Chanur's Homecoming

Chanur, Book 4

By: C. J. Cherryh

Narrated by: Dina Pearlman

Length: 15 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's Summary

When those alien entities called "humans" sent their first exploration ship into Compact space, the traditional power alliances of the seven Compact races were catastrophically disrupted. And, giving shelter to Tully, the only surviving human, Pyanfar Chanur and her feline hani crew were pitched into the center of a galactic maelstrom, becoming key players in a power game which could cause an interstellar war, or bring the last hope for peace between eight barely compatible alien races.

©1987 C. J. Cherryh (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

A whirl of worlds.

This series is in many ways Cherryh's most accessible one. She takes on one species after another and makes them real as a dime. And comprehensible by their own lights. Without ever making them into humans with fur or feathers. It's a wonderful space opera, which I normally hate. But here, when the alliens are so alien and yet, somehow people you know, how can you resist?
Some whiny bits in the dialog. Listen to it and see what you think. It didn't ruin my enjoyment of the books.But you might feel differently.

Great book, Lots of action

just finished book 4. Now on to another and final book. I like the idea of a human being odd man out.

Wonderful!

I enjoyed the audio edition as much or more than when reading it decades ago.

Consistently good

What made the experience of listening to Chanur's Homecoming the most enjoyable?

I began reading the Chanur series and was spellbound and amazed how well it was done, especially considering the first book was written almost 40 years ago. I love the way you spent so much time living the stress and the decisions of the characters, and the depth and tangibility of the space travel

What other book might you compare Chanur's Homecoming to and why?

The expanse makes space travel feel as real, but was written more recently

What does Dina Pearlman bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Good question, perhaps the voice of a mature woman brings out the main chr better than it would have otherwise

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The very last moment of the book is quite moving

Any additional comments?

A truly excellent series. I feel bad-not-bad that it is truly a book and would not adapt to the screen, so should and must be enjoyed in its original format. It is a truly a book. The alien races, and the difficulty of any dealings between species is made very real. Space travel is given so much depth as to feel real, even viceral. One sees into the alien culture of the hani, retaining only enough distance to gain perspective. The fact that humankind have only become something to consider in the 3rd book, is an interesting use of identification.

One of my favorites

The Chanur books by C J Cherryh are ones I have read more than a few times. I thought I would enjoy listening to them, and indeed the stories are as interesting, the characters as well developed as I remember, but the narrator leaves much to be desired. She lacks preparation, her characterization voices are much the same for different characters within species or with stereotypical earthly accents for aliens, and she mispronounces words, most egregiously the name Skkukuk, which she turns into a confusing homonym with Sikkukkut, two different characters. I suggest listening to these books only after reading them because of this narrator’s performance.

The whole series is a great listen

If you could sum up Chanur's Homecoming in three words, what would they be?

Very satisfying conclusion.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Pyanfar, and sometimes her kif ally. The human is interesting, but you see him through hani eyes, which is a bit of a novelty.

What does Dina Pearlman bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I have read all the books several times and I still enjoyed the audiobooks immensely. If anything, this reading helps carry you through some of the more complex plot aspects at a suitable pace, and they make more sense this way, more say, than if you are plodding through by yourself, with interruptions. It was always the characters, the humour and the dialogue that got me involved and this is brought out well in the audio version. Cherryh is the only sci-fi author I've found who can do humour like this.

This series of audiobooks would be a very good way for a non-SF fan to try the genre, although it might leave them with unrealistic expectations :-)

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

The final scenes, with Pyanfar and the young male spacer.

Any additional comments?

I wonder how the author would describe the ship's communications tools if she were writing today? All we know about the timing of this story is that it is set in a distant future when humans are wondering the stars, so it's a bit of a pity their tech feels a bit 1980s. Still well worth reading or listening to though and it's a series you can keep coming back to. I wish Cherryh would write some more of them. And we are about ready for a movie as well.

love the books as well

The narrator brings the story to life and adds depth to an already excellent story and series

Best in the Series, but Unsatisfying Ending

I thought this was the most exciting book in the series. Pyanfar really shines as a heroic captain. I enjoyed learning more about Chur by reading some chapters from her perspective. Unfortunately, several of the key mysteries were not solved to my satisfaction. We never learned what the Knn's role in the whole affair was, which was a major issue even in book 1. Why was that Knn ship following them for 2 books, etc.? The human part was also woefully under-explained. The entire outcome of the conflict hinged on Tully saying to Pyanfar "don't trust the humans." Why? Because the compact might get dragged into their internal politics if they start trading with them? How is that tantamount to betrayal exactly? How is that different than the rest of the compact? And most importantly, their factional conflict doesn't effect the story at all. The humans don't effect the story much at all, despite their supposed power. Not 100% clear on the Mahen plan either. It is all so convoluted. Pyanfar becomes a "personage" and I want to yell at the screen "wtf is a personage, beyond my generic understanding that they are an important person? Why does this title mean anything to the Hanni?" I think in Cherryh's mind, everyone understands every nuance of her world perfectly without her having to explain it. A nudge or a hint here and there is enough. It's not enough! Frustratingly, a lot of time is spent on boring delirious stream of consciousness from Chur and even from Pyanfar. They are all on the verge of collapse from fatigue for 80% of the book. I found myself wishing they would get some sleep so the story could focus on something else. The next book is from Hilfi's perspective, and I will probably read it. Eventually.