Chanur's Venture

Reading this now, when the research lab on the ISS (International Space Station) is twenty years old, it's hard to summon up just how innovative C. J. Cherryh's imagining of space stations was. 'Chanur'e Venture' (1984) was published in the same month that President Reagan directed NASA to build the ISS. I started reading Cherryh in the 1980s with the publication of her Nebula Award-winning novel 'Downbelow Station' (1981). The universe she described colonised my imagination. It was vivid, detailed and complex but never boring. The science and technology were there but it never dominated. It was the ofcourse-we-have-that taken for granted background to adventures filled with intrigue and threat.Her books weren't easy to get hold of show more then, more than a decade before Amazon was founded of the first Web page was built. I had to import them from the US and my local bookshop couldn't understand why I'd want to put in the effort.

I re-read the first book, 'The Pride Of Chanur' (1982) last year and enjoyed it enough that I decided to re-read the rest of the series. The second book, 'Chanur's Venture' (1984) is a fast-paced, conflict-filled, action-packed Space Opera that continues following Pyanfar Chanur and the crew of her ship, who once again find themselves blindsided at the centre of a complex struggle between competing alien races. Cherryh doesn't believe in the 'Previously, in the Chanur series...' approach to fiction. If you haven't read 'The Pride Of Chanur' she's not going to waste time explaining it to you. Either go back and read it or do your best to keep up.

The intrigue and the action start from the first page. It's complicated, involves multiple races, has detailed links to the backstory and moves at a fast pace. In other words, it was Space Opera as it should be - fun and fascinating.

This time around, my favourite part was watching Pyanfar, who comes from a big cat species where the females are dominant, trying to convince her husband that, contrary to societal norms on their home planet, males don't have to be emotionally unstable and are not biologically incapable of being functioning members a ship's crew.

It quickly becomes clear that Pyanfar and her crew have been set up as part of a covert war between competing races. She is isolated and alienated from her own people and at risk from everyone else. She either finds a way through the challenges or there will be no more House Chanur. I admire Cherryh's ability to make the point of view of this big-cat race my new normal so that I understand what's at stake for her and humans become just another alien race she has to factor into her strategy.

I was a little disappointed, first time around, that the book has a semi-cliffhanger ending. It's basically Episode Two in a five-episode series. This time, I knew it was coming and, unlike last time. I don't have to wait a little over a year before I can import the next book, 'The Kif Strike Back' (1985) is already in my audiobook library.

The other big change between now and 1984 is that I can now listen to the audiobook. Audible is twenty years old and taken for granted now but it was still almost a science fiction concept when this series was first published. I love Dina Pearlman's narration. It's dramatic and tense and it copes with all the very strange names that CherryH gave to alien species. If you want to follow Pyanfar's adventures, then I recommend you let Dina Pearlman bring the stories alive for you. show less

7/10
A very unfinished story—yes, I know, it’s part of a series, but it comes to a very abrupt end and nothing was resolved, so it’s hard to judge as a novel on its own. Cherryh does her usual thorough job of closely following a small number of main characters, focusing mostly on Captain Pyanfar Chanur. The focus is almost claustrophobic. At the same time, there are many layers of intrigue for Pyanfar to sort through with relentless pressure and threats all around.

Classic space adventure that you will definitely enjoy if you liked the first book. The main flaw is that the background political schemes can be hard to follow both because it gets complicated and because much of the important reveals are in pidgin English. Also, the plot does feel a little like a retread of the first book.

Still there is an interesting mystery as the crew of The Pride get in above their heads again. This one ends on a cliffhanger and I am eager to read the next one.

Pulp. Just like the comics used to make.

Even more so than the first Chanur novel, this book is breathless and sometimes brainless. Clearly written in a hurry with little of the care and nuance that marks Cherryh's best works, the first two-thirds of "CV" is a helter-skelter of running around with little assessment of 'sitrep' by the various frustrated and frustrating cast of characters. The last act draws tighter and actually becomes engaging, maybe because the mahendo'sat character Jik arrives on stage just then both tired and calm, spreading that vibe around.

And my biggest complaint from the first book holds doubly valid here: why o why is Pyanfar, the main hani character, not more actively trying to ask the human Tully just _what the show more hell he's there for._ show less

The four Chanur universe books are my favorite books in the entire universe. Bar none. Cherryh slyly takes on sex, gender, culture, first contact, money, and power, among other issues, all in a rollicking good adventure story.

Its been a long time since I read a book in a day. This is fun, action packed, has interesting characters, even more interesting aliens. Its not perfect, for example Tully, the human in this book - is written as a bit slow (due to language barrier and other cultural cues) but is explained to be more intelligent than he really is - I wish there was a bit more to Tully. Maybe in the next book?

The Hani are very interesting - They remind me a lot of African Lions. I cannot wait to read more about the methane breathers species, especially the Knnn. I think the Kif are a bit one dimensional, but maybe not.

The series is not as complicated as Downbelow Station, which for me, is good. I get lost in complicated story lines with many characters. show more

This is science fiction at its best - full of space ships, interesting aliens, and great characters. Highly recommended. show less

This is my second read and I was hoping I'd enjoy it more this time. Unfortunately, no. It's not bad, but it lacks the sophistication and humor and therefore the bulk of the fun of her later works. It may be cool to see how much she improves over the years, or just treat this as a lesser novel with an alien-rich area of space. Above all, it's a merchantman kind of novel. Trade, cultural weirdness, and much enmity with certain species always getting in the way.

Of course, humans are the odd ones out.

And they're back! Or one is, and he's come bearing trade treaty! Enter greed, guilt, and more chase. :)

I think Cherryh is being a bit sly with the text, rewarding careful readers and turning everyone else (myself included) into chumps, show more however. She's not reinforcing big events with repetition, just slipping them in. :) It's great for her later series because she's got that skill down pat, but here? It tends to confuse or just reward later re-readers. Some re-readers. Me? I kinda wish I like the feel of this series more, but I don't.

I have started enjoying the deeper cultural aspects and oddities of all the aliens, however. The world-building is fun even if you can't hang a whole hat on it.

All in all, though, it reads with much action and adventure, which is kinda funny for aliens wrangling to get off space stations with their cargo intact and setting up back-door deals and alliances. But it's still fun for all that. :) show less