Well it's not finished yet!:-)

I'm dying to tell you short summary, but to avoid any spoilers,
I'll just tell you one thing:
IT'S GETTING BETTER !!!!!:-)

10 people found this helpful

Brilliant and Imaginative

STORY (sci-fi) - CJ Cherryh is an amazing author. The world she has created, the atevi characters, the languages, the political situations...I don't know where she comes up with all this stuff! Just think, there is one human (Bren Cameron) who is charged with translating and maintaining the peace between a human colony and the native atevi, who are large human-like creatures with black skin (see cover art). There are all kinds of differences and extremely tense situations which are great listening. The only complaint I have is that her stories are pretty complex with all the different players and their different motives. There are lots of strange names to keep straight. Several times I wanted to back up and rehear stuff but I was driving and couldn't. I think I would have enjoyed the book more if it were simpler or maybe if I were just smarter!

Things get critical in the end and there's quite a bit of action. The current crises are over by the end of the book so it's not a cliffhanger, but there's so much to come. I'm anxious for the space program to build the atevi's ship and get them into space. It looks as if a new, evil race may be watching...

PERFORMANCE - Mr. May has a very pleasant voice. He does a good job differentiating voices for the different main characters and an incredible job pronouncing all the strange names and places in this book.

OVERALL (actual rating 3.5) - This is a great story, but it's not an easy listen. There is only a little bit of sex and no bad language, but this is definitely not for dummies or young listeneres. It is sci-fi in that it deals with human/alien relations, but the problems are all political in nature. If you're looking for little green men with magical powers and cool weapons, you will be disappointed. Each book seems to provide a pretty good recap to get new listeners up to speed, but I would definitely listen to this series from the beginning in order.

2 people found this helpful

Strong conclusion to Sequence 1

This is the last book in Sequence 1 of the Inheritor/First Contact series. It's very much a continuation of the first book, but also sets up the plot for Sequence 2.

2 people found this helpful

OUTSTANDING

Any additional comments?

To describe anything gives things away - but the Dowager... she is so cool. There is so much to learn about human nature when you compare them to aliens and that is why science fiction is so powerful.

2 people found this helpful

Passive Aggressive Ultimate

Would you try another book from C. J. Cherryh and/or Daniel Thomas May?

Of course,

What did you like best about this story?

Obviously, the political drama and set-piece world-building is incredible.

Which scene was your favorite?

The ones without the constant "being tired" or passive-aggressive whining about how things are so "unfair."

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Inheritor?

See above.

Any additional comments?

An interesting series. In fact it is great in so many ways, including this alien world. She is a master of that. But I wonder if a 1970s plus female author's series can make sense with a MALE diplomat in this alien world in 2016?. She sets the world up wonderfully -- but this character feels --female. And not modern female -- 1955 female. These are older books --the narrator is great -- but the personalities can grate on your modern nerves. The nature of the main character, the relationships he has with the OTHER humans (sweet god that is NOT a typical male on male relationship -- and I am not talking a sexual nature -- just NOT male)) and the utter irritation that I am sure some of us feel when listening to that discourse.

I just wonder if it might be wrong.... Oddly enough --or maybe it figures -- her two female humans in the series so far are a shrew and a needy maniplulator.

Finally the protagonist is such a -- let's just say -- NOT tough (mildly putting it) (I recall the last book where the main character gets up late, takes a bath all morning, makes some phone calls, and then gets "tired beyond control" by evening. It makes me wonder if the author has ever had a JOB) (and I realize she is a Hugo award winner)

Without trying to sound like I do not enjoy these books (and yes, it is almost endless self-introspection narrative with brief bouts of action and world-building), I have to say I do. Sigh.

1 person found this helpful

Very good

What made the experience of listening to Inheritor the most enjoyable?

The building up of understanding between Ben Cameron and the dowager aji gets more interesting. Also the way he have a hand in building a space station is very interesting.

What does Daniel Thomas May bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Daniel May's narration is very good.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes. In fact I've listened to this book many times and I still enjoy it every time.

1 person found this helpful

Enjoy again

I have read or listened to this book several times. I pick up something different that I missed previously.

This is my favorite book from the series.

So boring!

The first three books in this series should be one book. Then it would be kind of a boring book. This guy finds a way to try to describe how aliens think 785 times in long slow boring detail. Then he goes on to explain how he feels about how they feel and how he wasn't sure how they felt and how they weren't sure how he felt and if what he said was right another 2586 times! (Numbers are rough guesstimates.) I don't think that all the things that actually happened in all three books would make one book if you took out all the times he talks about the differences between how men and aliens think. SO BORING!!!!

I'm getting a refund on all of these!

Excellent Narrarator of Book 3 in the Series!

Best of C.J Cherryh's stories of the only human allowed to interact with the atevi.

another great book in the series

a well written book which has a lot of implications for people that want to understand different cultures and how it's so easy to make assumptions about each other and how difficult it really is unless you've grown up as a first language in a culture to really understand that particular culture. it's another good performance I enjoyed it when you're older and your eyes are a little more tired it's nice to have an audiobook to listen to especially when the performance is well done.