The Pride of Chanur

Chanur, Book 1

By: C. J. Cherryh

Narrated by: Dina Pearlman

Length: 9 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

No one at Meetpoint Station had ever seen a creature like the Outsider. Naked-hided, blunt toothed and blunt-fingered, Tully was the sole surviving member of his company -- a communicative, spacefaring species hitherto unknown -- and he was a prisoner of his discoverer/captors the sadistic, treacherous kif, until his escape onto the hani ship The Pride of Chanur.

Little did he know when he threw himself upon the mercy of The Pride and her crew that he put the entire hani species in jeopardy and imperiled the peace of the Compact itself. For the information this fugitive held could be the ruin or glory of any of the species at Meetpoint Station.

©1982 C.J. Cherryh (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Easily one of the best SciFi series I have read.

A minimally-functional trading partnership of space-faring aliens, some intelligent and some who only MIGHT be--a mix of oxygen and methane breathers--all of whom have their own agenda, values and regard for law--finally meet another alien race. Humanity. Intensely political, this series defines what is human by displaying what is not. Great science, innovative uses of technologies that do not now exist, chase/action scenes galore; this series is the story of a crew of feline-like creatures who face great odds while performing their jobs, while still keeping their decency and morals and failing to hand a single male human over to a despicable violent race of other aliens despite the threats of personal and racial destruction. This series is easily one of the best SciFi series that I have read in more than 50 years of reading. Be ready to experience what you never even imagined could exist in Science Fiction.

Great book with a none human viewpoint

Where does The Pride of Chanur rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Years ago I fell in love with this series. Now as a audio book it has a new life, and that life is pure fun. The book is among my top ten of all time.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The captain of a trader that must make the basic choice of all beings - go along known path or step out and effect or change the people they care about.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

When humans find the rest of the life in space will there be friends?

Science fiction at its best

Perfect narration for this classic. Too many years since I enjoyed this story. I can't wait to download the next one

A fine story of species interacting!

I like the primary characters in this story being female Big Cats. The Kif are loathsome creatures, but still members of the compact. And will we ever understand the methane breathing people? I love all stories by C J Cherry, the pictures she draws in my head are INTERESTING.

Like seeing old friends after years absent.

If you could sum up The Pride of Chanur in three words, what would they be?

Best Series EVER.

What other book might you compare The Pride of Chanur to and why?

Minor Spoliers! Cherryh's Foreigner series has a lot similarities to Chanur - Lone human surrounded by strange aliens he only somewhat understands, although in Chanur you never are from the PoV of Tully and are very much so in Bren in the Foreigner series. Also the Lone human and Alien female romance, although it's not much delved into or explored in Chanur between HIlfy and Tully.

What about Dina Pearlman’s performance did you like?

Well...she was good...various voices and accents for the characters. Overall she was very good except in ONE glaring aspect that annoyed me every time she did it. The character voices are always delivered in the same way. For example, there's one crew member,Chur, who is badly hurt and during her recovery she's often noted as speaking in a whisper or other pained voice...but Pearlman reads it like they were just standing there with nothing wrong. Other than that she did an excellent job, I especially liked her portrayal of Jik and Goldtooth.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The aborted romance between Tully and HIlfy (In later books in the series)

Any additional comments?

Hard not to rave about this series. I've read the hardbacks at least 5 times over the years and I am thrilled Audible is going through the backlog of older series like this and putting them up. Like I said in the review title, it's like seeing old friends after being long absent..the kind of story that makes your heart ache when it's all over because you want so badly for the story to continue.

A great tale of SciFi Diplomacy

This is a tale of SciFi diplomacy. While it has action at time the push and pull of various factions is front and center. If you like those kinds of interactions in your scifi then you'll love this. Having said that the pace can lag a bit at times, but stick with it and you'll find it worth it.

Wonderful 9+ hours with "The Pride of Chanur!"

What Loved this stand-alone, also first of a series! Had no problem sticking w each chapter with the imaginative C. J. Cherryh, author, and the story-telling voice of Dina Pearlman, narrator, & audiobook The Pride of Chanur.
I had to pay close attention to many cultural
differences, many different names of aliens and individuals, and keep up with the storylines.
It is a Favorite!
I first read this in 1982 and recommend the series. For well-known science fiction plots and alien species C. J. Cherry is in the top authors category.

Wonderful

It’s a first contact from the other side! And well worth the listen or read! I would recommend this series and author to anyone looking for an amazing story with the power to keep you up well past bedtime!

Good Story

The pidgin English made hard for me to follow all the dialogue and names of characters. It is a very original storyline and worth the listening.

a great story

What made the experience of listening to The Pride of Chanur the most enjoyable?

Race interactions.

What did you like best about this story?

the way things are described.

Which scene was your favorite?

when the captain tells off the survivors that chose to travle with their foes

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Laughter is a universal language.