C. J. Cherryh

Carolyn Janice Cherry
C. J. Cherryh at the 39th World Science Fiction Convention (Denvention Two), Denver, Colorado, 1981 C. J. Cherryh at the 39th World Science Fiction Convention (Denvention Two), Denver, Colorado, 1981
Born	September 1, 1942 St. Louis, Missouri
Pen name	C. J. Cherryh
Occupation	Novelist, short story author, essayist, high school teacher
Genre	Science fiction and Fantasy

C. J. Cherryh (born September 1, 1942) is the slightly modified working name of United States science fiction and fantasy author Carolyn Janice Cherry, the sister of artist David A. Cherry. She has written more than 60 books since the mid-1970s, including the Hugo Award winning novels Cyteen and Downbelow Station, both set in her Alliance-Union universe. She has also had an asteroid, 77185 Cherryh, named after her. Referring to this honor, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory writes of Cherryh: "She has challenged us to be worthy of the stars by imagining how mankind might grow to live among them."

Cherryh (pronounced "Cherry") appended a silent "h" to her real name because her first editor (Donald A. Wollheim) felt that "Cherry" sounded too much like a romance writer. Her initials of C.J. were used to disguise the fact that she was female (at the time almost all science fiction authors were male). Her middle name is pronounced [dʒəˈniːs], with the accent on the second syllable (and not the more common pronunciation [ˈdʒænɪs]).

Biography

Cherryh was born in 1942 in St. Louis, Missouri and raised primarily in Lawton, Oklahoma. She began writing stories at the age of ten when she became frustrated with the cancellation of her favorite TV show, Flash Gordon.

In 1964 she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Latin from the University of Oklahoma (Phi Beta Kappa), with academic specialisations in archaeology, mythology and the history of engineering. In 1965 she received a Master of Arts degree in classics from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, where she was a Woodrow Wilson fellow. After university, she taught Latin, classics, and ancient history in the Oklahoma City public school system.

Cherryh did not follow the professional path typical of science fiction writers at the time, which was to first publish short stories in science fiction and fantasy magazines and then progress to novels. In fact, Cherryh did not consider writing short stories until after she had several novels published.

Instead, Cherryh wrote novels in her spare time away from teaching and submitted these manuscripts directly for publication. Initially, she met with little success. In fact, she was forced to re-write several of her early works from scratch when various publishers lost her original manuscripts. (Cherryh often submitted her original and only copies to publishers during this period, lacking the money to pay for photocopying services).

Cherryh's breakthrough came in 1975 when Donald A. Wollheim purchased both manuscripts she had submitted to DAW Books, Gate of Ivrel and Brothers of Earth. The two novels were published in 1976, Gate of Ivrel preceding Brothers of Earth by several months (although she had completed and submitted Brothers of Earth first). The books won her immediate recognition and the John W. Campbell award in 1977 for Best New Writer of the Year.

Although not all of Cherryh's works have been published by DAW Books, during this early period she developed a strong relationship with the Wollheim family and their publishing company, frequently traveling to New York City and staying with the Wollheims in their Queens family home. Other companies that have published her novels include Baen Books, HarperCollins, Warner Books, and Random House (under its Del Rey Books imprint).

Cherryh published six additional novels in the late 1970s. In 1979, her short story "Cassandra" won the Best Short Story Hugo, and she quit teaching to write full-time. She has since won the Hugo Award for Best Novel twice, first for Downbelow Station in 1982 and then again for Cyteen in 1989.

In addition to developing her own fictional universes, Cherryh has contributed to several shared world anthologies, including Thieves World, Heroes in Hell, Elfquest, Witch World, Magic in Ithkar, and the Merovingen Nights series, which she edited. Her writing has encompassed a variety of science fiction and fantasy subgenres and includes a few short works of non-fiction.

Cherryh's books have been translated into the following languages: Czech, Dutch, French, German, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Latvian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Spanish and Swedish. She has also translated several published works of fiction into English.

A former resident of Oklahoma, Cherryh now lives near Spokane, Washington with science fiction/fantasy author and artist Jane Fancher. She enjoys traveling and regularly makes appearances at science fiction conventions.

Writing style

Cherryh uses a writing technique she has variously labeled "very tight limited third person", "intense third person", and "intense internal" voice. In this approach, the only things the writer narrates are those that the viewpoint character specifically notices or thinks about. If a starship captain arrives at a space station, for example, the narration may not mention important features of the station with which the captain is already familiar, even though these things might be of interest to the reader, because the captain doesn't notice them or think about them due to their familiarity. This technique can offer a similar experience to that of reading the viewpoint character's mind -- sometimes at great length -- and thus it can resemble stream of consciousness narrative.

Genre

Because of Cherryh's varied and prolific output, it is impossible to classify her writing as part of any single subgenre of science fiction and fantasy. She considers the two to be part of a unified whole, and opposes attempts to segregate writers and fans by increasingly specific subgenre definitions. Regarding this issue, she has written, "[I] don't like this specialization in which one side sniffs at the other as if they were some other species. No, no, no. We started out one creature. I don't care if 'they' have spots. We're still the same breed of cat."[1]

Nevertheless, she is often cited as an exemplar of various science fiction and fantasy subgenres, including the following:

• Space Opera (or "New" Space Opera), such as for the Foreigner novels and numerous works in the "Alliance-Union" universe
• Hard Science Fiction, such as Downbelow Station and Cyteen
• Military Science Fiction, such as the "Company Wars" novels and the Faded Sun Trilogy
• Science Fantasy, such as the Morgaine cycle
• Bangsian Fantasy, for her work on the Heroes in Hell series

Cherryh's fantasy corpus is particularly difficult to categorize. Certain works are unmistakably High Fantasy, such as the Ealdwood and Fortress series. In addition, Cherryh was extended membership in the Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America (SAGA) for her contributions to the Heroic Fantasy subgenre. Other works, however, feature a skepticism towards, or even a total absence of magic more consistent with the Low Fantasy subgenre, such as The Paladin. In fact, her "Russian" series, which is perhaps best described as Historical Fantasy, can be read as a cautionary tale regarding the dangers of magical power.

Her 1996 book Lois & Clark: A Superman Novel, was a tie-in to the Lois & Clark television series and serves as an example of the Superhero Fantasy subgenre, incorporating additional elements from Romantic Fantasy.

Cherryh has penned Sunfall, a collection of short stories in the Dying Earth subgenre, and her Merovingen Nights shared world series borrows heavily from the historic style of Sword and Planet fiction. Her 1981 book Wave Without a Shore is a Soft Science Fiction novel more concerned with philosophy than technology. Forge of Heaven (2004) adapts many of the tropes of postcyberpunk science fiction. Finally, Cherryh occasionally incorporates elements from Horror Fiction in her work, such as the novel Voyager in Night, the Finisterre books, and her "Russian" trilogy.

World building

Cherryh's works depict fictional worlds with great realism supported by her strong background in linguistics, history, archaeology, and psychology. In her introduction to Cherryh's first book, Andre Norton compared the work to Tolkien's: "Never since reading The Lord of the Rings have I been so caught up in any tale as I have been in Gate of Ivrel." Another reviewer commented, "Her blend of science and folklore gives the novels an intellectual depth comparable to Tolkien or Gene Wolfe"[2]. Cherryh creates believable alien cultures, species, and perspectives, causing the reader to reconsider basic assumptions about human nature. Her worlds have been praised as complex and realistic because she presents them through implication rather than explication.

Cherryh has described the process she uses to create alien societies for her fiction as being akin to asking a series of questions, and letting the answers to these questions dictate various parameters of the alien culture. In her view, "culture is how biology responds [to its environment] and makes its living conditions better."

Some of the issues she considers critical to consider in detailing an intelligent alien race include:[3]

• The physical environment in which the species lives
• The location and nature of the race's dwellings, including the spatial relationships between those dwellings
• The species' diet, method(s) of obtaining and consuming food, and cultural practices regarding the preparation of meals and eating (if any)
• Processes which the aliens use to share knowledge
• Customs and ideas regarding death, dying, the treatment of the race's dead, and the afterlife (if any)
• Metaphysical issues related to self-definition and the aliens' concept of the universe they inhabit

Major themes

Gender

The sociology of gender is an important theme in Cherryh's writing, but perhaps more subtly so than in that of some other female authors such as Marion Zimmer Bradley or Jean M. Auel. For example, over the course of her most overtly feminist series (the Morgaine cycle), a subservient male character gradually achieves equal status with his female counterpart. And in a side-plot to the Chanur novels, Cherryh again reverses gender stereotypes to show a male alien struggling to achieve respect within a strongly matriarchal society.

Cherryh's characters reveal both strengths and weaknesses regardless of their gender, although her female protagonists are portrayed as especially capable and determined. The stereotypical classic science fiction female (hand-wringing, scantily-clad, passive) is certainly nowhere to be found. Examples of strong-willed, competent leading females in her work include: Morgaine, Pyanfar Chanur, Raen a Sul Meth-maren (Serpent's Reach), Bet Yeager (Rimrunners), Arianne Emory I and II (Cyteen), Signy Mallory (Downbelow Station) and many others.

On the other hand, it is difficult to find an indecisive protagonist anywhere in her fiction, regardless of gender, the closest being Sandor "Sandy" Kreja in Merchanter's Luck. Cherryh's creations typically have a strong sense of their priorities and the trade-offs they are willing to make to achieve their goals. Even when they have conflicting loyalties, her characters don't behave randomly or inexplicably, but for reasons well-rooted in their personality, biology, and culture.

The Outsider and adaptation to the Other

Cherryh incorporates another recurring theme in many of her novels: that of the outsider finding his place. The outsider may be human or alien, male or female, the protagonist or a supporting character. He may be different from everyone else for cultural, biological, psychological or even magical reasons. In Cherryh's writing, whether the outsider's struggle to achieve a sense of belonging forms the main plot or a side-plot, the moment in which the puzzle pieces click into place for that character often generates a powerful dramatic effect. The primary character Tristen in the Fortress fantasy series is one such example.

More broadly, how individuals interact with the The Other is a central question in Cherryh's fiction. Sometimes she frames this question in terms of human-human relationships, sometimes in human-alien interactions, and in others among multiple groups of aliens and humans. Cherryh's most in-depth exploration of this theme is perhaps found in the Foreigner series of novels, in which the main character Bren Cameron plays the role of translator between several alien and human societies.

Specifically when handling human-alien encounters with the Other, Cherryh frequently employs the device of a human protagonist required by circumstances to adapt himself to alien cultures, viewpoints or behavioral norms. Bren Cameron is again a good example here, and others include Kurt Morgan (Brothers of Earth), Sten Duncan (the Faded Sun trilogy), Raen a Sul Meth-Maren, Tully (The Chanur novels), and Thorn (Cuckoo's Egg). Cherryh generates dramatic tension in such cases by presenting the protagonist's success or failure to adapt to alien society as having enormous consequences, often the potential for interstellar war.

In other books, Cherryh requires a group of humans or even an entire human culture to adapt themselves to the realities of alien society. Factions that work in favor of such adaptations are presented sympathetically; those who oppose accommodation and engagement are presented as antagonists. Examples of this device in Cherryh's fiction include Serpent's Reach, Hunter of Worlds, Forty Thousand in Gehenna, and the Gene Wars books. The novel Wave Without a Shore and the Merovingen Nights series go even further to describe special cases in which a human sub-culture has actually denied certain alien realities, failed to adapt to these truths, and suffered negative consequences.

Politics and philosophy

Given Cherryh's unfliching support for characters who attempt to constructively engage other socities and cultures, her writing can be characterized as strongly anti-isolationist. The realities she tends to construct in international relations (whether those "nations" are human or alien) are probably most consistent with neorealist thinking, although the prevalence of important non-state actors and low politics in her work suggests at least some postpositivist influence (in the international relations sense, not the philosophical sense).

The alien "Compact" of the Chanur novels, for example, provides a self-contained mini-universe for her to explore such issues, especially the balance of power within a decentralized and anarchic international structure. The formation, maintenance and disruption of the balance of power is a key theme in much of Cherryh's fiction, especially whether it is possible to achieve an equilibrium that enables peaceful relations when the potential for violence is always present. Indeed, the entire history of the central conflict in her Alliance-Union universe can be described as a very long-term process of working to attain such an equilibrium. Other works that explore this theme include the Foreigner novels, the Gene Wars books, the Fortress series, and Legions of Hell.

More broadly, Cherryh's writing is suffused with politics at all levels, from the highest realms of government to the bickering of crewmates on a starship. In terms of political authority, she tends to portray traditional authority (e.g. King Cefwyn of the Fortress series) and charismatic authority (e.g. Morgaine) in a more positive light than rational-legal authority. Arianne Emory (Cyteen) is a notable exception as she is primarily a rational-legal leader, but democratic institutions are relatively uncommon in Cherryh's fiction.

In addition, because Cherryh's protagonists are usually comfortable within established hierarchies of social class, and in fact often act forcefully to preserve such systems, the politics described in her writing are perhaps less egalitarian and more conservative (in the classic sense) than many science fiction authors.

Cherryh's heroes and heroines therefore often appear to serve functionalist agendas, in that they attempt to uphold existing social institutions and norms in the service of the greater good. In contrast, Cherryh's villans often personify social conflict theory in that they attempt to exploit, subvert or radically alter the predominant social order for selfish gain. Downbelow Station offers a clear example of this dichotomy, where administrator Damon Konstantin represents stability, tradition and the collective good, whereas his arch-nemesis Jon Lukas attempts a revolutionary power-grab that puts the entire station at risk.

The implied preference for maintaining the political status quo in her work has its limits, however, particularly if the established order has become corrupt or self-serving, or if it is failing to effectively deal with external challenges or internal threats. When the legitimacy of the existing order is compromised in such circumstances, Cherryh's favored political solution is to employ a charismatic leader who arises and either restores the traditional order or establishes new norms of governance. An example of the former type of character is that of Master Saukendar in the world of The Paladin as he restores the integrity of the Imperial dynasty, whereas Signy Mallory takes the latter route when she breaks from existing military order and helps form the new Alliance government in Downbelow Station.

Additionally, it would be a mistake to equate the preferred political solutions Cherryh describes in her novels with various aspects of contemporary American conservatism, such as its isolationist tendencies and especially its religious fundamentalism. For example, Cherryh rarely portrays religious characters sympathetically in her fiction, especially when their dogmas conflict with observed reality or drive them to oppose pragmatic approaches to problem-solving.

When combined with the disdain for superstition frequently expressed by her protagonists and an evident mistrust of magical power (even in many of her works of fantasy), Cherryh's fiction can therefore be said to endorse at least a moderately empiricist philosophy and a rationalist world view. Indeed, her 1981 novel Wave Without a Shore can be read as an explicit rejection of philosophical idealism.

Military themes

A number of Cherryh's novels focus on military protagonists and themes. The story of the Mri Wars, for example, as described in the Faded Sun trilogy, is told primarily from the point of view of Sten Duncan, a special forces soldier in the Alliance military. In addition, the Faded Sun novels highlight the warrior caste of the Mri race, detailing their weapons, military training methods and describing the Mri sense of military honor.

Other aliens of Cherryh's creation also feature special military orders or guilds, such as the Shonunin race's guild of "Hatani" warrior-philosopher-judges in Cuckoo's Egg. The professional Assassin's Guild of the Atevi species from the Foreigner books is also a quasi-military order, charged with gathering military intelligence and managing security in addition to their direct combat responsibilities.

In fact, the Atevi's code of loyalty to their superiors (military and otherwise) is more than simply professional; Cherryh makes it an integral aspect of their biology itself. The Atevi concept of loyalty is so ingrained that the race's language offers 14 different words for "betrayal." In direct contrast, members of the Kif race in the Chanur novels switch allegiances frequently and fluidly, often gaining in rank and power through disloyal behavior.

Military honor and fidelity are also central themes in Cherryh's Company Wars stories. The novels Heavy Time and Hellburner concern such issues as interservice rivalry, civilian support of the armed forces, and the bonding that occurs among soldiers in the same military unit. In Downbelow Station, the author further explores the issue of loyalty within the armed forces by portraying combatants from opposing sides of a war who must reconcile the conflicting dictates of their missions with their sense of honor, even to the point of contemplating treason.

Additional Cherryh books that feature soldiers as protagonists include Brothers of Earth (Kurt Morgan), The Paladin (Master Saukendar) and Rimrunners (Bet Yeager). Other Cherryh characters have names derived from those of military firearms: Bren, Sten, and Mondragon, for example, are all names of infantry weapons from the past 120 years.

Even when the lead character is not a soldier, Cherryh often uses warfare as an important plot element in her fiction. Graphic combat scenes occur in many of her novels, such as Forty Thousand in Gehenna, Legions of Hell, the Morgaine cycle, and Serpent's Reach.

In numerous works (such as Finity's End, Explorer and Destroyer), Cherryh delves into relationship dynamics within the chain of command between officers and regular crew. Other Cherryh books consider additional military topics: forced conscription (Merchanter's Luck); biological warfare (the Gene Wars novels); military hegemony (Hunter of Worlds); and medieval warfare (the Fortress series).

Works

For a complete bibliography of C. J. Cherryh's works, please see C. J. Cherryh bibliography.

C. J. Cherryh's career began with publication of her first books in 1976, Gate of Ivrel and Brothers of Earth. She has been prolific since that time, publishing over 60 novels, short-story compilations, with continuing production as her blog attests [4]. Ms. Cherryh has received the Hugo and Locus Awards for some of her novels.

Her novels are divided into various spheres, focusing mostly around the Alliance-Union universe, The Chanur Novels, the Foreigner Universe, and her fantasy novels.

The Cherryh Odyssey (Borgo Press, 2004); Cover art by David A. Cherry

Scholarship on Cherryh

• The Cherryh Odyssey (2004, ISBN 0809510707; ISBN 0809510715), edited by Edward Carmien, compiles a dozen essays by academic and professional voices discussing the literary life and career of Cherryh. A bibliography is included.
• The Jack Williamson Science Fiction Library at Eastern New Mexico University contains a collection of Cherryh's manuscripts and notes for scholarly research.[5]
• Military Command in Women's Science Fiction: C.J. Cherryh's Signy Mallory (2000) by Camille Bacon-Smith. Part 1:[6] , Part 2:[7]

Awards and honors

• John W. Campbell Memorial Award
  • Best New Writer
    • 1977 - Well of Shiuan
• Hugo Award
  • Best Short Story
    • 1979 - "Cassandra"
  • Best Novel
    • 1982 - Downbelow Station
    • 1989 - Cyteen
• Locus Award
  • Best Novel
    • 1988 - Cyteen
• New England Science Fiction Association
  • Edward E. Smith Memorial Award (The Skylark)
    • 1988 - C.J. Cherryh
• Oklahoma Book Award
  • Arrell Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award
    • 2005 - C.J. Cherryh
• Asteroid 77185 Cherryh, discovered March 20, 2001 and named in her honor.

Organizations

• Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America (SAGA) – member (granted for her "Morgaine" novels)
• National Space Society – seat on the Board of Advisors [8]
• Foundation for Endangered Languages – seat on the Board of Directors [9]

External links

• Official Site, run by the author
• C. J. Cherryh at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
• Shejidan, a fan site & active discussion board
• Meetpoint, a fan site
• Cherryhlist, a discussion mailing list
• Bibliography on SciFan
• Bibliography, with book covers on FantasticFiction
• WorldCon 1998 Guest of Honor appreciations by Jane S. Fancher, David Cherry, Lynn Abbey, and Joan Vinge
• "So, Who is this CJC?" by Jane Fancher
• "Baltimore, ah...Baltimore" by C. J. Cherryh for WorldCon 1998, Bucconeer WorldCon Progress Report Three, March 1998
• Review of C. J. Cherry's Fiction by Burton Raffel