Regenesis by CJ CHerryh - reading_fox's review

Regenesis it's a sequel, and I sometimes find these hard to review. Is it clear enough how much it differs or relies on the preceeding book? I did quite enjoy it, and I'm also not sure how well I've conveyed this - without the review becoming too long?

Thoughts: Regenesis

After a 20 year wait we finally have the worthy successor to Cyteen, not quite there in terms of absolute intensity, but still a very fine novel with CJC at the top of her game. It picks up almost immediately from the end of Cyteen which should definitely be read beforehand. Cyteen covered over 30 years of elapsed time, but Regenesis is compressed into 9 short months.

The plot - as expected in a CJC novel - is complex with many twists and turns in the 700 pages. Young Ari at 18 is just coming into her powers, and beginning to investigate the actions of her guardians around her - aware that her predecessor's reputation has created personal feuds and policy based dissent. But this Ari isn't like her predecessor in many important ways - despite all of the programs efforts to ensure identity. Young Ari cares for the people around her, and is prepared to go to some efforts to ensure they are as safe and happy as can be arranged - providing they don't run counter to her own interests. Soon her tendrils of investigation run to the department head and Councillor for Science in the Union government. (A position she's likely to hold in the future). His actions aren't those that she would have taken, but in the interest of harmony she doesn't intervene, until she realises that Defence is interweaved with this arrangement, and several key seats are soon due for re-election determining the fate of the entire Union.

Meanwhile her nearest equivalent the Parental Replicate Justin and his companion Grant appreciate their being on the right side of the new Ari, and are determined that Justin's father Jorden won't mess up their new situation for them. Even though they do sympathise with his position. Unusually for CJC there is even a definitive and happy ending!

It's very long, and as always with a CJC book the start is quite slow - at least the first half of the book is little more than laying out how much (or little) has changed since the end of Cyteen. This also allows a careful reader to understand the politics of Cyteen and how their government works. It is perhaps less illuminating on the matter of the Azi, though this was fundamentally covered in Cyteen. Given that was over 20 years between the two books and CJC has written many others in-between she has done a remarkable job in keeping the atmosphere and style in Regenesis very similar to the original. Not just the characters and setting but the very tone of the writing still captures the original dynamic of Cyteen and the Union which is very unlike any of her other work.

It isn't however perfect. Some of the young Ari's key companions Horse for example barely get a mention, and many of her friends a little more than named bit parts. Which is unfortunate when they've been granted significant roles in the plot. Given the very prolonged build up the ending does come very suddenly, but this is true of many of CJCs books. I'm sure many people would prefer more action and less thinking - but the whole point of Ari is that she is a social scientist. Thinking is what she does.

Overall I greatly enjoyed this, I was fully immersed in the details of the world, and didn't want to surface to deal with Real Life. It needs several distraction free hours to properly keep all the details in perspective. But very worthwhile reading.

Overall I think it was pretty good. Some of the plot points were cryptic, but understandable since you don't want to give away too much of Cyteen for those of us who haven't read it yet (but plan to). I find it intriguing and I think I need to move Cyteen up my TBR pile.

I don't think the review was too long. It was just thorough. It never felt like you were wandering off on a tangent.

It was a little confusing, but that's because you are reviewing a sequel and I've not yet read Cyteen (though I've heard I must).

There were just a few grammatical changes I would suggest.

In the very first sentence: we finally have the worthy successor to Cyteen. I think 'the' should be 'a'. That might just be how I'm reading it though.

I do think that first sentence should end after 'Cyteen' with Not quite there being the beginning of a new sentence.

The next sentence It picks up almost immediately... I think you should replace 'It' with 'Regenesis, since at this point you haven't mentioned the book's title yet. I also think there should be a comma between 'Cyteen' and which should definitely be read beforehand.

In the next paragraph, the phrase her guardians around her reads funny. I think you should drop 'around her'.

In the second sentence of the second paragraph, I think 'programs' should have an apostrophe s.

I think the sentence (A position she's likely to hold in the future) should be combined with the one before it: Soon her tendrils of investigation run to the department head and Councillor for Science in the Union government (a position she's likely to hold in the future).

The first sentence of the third paragraph, I think there should be some commas or parenthesis in there: Meanwhile her nearest equivalent (the Parental Replicate Justin) and his companion Grant...

The second sentence Even though they do sympathise with his position doesn't feel like a complete one. You might want to break up the first sentence and then use part of it and the second fragment sentence to make a more complete second sentence.

Fourth sentence, fourth paragraph: Given that was over 20 years between the two books. That phrasing is off. Maybe Given that there was over 20 years between the two books?

Second sentence of the fifth paragraph. Again, I think it either needs commas or parenthesis around Horse for example barely get a mention.

Thanks both, changes made.