
When it marks her return to the anthropological SF in which she has made such a name, it is a double pleasure. Cherryh deftly balances alien psychology and human vanities in a character caught between being human and part of an alien race." - Denver Post "Cherryh plays her strongest suit in this exploration of human/alien contact, producing an incisive study-in-contrast of what it means to be human in a world where trust is nonexistent." - Library Journal "This is one of the best science fiction series currently this point, the series has turned into a complicated set of thrillers involving political and factional turmoil, as well as a close and detailed examination of the troubled interactions between human and alien cultures." -Strange Horizons "My favorite science fiction series is C. "One of the best long-running SF series in existence.Cherryh remains o ne of the most talented writers in the field." - Publishers Weekly "This is the kind of anthropological SF of which is an acknowledged master." - Booklist " A seriously probing, thoughtful, intelligent piece of work, with more insight in half a dozen pages than most authors manage in half a thousand." - Kirkus Reviews Cherryh's splendid Foreigner series remains at the top of my must-keep-up reading list after two decades." - Locus The Foreigner series sets the standard for sci-fi first contact sagas-a smart, probing, engaging sociopolitical narrative from an acknowledged master of the genre.


Two lives stand in the breach, two lives the aishidi'tat would not willingly risk-Ilisidi and Bren-and the Shadow Guild will spend anything and everything to take them out. But events are cascading down on the south, the Guild is stretched thin in the east, and the Shadow Guild is within striking distance of critical targets that could bring war to the entire south. Bren Cameron is tasked with getting Ilisidi, the aiji-dowager, back to the capital alive, on an urgent basis. Ready to hand is an age-old feud in the west, where the Master of Ashidama Bay has long hated the Edi people of the north shore and equally hated the Aishidi'tat for bringing the Edi to his shores-and hatred is a resource the Shadow Guild knows how to use to its advantage.

In the east, outright warfare has tied down the Assassins' Guild, and that region is in confusion.

Book Synopsis The 22nd book in the beloved Foreigner saga continues the adventures of diplomat Bren Cameron as he navigates the tenuous peace he has struck between human refugees and the alien atevi.
