Chanur's Homecoming

Chanur, Book 4

By: C. J. Cherryh

Narrated by: Dina Pearlman

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.

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.

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.

Good Stuff

The inter species politics really held my interest. The ending did feel a little rushed.

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.

Wonderful

This series is a fantastic look at politics and fear. Rather pointed today as it was when it was written. There’s so many things you need to understand before you can understand others. Something our world should remember when trying to assign motivation to others.

A gripping story that keeps you at the edge of your seat. I would recommend it everyone

Another marvelous book from C J Cherryh!

As always, C. J Cherryh draws us into a most believable universe. A wonderful ending o a great series.
Dina is a fabulous narrator, reading Kifish and Mohendo words as if born to them.

Nothing not to like

There is nothing not to like in this concluding volume of the Chanur (Pyanfur) volumes.

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.

Wonderful!

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

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.