Foreigner Series Intro

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._J._Cherryh

C J Cherryh is a prodigious writer and has published more than 80 books in her time and is now 80 years old. I assure you that most of those books she wrote after her 20s so she has been pumping them out and every last one I have picked up has captivated me. She crafts aliens that are simultaneously more alien and more comprehensible than most other science fiction books. Her deepest look to date into the minds of aliens and a bit of a change of pace for her is the Foreigner series. Spanning a total of 21 books that all follow three book mini trilogy arcs, this series follows Bren Cameron, paidhi to the Ashiditat, as he navigates regional and clan politics among the alien atevi while staving off the anger and conservatism of his home island of Mospheira in order to keep the peace and increase the importance his role plays in the years to come.

My personal copy of one of the original printings of the first book, Foreigner, shows that it is 426 pages and has standard density printing for a mass market paperback so let’s assume 300 words per page. 300 x 426 = 73,800 words in the first book. 2,683,000 total words in the series with the next arc of the series to begin publication near the end of 2023. This is to say that the series is long, often dry and repetitive in places, and they drink SO MUCH TEA. However, if you want to dive in to the series there are a couple of concepts it would be good for you to know.

The atevi are the primary alien species in the series, no spoilers beyond that, and they are essentially 7 foot tall black skinned cat eyed humanoids. There are no particular anatomical differences that matter except that humans cannot eat alkaline foods while atevi thrive on it. There is the height and weight advantage that comes from being bigger but this hardly if ever comes up in a story that prioritizes political intrigue over straight up hand to hand combat. They have a strict politeness that means they do not show open emotion and have a respect for nature partly from personal experience and partly from this societal expectation. The planet itself is about the level of late 20th century tech with the majority of atevi still living in the equivalent of the beginning of the industrial age without all the pollution that came with rampant growth on Earth.

Major Characters and Factions

1. Illisidi – oldest of the ruling family, at one time regent to the Western Association and grandmother to the current aiji Tabini. She was raised in the Eastern Association and then married the then aiji of the Western Association. Known for her wit, merciless tactics, and reliability as a partner and supporter. She plays a pivotal role in many of the books despite her waning years.
2. Tabini – a younger man when the series starts, he is the ruler/aiji of the Western Association and forms a close bond with Bren Cameron through the series. He is definitely a man who cares about law, justice, and the betterment of the Western Association through technology
3. Bren Cameron – paidhi to the Western Association. He leads a bit of a double life at first going back and forth between Mospheira and the mainland where he is often roped into uncomfortable situations by his family and friends while trying to carefully release technology to the atevi. He is a man of his word without prejudice and with an insatiable curiosity while also being one of the only humans at the beginning of the series that can actually speak the atevi language where his predecessor literally only communicated in written letters after extensive review.
4. Banichi – a trusted operative of the higher echelons of the Assassin’s Guild who has close access to the rulers of the Western Association. Trusted companion and ice cold intellect.
5. Jago – Daughter of Banichi and talented Assassin Guild member she works with her father to protect Bren. She later becomes important in other ways to Bren. Sometimes brash but also takes every crisis with stride.
6. Assassin Guild – the defacto bodyguards, spies, policeman, and lawyers for atevi society. Their practices are secret and their leadership is also hidden from public eyes. Every important person is expected to have at least some Assassin Guild members on staff and this allows them a wide network of information gathering but it becomes apparent that the guild is not an organization without its flaws.
7. Western Association – The nation or large association of clans that the humans have an official agreement with to release technology and scientific information and where Bren as paidhi spends the majority of his time.
8. Eastern Association – over the mountains that separate the one and only continent on the planet lies the Eastern Association which is more distrustful of humans
9. Mospheira – The home of the human colonists off the coast of the Western Association. Several clans used to live here and have been displaced and disempowered over the years. It is a cause for great consternation on both sides of the strait separating the two nations and peoples.
10. Heritage Party – conservative politicians on Mospheira and their supporters among the populace who distrust Atevi and want to build weapons of war. They come up several times throughout the story as the primary reason for a political difficulty or they act as an annoyance that is not ascendant in the polls during that particular trilogy of books.

The language

Despite the fact that both species have some catlike features and stand about 8 feet tall there is simply no comparing atevi language to Na’vi from the Avatar films. There is no way to properly speak the language but there are several phrases that get used repeatedly throughout the series and often with more nuance than the average reader can immediately glean.

1. Baji-naji – Fortune and chance. This is part religious maxim and part word of caution. It ties into how they view numbers and the world as being bound by those numbers
2. Aiji – Lord of a central association. Something like a king but it’s not necessarily hereditary and different places have different requirements
3. Association – The only English word on this list because it pops up everywhere. It refers to an atevi’s close relatives and what we might call friends but you never should because that is what started a war between atevi and humans. It also refers to larger organizations like Guilds and even nations but it does not ever seem to refer to the myriad Family houses that are more like aristocratic alliances that mirror some noble families but only loosely.
4. Ashiditat – It is spelled variously throughout the book but it is the Western Association which is where the books mostly take place. To the East is the Eastern Association which they travel to from time to time but not consistently.
5. Hadraswad – The lower house of the Western Association’s legislature
6. Tashrid – The upper house of the Western Association’s legislature
7. Kabiu – in line with the numbers of tradition and practicality. Usually is meant in a very ritualistic way pertaining to tea rituals, the arrangement of flowers, and furniture like Chinese Feng Shui. It is very important to the ruling class and still has bearing on the populace as well.
8. Machimi – a play, the dominant form of entertainment. Often has to do with betrayal, a rapid shift in man’chi from one group or person to another, and the political dealings that the series itself often portrays.
9. Man’chi – a feeling of devotion, loyalty, and protectiveness. It is the primary social driver among atevi and is treated with respect but a transformation in man’chi without notifying those around you or changing your life to reflect this emotional shift is considered foolhardy at best and traitorous at worst. It cannot be stressed enough that Man’chi is not friendship or love and cannot be predicted in the same way, nor are Atevi known for being particularly expressive so it is hard to gauge their emotions.
10. Nadi – It’s like saying hello to someone, recognizing that they are a person in your presence but it is not the equivalent of hello.
11. Nand, nandi – An honorific, like saying sir or madame
12. Paidhi – the main character’s well earned title. It is a governmental position that the humans on the Mospheiran island were able to negotiate for their safety. The paidhi is to constantly listen to the atevi language, the most dominant form being Ragi, which is based inherently on numbers for everything. How many people in a room determines how you should conjugate certain verbs and often changes how you address a room. The paidhi uses their small but ever increasing knowledge to act as a general negotiator and troubleshooter but governments and individuals alike. The paidhi is recognized by their almost exclusive use of the color white in their wardrobe.
13. Ragi – A clan association, an atevi dialect, as well as the dominant culture type among the Ashiditat. The Aiji of the Ashiditat is descended from Ragi and Eastern Association clans
14. Shejidan – the capital of the Ashiditat. Contains the central guildhouses, residents of important and rich people, and the Main chamber where the Tashrid and the Hasdrawad meet for legislative sessions. This is similar to the two Houses of British Parliament.
15. -ji – ending sound to indicate man
16. -ma – ending sound to indicate woman (sidenote – aiji is always male sound even though technically a woman can become aiji it’s just not usual.)

I will be expanding on this base with later blog posts to dig in to how alien Cherryh’s creations really are through the lens of their emotional driver man’chi. I will also potentially write posts specifically about the Assassin Guild, the parliament, and maybe a character analysis or two. If something jumps out at you about the series that would be worth investigating let me know.