Reviews

Conspirator by C.J. Cherryh

noranne's review against another edition

3.0

I thought this was an improvement over #9 in the series. I still find Cajeiri's POV irritating--it's hard to sell the atevi as fundamentally alien when we get to see their thoughts and they're basically human. Also he's just a fucking idiot so there's that. I was actually mildly amused at the end when

Spoiler

it's revealed that Tabini will have another heir soon and so Cajeiri isn't as irreplaceable as the paidhi

.

The first half of the book was quite slow, but the second half had a lot happening. That has been the case for most of the books in this series, so I suppose I wouldn't have made it to #10 if that bothered me too much. I enjoy the various political wranglings and I liked to see the way man'chi plays out in more complicated situations.

starfallz's review against another edition

5.0

Love the different feel of this one. Very engaging and I look forward to where the series will go next. I also love the cover art.

mary_soon_lee's review against another edition

4.0

This is book ten in a long-running science fiction series that began with Foreigner (1994) and currently numbers twenty-one books. I've greatly enjoyed the first ten books and will begin with general remarks that apply to them collectively, before progressing to comments on book ten in particular.

The series, at least thus far, centers on Bren Cameron, a human translator and mediator living among aliens. 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. I do not.

Spoilers ahead.

Spoiler

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 sweeping impact.

While Bren remains the principal character, book ten includes a number of scenes from the perspective of Cajieri, the eight-year-old heir apparent, as did book nine. And, like book nine, it takes place entirely on the planet. I remain fascinated by the atevi and enamored with Bren, but this book may be my least favorite thus far. Some of the elements that I've liked most, such as the mechita and the ayo, are absent. Plus I don't care for the thread involving Barb (Bren's former girlfriend), which feels pedestrian compared to atevi machinations.

Overall: still very good, but not quite as good. 4 out of 5 scheming 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).

eleven_hummingbird's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

5.0

 Misadventures of a found-family vacation. Delightful. 

lissajean7's review against another edition

5.0

So, a year after they take down Murini, politics force Bren to take a well earned vacation to his home at Najida. However, Cajeiri is jealous and sneaks out to join him--which Bren manages to smooth over until the tension between his brother Toby and Toby's partner Barb upend the peace of his quiet home. In the turmoil, Cajeiri accidentally borrows a boat and gets swept out to sea. During the daring rescue, they find out their neighbor may be what no one expected. Ilisidi changes her plans to join him and deal with the problematic neighbor.

From this point on in the series, each trilogy kind of runs together. I wouldn't read this one without the next two available.

cathepsut's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

The beginning of the next sub-sequence. Back in town, dirtside, sorting the mess that a revolution/uprising has left behind… 

As in the last book, the story is told by Bren and Cajeiri in turn. And Ilisidi gets to thwack her cane a lot.

I love Bren‘s (Cherryh’s) musings about the cellphone plague and about introducing new tech too quickly. And also Bren, realizing that atevi behavior is becoming more natural to him than human interactions, when dealing with Toby and Barb—it reminds me again of [book:Shōgun|52382796].

Cajeiri tries hard, but repeatedly gets into and out of a lot of trouble. Those are some of the best scenes of the book. I am really looking forward to finding out what kind of leader he will become.

There are many action scenes in this one and it is downright speedy, compared to many of the previous books.

essinink's review against another edition

4.0

It was the sort of social glitch-up and attitude that had led to the War of the Landing. Humans were sure atevi would adapt to their very friendly ways with just enough encouragement. Atevi--who didn't even have a word for friendship--assumed humans, who seemed so intelligent, would eventually learn civilized manners.

After the revolution and to-do in the East from the last sub-trilogy, Conspirator begins by settling. It's been three months, and everyone is settling into the new status quo. Which means, among other issues, that Bren has to go check in on his estate. And what an estate it is... This might be minor retcon, or it might just be a necessary expansion on things that previously weren't plot relevant. You see, Bren's coastal home is not just a house. And in addition to being Lord of the Heavens, he has the honor of being Lord of Najida. Regardless, it means he really does need to make an appearance. Bren being Bren, this does not go smoothly.

If you're 10 books in, I probably don't have to warn you, but some readers are going to find this slow. There's a lot of domestic stuff going on with Bren, with Toby & Barb, with Bren's estate, etc. I happen to really enjoy it, though. It fleshes out the world, keeping things "real" so to speak. There's a lot of setup leading into a minor payoff that itself is setup for this sub-trilogy. Classic formula, but I'm not sick of it yet.

We still get Cajeiri's PoV, as well. He's a year short of 9, precocious, and perpetually in trouble. Sometimes it's amusing. Usually it has me shaking my head like "good grief, this dumb kid...", but he's learning. The follies of youth make a nice balance for Bren's very adult concerns.

At this point, I have to admit that this series has become straight comfort-food. Is anyone completely objective when binging a series? I'm certainly not. As for this installment, I get some fleshing out of coastal politics, and growth for the heir to the aishidi'tat. What more can I ask for?

furicle's review against another edition

4.0

Enjoyable read, but only for those who like the series enough to have read all the books before it to this point. There's nothing new here, but there's no let down either.

lian_tanner's review against another edition

4.0

I'm following this series through book by book, and loving it. Sometimes it's hard to say why - it can go through long passages of internal angst and periods when pretty much nothing happens. I guess it's the characters. They are so very real and so brilliantly portrayed, they develop, they change, we learn more about them. Glad I came to the series when so much of it was already written.

al27caro's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

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

2.5

I have enjoyed all the previous books in this series, but this is a dud.  Not much happens; it seems to be just setting the scene for the next book.  I will read the next in series, but if it is not better, I will not read any more in the series.