C. J. Cherryh’s Alliance-Union Universe

Political intrigue, interpersonal conflict, the struggle of the individual against governments and corporations, alien cultures, and a touch of the mystical – this is C. J. Cherryh’s recipe for great science fiction. I’ve been reading the Alliance-Union novels since the first one, Downbelow Station, was published in 1981. They don’t have to be read in order, though I’d suggest starting with Downbelow Station.

Downbelow Station – Winner of the Hugo Award in 1982. After the colonies farthest away from Earth declare their independence (as the newly formed Union) and the Earth Company fleet is sent to bring them to heel, hostilities escalate and atrocities abound. This novel is set near the end of the Company Wars, and details the events leading to the formation of the Merchanter Alliance and its precarious balance between Earth and Union. The fate of the Earth Company fleet directly sets up some of the later books. The political intrigue is very sharp. And Signy Mallory is one of the best characters ever written in science fiction.

Cyteen – A huge novel set on Cyteen, the Union capital and home of Reseune, the research facility that makes it possible for Union to exist and compete with Earth (and its much larger population) using cloning technology. The head of Reseune, Ariane Emory, is found dead, and a rival researcher is held responsible. But Emory has already set in motion her plan to retain control of Reseune, which involves having her clone – a genetic duplicate – raised in circumstances that duplicate her own experiences in as much detail as possible. This novel is on my list of the top five books of all time. It won the Hugo Award in 1989.

Other novels set in the same universe include Merchanter’s Luck, Forty Thousand in Gehenna, Rimrunners, Tripoint, and Finity’s End. And Cherryh has written a new book with the working title Cyteen II, which I’m really looking forward to. There’s no information yet on Amazon, but it might not be wishful thinking to hope for a publication date of late 2008 …

Ian, Young Adults’ Services Librarian