Foreigner

I first read this book when I was a teenager, and it became my gold standard on how to write engaging, imaginative worlds and the unique histories, languages, and cultures that populate them.

More than the intricate space politics and incredibly innovative anthropology present in this massive series, however, I was most drawn to how the main character, Bren (a human diplomat trying to navigate his way through the court intrigue of an alien government) eventually finds a family unlike any other in his atevi bodyguards, Banichi and Jago. 

Bren also gathers a wide collection of allies and companions on… show more.

In my own life, I’ve tried several times to learn other languages, including Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, and Scottish Gaelic. It’s hard to adjust to a new language and the cultural knowledge behind it. Cherryh’s hero, Bren Cameron, is a translator and mediator between humanity and the Atevi, the race of aliens who inhabit the world Cameron’s ancestors were marooned on (I’m simplifying here; go with me!). He has to not only translate the language, but the very concepts, of two species with very different points of view. And he has to do all this while surviving multiple attempts on his… show more.