Rider at the Gate - Hardcover

Cherryh, C. J.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 044651781X ISBN 13: 9780446517812

Publisher: Grand Central Pub, 1995

Synopsis

The Hugo Award-winning author of Tripoint returns with a story set in a beautiful new universe, but stranded colonists are threatened by the telepathic powers of all of the animals, and only their bond with the Nighthorses can save them.

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Reviews

In this perceptive and carefully crafted coming-of-age novel, humans share a remote and arduous world with telepathic fauna who communicate their instincts and desires to receptive colonists. Chief among the beasts that seek out companionship with humans are the nighthorses, who enter into a near-symbiotic relationship with their chosen partners, who become the riders and protectors of the world's isolated villages and the convoys needed to supply them. When Guil Stuart's lover, Aby Dale, is killed while guarding one such convoy, the rider sets out in a frenzy with his nighthorse, Burn, to avenge her death. While townsfolk urge that he be killed, three ostensible friends set out to find and help him, accompanied by novice rider Danny Fisher. A town boy sought out by the nighthorse Cloud, Danny was raised to fear and to hate communion with the beasts, which were reviled by the preachers, and was guided in his adjustment to rider life by the older, rider-bred Stuart. Also following Stuart into the wild is Ancel Harper, an old enemy with an obscure and dangerous grudge. Cherryh never overwhelms the narrative with exposition, skillfully unfolding her society of humans and aliens so that the reader gradually understands past events and present situations.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Yet another exceedingly well crafted book from an author who does not sacrifice quality while achieving quantity. The scene is a distant world on which humans work closely with nighthorses--that is, psychic and sometimes psychotic equines. The plot is a whodunit revolving around the death of a nighthorse rider that affects many other people. Cherryh unfolds it by looking into the minds of a series of characters, some of whom are either illiterate or incoherent in their thoughts, or both. This experimental technique gives the book great emotional impact, although at some cost in accessibility. Once we meet its challenges, however, we discover not only an absorbing story, but Cherryh's usual superb world building and deft characterization. Count on a large and eager readership, and stock accordingly. Roland Green

Edition details

• Publisher: Grand Central Pub
• Publication date: 1995
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 044651781X
• ISBN 13: 9780446517812
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 437