Sadly inconclusive, as a middle book must be, but "The Kif Strike Back" is pretty much the best-composed of the Chanur books so far: it goes somewhere and does something without losing the reader along the way. This is still mostly conniving-shooting-running by frustrated and frustrating characters, but there is more development at hand for major characters and clearer motivations for the various (and more numerous) sides involved. ( )

Una peligrosa partida de rescate para liberar a Hylfi y al humano Tully de las garras de los kif se convierte en un atrevido juego de política interestelar, en el que los aliados de hoy pueden convertirse en los enemigos de mañana. La lucha entre facciones de las diversas razas del Pacto y el peligro de la imprevisible intervención de los Knnn y de los tc'a, los misteriosos respiradores de metano, son los elementos centrales de esta nueva novela de la saga de Chanur.

I have to admit I'm bouncing hard off these. I don't want to bounce, either, especially since Cherryh writes some of the smartest ongoing SF series out there. I think it's mostly the Chanur and the weird aliens in this sociopolitical mess, the discordant dialogue, the whiny hume, and the fact that the payoff doesn't quite match the amount of work it obviously requires to follow the plot... not even mentioning the names.

Wow. I must sound like I hated this.

The reality is a bit stranger. I did like some of the payoffs and twists. I did like some of the intrigues and I appreciated even if I didn't go ga-ga over the fairly deep world-and-culture building when it came to the Chanur or any of the four main races.

In fact, if it had a slightly slower pace with a different hook, I would have probably luxuriated in getting to know all the players better. I've loved exactly that kind of tack from this author.

As it is here, it feels simultaneously thin and rushed even when a lot of thought was put into so many of the smaller elements. Since this is the second time I've attempted the read and I'm having exactly the same issues as the first time, I seriously think it's a personal issue. :)

Fortunately, I still love the majority of her works, so I'm just writing off this series as an "it's me, not you" kind of thing. :) ( )

The Kif strike back by CJ Cherryh. This continues on the story from Chanur’s Venture. The ship gains more unexpected crew members while Pynafar has to follow up on retrieving lost crew. The interactions between different races continues to be done well and very believable. ( )

(Review of all four books on Chanur's Homecoming) ( )