast of hard-nosed characters battling to survive the Machiavellian intrigues of freelance Merchanters, Earth bureaucrats, Company fleet captains, Pell station administrators, Union space forces, secret agents, stationers, and (incongruously) cuddly Downer aliens. It’s a big, complex story, and not easy to follow on audio, but well worth the effort. I emphasize the word effort, because it takes some serious concentration to keep track of all the moving pieces, and Cherryh’s tough, muscular prose and clipped dialogue only reveal enough to keep the reader and characters guessing who is friend or foe, when alliances will be suddenly betrayed, and when help may come from unexpected sources.
Several reviews of Downbelow Station complain that it is too dense and complex, the characters too unsympathetic, and the buildup too slow. Some readers just gave up midway, but I think they missed out. Indeed, the book opens with some exposition to describe the complex political, economic and migratory history of humanity in the 24th century, to give the reader a modicum of grounding before throwing them into the action immediately afterwards. This book is actually the first book in Cherryh’s Company Wars series, each of which are stand-alone but take place in her Alliance-Union universe. In fact, Downbelow Station sets the stage for later events in that world, which are promising for readers who enjoy this book. Having never read one of her books, but having seen so many of them in SF stacks for decades, I knew I would eventually want to try one. Since won the 1982 Hugo Award, I thought this was the best place to start, and if I liked it I would then tackle her imposing 1989 Hugo Award winner Cyteen.
The cast of characters is so large and the plot so complicated that I struggle to describe it, and also, revealing too much spoils some of the story. Suffice to say that the overarching story is the struggle for power between an increasingly isolationist Earth, the Company that initially prospered by setting up mining and trade operations as humanity spread out to nearby star systems, the independent Merchanters that ply the star ways, the stations themselves, and finally the growing power of the Union, an alliance of outer world colonies that see no need to be shackled to outdated Earth policies. As jump technology is developed, this complex web of economic and political ties is thrown into disarray, and all the parties are forced to vie for independence or supremacy amid shifting loyalties and stratagems.
One of my favorite reviewers, Algernon, uses the analogy of a chess match, as all the pieces are laid on the board and make complex moves that affect all the players, from the most powerful pieces down to the pawns themselves. This may be why some readers found the opening chapters slow, but I appreciated the careful introduction of all the elements in this dance of intrigue. And much like Game of Thrones, Cherryh doesn’t hesitate to eliminate major players at unexpected moments. So when the end comes, it’s pretty impressive, and the last 100 pages feature a dizzying number of twists, double-crosses, and snap decisions that will determine events to come for centuries in the Alliance-Union universe. So I found the payoff to be more than enough to justify the time invested.
One of the main characters, captain Signy Mallory of the Company ship Norway, deserves special mention as one of the toughest and most intense female characters I’ve encountered in space opera. There are some elements of Cordelia Naismith from the MILES VORKOSIGAN series, but several readers have hit the nail on the head by comparing her to Lt. Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) in Alien. It’s a perfect fit, that combination of grit, dedication to her friends and crew, practicality, and general badass qualities. She is a match for any of the tough guy captains of this ruthless struggle.
The one discordant note in the story, which probably led me to give it 4 stars rather than 5 stars, is the gentle, cuddly, and hairy alien race known as the Hisa, or informally as Downers. These speak in childish, broken English, are peace-loving and gentle, and while they play a role in the book, they just don’t fit this no-holds-barred story of ruthless humans. Their lines really got quite annoying, as they say things like “Konstantin good man, kind to Hisa, come help to us and not hurt, love you.” Sure, they have some analogies to subjugated peoples in human history, but they just didn’t belong in this story.
Overall, I was quite impressed with Downbelow Station and highly recommend it. While there are some fairly dated parts, especially the constant mention of identification papers, documents and signatures, and hypnotic tapes that betray its 1981 origins (as if we developed interstellar space flight but never developed electronic data storage), it is a good start to the COMPANY WARS series, and the larger Alliance-Union universe.
August 31, 2019
The world of the novel Downbelow Station is realpolitik - a science fiction novel, with a plot which resembles the high-level decision-making historically made on Earth. I'm afraid sound-bite intellectualism is not enough to read this book with 'down below' depth. If, gentle reader, you naturally mine news stories for the true story behind the publicly announced decision, then this book is exciting.
Set in 2352, various businesses (which desire money) and political interests (which desire power) are smelling blood in the water.
The balance between:
-the Earth Company, otherwise called The Company;
-unaffiliated ‘free’ merchanter transport starships;
-the star-stations such as Pell, some of which are huge space stations circling planets and others which are minor depots;
-militarized Company Probe/explorer Fleet ships, originally working for the Company but growing increasingly independent;
-and The Union, a new political government which developed in the areas of space called the Beyond (beyond Earth's and The Company's territory and reach)
has been slowly upset by technological advances and the long distances between human habitats.
Earth people have set a course of isolating themselves from the other space-based communities. Earth is deeply disturbed by the finding of life on Pell's world, the furry sentient race called the Hisa (ironically they are as genuinely culturally moral as the human race pretends to be). Earth has decided space doesn't matter except for necessary mining activities, which Earth people do only on space objects as close to Earth as possible.
The Company is in flux, barely grasping the understanding its days as a powerful player in space are ending. The Fleet, a police force, starved of funds and attention from Earth and The Company, is more pirate now than police. The Union, forced to the use of cloning birth-labs, an organization slowly developing from a few rebels resistant to The Company's taxes and control into a Communistic political power, has become reliant on its own resources and technology.
Far more people are being born on space stations, starships and planets other than Earth. Everyone is beginning to realize that Earth and The Company are no longer relevant, but despite the growing new centers of political power, people are reluctant to throw off centuries of belief, custom and authority from Earth.
As the story opens, war skirmishes between the various groups of human space inhabitants are growing in violence and frequency, particularly between The Union and organizations still claiming a loyalty to Earth/The Company. Predatory behavior by the Fleet and The Company are weakening bonds and historical links from the star-stations and the merchant starships for Earth. Tensions are rising while the interdependent organizations are deciding with whom to ally themselves. Star-stations and merchants are finding themselves caught between the interests of The Company, The Fleet and The Union, despite declaring their neutrality. The Union has declared itself as the sole authority of the Beyond and is attacking star stations and planetary business installations. The Beyonder Rebellion has been gaining momentum for decades and now refugees are flooding Pell.
Pell Station can be described as literally in the middle politically. Developed and managed by the Konstantin family, circling the planet known as Pell's World inhabited by the absolutely darling Hisa characters, they provide supplies and resident housing to transients and minors, politicians, businessmen and military travelers. But nothing has prepared them for these political struggles.
As the last free star-station between Earth and The Beyond, the war has reached them. The refugees, brought by the Mazian Fleet vessel Norway , which is commanded by 49-year-old Signy Mallory, cannot be refused landing. The Fleet is armed, the station is not. The refugees are filthy, traumatized and desperate. It's possible Union spies are among them, but the chaos of transporting thousands has made checking identities almost impossible.
However, one refugee is clearly Union, possessing the unearthly beauty of lab-grown humans -Joshua Talley, a prisoner-of-war. But he is claiming asylum on the neutral Pell Station, asking for 'the Adjustment'. Damon Konstantin finds Adjustment morally reprehensible, but as the son of Angelo Konstantin who is in charge of Pell, he must assess and decide.
Damon's wife, Elene, a former Merchanter, is processing the refugees down in the dock areas, and has received news all of her family has died aboard her famlly-based merchant freighter starship. Damon's brother, Emilio, is at Downbelow, located on Pell's Planet. Emilio is taking over from Jon Lucas. There has been disturbing reports of abuse of the Hisa which has necessitated recalling Lucas to Pell Station. Lucas hates the Konstantins more than he hates the Hisas. Adding to the stress, Company men, led by Segust Ayres of the Security Council, is looking for transport to jump him to the new border between The Union and Earth, but Mallory is refusing his authority, a sign of the growing independence of The Fleet from its former employers. Ayres wants to negotiate a truce with The Union.
The refugees have selected a man, Vassily Kressich, to represent them in the Pell Council. The Pell Council is trying to decide how to handle the new influx of refugees who they have temporarily placed in Q, or quarantine. Unfortunately, the refugees are organizing criminal gangs in Q, and are short on law, resources and space station territory. Kressich is unfortunately a coward and not a leader, and the gangs keep him hiding in his room.
Opportunities for betrayal and grabs for political power grow, conspiracies for murder are planned, alliances are reassessed and reform, secrets are being revealed and exciting battles for survival ensue. Then the Union warships arrive.
No one is paying attention to the Hisa, the simple, sweet, non-violent Hisa, who are seen as hairy primitives only capable of housework and little else, who are all over the star-station and Pell's Planet.
I think this is a brilliant book written by someone with a genius intellect. It required mastery of realpolitik political science and a deep awareness of human nature and perhaps someone who has met Machiavellin-style politicians and military leaders. Or, even more likely, an author who has such a mind herself!
We are in an era where simple vocabulary and simple lessons are the rules for being published and being popular among many readers, for example, a book describing the moralistic quanderies of sparkling vampires is promoted as amazing new teen 'literature' preparing 21st century youth for the travails of being adults.
How frightening is that? No matter how simple and plain-speaking, or dumb-downed, we seem to want the education of the general population to be (religious and politically-correct 10th-grade knowledge being the recognized successful attainment level for graduation from secondary school), this in no way prevents political manipulation or moral depravity occurring in government or business. I prefer books that explain how the real world works in order to understand how society actually functions. Whether you approve of books which show what is behind the curtain of respectability and conformity or not, the fact is that unpleasant realities exist and having a clever educated mind is better preparation for adult life.
Ok, opinionated lecture over.
I highly recommend this book!
The innocent, 'love you!' Hisa. Boy, do they have a surprise for everyone. ❤️❤️❤️
Set in 2352, various businesses (which desire money) and political interests (which desire power) are smelling blood in the water.
The balance between:
-the Earth Company, otherwise called The Company;
-unaffiliated ‘free’ merchanter transport starships;
-the star-stations such as Pell, some of which are huge space stations circling planets and others which are minor depots;
-militarized Company Probe/explorer Fleet ships, originally working for the Company but growing increasingly independent;
-and The Union, a new political government which developed in the areas of space called the Beyond (beyond Earth's and The Company's territory and reach)
has been slowly upset by technological advances and the long distances between human habitats.
Earth people have set a course of isolating themselves from the other space-based communities. Earth is deeply disturbed by the finding of life on Pell's world, the furry sentient race called the Hisa (ironically they are as genuinely culturally moral as the human race pretends to be). Earth has decided space doesn't matter except for necessary mining activities, which Earth people do only on space objects as close to Earth as possible.
The Company is in flux, barely grasping the understanding its days as a powerful player in space are ending. The Fleet, a police force, starved of funds and attention from Earth and The Company, is more pirate now than police. The Union, forced to the use of cloning birth-labs, an organization slowly developing from a few rebels resistant to The Company's taxes and control into a Communistic political power, has become reliant on its own resources and technology.
Far more people are being born on space stations, starships and planets other than Earth. Everyone is beginning to realize that Earth and The Company are no longer relevant, but despite the growing new centers of political power, people are reluctant to throw off centuries of belief, custom and authority from Earth.
As the story opens, war skirmishes between the various groups of human space inhabitants are growing in violence and frequency, particularly between The Union and organizations still claiming a loyalty to Earth/The Company. Predatory behavior by the Fleet and The Company are weakening bonds and historical links from the star-stations and the merchant starships for Earth. Tensions are rising while the interdependent organizations are deciding with whom to ally themselves. Star-stations and merchants are finding themselves caught between the interests of The Company, The Fleet and The Union, despite declaring their neutrality. The Union has declared itself as the sole authority of the Beyond and is attacking star stations and planetary business installations. The Beyonder Rebellion has been gaining momentum for decades and now refugees are flooding Pell.
Pell Station can be described as literally in the middle politically. Developed and managed by the Konstantin family, circling the planet known as Pell's World inhabited by the absolutely darling Hisa characters, they provide supplies and resident housing to transients and minors, politicians, businessmen and military travelers. But nothing has prepared them for these political struggles.
As the last free star-station between Earth and The Beyond, the war has reached them. The refugees, brought by the Mazian Fleet vessel Norway , which is commanded by 49-year-old Signy Mallory, cannot be refused landing. The Fleet is armed, the station is not. The refugees are filthy, traumatized and desperate. It's possible Union spies are among them, but the chaos of transporting thousands has made checking identities almost impossible.
However, one refugee is clearly Union, possessing the unearthly beauty of lab-grown humans -Joshua Talley, a prisoner-of-war. But he is claiming asylum on the neutral Pell Station, asking for 'the Adjustment'. Damon Konstantin finds Adjustment morally reprehensible, but as the son of Angelo Konstantin who is in charge of Pell, he must assess and decide.
Damon's wife, Elene, a former Merchanter, is processing the refugees down in the dock areas, and has received news all of her family has died aboard her famlly-based merchant freighter starship. Damon's brother, Emilio, is at Downbelow, located on Pell's Planet. Emilio is taking over from Jon Lucas. There has been disturbing reports of abuse of the Hisa which has necessitated recalling Lucas to Pell Station. Lucas hates the Konstantins more than he hates the Hisas. Adding to the stress, Company men, led by Segust Ayres of the Security Council, is looking for transport to jump him to the new border between The Union and Earth, but Mallory is refusing his authority, a sign of the growing independence of The Fleet from its former employers. Ayres wants to negotiate a truce with The Union.
The refugees have selected a man, Vassily Kressich, to represent them in the Pell Council. The Pell Council is trying to decide how to handle the new influx of refugees who they have temporarily placed in Q, or quarantine. Unfortunately, the refugees are organizing criminal gangs in Q, and are short on law, resources and space station territory. Kressich is unfortunately a coward and not a leader, and the gangs keep him hiding in his room.
Opportunities for betrayal and grabs for political power grow, conspiracies for murder are planned, alliances are reassessed and reform, secrets are being revealed and exciting battles for survival ensue. Then the Union warships arrive.
No one is paying attention to the Hisa, the simple, sweet, non-violent Hisa, who are seen as hairy primitives only capable of housework and little else, who are all over the star-station and Pell's Planet.
I think this is a brilliant book written by someone with a genius intellect. It required mastery of realpolitik political science and a deep awareness of human nature and perhaps someone who has met Machiavellin-style politicians and military leaders. Or, even more likely, an author who has such a mind herself!
We are in an era where simple vocabulary and simple lessons are the rules for being published and being popular among many readers, for example, a book describing the moralistic quanderies of sparkling vampires is promoted as amazing new teen 'literature' preparing 21st century youth for the travails of being adults.
How frightening is that? No matter how simple and plain-speaking, or dumb-downed, we seem to want the education of the general population to be (religious and politically-correct 10th-grade knowledge being the recognized successful attainment level for graduation from secondary school), this in no way prevents political manipulation or moral depravity occurring in government or business. I prefer books that explain how the real world works in order to understand how society actually functions. Whether you approve of books which show what is behind the curtain of respectability and conformity or not, the fact is that unpleasant realities exist and having a clever educated mind is better preparation for adult life.
Ok, opinionated lecture over.
I highly recommend this book!
The innocent, 'love you!' Hisa. Boy, do they have a surprise for everyone. ❤️❤️❤️
August 1, 2016
Executive Summary: If you like politics and war in a sci-fi setting where the focus is on the people and not the battles, this book is worth checking out. If you're looking for a lot of space battles however, you may be disappointed.
Full Review
I read this book as the March pick for Sword & Laser. It's still early in the month but so far most of the discussion seems to be in the Is anyone else having a hard time getting started? thread. I must say I don't really understand this.
Sure this book is dense at times. The book also starts with a lot of world building. It gives you several character perspectives as well. But it's well written, and the plot is compelling.
It centers around a neutral space station over the planet Pell caught in the middle of a war between "The Company" and "The Union".
This book reminds me a lot of Star Trek: Deep Space 9 or Babylon 5. To a lesser degree Battlestar Galactica. Mostly because the latter had a lot more space battles.
Cherryh doesn't spend pages detailing epic battles here. Sometimes you see the aftermath, or get the report of a distant battle when news reaches Pell station. There aren't completely missing however. I like a good space battle as much as the next sci-fi geek, but it's not a requirement for me.
What this books does have is political-driven agendas, greed, ambition, and a surprising amount of compassion (at least from some of the characters).
Like some popular fantasy series I've read (Song of Ice & Fire/Malazan Fallen) Cherryh gives you multiple points of view on the situation. Unlike those books however, there aren't as many shades of grey. Or weren't for me. I knew pretty early on mostly whose good and whose bad, and I'm not suddenly surprised at the end.
There are some exceptions however that seem to reside in a shade of grey, but not many.
Overall a very enjoyable book. I'm a little disappointed to find out there is no true sequel to this book as there are a lot things I'm interested in reading more about in the aftermath.
The conclusion is satisfying however, and I hope to check out more books in this universe at some point down the road, but I won't be rushing out to get the next book just yet.
Full Review
I read this book as the March pick for Sword & Laser. It's still early in the month but so far most of the discussion seems to be in the Is anyone else having a hard time getting started? thread. I must say I don't really understand this.
Sure this book is dense at times. The book also starts with a lot of world building. It gives you several character perspectives as well. But it's well written, and the plot is compelling.
It centers around a neutral space station over the planet Pell caught in the middle of a war between "The Company" and "The Union".
This book reminds me a lot of Star Trek: Deep Space 9 or Babylon 5. To a lesser degree Battlestar Galactica. Mostly because the latter had a lot more space battles.
Cherryh doesn't spend pages detailing epic battles here. Sometimes you see the aftermath, or get the report of a distant battle when news reaches Pell station. There aren't completely missing however. I like a good space battle as much as the next sci-fi geek, but it's not a requirement for me.
What this books does have is political-driven agendas, greed, ambition, and a surprising amount of compassion (at least from some of the characters).
Like some popular fantasy series I've read (Song of Ice & Fire/Malazan Fallen) Cherryh gives you multiple points of view on the situation. Unlike those books however, there aren't as many shades of grey. Or weren't for me. I knew pretty early on mostly whose good and whose bad, and I'm not suddenly surprised at the end.
There are some exceptions however that seem to reside in a shade of grey, but not many.
Overall a very enjoyable book. I'm a little disappointed to find out there is no true sequel to this book as there are a lot things I'm interested in reading more about in the aftermath.
The conclusion is satisfying however, and I hope to check out more books in this universe at some point down the road, but I won't be rushing out to get the next book just yet.
April 10, 2022
4.0 Stars
This is a fantastic piece of classic space opera. It was the perfect balance between epic fiction and intimate character stories. I've never read anything from author but but I was incredibly impressed by her prose so I look forward to reading more of her work. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves epic science fiction.
This is a fantastic piece of classic space opera. It was the perfect balance between epic fiction and intimate character stories. I've never read anything from author but but I was incredibly impressed by her prose so I look forward to reading more of her work. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves epic science fiction.
February 10, 2015
I’m becoming quite a fan of C.J. Cherryh. I really like the way she writes aliens and the Hisa/Downers in Downbelow Station were yet another notch on the positive side of the score board. I pictured their bodies as rather large baboon-like primates, with the faces of surprised baby orangutans. They definitely had their own thought processes and ways of communication, very foreign from those of human beings.
Cherryh’s interest in history became apparent quickly, with the humans’ treatment of the Hisa—it is very reminiscent of the treatment of Native Americans by Europeans. There are two schools of thought among the human population—treat the Hisa harshly and force them to do things the human way or recognize them as beings in their own right and get things done through co-operation.
The peopling of space also reminded me very much of the days of European exploration of our world, when sailing ships went out into uncharted waters and returned with experiences that no European had ever dreamed of before. Once out on the ocean, these explorers were on their own and would be making their own decisions within the framework specified by the powers that had sponsored their expeditions. Just as in Downbelow Station, it was commerce which inspired the vast majority of these adventures, but the outcomes were not necessarily what was originally anticipated. One issue that I found somewhat confusing was the growth of crops for human consumption on a world where humans couldn’t breathe the atmosphere—surely plants grown in those “hostile-to-Earthlings” conditions wouldn’t be compatible with our biology?
There were also echoes of more modern history and culture—the lab-produced troops of the planet Cyteen had a definite “Boys from Brazil” vibe. The war scenes, with shifting alliances and priorities, can be compared to virtually any modern war (and probably many ancient ones as well). The where and when of war changes, but the basic events stay repetitively the same. And aren’t modern city dwellers equivalent in many ways to residents on space stations—out of touch with the natural world, surrounded by human construction and noise, and glued to their various man-made communication devices? Cherryh’s version of that technology has dated, but think how fast our technology has changed since 1980! No one had even considered the internet or mobile phones at that point.
I think it was rather prophetic of Cherryh, back in 1980, to see the role that big corporations were going to play in future human politics. As we watch large multinationals stick-handle around various national laws, taxes, and other constraints, we see some of the Downbelow Station world coming of age before we have even left the planet.
Downbelow Station provides a great prologue for further adventures in the Union-Alliance universe.
This is title 162 of my science fiction and fantasy reading project.
Cherryh’s interest in history became apparent quickly, with the humans’ treatment of the Hisa—it is very reminiscent of the treatment of Native Americans by Europeans. There are two schools of thought among the human population—treat the Hisa harshly and force them to do things the human way or recognize them as beings in their own right and get things done through co-operation.
The peopling of space also reminded me very much of the days of European exploration of our world, when sailing ships went out into uncharted waters and returned with experiences that no European had ever dreamed of before. Once out on the ocean, these explorers were on their own and would be making their own decisions within the framework specified by the powers that had sponsored their expeditions. Just as in Downbelow Station, it was commerce which inspired the vast majority of these adventures, but the outcomes were not necessarily what was originally anticipated. One issue that I found somewhat confusing was the growth of crops for human consumption on a world where humans couldn’t breathe the atmosphere—surely plants grown in those “hostile-to-Earthlings” conditions wouldn’t be compatible with our biology?
There were also echoes of more modern history and culture—the lab-produced troops of the planet Cyteen had a definite “Boys from Brazil” vibe. The war scenes, with shifting alliances and priorities, can be compared to virtually any modern war (and probably many ancient ones as well). The where and when of war changes, but the basic events stay repetitively the same. And aren’t modern city dwellers equivalent in many ways to residents on space stations—out of touch with the natural world, surrounded by human construction and noise, and glued to their various man-made communication devices? Cherryh’s version of that technology has dated, but think how fast our technology has changed since 1980! No one had even considered the internet or mobile phones at that point.
I think it was rather prophetic of Cherryh, back in 1980, to see the role that big corporations were going to play in future human politics. As we watch large multinationals stick-handle around various national laws, taxes, and other constraints, we see some of the Downbelow Station world coming of age before we have even left the planet.
Downbelow Station provides a great prologue for further adventures in the Union-Alliance universe.
This is title 162 of my science fiction and fantasy reading project.
September 30, 2019
... well, no wonder this is a classic. Downbelow Station is a fucking epic, with at least as much in common with the best bloody political fantasy epics as it does with typical military sf and space opera.
The book starts slowly - honestly, the first 40% was a bit of a slog for me. However, although I am often one to complain about extraneous detail an author should have cut, in this case I actually felt that the extended descriptions and world-building in the beginning paid off in emotional investment at the end. Through her careful crafting of universe and characters, Cherryh drew me into her story, so that I raced through the last half of the book. I truly cared about what might happen, both to the named, familiar characters and to the thousands of others, unnamed, who populated the station and planet.
I loved the interplay of the broad historical and political context with the intimate details of the characters' lives - this is a book about both galaxy-spanning political maneuvering and the ties of family and friendship that bind individuals together. There is a gorgeous sense of hope and optimism in the story, which is only strengthened by the feeling of real threat hanging over much of the narrative. A true masterpiece.
The book starts slowly - honestly, the first 40% was a bit of a slog for me. However, although I am often one to complain about extraneous detail an author should have cut, in this case I actually felt that the extended descriptions and world-building in the beginning paid off in emotional investment at the end. Through her careful crafting of universe and characters, Cherryh drew me into her story, so that I raced through the last half of the book. I truly cared about what might happen, both to the named, familiar characters and to the thousands of others, unnamed, who populated the station and planet.
I loved the interplay of the broad historical and political context with the intimate details of the characters' lives - this is a book about both galaxy-spanning political maneuvering and the ties of family and friendship that bind individuals together. There is a gorgeous sense of hope and optimism in the story, which is only strengthened by the feeling of real threat hanging over much of the narrative. A true masterpiece.
June 25, 2010
4.0 to 4.5 stars. Superb world-building, fantastic character development and excellent writing are the highlight of this Hugo award winning novel. Nobody does complex geopolitical plots like Cherryh and this is a great example. Classic space opera by a master writer.
Winner: Hugo Award for Best Science Fiction Novel (1982)
Nominee: Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel (1982)
Winner: Hugo Award for Best Science Fiction Novel (1982)
Nominee: Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel (1982)
December 31, 2012
I got 76% through this and just can't bear to keep trying to read it. The basic premise is fantastic: the under-supported Earth Company Fleet battles the unending waves of Union's brainwashed clones. The Fleet is pushed further and further back, until at last the battle reaches the space station orbiting Pell. Pell's station tries to remain neutral while both sides try to take it over.
I love this idea! It's like DS9 mashed up with Tolkein. But I found the execution so lacking that I couldn't enjoy a single chapter. First of all, Pell's native creatures, the hisa, talk like this: "'You safe come here. Love you. Bennett-man, he teach we dream human dreams; now you come we teach you hisa dreams. We love you.'" They think like retarded children's toys, dividing everyone up into good and bad, but they don't seem alien at all. They're basically a mash-up of adorable teddy bears with Native American stereotypes. Every time they're on the page, my brain revolted.
Second of all, a large proportion of the story concerns Josh, a Union soldier captured by the Fleet and eventually turned over the space station on Pell. Damon and Elena take him in and feel super-duper sorry for him. He's a fucking enemy soldier! On the very same station, at the very same time, that they're petting him and denouncing the Fleet for being mean to him, neutral civilians are being raped, brutalized and murdered. But somehow they don't merit nearly sympathy or help as the angelically beautiful Josh. This relates to my other big problem with the book: my sympathies lay completely and utterly with the Fleet, who are hard-ass underdogs fighting a losing war for no pay or respect. They are literally Pell's only defense against the Union armies. So every time Damon et al try to prevent the Fleet from taking food or supplies from the station, or sabotage the Fleet's technologies, I can only wonder at their selfish short-sightedness.
I love this idea! It's like DS9 mashed up with Tolkein. But I found the execution so lacking that I couldn't enjoy a single chapter. First of all, Pell's native creatures, the hisa, talk like this: "'You safe come here. Love you. Bennett-man, he teach we dream human dreams; now you come we teach you hisa dreams. We love you.'" They think like retarded children's toys, dividing everyone up into good and bad, but they don't seem alien at all. They're basically a mash-up of adorable teddy bears with Native American stereotypes. Every time they're on the page, my brain revolted.
Second of all, a large proportion of the story concerns Josh, a Union soldier captured by the Fleet and eventually turned over the space station on Pell. Damon and Elena take him in and feel super-duper sorry for him. He's a fucking enemy soldier! On the very same station, at the very same time, that they're petting him and denouncing the Fleet for being mean to him, neutral civilians are being raped, brutalized and murdered. But somehow they don't merit nearly sympathy or help as the angelically beautiful Josh. This relates to my other big problem with the book: my sympathies lay completely and utterly with the Fleet, who are hard-ass underdogs fighting a losing war for no pay or respect. They are literally Pell's only defense against the Union armies. So every time Damon et al try to prevent the Fleet from taking food or supplies from the station, or sabotage the Fleet's technologies, I can only wonder at their selfish short-sightedness.
October 4, 2021
Great world-building regarding political, social and cultural relations and history. Astonishingly, this space opera is a bit weak w.r.t technology and science - we don't see much of those at all, just some age diminishing or mind altering drugs. On the other hand, there are obsolete technologies like lots of paper printouts, central computers or magnetic cards to open doors.
But it works very good as a Hard-SF and I think I've never read a better example of live on a space station.
It is a quite complex novel with multiple interleaving plots involving lots of characters playing political games.
The story starts very dry, which made me think of reading a newspaper article. I didn't know which character or plot line I'd like to follow. I found nearly no emotions at all beside the atmosphere of tenseness.
Later on, there were some emotional peaks - e.g. with the Ewok-style folk Hisa (called "Downers", which are an alien race of the planet Downbelow) with their ever-repeated "love you" or the story of a brainwashed enemy Union prisoner of war Josh Talley. But you won't find romance, melodrama or even much action which I usually associate with space opera.
And in the last 100 pages it ends in a fire-work of tense action and turnarounds contrasting the slow first half of the book.
Characterization is very good and never black&white. There is this important Sigourney Weaver style spaceship captain Signy Mallory who is a real hard mom to her crew but has no problems at all shooting outsiders for nearly no reason.
I can't think of a harder contrast to Bujold's light hearted Vorkosigan saga - maybe with the exception of Kim Stanley Robinson's Red Mars.
I recommend it to lovers of Hard SF who don't need 2000ish technology forecasts to enjoy a story.
But it works very good as a Hard-SF and I think I've never read a better example of live on a space station.
It is a quite complex novel with multiple interleaving plots involving lots of characters playing political games.
The story starts very dry, which made me think of reading a newspaper article. I didn't know which character or plot line I'd like to follow. I found nearly no emotions at all beside the atmosphere of tenseness.
Later on, there were some emotional peaks - e.g. with the Ewok-style folk Hisa (called "Downers", which are an alien race of the planet Downbelow) with their ever-repeated "love you" or the story of a brainwashed enemy Union prisoner of war Josh Talley. But you won't find romance, melodrama or even much action which I usually associate with space opera.
And in the last 100 pages it ends in a fire-work of tense action and turnarounds contrasting the slow first half of the book.
Characterization is very good and never black&white. There is this important Sigourney Weaver style spaceship captain Signy Mallory who is a real hard mom to her crew but has no problems at all shooting outsiders for nearly no reason.
I can't think of a harder contrast to Bujold's light hearted Vorkosigan saga - maybe with the exception of Kim Stanley Robinson's Red Mars.
I recommend it to lovers of Hard SF who don't need 2000ish technology forecasts to enjoy a story.
March 8, 2023
This is an unusual space opera / military SF, which won Hugo Award in 1982. Unlike many other books of this kind it deals not with glorified military, but with civilians hurt by the war. It is part of larger series by the author, usually labelled Union-Alliance Wars. I read it as a part of the monthly reading for March 2023 at Hugo & Nebula Awards: Best Novels group. This was a re-read for me and I liked it more, upping my rating to 4 stars.
The book starts a brief backgrounder on this universe history, an unusual start with an infodump. Extra-solar exploration was done by Sol Corporation, with is known as the [Earth] Company (an allusion on the East-India Company in terms of powers). It slowly expanded outwards, dealing in lucrative slow than light trade, where mining and manufacturing were exchanged for Earth bio-products. In time the first Earth-like planet was discovered (with even a sentient if ‘primitive’ life), Pell’s world (colloquially known as Downbelow), which created a rival for bio-products as well as fleets of independent merchants, a new, growing force. Drop in profits caused the Company to pressure colonies for funds, and locals, for whom Earth was only memory, rebelled. The FTL travel is discovered and worlds in New Beyond started aggressive cloning programs to populate now neighboring worlds. Their name is Union, and they are winning the war started by the Company to keep its holdings.
The ‘real’ story starts at Pell station, when company’s fleet (half-privateers by this time) arrives in the system to dump several thousand refugees from blown-up stations. Pell system is the only one which remains beyond Sol under the Company’s control. The Pell’s station, as all stations cannot be effectively protected, tries to be neutral, allowing all parties to dock. It is ruled by an old family of Konstantins, which currently consists of the patriarch, Angelo Konstantin and his two sons, Damon and Emilio. Angelo’s disable wife Alicia is a sister to Jon Lukas, a head of a rival family. Damon is married with Elene Quen, a former merchanter and works as an aide to the father as well as heading station’s legal affairs. Emilio is chiefly working on the planet with indigents, called Hisa or Downmers. Hisa are a little similar to a species that inhabits The Word for World is Forest, with their peaceful nature, low tech and importance of dreams.
From the start there are multiple conflicts: Konstantin vs Lukas, station vs fleet, refugees vs stationeers. To add to the pressure there are Unions spies and a prisoner of war.
The story is quite strong, showing as the population pressure and war bring the society apart. Depiction of Hisa is a bit simplistic IMHO, but the story’s focus is on human conflict. As a side note, it is interesting to see how in the early 80s SF writers still assumed the importance of paper documents even if electronics in their worlds are quite advanced.
One of the strongest points of the book are well-written multi-dimensional characters and ‘banality of evil’. For example, Jon Lukas is a power-hungry man, sure that Konstantins intentionally don’t give him his due and his internal monologue, if taken alone is quite persuasive. Also, right now it is almost a cliché about evil self-serving managers in SFF, but in this book some of managers (it in no way pushes the idea that everyone is good/bad) are of old nobility with a great feel of duty to their people.
The book starts a brief backgrounder on this universe history, an unusual start with an infodump. Extra-solar exploration was done by Sol Corporation, with is known as the [Earth] Company (an allusion on the East-India Company in terms of powers). It slowly expanded outwards, dealing in lucrative slow than light trade, where mining and manufacturing were exchanged for Earth bio-products. In time the first Earth-like planet was discovered (with even a sentient if ‘primitive’ life), Pell’s world (colloquially known as Downbelow), which created a rival for bio-products as well as fleets of independent merchants, a new, growing force. Drop in profits caused the Company to pressure colonies for funds, and locals, for whom Earth was only memory, rebelled. The FTL travel is discovered and worlds in New Beyond started aggressive cloning programs to populate now neighboring worlds. Their name is Union, and they are winning the war started by the Company to keep its holdings.
The ‘real’ story starts at Pell station, when company’s fleet (half-privateers by this time) arrives in the system to dump several thousand refugees from blown-up stations. Pell system is the only one which remains beyond Sol under the Company’s control. The Pell’s station, as all stations cannot be effectively protected, tries to be neutral, allowing all parties to dock. It is ruled by an old family of Konstantins, which currently consists of the patriarch, Angelo Konstantin and his two sons, Damon and Emilio. Angelo’s disable wife Alicia is a sister to Jon Lukas, a head of a rival family. Damon is married with Elene Quen, a former merchanter and works as an aide to the father as well as heading station’s legal affairs. Emilio is chiefly working on the planet with indigents, called Hisa or Downmers. Hisa are a little similar to a species that inhabits The Word for World is Forest, with their peaceful nature, low tech and importance of dreams.
From the start there are multiple conflicts: Konstantin vs Lukas, station vs fleet, refugees vs stationeers. To add to the pressure there are Unions spies and a prisoner of war.
The story is quite strong, showing as the population pressure and war bring the society apart. Depiction of Hisa is a bit simplistic IMHO, but the story’s focus is on human conflict. As a side note, it is interesting to see how in the early 80s SF writers still assumed the importance of paper documents even if electronics in their worlds are quite advanced.
One of the strongest points of the book are well-written multi-dimensional characters and ‘banality of evil’. For example, Jon Lukas is a power-hungry man, sure that Konstantins intentionally don’t give him his due and his internal monologue, if taken alone is quite persuasive. Also, right now it is almost a cliché about evil self-serving managers in SFF, but in this book some of managers (it in no way pushes the idea that everyone is good/bad) are of old nobility with a great feel of duty to their people.
October 18, 2016
“Downbelow Station” was a very good book but necessarily a highly enjoyable one. I can’t imagine there were very many claustrophobic, morally ambiguous, multiple-perspective space opera’s around in 1982. It certainly seems innovative in that regard. It also seemed like the longest 330 page book I have ever read. In the month it took me to read it never became a slog but it was a very dense read that required a lot of focus. It felt like a minor achievement in finishing it.
I am a sucker for any type of alien race more primitive then our own. Whether it is Orson Scott Card’s “Piggies” or Cherryh’s “Downers” I instantly fell in love with the hisa who I imagined as a bunch of butt-ugly Care Bears. My biggest fear through the whole book was something terrible happening to the hisa
There were some characters I cared quite a bit about (Josh, the Konstantins, the Downers) and there were others who I had to remember who they were every time they were mentioned. Part of that was my own stop-start reading where I would read 60 or so pages on a weekend, not read at all for 3 or 4 days. Read 10 pages etc. By the time we had cycled through the dozen characters back to Ayers or the Section 6 Ambassador guy I would struggle to remember who they were. I also struggled to remember which faction some of the characters were with. Maybe I am a dumbarse but it wasn’t until the end of the book I realised “Union” and “Merchanters” were different, I thought it was the “Merchanters Union”. So I spent a lot of time wondering which character belonged to which faction if they were off-station.
While we had 2 clear villains in Lukas and Mazian, I felt like almost everyone else was some shade of grey. It wasn’t entirely clear who I should be cheering for in the conflict which was obviously what Cherryh was going for. The Company were doofuses but the Union were heartless. The “history of the stations” a 20 or so page exposition that starts the book was fascinating and built the world up well. I can picture the claustrophobic corridors of Pell station very clearly in my mind.
Cherryh was a very unique writer. I can’t exactly put my finger on what makes her prose so different. It definitely required my full attention without being obtuse. It seemed like sometimes a word would be deliberately left out of sentences. Some sentences would run on seemingly forever. I am not criticising here I just found her writing familiar but completely different.
At the end of the day this was a story about a large scale refugee crises and how the people connected with Pell station did their best to keep everyone alive. This wasn’t a total “downer” of a book (sorry!) but it wasn’t a cheery good time either.
I have a ton of Cherryh books to read and while I wasn’t sure I would like the “Chanur” series before, having read what she did with the hisa I am sure I will enjoy it now.
Note: This is listed on the “abandoned��� shelf as I had purchased the audiobook and had to abandon it due to crimes against my ears and buy the paper book instead.
I am a sucker for any type of alien race more primitive then our own. Whether it is Orson Scott Card’s “Piggies” or Cherryh’s “Downers” I instantly fell in love with the hisa who I imagined as a bunch of butt-ugly Care Bears. My biggest fear through the whole book was something terrible happening to the hisa
There were some characters I cared quite a bit about (Josh, the Konstantins, the Downers) and there were others who I had to remember who they were every time they were mentioned. Part of that was my own stop-start reading where I would read 60 or so pages on a weekend, not read at all for 3 or 4 days. Read 10 pages etc. By the time we had cycled through the dozen characters back to Ayers or the Section 6 Ambassador guy I would struggle to remember who they were. I also struggled to remember which faction some of the characters were with. Maybe I am a dumbarse but it wasn’t until the end of the book I realised “Union” and “Merchanters” were different, I thought it was the “Merchanters Union”. So I spent a lot of time wondering which character belonged to which faction if they were off-station.
While we had 2 clear villains in Lukas and Mazian, I felt like almost everyone else was some shade of grey. It wasn’t entirely clear who I should be cheering for in the conflict which was obviously what Cherryh was going for. The Company were doofuses but the Union were heartless. The “history of the stations” a 20 or so page exposition that starts the book was fascinating and built the world up well. I can picture the claustrophobic corridors of Pell station very clearly in my mind.
Cherryh was a very unique writer. I can’t exactly put my finger on what makes her prose so different. It definitely required my full attention without being obtuse. It seemed like sometimes a word would be deliberately left out of sentences. Some sentences would run on seemingly forever. I am not criticising here I just found her writing familiar but completely different.
At the end of the day this was a story about a large scale refugee crises and how the people connected with Pell station did their best to keep everyone alive. This wasn’t a total “downer” of a book (sorry!) but it wasn’t a cheery good time either.
I have a ton of Cherryh books to read and while I wasn’t sure I would like the “Chanur” series before, having read what she did with the hisa I am sure I will enjoy it now.
Note: This is listed on the “abandoned��� shelf as I had purchased the audiobook and had to abandon it due to crimes against my ears and buy the paper book instead.
October 31, 2019
For me, this was 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. Or 3 for the first half and 4 for the 2nd half.
First the good: This world is so deeply realized. It feels very real. We are given glimpses of each POV character’s inner workings and thus understand their motivations for actions, good ones and egotistical ones alike. Anthony Rapp said something in a comment about this book, that really helped distill a good feeling about the scope of this book, which I was having trouble with: Cherryh’s unflinching depiction of refugees and how they are “handled.” They are not dealt with well by the authorities, but she definitely shows them with compassion and a desire for fairness and kindness which unfortunately (realistically) takes a long time to happen. Also the scope and effects of war on all the different groups is done with a keen eye and there is a clear leaning towards the right thing happening for the innocent victims of war rather than which of the warmongers wins.
Signy Mallory is a character that I started out disliking but in the end loved her unwavering adherence to her moral sense and the devotion of her crew.
I loved the hisa. I would’ve been glad to spend more time with them. I loved their POV scenes best.
The bad: There’s too much exposition about the backstory. The first chapter is too long and the blurb on the back of the book is a good condensation of it, so that I would recommend skipping the first chapter in favor of reading the back of the book. It’s very much like much of Asimov’s Foundation books, where there’s nothing much to care about for too much of the book.
For me, the first half dragged with too much technical military/space/government gobbledygook. There were too few intimate scenes, but those there were were gorgeous and meaningful and kept me going. But only just. I think if I hadn’t been able to hear from others who read this one recently, that continuing was worth it, that after the halfway mark the action starts, I would’ve DNFed it.
First the good: This world is so deeply realized. It feels very real. We are given glimpses of each POV character’s inner workings and thus understand their motivations for actions, good ones and egotistical ones alike. Anthony Rapp said something in a comment about this book, that really helped distill a good feeling about the scope of this book, which I was having trouble with: Cherryh’s unflinching depiction of refugees and how they are “handled.” They are not dealt with well by the authorities, but she definitely shows them with compassion and a desire for fairness and kindness which unfortunately (realistically) takes a long time to happen. Also the scope and effects of war on all the different groups is done with a keen eye and there is a clear leaning towards the right thing happening for the innocent victims of war rather than which of the warmongers wins.
Signy Mallory is a character that I started out disliking but in the end loved her unwavering adherence to her moral sense and the devotion of her crew.
I loved the hisa. I would’ve been glad to spend more time with them. I loved their POV scenes best.
The bad: There’s too much exposition about the backstory. The first chapter is too long and the blurb on the back of the book is a good condensation of it, so that I would recommend skipping the first chapter in favor of reading the back of the book. It’s very much like much of Asimov’s Foundation books, where there’s nothing much to care about for too much of the book.
For me, the first half dragged with too much technical military/space/government gobbledygook. There were too few intimate scenes, but those there were were gorgeous and meaningful and kept me going. But only just. I think if I hadn’t been able to hear from others who read this one recently, that continuing was worth it, that after the halfway mark the action starts, I would’ve DNFed it.
September 16, 2013
PROLOGUE: Of late, I’ve been in a reading slump. Nothing on the to-read shelf calls to me, and I’m still trying to motivate myself to finish off several-too-many reviews that have been sitting on my desk. Though I’ll eventually return to newer prose, I’ve gone back to some old favorites, including the one currently under review. During my tenure at GoodReads, I’ve never passed up the opportunity to recommend this title to anyone willing to listen. I became a fan of C.J. Cherryh early in my life and, despite some stumbles in her latest stuff, remain so. As I’m reading Downbelow Station for the umpteenth time, I wanted to take this opportunity to gush at length about a book that remains one of my favorites, including one of my favorite characters – Signy Mallory (but more about her below).
For me, Downbelow Station is a nearly flawless novel. The book contains all of Cherryh’s strengths: the story is gripping, the pacing is excellent and the characters are interesting. I’ve read most – if not all – of her subsequent Union/Alliance novels and none quite reach the level of awesomeness that is Downbelow (though many are fine novels in their own right); and in her other work only the Morgaine and Chanur series are equally awesome (IMO, of course). (Sidebar: If I were to list my top 10 SF characters, three would come from Cherryh – Signy Mallory; Morgaine (and Vanye) from Gate of Ivrel, et al.; and Pyanfar Chanur from The Pride of Chanur, et al.)
INFRASTRUCTURE: One of the better qualities of Downbelow Station is that Cherryh avoids infodumping except for a prologue – chapter one – that recounts the history of space exploration to 2352, when chapter two opens, and sets the stage for the ensuing play. If so inclined, the reader can skip it. I wouldn’t recommend that because you’ll be easily lost once the story begins and you’ll lose the context that explains the conflict between Earth and her colonies. You’ll also have trouble understanding the differences between merchanter, stationer, Company soldier and Unionist, which is all important for how the characters act.
DRAMATIS PERSONAE: The following are the chief characters in the novel; the ones from who’s points of view the story is told.
Damon Konstantin: The Konstantin’s are the preeminent family on Pell, part of the original colony. Damon is the younger son of the dynasty and head of the station’s Legal Affairs department. He winds up entangled in the life of Josh Talley (below), the Union captive Mallory brings in from Russell’s.
Elene Quen: Merchanter families are close-knit clans. Their children don’t fall in love with stationers, and they don’t settle on stations. But Elene and Damon are experimenting. When Mariner falls and Elene’s family is murdered, she’s on-station with Damon. In the riots that erupt when the Company moves in on the station, she winds up fleeing with the merchanters and becomes instrumental in changing the balance of power between Union, Pell and Earth.
Emilio Konstantin: Emilio is the oldest son of the family, and in charge of Downbelow when the station falls – first to an internal coup and then to the Mazianni.
Jon Lukas: If there’s a consistent villain in Downbelow, it’s Jon Lukas, the head of a rival station clan. He sees an opportunity to overturn the Konstantin’s hegemony in Union’s advance.
Josh Talley: Josh is an armscomper captured by Mallory. He’s mentally tortured on Russell’s and voluntarily opts for Adjustment when he reaches Pell in the hopes of banishing the demons that haunt his memories.
Vassily Kressich: Kressich is the figurehead the gangs in Q, the quarantined section for the refugees, select to present a legitimate front.
Segust Ayres: Ayres is the Earth Company representative who has come out to negotiate a peace with Union whether Mazian wants one or not.
Satin: Satin is one of the hisa, the native species of Pell’s World. Admittedly, Cherryh gets better at creating truly alien species (cf., the kif, hani, iduve, atevi, etc.) but as a first effort, the hisa are different enough to be more than hairy human children.
Signy Mallory:
I read Downbelow soon after its first publication – 1981 – and the image I immediately formed of Captain Signy Mallory of the Earth Company Ship Norway was Sigourney Weaver from Alien. Both characters – Mallory and Ellen Ripley – are remarkably similar. Both are capable of extraordinary things, both are committed to their crews and the people important in their lives, and both will do the right (or “righter”) thing regardless of cost.
Kirk and Picard? Wimps.
EXCERPTS: The following are excerpts that particularly struck me during this read and which are indicative of Cherryh’s writing style.
The first are the opening sentences of chapter two – the real beginning of the novel – and thrust us immediately into the thick of things as the Earth Company ship Norway escorts refugees from the fallen stations of Russell’s, Viking and Mariner into Pell’s system and begins the chain of events that result in the Alliance and other things that would be spoilers:
This next excerpt is a description of Mallory:
This next block illustrates Mallory’s relationship with her fellow Company captains and her don’t-mess-with-me-and-my-ship attitude:
I could find more passages. Though long association with Downbelow has revealed some of its wrinkles, I would still enthusiastically recommend this to anyone.
For me, Downbelow Station is a nearly flawless novel. The book contains all of Cherryh’s strengths: the story is gripping, the pacing is excellent and the characters are interesting. I’ve read most – if not all – of her subsequent Union/Alliance novels and none quite reach the level of awesomeness that is Downbelow (though many are fine novels in their own right); and in her other work only the Morgaine and Chanur series are equally awesome (IMO, of course). (Sidebar: If I were to list my top 10 SF characters, three would come from Cherryh – Signy Mallory; Morgaine (and Vanye) from Gate of Ivrel, et al.; and Pyanfar Chanur from The Pride of Chanur, et al.)
INFRASTRUCTURE: One of the better qualities of Downbelow Station is that Cherryh avoids infodumping except for a prologue – chapter one – that recounts the history of space exploration to 2352, when chapter two opens, and sets the stage for the ensuing play. If so inclined, the reader can skip it. I wouldn’t recommend that because you’ll be easily lost once the story begins and you’ll lose the context that explains the conflict between Earth and her colonies. You’ll also have trouble understanding the differences between merchanter, stationer, Company soldier and Unionist, which is all important for how the characters act.
DRAMATIS PERSONAE: The following are the chief characters in the novel; the ones from who’s points of view the story is told.
Damon Konstantin: The Konstantin’s are the preeminent family on Pell, part of the original colony. Damon is the younger son of the dynasty and head of the station’s Legal Affairs department. He winds up entangled in the life of Josh Talley (below), the Union captive Mallory brings in from Russell’s.
Elene Quen: Merchanter families are close-knit clans. Their children don’t fall in love with stationers, and they don’t settle on stations. But Elene and Damon are experimenting. When Mariner falls and Elene’s family is murdered, she’s on-station with Damon. In the riots that erupt when the Company moves in on the station, she winds up fleeing with the merchanters and becomes instrumental in changing the balance of power between Union, Pell and Earth.
Emilio Konstantin: Emilio is the oldest son of the family, and in charge of Downbelow when the station falls – first to an internal coup and then to the Mazianni.
Jon Lukas: If there’s a consistent villain in Downbelow, it’s Jon Lukas, the head of a rival station clan. He sees an opportunity to overturn the Konstantin’s hegemony in Union’s advance.
Josh Talley: Josh is an armscomper captured by Mallory. He’s mentally tortured on Russell’s and voluntarily opts for Adjustment when he reaches Pell in the hopes of banishing the demons that haunt his memories.
Vassily Kressich: Kressich is the figurehead the gangs in Q, the quarantined section for the refugees, select to present a legitimate front.
Segust Ayres: Ayres is the Earth Company representative who has come out to negotiate a peace with Union whether Mazian wants one or not.
Satin: Satin is one of the hisa, the native species of Pell’s World. Admittedly, Cherryh gets better at creating truly alien species (cf., the kif, hani, iduve, atevi, etc.) but as a first effort, the hisa are different enough to be more than hairy human children.
Signy Mallory:
I read Downbelow soon after its first publication – 1981 – and the image I immediately formed of Captain Signy Mallory of the Earth Company Ship Norway was Sigourney Weaver from Alien. Both characters – Mallory and Ellen Ripley – are remarkably similar. Both are capable of extraordinary things, both are committed to their crews and the people important in their lives, and both will do the right (or “righter”) thing regardless of cost.
Kirk and Picard? Wimps.
EXCERPTS: The following are excerpts that particularly struck me during this read and which are indicative of Cherryh’s writing style.
The first are the opening sentences of chapter two – the real beginning of the novel – and thrust us immediately into the thick of things as the Earth Company ship Norway escorts refugees from the fallen stations of Russell’s, Viking and Mariner into Pell’s system and begins the chain of events that result in the Alliance and other things that would be spoilers:
The convoy winked in, the carrier Norway, and then the ten freighters – more, as Norway loosed her four riders and the protective formation spread itself wide in its approach to Pell’s Star.
Here was the refuge, one secure place the war had never yet reached, but it was the lapping of the tide. The worlds of the far Beyond were winning, and certainties were changing, on both sides of the line. (p. 10)
This next excerpt is a description of Mallory:
He had watched her for some hours, a foreboding presence in the center. She had a way of moving that made no noise, no swagger, no, but it was, perhaps, the unconscious assumption that anyone in her way would move. They did. Any tech who had to get up did so only when Mallory was patrolling some other aisle. She had never made a threat – spoke seldom, mostly to the troopers, about what, only she and they knew. She was even, occasionally and before the hours wore on, pleasant. But there was no question the threat was there. Most residents on-station had never seen close up the kind of gear that surrounded Mallory and her troops; had never touched a gun with their own hands, would be hard put to describe what they saw. He noted three different models in this small selection alone, light pistol; long-barreled ones; heavy rifles, all black plastics and ominous symmetries; armor, to diffuse the burn of such weapons … that gave the troopers the same deadly machined look as the rest of the gear, no longer human. It was impossible to relax with such among them. (p. 224)
This next block illustrates Mallory’s relationship with her fellow Company captains and her don’t-mess-with-me-and-my-ship attitude:
“There were no Norway personnel involved.”
“You were operating outside the province of your own administration. Internal security is Captain Keu’s operation. Why was he not advised before this raid?”
“Because India troops were involved.” She looked directly at Keu’s frowning face, and at the others, and back at Mazian. “It did not look to be a major operation.”
“Yet your own troops escaped the net.”
“Were not involved, sir.”
There was stark silence for a moment. “You’re rather righteous, aren’t you?”
She leaned forward, arms on the table, and gave Mazian stare for stare. “I don’t permit my troops to sleepover on-station, and I keep strict account of their whereabouts. I knew where they were. And there are no Norway personnel involved in the market. While I’m being called to account, I’d also like to make a point: I disapproved of the general liberties when they were first proposed and I’d like to see the policy reviewed. Disciplined troops are overworked on the one hand and overlibertied on the other – stand them till they’re falling down tired and liberty them till they’re falling down drunk, that’s the present policy, which I have not permitted among my own personnel. Watches are relieved at reasonable hours and liberties are confined to that narrow stretch of dock under direct observation of my own officers for the very brief time they’re allowed at all. And Norway personnel were not involved in this situation.”
Mazian glared. She watched the steady flare of his nostrils. “We go back a long way, Mallory. You’ve always been a bloody-handed tyrant. That’s the name you’ve gotten. You know that.”
“That’s quite possible.”
“Shot some of your own troops at Eridu. Ordered one unit to open fire on another.”
“Norway has its standards.” (pp. 345-6)
I could find more passages. Though long association with Downbelow has revealed some of its wrinkles, I would still enthusiastically recommend this to anyone.
July 23, 2022
Cherryh's Hugo winner from the early 80s presents quite a challenge to review as it does not really fit into any standard scifi tropes other than space opera writ large. Downbelow Station itself is a large space station (obviously from the cover art) orbiting the world of Pell. As Cherryh states in the rather large intro/infodump, when humanity took to the stars, it was first by STL ships that traveled from star to star and space stations where built in these systems regardless of habitable planets. Pell, however, was unique-- the first star to have not only a habitable planet, but also indigenous aliens, known here as 'Downers'. Once FTL was achieved, however, the colonization of space really took off and the old, inner space stations were abandoned; the 'beyond' colonies gradually broke from Earth and this lead to war...
Now, Downbelow station is neutral in the war between the so-called Union and Sol, but the war is closing in. Cherryh builds an interesting world here, with various 'tribes' for lack of better words. The Union breeds people in vats and has spearheaded the Beyond colonization. Earth, or Sol, does not want to loose its empire and built a massive fleet to harass the Union and bring it into the fold; 50 years later, the fleet is basically winnowed down to a dozen or so ships and acts as pirates to survive, conducting hit and runs in Union space. The people that inhabit the space stations constitute their own culture, many of them born there for generations and have never left. Finally, we have the merchants, who operate freighters staffed by large extended families and ply the space ways regardless of Union or Sol space. The merchants and stations depend on one another and have for generations, but resent the taxes demanded from Sol and the taking of their ships by the Union (and also, the rogue Sol fleet, who preys on them on occasion).
Downbelow station serves as a nexus where all these cultures meet. The Union has been 'liberating' stations (or blowing them) until Downbelow Station is the last independent one left. Merchants have been flocking to it as a last refuge and the rogue navy has been dumping refugees from other stations on them in the thousands. So, while this is perhaps technically military science fiction, it really deals with the aftermath of war-- the desperate who have lost their homes and families/friends due to war. Finally, this novel also touches on family and values, as the merchant ships are run by families and likewise, the space stations have been governed by certain families since they were built.
This is rather a slow burn to be sure, and has some stop/go pacing issues that can get rather annoying at times. Also, Cherryh's almost Hemingway-like terse prose takes a little to get used to. Nonetheless, it is thought provoking to be sure and it was very different from the pulp that was being pumped out in the same era. As for the aliens, Cherryh is a master of regarding presenting aliens that are truly alien; not like the Star Wars type, you know, just funny looking humans. The 'Downers' were a little too cute for my tastes, but so be it. Good stuff from Cherryh! 3.5 stars, rounding up for the Hugo.
Now, Downbelow station is neutral in the war between the so-called Union and Sol, but the war is closing in. Cherryh builds an interesting world here, with various 'tribes' for lack of better words. The Union breeds people in vats and has spearheaded the Beyond colonization. Earth, or Sol, does not want to loose its empire and built a massive fleet to harass the Union and bring it into the fold; 50 years later, the fleet is basically winnowed down to a dozen or so ships and acts as pirates to survive, conducting hit and runs in Union space. The people that inhabit the space stations constitute their own culture, many of them born there for generations and have never left. Finally, we have the merchants, who operate freighters staffed by large extended families and ply the space ways regardless of Union or Sol space. The merchants and stations depend on one another and have for generations, but resent the taxes demanded from Sol and the taking of their ships by the Union (and also, the rogue Sol fleet, who preys on them on occasion).
Downbelow station serves as a nexus where all these cultures meet. The Union has been 'liberating' stations (or blowing them) until Downbelow Station is the last independent one left. Merchants have been flocking to it as a last refuge and the rogue navy has been dumping refugees from other stations on them in the thousands. So, while this is perhaps technically military science fiction, it really deals with the aftermath of war-- the desperate who have lost their homes and families/friends due to war. Finally, this novel also touches on family and values, as the merchant ships are run by families and likewise, the space stations have been governed by certain families since they were built.
This is rather a slow burn to be sure, and has some stop/go pacing issues that can get rather annoying at times. Also, Cherryh's almost Hemingway-like terse prose takes a little to get used to. Nonetheless, it is thought provoking to be sure and it was very different from the pulp that was being pumped out in the same era. As for the aliens, Cherryh is a master of regarding presenting aliens that are truly alien; not like the Star Wars type, you know, just funny looking humans. The 'Downers' were a little too cute for my tastes, but so be it. Good stuff from Cherryh! 3.5 stars, rounding up for the Hugo.
May 31, 2023
This book was incredibly dense. I notice some people tend to DNF it because it’s not an easy read. I think of it like one of those strong men trying to drag a transport, it takes them forever to get it rolling, once it has momentum though it goes fairly smoothly. That’s this book.
There are so many political factions, backroom deals, machinations and so many characters, it’s honestly a bit difficult to keep everything straight. Probably two thirds of the way through it all starts to pay and I think it’s worth it to stick with this one. The amount of thought that went into this is incredible, it’s all plot and world building that seems to exist mostly as an introductory volume in her company-alliance universe.
I heard that she was writing the sequel to this but stopped to write this to do all the world building.
Reminds me of orson Scott card writing Enders game jut to set up speaker for the dead and in both cases those books became the more popular work.
I’m really intrigued by the rest of Cj cherryh’s universe and since I have book hauled a crap load of her books I’m going to continue with another one.
Maybe pride of chanur, the cover is really calling my name.
There are so many political factions, backroom deals, machinations and so many characters, it’s honestly a bit difficult to keep everything straight. Probably two thirds of the way through it all starts to pay and I think it’s worth it to stick with this one. The amount of thought that went into this is incredible, it’s all plot and world building that seems to exist mostly as an introductory volume in her company-alliance universe.
I heard that she was writing the sequel to this but stopped to write this to do all the world building.
Reminds me of orson Scott card writing Enders game jut to set up speaker for the dead and in both cases those books became the more popular work.
I’m really intrigued by the rest of Cj cherryh’s universe and since I have book hauled a crap load of her books I’m going to continue with another one.
Maybe pride of chanur, the cover is really calling my name.
November 9, 2020
"Las estrellas, como todos los demás albures del hombre, constituían una imposibilidad evidente, una ambición tan temeraria e improbable como los inicios de la aventura en los grandes océanos de la Tierra, en el aire o en el espacio."
Rating: 3.5 / 5
Hace ya buen tiempo que puse sobre mis hombros la titánica tarea de leer todas las novelas ganadoras del premio Hugo. Esta no solo ganó el Hugo y el Locus, sino que también fue elegida como una de las cincuenta mejores novelas de ciencia ficción de todos los tiempos en 1987 por la Locus Magazine. Yo no sé si iría tan lejos. De lo que sí estoy seguro es de que me hubiera arrepentido de haberla dejado.
El comienzo fue emocionante: expansión, colonización, comercio. Luego se vuelve bastante pesada por un exceso en el desarrollo, aunque no pude escapar de las redes del worldbuilding. Luego de convencer a mi cerebro de romper esta brecha me llevé una gran sorpresa hacia la mitad del libro y ya no pude soltarlo. Me encontré con el conflicto, la ambición y la traición, pero también con el honor y la moralidad. Y aunque parezca que el bien es esquivo y que los corazones se enfrían bajo el acero de la estaciones y las naves, hay ciertos límites que algunos no están dispuestos a cruzar. La ambición de pocos al final decidió el destino de muchos.
Es un space opera complejo y denso, y que es parte de un universo mucho más grande, pero que vale la pena el esfuerzo.
Rating: 3.5 / 5
Hace ya buen tiempo que puse sobre mis hombros la titánica tarea de leer todas las novelas ganadoras del premio Hugo. Esta no solo ganó el Hugo y el Locus, sino que también fue elegida como una de las cincuenta mejores novelas de ciencia ficción de todos los tiempos en 1987 por la Locus Magazine. Yo no sé si iría tan lejos. De lo que sí estoy seguro es de que me hubiera arrepentido de haberla dejado.
El comienzo fue emocionante: expansión, colonización, comercio. Luego se vuelve bastante pesada por un exceso en el desarrollo, aunque no pude escapar de las redes del worldbuilding. Luego de convencer a mi cerebro de romper esta brecha me llevé una gran sorpresa hacia la mitad del libro y ya no pude soltarlo. Me encontré con el conflicto, la ambición y la traición, pero también con el honor y la moralidad. Y aunque parezca que el bien es esquivo y que los corazones se enfrían bajo el acero de la estaciones y las naves, hay ciertos límites que algunos no están dispuestos a cruzar. La ambición de pocos al final decidió el destino de muchos.
Es un space opera complejo y denso, y que es parte de un universo mucho más grande, pero que vale la pena el esfuerzo.
February 18, 2020
I think I would have liked this better if I had read it when it first came out. Unfortunately, it seems that I no longer have a taste for slow-paced space operas.
March 13, 2013
Detailed worldbuilding, engaging political intrigue, deep plot and story line, large cast of POV characters with complex relationships, macro socio-political and socioeconomic themes.
So why have I given this 3 stars instead of 5. I had a big problem with the style of narration, which was exacerbated by some very ordinary audio narration. I really wish I could have gotten an ebook or DTE for the Sword and Laser group read. I just found Brian Troxell’s voice narration flat and boring. Unfortunately I couldn’t find a physical copy anywhere.
But beyond that, Cherryh’s writing style is very concise – too concise for me because I thought the character conversations sounded like they were reading from a script and it just didn’t grab me at all. The only exception would be Mallory, a no nonsense Captain in charge of her own battleship. The concise, clipped dialogue actually suited her abrupt “Do as I say and do it now or I’m going to shoot you in the head” attitude. The other possible exception would be the Hisa, Pell’s indigenous aliens who spoke a kind of patois and so the style suited their broken English quite well.
Still, there is a lot to like about this book. Cherryh is very good at explaining macro economical and political developments and events and the impact those events have on populations. She is good at highlighting broad themes like might is right vs people power, and questions of whether true freedom or independence can really exist if people only have a choice between two parties. The story is driven as much if not more by major events as it is by characters. I found the development of those big events very intriguing and that is the main reason I stuck with the book. The characters themselves, not so much. I almost gave this book away in the first half where the plot was still being setup and there was no way to know how everything would come together. Fortunately, I kept going and by halfway I was swept away by the tide of events that started cascading one upon the other.
The book is set some 300 years in the future. An Earth based private company AKA “The Company” has monopolised space exploration, building a network of space stations as stepping stones in the search for habitable planets, maintaining control of its assets because of the stations’ reliance on Earth. But after habitable planets are found, The Company’s control has fractured as new non-earth centric cultures and alliances form in space and war breaks out between “the Company” and “The Union.”
Pell station is one of the first stations to be built above a planet “Pell.” AKA “Downbelow Station.” Pell Station and Downbelow struggle to maintain independence from the warring factions as hostilities escalate.
For all this brewing violence we don’t get much in the way of fleshed out violence or space battles. A lot of the action is implied where we see the build up and then the aftermath, but not the action itself at times. I didn’t mind that so much, because Cherryh doesn’t do action that well anyway in this book. But she is ok at building prebattle tension.
This could possibly have gotten an extra star if I had a physical copy. Too bad I’ll never know so its...
3 stars
So why have I given this 3 stars instead of 5. I had a big problem with the style of narration, which was exacerbated by some very ordinary audio narration. I really wish I could have gotten an ebook or DTE for the Sword and Laser group read. I just found Brian Troxell’s voice narration flat and boring. Unfortunately I couldn’t find a physical copy anywhere.
But beyond that, Cherryh’s writing style is very concise – too concise for me because I thought the character conversations sounded like they were reading from a script and it just didn’t grab me at all. The only exception would be Mallory, a no nonsense Captain in charge of her own battleship. The concise, clipped dialogue actually suited her abrupt “Do as I say and do it now or I’m going to shoot you in the head” attitude. The other possible exception would be the Hisa, Pell’s indigenous aliens who spoke a kind of patois and so the style suited their broken English quite well.
Still, there is a lot to like about this book. Cherryh is very good at explaining macro economical and political developments and events and the impact those events have on populations. She is good at highlighting broad themes like might is right vs people power, and questions of whether true freedom or independence can really exist if people only have a choice between two parties. The story is driven as much if not more by major events as it is by characters. I found the development of those big events very intriguing and that is the main reason I stuck with the book. The characters themselves, not so much. I almost gave this book away in the first half where the plot was still being setup and there was no way to know how everything would come together. Fortunately, I kept going and by halfway I was swept away by the tide of events that started cascading one upon the other.
The book is set some 300 years in the future. An Earth based private company AKA “The Company” has monopolised space exploration, building a network of space stations as stepping stones in the search for habitable planets, maintaining control of its assets because of the stations’ reliance on Earth. But after habitable planets are found, The Company’s control has fractured as new non-earth centric cultures and alliances form in space and war breaks out between “the Company” and “The Union.”
Pell station is one of the first stations to be built above a planet “Pell.” AKA “Downbelow Station.” Pell Station and Downbelow struggle to maintain independence from the warring factions as hostilities escalate.
For all this brewing violence we don’t get much in the way of fleshed out violence or space battles. A lot of the action is implied where we see the build up and then the aftermath, but not the action itself at times. I didn’t mind that so much, because Cherryh doesn’t do action that well anyway in this book. But she is ok at building prebattle tension.
This could possibly have gotten an extra star if I had a physical copy. Too bad I’ll never know so its...
3 stars
March 11, 2013
I don't know why so many science fiction fans find this book off-putting. Sure, it's ultra-dense, and Cherryh prefers to build the world through subtle hints for an attentive reader to pick up and put together. But we're geeks. We're smart guys. We wear hats. This is how we should want our books. We don't need our mommies to cut up our steak for us, so why do we need an author to spoon-feed us big chunks of exposition to explain every last nuance.
I mean, here's how your typical sci-fi author writes:
What a load of bull. Now here's how Cherryh would write that scene.
Clearly the latter is how someone in the modern world would write about their everyday life. But for some reason, when we tell tales of the future, we expect them to be full of worthless details that nobody in that world would care about. And it's completely unnecessary -- I don't need a long exegesis to understand the politics and cultures of a story -- just show me what's going on and I can pick it up for myself.
I mean, here's how your typical sci-fi author writes:
I took my iPhone from my pocket. The liquid crystal display lit up under the adhesive film screen protector. I pressed an icon on the screen and the pressure sensitive display responded by bringing up a composition screen. I quickly typed out a message using a keyboard that appeared on the screen, then hit the send icon. The phone immediately transmitted the message to a nearby radio tower using the SMS protocol, which then sent the message through the global computer network to ...
What a load of bull. Now here's how Cherryh would write that scene.
I texted by sister, "Want to meet up for dinner?"
Clearly the latter is how someone in the modern world would write about their everyday life. But for some reason, when we tell tales of the future, we expect them to be full of worthless details that nobody in that world would care about. And it's completely unnecessary -- I don't need a long exegesis to understand the politics and cultures of a story -- just show me what's going on and I can pick it up for myself.
November 28, 2014
This is the second C.J. Cherryh I've read in the past couple of months. I haven't tried her books since I was a teenager, when I stubbed my toe on one of her other books, found it opaque, and didn't try again. I'm glad I have given her another chance now, but I still find her books a bit, well, not opaque anymore, but a bit distant. Her characters seem kept at a distance from the reader, and that's a bit peculiar. However, under all that, they're really strong science fiction books, and if you can keep plugging until you make that connection, they're rewarding.
Note: The rest of this review has been withdrawn due to the changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here.
In the meantime, you can read the entire review at Smorgasbook
Note: The rest of this review has been withdrawn due to the changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here.
In the meantime, you can read the entire review at Smorgasbook
August 2, 2014
This is described as a 'blockbuster space opera' and it certainly is that. This is the first novel by C.J. Cherryh that I've read and I was blown away by the scope of novel. She not only describes a very realistic view of life aboard a large and complex space station but introduces us to the politics around the Earth based Sol Company, which up to now has controlled space expansion and the space stations and the rebel Union, a new force aiming to free the stations from the Company's control and the Merchanter families who are independent but may not be able to remain so and survive the war.
There is a large cast of characters and for me the novel started fairly slowly but once the action began it was fast and furious and I was glad that the author had taken the time to set the scene so that I had a good grip on what was happening and who was involved in this complex story. There are some great characters: Signy Mallory the feisty female captain of the Company freighter Norway, Damon and Emilio Konstantin, member of the family that runs Pell, John Lukas the evil villain who wants to take over the station and join the Union, Elene Quen the wife of Damon who ends up playing a pivotal role and Josh Talley a Union POW who has his memories wiped by 'Adjustment'.
I also enjoyed the world building of Downbelow and the alien humanoid lifeform, the gentle peaceful hisa who grew to love and protect humans despite all that they had done to each other and to the hisa.
Highly recommended! 4.5★
There is a large cast of characters and for me the novel started fairly slowly but once the action began it was fast and furious and I was glad that the author had taken the time to set the scene so that I had a good grip on what was happening and who was involved in this complex story. There are some great characters: Signy Mallory the feisty female captain of the Company freighter Norway, Damon and Emilio Konstantin, member of the family that runs Pell, John Lukas the evil villain who wants to take over the station and join the Union, Elene Quen the wife of Damon who ends up playing a pivotal role and Josh Talley a Union POW who has his memories wiped by 'Adjustment'.
I also enjoyed the world building of Downbelow and the alien humanoid lifeform, the gentle peaceful hisa who grew to love and protect humans despite all that they had done to each other and to the hisa.
Highly recommended! 4.5★
September 4, 2022
(Click to enlarge)
Inspired by the novel: Joshua Halbraight Talley, Union fleet Armscomper, and Damon Konstantin, Pell Station legal affairs.
Closer look posted on SFF group, instagram and tumblr.
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Reading updates.
July 19, 2014
After giving up on Cherryh's 'Foreigner' series, I have been wanting to try something different of hers, and finally read this, and I was pleasantly surprised. This isn't the sort of book I generally like--being military sci-fi/space opera,but I enjoyed the politics and world building. This also follows several characters, which I also like.
Cons: It did start out a little dry, with an info dump of history, and the characters are all 'close to the vest' types, so there is not a lot of emotion here.
Pros: Hisa-the alien race, although a little too cute were quite interesting, and I liked all the points where they were involved.
The space battles were not too overdone.
3.5-4.0 stars
Cons: It did start out a little dry, with an info dump of history, and the characters are all 'close to the vest' types, so there is not a lot of emotion here.
Pros: Hisa-the alien race, although a little too cute were quite interesting, and I liked all the points where they were involved.
The space battles were not too overdone.
3.5-4.0 stars
November 25, 2023
Check out my full, spoiler free, video review HERE. This 1982 Hugo winner is almost all plot and world building. Lacking deep character development and science fiction ideas, plus the shear length of this one is what made it a slog to get through. While the plot was intriguing, complex, and unpredictable I felt myself not caring who won in the end due to not really caring about any of the characters. The alien species felt like an afterthought and they didn’t feel well thought out. Overall a hard one to recommend but I can see the influence this book had on big, political driven space operas.
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