Emergence (Foreigner, #19)

by C. J. Cherryh

The nineteenth book in the beloved Foreigner space opera series begins a new era for human diplomat Bren Cameron, as he navigates the tenuous peace between human refugees and the alien atevi . Alpha Station, orbiting the world of the alien atevi , has taken aboard five thousand human refugees from a destroyed station in a distant sector of space. With supplies and housing stretched to the breaking point, it is clear that the refugees must be relocated down to the planet, and soon. But not to the atevi mainland: rather to the territory reserved for humans, the island of Mospheira. Tabini-aiji, the powerful political head of the atevi , tasks his brilliant human diplomat, Bren Cameron, to negotiate with the Mospheiran government. For the Alpha Station refugees represent a political faction that the people of Mospheira broke from two centuries ago, and these Mospheirans are not enthusiastic about welcoming these immigrants from space.

• ISBN10: 0756414148
• ISBN13: 9780756414146
• Publish Date: 2 January 2018
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Imprint: Daw Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 336
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Emergence is the 19th book in the Foreigner series by master SF/fantasy author C. J. Cherryh. Published 2 Jan, 2018 by DAW books it's 336 pages and available in ebook, hard- and soft-cover, and audiobook formats.

There are a huge number of fandoms in the speculative fiction genre. Think about meeting someone who is really into Star Trek or Babylon 5 or even Game of Thrones (the book fans, not necessarily fans of the TV show). Sometimes it's hard to decipher exactly what they're talking about, but their enthusiasm is obvious. This series is grand space opera and is sort of like an episode of a long running series. For fans of Foreigner, it's an eagerly anticipated addition to a much loved universe. As such, for readers new to this author, there's a learning curve involved. The effort to do a little background research or keep a handy guide available is well rewarded because this is a worthwhile, engaging, and immersive book (and series).

There are a lot of really good reviewer précises of this book, so I'll just add that this entry does move the narrative along in a lot of ways and it was great to see the development of the characters, especially Cajeiri.

This series is huge and overarching and complex. There's a rich abundance of detail along with a great deal of subtlety and wry political commentary. It's a very cultured book (and by that I mean refined and structured and not raw or strident).

I really enjoyed this book (and the series) and recommend it highly to readers who are prepared to put in the effort.

Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.