Tripoint

I've always been a fan of 'hard' science fiction; this means different things, I suppose, to different people. To me it means an emphasis not necessarily on a currently realistic scenario--because let's face it, we aren't getting those Star Trek transporters any time soon--but on the set-up and development of a story in a society with an advanced technology.

And once you've set up the rules, you have to follow them. Gregory Benford's Ocean of Night series comes to mind, here. And not in a good way. His set-up in the first books of the series is fabulous, but by the end (Sailing Bright Eternity) Benford and his characters have wandered off into the 'esty' (S-T, the space-time continuum) where, as far as I could tell, anything can happen.

And when anything can happen, nothing is all that interesting.

But back to Cherryh-- One of her many strengths is that she sets up the rules of a society and its technology and then sticks to them. Her hard science novels--I'm thinking of Cyteen and Regenesis of course; also Downbelow Station, Tripoint, Merchanter's Luck, Rimrunners, Finity's End and the Pride of Chanur series--have a common underpinning of faster-than-light space travel. Faster-than-light involves 'jumps' (Cherryh's version of making time through hyperspace). Jumps aren't fun for humans, who need to be tranked down for the experience.

A new human culture has evolved--or the old culture has split into three: we have planet-dwelling humans, station-dwelling humans, and ship-dwelling humans. They don't necessarily think the same way or have the same goals.

And my favorite bit--ship dwelling humans can't imagine wanting to live on--of all things--a planet. Where there's . . . . dirt. Eeeuuww.

Now add strong characterizations--definitely another Cherryh strength--and you have a recipe for a good sci-fi novel. In Tripoint--my favorite, along with Rimrunner--we have an in-depth exploration of life aboard an FTL ship. I love the combinations here. Not only astronavigation--but also details of making sandwiches in a ship's galley. Not only Planck's equation--but the wonder of a ship-bound human seeing a real tree in a station greenhouse.

"If a leaf's fallen," the guide told them, "you can keep it."

The details are all there, and all true, along with the difficulties of a hot-headed young man--kidnapped!-- starting life over with his father and half-brother. Neither of whom he trusts worth a damn. It's a fantastic read. It ought to have been a blockbuster of a best-seller.