By: C. J. Cherryh
A novel with an intriguing premise (humans attempting to coexist with alien species, neither of which can seem to comprehend each other despite lack of language barrier and years of interaction), Foreigner possesses several flaws that prevented me from being truly impressed. The opening back-story chapters add nothing essential to the plot and about fifty pages to the book. Bren is not quite convincing as a highly skilled diplomat - several gaffes and a certain lack of poise and control, even considering the stress of an assassination attempt, make his position as best human diplomat available rather dubious. The novel starts slowly. But when the book begins to move forward, it does so with a vengeance, Bren finally becoming a compelling – and convincing – character. Strong ending (ignore the blatant cliff hanger) and interesting, original plot bodes well for the rest of the series, but fails to make this novel live up to its potential. (Fiction) 07/27/09
