Cherryh, C.J.
SERPENT'S REACH
C.J. Cherryh
DAW 1980
PB 287 pages
ISBN # 0-87997-682-9
Want to be queen bee for a day? Cherryh's majat aliens are bigger than men, and
something akin to an ant or a bee without wings. They live in colonies in a
distant reach of space, in Cherryh's Union/Alliance Universe. Main character
Raen a Sul hant Meth-maren is "Kontrin, of the Family which ruled the Hydri
stars, which had won of majat the rights of settlement and trade, the serpent-emblemed
Family, which lived where other humans would not; she was Meth-maren,
hive-friend." The humans out there are different, they've found a way to
biologically mimic the social structure of a hive, a way that works for them.
When Raen's family is destroyed by the combined effort of two other families and another hive, she escapes into the depths of her own hive to a place where no human has been before. She meets the queen. And becomes THE Meth-maren, the only human with which blue hive will deal. Years pass and Raen's subtle political power grows. But the Kontrin Feud is still on. Meanwhile, Outsiders become curious; a curiosity that turns deadly for them. Raen does her best to save as many Outsiders as she can, as many of her own people as she can, but the entire social structure of the planets of the Reach is collapsing and it becomes all she can do just to stay alive.
If you like aliens, you'll find this book an interesting diversion.I recommend this book for anyone who likes Cherryh, &/or a science-fiction in the asteroid belt type story. This duology is engaging and satisfying.
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