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Title: Merchanter's Luck (The Company Wars Book 2)
Author: C.J. Cherryh
Published: New York: DAW, 1982
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 200
Total Page Count: 178,015
Text Number: 522
Read Because: continuing the series
Review: Sandor Kreja is in a strange position, sole owner of a spaceship but broke and running out of ways to cheat the system, when he encounters Allison Reilly, crewman of the prosperous Dublin Again, and decides to bet everything on the Dublin's next station stop. Merchanter's Luck is predicated on an infatuation at first sight which is never quite convincing; Sandor's pursuit of Allison feels foolish, and gives the book a slow start. It's also often a novel of reactions, despite Allison's active ambition, due to the timing of point of view switches and the machinations of the plot. But by the end, none of this matters: Cherryh's spaceships are convincing, intimidating places, her technology and politics both thought-provoking, but the story always comes back to the characters and, here, to themes of loss, uneasy new relationships, and defining, creating, and retaining identity. As the book picks up pace, it grows increasingly compelling; I don't love it as much as I love Downbelow Station, but it's entirely satisfying to read.
Author: C.J. Cherryh
Published: New York: DAW, 1982
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 200
Total Page Count: 178,015
Text Number: 522
Read Because: continuing the series
Review: Sandor Kreja is in a strange position, sole owner of a spaceship but broke and running out of ways to cheat the system, when he encounters Allison Reilly, crewman of the prosperous Dublin Again, and decides to bet everything on the Dublin's next station stop. Merchanter's Luck is predicated on an infatuation at first sight which is never quite convincing; Sandor's pursuit of Allison feels foolish, and gives the book a slow start. It's also often a novel of reactions, despite Allison's active ambition, due to the timing of point of view switches and the machinations of the plot. But by the end, none of this matters: Cherryh's spaceships are convincing, intimidating places, her technology and politics both thought-provoking, but the story always comes back to the characters and, here, to themes of loss, uneasy new relationships, and defining, creating, and retaining identity. As the book picks up pace, it grows increasingly compelling; I don't love it as much as I love Downbelow Station, but it's entirely satisfying to read.
