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annkniggendorf's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
botchbehemoth's review against another edition
4.0
bren cameron, expert in not feeling human emotions: ough... he hates me...
phobis837's review against another edition
informative
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
noranne's review against another edition
4.0
Like the previous books in the series, this one starts out at a glacial pace. At one point I looked down at my status bar and saw I was 28% in and nothing had really happened. But obviously I wouldn't be reading the fifth book in the series if I didn't enjoy the characters, so it's kind of nice to just follow Bren around and wonder when the shoe is going to drop. And drop it does! I was actually surprised when the book was over because I had been so engrossed I hadn't checked the status bar and all the sudden it was the end. Luckily I had the next book to start on right away. Got me through a 5.5-hour flight!
mary_soon_lee's review against another edition
4.0
This is book five in a long-running science fiction series that began with Foreigner (1994) and currently numbers twenty-one books. I've greatly enjoyed the first five books and will begin with general remarks that apply to them collectively, before progressing to comments on book five in particular. Mild spoilers ahead.
Through Bren, the books conjure an intricate alien civilization, one in which words such as "friend" and "love" have no close equivalent, and in which there is an official, highly-respected Assassins Guild. Bren is a very sympathetic character, who finds himself in difficult situations where the stakes are high. I'm also very fond of several of the supporting characters, especially the assassins Banichi and Jago, and the elderly grande dame, Ilisidi. The plot builds from book to book, with developments from the small and personal to those of a sweeping political impact.
Book five opens with a deeply atmospheric memorial, my favorite opening so far. (In general, I've found the books' openings their weakest point.) I liked how the story moves from the planet, to the spacestation, and last onto a starship. I liked how Bren--and therefore the reader's--understanding shifts as secrets are exposed I liked the introduction of the somewhat accident-prone six-year-old heir to the alien leader. Overall, I found the fifth installment slightly less compelling than its predecessors, but that is a high bar.
Four out of five clandestine stars.
About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).
Spoiler
The series, at least thus far, centers on Bren Cameron, a human translator and mediator embedded in an alien civilization. Bren's thoughts are shown in a depth that I found fascinating and highly immersive. This careful meticulous detail reminds me of reading L. E. Modesitt, Jr., though Cherryh's themes are not Modesitt's. I note that some readers find the level of detail an annoyance and the pace slow.Through Bren, the books conjure an intricate alien civilization, one in which words such as "friend" and "love" have no close equivalent, and in which there is an official, highly-respected Assassins Guild. Bren is a very sympathetic character, who finds himself in difficult situations where the stakes are high. I'm also very fond of several of the supporting characters, especially the assassins Banichi and Jago, and the elderly grande dame, Ilisidi. The plot builds from book to book, with developments from the small and personal to those of a sweeping political impact.
Book five opens with a deeply atmospheric memorial, my favorite opening so far. (In general, I've found the books' openings their weakest point.) I liked how the story moves from the planet, to the spacestation, and last onto a starship. I liked how Bren--and therefore the reader's--understanding shifts as secrets are exposed I liked the introduction of the somewhat accident-prone six-year-old heir to the alien leader.
Four out of five clandestine stars.
About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).
lissajean7's review against another edition
5.0
Well, deathbed secrets are just the worst. And dealing with the aftermath is just what Bren has to do. So instead of heading home, he's heading off on the ship to rescue the other station. Ilisidi and Cajeiri are coming too! This is going to go well... Oh, and the station is run by the actual Guild making all kinds of mistakes...
ielerol's review against another edition
3.0
This book felt a bit formulaic, which wouldn't bother me if it weren't repeating the parts of earlier books that I mostly disliked--Bren's family drama, and Bren being stressed because people are keeping secrets from him. I want more of the atevi astronomers being in crisis because real-world physics doesn't map to their established beliefs about harmonious numbers, or obsessing over how to communicate human political machinations in ways that the atevi can understand, that's the good stuff.
It doesn't help that plot-wise this is kind of just a setup for getting everyone where they need to be for the big conflict and revelations to come in the third book in this arc. I didn't think Invader suffered much from middle-book syndrome, but this one kind of does. Ilisidi totally steals the show, though, as usual.
It doesn't help that plot-wise this is kind of just a setup for getting everyone where they need to be for the big conflict and revelations to come in the third book in this arc. I didn't think Invader suffered much from middle-book syndrome, but this one kind of does. Ilisidi totally steals the show, though, as usual.
essinink's review against another edition
4.0
"Baji-naji," Gin said, in human terms here goes nothing.
And in atevi--here goes everything.
Defender is the second book of the second trilogy--"infelicitous two," so to speak, and it is slow. This is a transitional book in every sense of the word; it's entirely set-up for the book to come, and it is needed. That said, even as someone who's read a lot of Cherryh at this point, the ponderous build of this book was at times trying.
(Note: I do try to keep things spoiler-free, but at a certain point I have to assume that knowledge of previous books is in play.)
Bren's been in orbit for 6 or 7 years now. The station is an ongoing success, the aishidi'tat is strong, Phoenix is fueled, things are going right in the world... and our protagonist hasn't been to Mospheira since the beginning of the previous book.
While I've appreciated that Bren (unlike some SF protagonists) has this nagging family in the background, I've also had the mind that it's been a bit distracting. There's a reason many protagonists just seem to float free of familial attachment and obligations, existing wholly within their job. The backbeat of "Oh you were in town on business and you didn't call? No I don't care that the world is at stake! I'm your mother!" is just a little too real.
And yet here, at the turn of the plot, it has to be resolved one way or the other. There's a theme of change and acceptance running through Defender. Even in space, Bren has been caught in the orbit of his family drama, but it's just not sustainable. And even though I thought it was slightly annoying, I'm still really glad that plot thread has been there, because without it Bren is just another untethered super!diplomat trope.
Ilisidi is here again, because of course she is, but this time she's less "slightly frightening grandmother" and more "please remember this is the 2nd most powerful person on the planet and she doesn't think like you do." This is the Ilisidi from the first book, unleashed on ship-folk, and it has the potential to end very badly.
And that's refreshing. Since the first book (and to lesser degree the second), we haven't seen much on-page evidence of atevi-human flashpoints. They exist in the background, we're told about them (the ongoing drumbeat of "atevi aren't humans"), but we don't see it. Interactions between human and atevi have been very carefully mediated to prevent it. But now we do, because even after a decade there are ship-folk who don't GET it.
Bren Cameron is a human protagonist, but he's a human protagonist working for atevi authority and interests. He doesn't see atevi as aliens, because it's their planet. Humans are the aliens. Humans are the slightly unwelcome guests. And if humans want atevi resources, they need to play by atevi rules. This is--understandably--an unwelcome shock for some.
Which brings me to Sabin. Sabin is one of the ship captains, and arguably the most human-centric of the lot. She doesn't like "aliens," and she doesn't like Bren Cameron. She makes for a good antagonist. And the thing is, as a reader I can understand her position. The Ship is everything. The Ship is the world. Her job as captain is to maintain the security and good operation of the Ship, and atevi threaten that. Unfortunately for her, the Ship is now bound up in atevi interests. It's a great dynamic, and I'm looking forward to seeing how it will play out in subsequent books.
Giving this 3.5 for the filler-drama-content and rounding to 4 stars for necessity and actually making the filler-drama-content interesting.