Convergence

Hooked on this entire series which has to be, given its number, breadth and quality of writing a milestone achievement in SF publishing. Ordered as a Xmas present to myself but it arrived early and i could not resist. This is another quieter “episode” in the central characters lives focussing on Bren and Cajerei almost exclusively and therefore some may find it less engaging.
However, Cherryh has maintained this series by doing this before, essentially setting the scene for what is to come. She has an anthropologists eye for this universe she has created and the series is all the better for the detail; geographical, cultural and psychological, she weaves about her characters and her two alien species. There are so many characters I want to know more about. Benichi and Jago have Shakespearian spear carrier roles in this one and I missed them. There must be immense stresses and strains going on in the space station, but Cherryh often uses very short time frames for her plots. Detailed as it is, it only covers a handful of days and is set only another handful of days from the end of the last novel. So I am hooked I want to know more. There is often a lot of detail about food and dining and the role food plays in Atevaei life. Cherryh serves up the story a course at a time. This book is I think the beginning of a new banquet and I have just finished the appetiser