Merchanter's Luck (1982)

The good: down-on-his-luck tiny-spaceship captain and high-status but junior officer on major vessel hook up and have apparently awesome sex, and he falls for her but their chemistry (which I have to take on faith) is not the most important thing in their lives, which also involve plenty of space politics, leading to situations in which the captain thinks, for example, that his now partner Allison Reilly is about to kill him, and it’s not a wacky misunderstanding. The bad: it’s all allusions, to politics and to feelings both, so I felt constantly buffeted by undercurrents but was less clear on why I should care. It struck me as written in a particular kind of 70s style, if that makes any sense (though the publication date is 1982). ( )

Loved it! ( )

This wonderful little book is a great reminder of just how good C. J. Cherryh can be and really makes me wonder why in the world I'm not reading more of her oeuvre. Fantastic high-tech space opera with really compelling characters. ( )

I recently read this for the first time, and enjoyed it as I do most of CJ's books. I liked it a lot better than Tripoint. ( )

Another strong entry in Cherryh’s Union-Alliance universe, this one set shortly after the events of Downbelow Station, focusing on people who live on the edge of the Merchanter society. If you are looking for believable characters (warts and all), who are driven by economic necessity to do things they’d rather not, all set in a universe in which life is at times dirty, at times boring, and at times very scary, give these books a try.

Sandor Kreyja is the last survivor of a space-going merchant family that lost almost everthing to a Mazianni pirate attack. Allison Reilly is a very junior member of a very rich space-going family, living a life of relative comfort but little purpose. A dockside fling brings them together on a mission that promises romance and adventure, but quickly spirals out of control.

This is about as far from the golden age “adolescent fantasy in space” story as you can get. I liked it. ( )