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Buy Precursor and find Additional Information here.
Other Formats:
Hardcover
ABOUT
THIS ITEM
From the Publisher
National best-selling
author and winner of three Hugo Awards, C.J. Cherryh returns to the
universe of her acclaimed Foreigner trilogy-with an epic tale of the
survivors of a lost spacecraft stranded on a planet inhabited by a
hostile, sentient race.
The beginning of a second trilogy,
Precursor follows a single human delegate living among aliens, who
are just gaining access to space....
Praise for
Precursor...
"An addition to Cherryh's superior
alien-contact series...Another intriguing human/alien
struggle."-Kirkus Reviews"A powerful look at the effects of
alienation on individuals and societies."-Locus
...and
C.J. Cherryh's Foreigner Universe:
"Superlatively
drawn aliens and characterization...a return to the anthropological
science fiction in which [Cherryh] has made such a name is a double
pleasure."-Chicago Sun-Times
"An incisive
study-in-contrast of what it means to be human."-Library
Journal
Reviews
Bren Cameron is the
trusted human liaison to the court of the atevi in this sequel to
the Foreigner trilogy. Two centuries earlier, a group of humans
dropped from their starship onto the surface of the atevi's planet.
Those still on board the ship took off into space, leaving their
brethren to cope with sharing a planet with a species whose
worldview was totally different. After a neardisastrous war, the
atevi and humans have learned to coexist, with the atevi living on
the mainland and the humans exiled on an island. Now their peace is
shattered with the return of the starship, whose commanders claim
that an attack from aliens is imminent. It is Bren's job to
reconcile all three factions to build a spacebased defense against
the attack. Readers looking for actionadventure will not find it
here. The plot is slow moving and the tone is introspective and
contemplative. Bren constantly agonizes over whether his efforts
will achieve the desired end or whether he jeopardizes the whole
process with a wrong diplomatic move. He and the other characters
are cardboard stereotypes with very little depth to make them
memorable. It is unlikely that anyone other than those who have read
the Foreigner trilogy will care enough to finish this one. VOYA
CODES: 2Q 2P S A/YA (Better editing or work by the author might have
warranted a 3Q; For the YA with a special interest in the subject;
Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12; Adult and Young Adult).
1999, DAW, Ages 16 to Adult, 438p, $23.95. Reviewer: Diane
Yates
From Johnathan Strahan -
Locus
Cherryh manages to
imbue [the novel] with sufficient warmth and humor that it never
descends to grimness, and through the accumulation of many small
events—which progress the plot only slightly—she manages to build a
much larger picture. If Precursor has a flaw it is that it
doesn't really stand alone. To fully appreciate the novel, readers
need to have read the earlier books in the series. That said, it is
probably the best series installment of the year, and another fine
novel from one of the genre's very best
writers.
From
Library Journal
Abandoned by the
starship Phoenix, the human colony on the island of Mospheira has
learned to exist with the alien atevi who occupy the rest of the
planet. When the unexpected return of the Phoenix opens up the
possibility of space travel to the atevi, Bren Cameron, a human
trained in the art of atevi relations, is assigned to handle the
delicate negotiations between humans and aliens. Trouble arises,
however, from a third species whose presence may spark a three-sided
conflagration unless Cameron succeeds in his difficult task. Cherryh
continues to explore the rich culture portrayed in the Foreigner
trilogy with this first novel in a new series. Combining hard sf
with realistically complex characters, this blend of adventure and
intrigue in the far reaches of space belongs in most sf collections.
Copyright 1999 Cahners Business
Information.
From
Kirkus
Addition to Cherryh's
superior alien-contact series (Inheritor, 1996, etc.) about the
humanoid-alien ``atevi'' and the colony of castaway humans they've
graciously permitted not only to survive but flourish on their
planet. Atevi society, composed of jostling clans and factions and
prone to violence, is bound together by instinctive loyalty but
little else. A pro-human atevi faction, led by the powerful Tabini,
sponsors Bren Cameron as human translator/technical liaison and has
appointed two loyal atevi, Banichi and Jago, as Bren's bodyguards.
But the starship that originally brought the colonists has returned
from deep space with news of hostile aliens in the offing. So the
ship's representative, Jase Graham, is working with Bren in
releasing technology to the atevi and helping them build spaceships
in order to enlist them as allies. Certain atevi factions, however,
oppose all this. Another intriguing human/alien struggle: the tiny,
intricate plot wheels hum, even if the big picture changes hardly at
all.
CUSTOMER
REVIEWS - An Open Forum
Number of
Reviews: 2 Average Rating: 
A reviewer
(Pameryntom@aol.com), May 23, 2000,
A
masterful continuation of Bren Cameron's ever evolving and unique
job.
C. J. Cherryh once again outdoes herself. The characters
in this fourth Foreigner book are believeble and complex in
personality. Bren is unexpectedly draged from his very hard earned
vacation back home only to find himself on one of the first few
'shuttle' trip up to the now antique station. With no more than a
few hours notice he must arrange treaties that can help or hurt all
sides. The agreements come, but did they come too easily? Now the
main Captain is missing and Bren's own security wants him off the
station. I read the book in one 7 hour sitting and reread it 6 times
since. I am waiting impatiently for the next two books promised in
the series.
Also recommended: The Apocalypse Troll by David
Weber
A reviewer, an
avid scifi reader from Australia, December 27, 1999,
Another
truly satisfying read
What is there to say? Cherryh just
seems to get better and better. Here we are with the fourth in this
series and yet there is no disappointment either in plot or
character development. I truly admire anyone who can write and of
course anyone who can write consistently well just makes me
speechless. I think that in the character of Bren who, in the first
book is nothing more than an interpreter - a man whose only claim to
a place in history may be a small footnote in a dictionary read by
very few people - she has found a truly interesting person. Here we
are in book four with a man sent at short notice into space to
negotiate, out of contact with the aiji, on matters that will affect
both the humans and the atevi for a very long time. Cherryh totally
involves us in the alien civilisation with its totally different
point of view as well as letting us look at how humans change
according to their upbringing. I cannot recommend this book highly
enough - the only problem is that I had to go and reread the first
three in this series.
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