The Sword and Laser discussion

I will be interested how much of the greater world Cherryh has buildt is accessable to the first time readers. I have read her works in this universe extensively so I like all the small allusions to other stories and plot lines as well as how it fits in the larger story invovling the Earth based Company vs the off planet Alliance War.

Kris,

I suspect that those of us new to the universe will miss a lot. THis issue came up in some the Assasin's Apprentice threads and it's one reason that it's problematic to do a group read of the first book in a well known series... those of you who're read it have a different perspective and it can be hard to talk about some things that happen in the first book without spoiling later developments. ON the other hand, doing a read of something like Downbelow Station gets people like me to get off our metphorical asses and read a series we've heard about but never gotten to.

Alex wrote: "Where does Downbelow Station sit in this universe's published chronology?"

Almost the beginning -- the only books that are set earlier are Heavy Time and Hellburner.

Alex wrote: "Sorry, I mean the order in which they were published. I always try to read them that way because even if there are prequels, the experience is the same as if you were following along with each book..."

Sorry -- I see. In that case, I think the answer is "it depends". While some of her earlier works have tenuous connections -- The Faded Sun Trilogy and At the Edge of Space (Hanan Rebellion Omnibus) are set in the Alliance/Union universe but thousands of years down the timeline and in entirely different parts of the galaxy -- I'd say Serpent's Reach is probably the place to start; fortunately, it's the book that was published immediately before Downbelow Station. And it's also really, really good.

Also if you look at the universe based on separate series Downbelow Station is the first in the 7 book Company Wars series.

Here's what Cherryh herself has to say:

http://www.cherryh.com/www/univer.htm

(With the exception of Heavy Time and Hellburner, the Alliance/Union/Merchanter books more or less match in terms of publication order and internal chronology, except for Cyteen, which kind of overlaps with several of the others.)

Ack! It's a series? Oh, for crying out loud, there it is right on the cover. As if I didn't have enough unfinished series to worry about.

Rich wrote: "Ack! It's a series? Oh, for crying out loud, there it is right on the cover. As if I didn't have enough unfinished series to worry about."

It's not a series like the Dresden Files or the Malazan Books of the Fallen -- more like Heinlein's Future History or Larry Niven's Known Space books, where they all share a common background, and occasionally a character from one book will make an appearance in another book, but the books themselves are self-contained.

Rich wrote: "Ack! It's a series? Oh, for crying out loud, there it is right on the cover. As if I didn't have enough unfinished series to worry about."

Joseph is correct that the Alliance/Union books are more shared-history than a series. That being said, Finity's End is a direct sequel to this book albeit with a much smaller and personal scope.

Whew. Color me relieved.

Yeah, most of the books stand pretty much on their own. The books do build on each other, so you are more likely to get more out of the later books in the series if you've read the earlier ones.

Downbelow Station was my first Cherryh, and I, uh, would like to read more, but I'm not sure where to start. Am I going to regret picking Cyteen next? (I assume it's stand-alone enough that it won't be problematic?)

Karina wrote: "Downbelow Station was my first Cherryh, and I, uh, would like to read more, but I'm not sure where to start. Am I going to regret picking Cyteen next? (I assume it's stand-alone enough that it won'..."

I don't think you'll regret picking up Cyteen but I'd suggest looking at what are you interested in. If you want to learn more about Union then Cyteen is definitely what you want to pick up. If you are interested in learning what happens next go with Merchanter's Luck which is the next book in the Company Wars, they all stand alone but make more sense if read in order.

Cyteen is a great book, but it is a big book and like Downbelow Station it goes in a lot of different directions. If not for the setting it would also be more a mystery or a procedural. A very thought provoking book on many levels.

Rimrunner is a shorter, more straightforward book that follows the events after DBS. It's not an easy read in terms of content for some poeple, but the story is linear and pretty much straightforward (at least as much as you're likely to get from Ms. Cherryh).

Of course if you are a cat person go directly to Who can pass up Lionesses in space?