Rimrunners

After telling the story of the future, Cherryh returns back in time in the immediate aftermath of the Company wars. Elizabeth (Bet) Yeager used to be a marine in the Maziani fleet (the Earth fleet) and when the Fleet pulled out of Pell, she got stranded there with no papers and no options (or history she cared to share - in the aftermath of the wars, the Fleet is regarded as pirates and worse and even hinting at an association with them is a bad idea). A captain gives her a job for a while but then has to leave her on Thule Station - one of the Hinder stars which ended up on the path of oblivion in the aftermath of the new discoveries and the Union/Alliance split. But at least this gives her papers - not an uncommon case after the show more massive destruction - there were people left with nothing from all sides of the conflict.

And here is where we find her - waiting for a ship to hire on so she can leave the dying Thule - and not having much luck. Meanwhile she survives the best she can, mostly starving, but still remains convinced that her day will come so taking a local job is not an option - that would kick her off from the top of the priority list for the next ship that comes along. And just when she is sure she can see her future changing, a weird ship shows up and despite her misgivings, she needs to change her plans - not only because the previous option seems to not be a real option anymore but because there are two dead bodies which she cannot really explain).

So what happens when the universe's most damaged marine meets the man who is nicknamed NG (for "not good")? Love happens, that's what. Not that either of them will admit it. Or even think of it. Except that Bet has a secret and NG is way beyond caring - until he does. In a way, the whole novel is a love story between two damaged people. But at the same time, that story just gives the background for the story of the ship and the aftermath of the war and yet another chapter in the history of the Alliance.

We rarely see the command of the ship (except when they are being nasty) and we see the story from Bet's eyes. So we learn things about the ship when she does, we think about them in the way she does. And she is just a grunt - a machinist on paper who has very little former training. She is not looking for a family or love but that is what she finds on the ship - albeit in an unusual way.

It's a story of redemption and a story about people. Because for all the space around them, the characters we get to see and love are the ones that keep the whole story together - to the final chapter where things finally get clarified, we finally get our answers... and then we need to leave Bet and NG and the rest of the guys behind. But none of them is the same person they were at the start of the novel. And we have yet another piece from the puzzle that is the Alliance.

The book can be read as a standalone - as usual Cherryh starts with the pseudo-document that gives you the basic outline of where are and then Bet supplies all other needed details. But it works better as a continuation of "Downbelow Station" and "Merchanter's Luck" - not because of the story line but because of the details - they give you background that makes it easier to understand some choices (and the treatment of the drugs during jump tie with the Chanur novels - as usual adding to the pieces from there so between the two, you get a better idea of how that works. And that is not unusual for Cherryh's writing in this series). show less

I'm getting to the end of my supply of the Company Wars books and will soon take a short break from Cherryh, just to catch my breath. Rimrunners features a woman protagonist, Bet Yeager, former marine on Africa one of the huge battleships that has gone rogue under the leadership of Conrad Mazian. Bet was left behind at a space station in a retreat and has managed to survive for several years, but time is running out - she gets a job on Loki a spook ship of her former enemies - a small spy ship. She's tough, she's got her own code, and she's smart and she begins to shift a dysfunctional culture belowdecks..... angering some of the officers but then she comes in handy when one of the rogue ships turns up unexpectedly -- will she be true show more to her new crew or the old one? Everything pivots on that. True to form. this one is gritty and very detail-oriented..... I often have to read explanations of the action several times before I can really visualize it, but it's all there if I work hard enough at it. **** show less

7/10
This is a tight, almost claustrophobic story, told entirely from the POV of one Bet Yeager, former Marine, left behind during the Company Wars, eking out an existence on a lonely Hinder Star station. She ends up with a berth and a job on a “spook” ship, and even more problems than she had on Thule station.

An awful lot is left unexplained... this book is like a snapshot or a postcard from one small part of a much broader story. Cherryh does both the sweeping stories with a large cast of characters and multiple POVs and plot lines coming together (like in Downbelow Station or Forty Thousand in Gehenna) and the close-up, more focused stories (like this one and Merchanter’s Luck). I don’t know (yet) which I prefer.

Cw: sexual assault

Narratively simple, psychologically complex story of found family. Super lived-in setting, really builds up some great momentum throughout.

Rimrunners begins as a story of a soldier caught behind enemy lines, who masks her background and earns a spot on the crew of a quasi-military starship for the other side. As a reader, I'm completely expecting a story about how she attempts to sabotage the operation and defect back to her side, but Cherryh doesn't go that direction at all. Instead, we're given a highly psychological story about what amounts to institutionalized bullying on this new ship, and the ex-soldier's attempts to fit in despite her background and her unlikely friendship with the black sheep of the crew. I have to admit, I didn't really get why those two were so attached. The ending was a crisis that's supposed to bring everyone together, but it didn't really work show more for me. Nonetheless, it was definitely an entertaining read, with page-turner suspense, as the reader tries to figure out what the heck is going on. show less

This is a fun return to the Alliance-Union universe. Not as good as Downbelow station but still well worth reading.

I like this rating system by ashleytylerjohn of LibraryThing (https://www.librarything.com/profile/ashleytylerjohn) that I have also adopted:
(Note: 5 stars = rare and amazing, 4 = quite good book, 3 = a decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful.)

Bet is the best ever sci fi woman. She's tough, knowledgable but vulnerable and real. I love this type of story. I prefer to read about marginal minor characters not the star ship captain or the planetary ruler. This is a great look at the bowels of the ship.