** Wonder in Incomprehension **
- There was nothing in the laws of the universe that said Atevi had to have human attributes, or respond when humans tried to attach to them in human ways. *
One of the great disappointments about western Scifi as a genre is its inability to imagine beings or cultures different than the western context bubble we live in. This makes Foreigner a breath of fresh air, one in which differences between beings are confusing, unsettling, and omnipresent.
Remove a few foundational concepts from human emotion, and any interaction with another sentient being becomes fraught: * There wasn’t a clear word for like, it meant a preference for salad greens or iced drinks. Love was worse. *
Foreigner is a book of moments and ambiance, the claustrophobia of being trapped in a place where nothing is familiar and there is no instruction manual. Cherryh is sparse with details, so that key elements of politics on all sides are ambiguous. The plot revolves around assassination attempts and diplomacy, but runs at the pace of a melting glacier. I’m intrigued enough to continue the series, and enjoy more of the musty, old ambiance that’s still better than the McDonalds smell of typical scifi.
** 56th book of 2021 **