Liz Bourke wades into CJC’s Alliance/Union universe

Here at tor.com, this post: Jumping Into C.J. Cherryh’s Alliance-Union Books

Always pretty neat to watch someone discover a series you yourself discovered a zillion years ago, especially if you’re a fan. She’s picked one of my absolute favorite novels of Cherryh’s: Cuckoo’s Egg.

Let’s see what Liz Bourke has to say about this: … oh, never mind, she showed the cover of Cuckoo’s Egg, but has not apparently read the book. Plus she is discussing Alliance Rising, which is a CJC collaboration with Jane Francher. I’ve never read it and don’t know that I’m interested.

It looks like the two Bourke actually tried are Merchanter’s Luck and — ready? — 40,000 in Gehenna. Quick show of hands: who would suggest 40,000 in Gehenna as a good intro to Cherryh’s work?

Anybody? 

Yeah, thought not. 

Places to start with CJC, if she’d asked me:

Cuckoo’s Egg

Chanur series

Cyteen

Fortress in the Eye of Time

How about you? Where would you suggest readers start with CJC? Assume they tried Downbelow Station and bounced moderately hard, as I gather Liz Bourke may have done. I have a lot of sympathy with that: not one of my favorites and also imo not one of CJC’s most approachable books, either.

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