establishment of human-caliban relations, cultural development, and the planetary environment. Finally, the two cultures, one "masculine"-aggressive, the other more "feminine"-receptive, fight for dominance. A Union delegation arrives at the end, to be given short shrift by Elai, the female ruler who has emerged victorious. Characters The years refer to Gehenna years since the founding of the original colony. Union military personnel Colonel James A. Conn (d.3) – governor Captain Ada P. Beaumont (d.0) – lieutenant governor Union civilian personnel Marco X. Gutierrez (d.32) – biologist Non-citizen personnel Jin 458-9998 (d.58) – "A" class azi Pia 86-687 (d.46) – "A" class azi Cloudside settlement Elai (b.178, d.241) – ruler of the Cloud River towers Styxside settlement Jin 12 (b.170, d.205) – ruler of the Styx River towers Alliance personnel Dr. Elizabeth McGee (MaGee) (active 188–205+) – scientist studying the Cloudside settlement Dr. R. Genley (active 188–205, d.205) – scientist studying the Styxside settlement Connection to Cyteen The novel is set very firmly in the Alliance-Union universe, through the Union origin of the colony and the role of Alliance observers in the later stages. The failure of the colony is meant to cause headaches for the Alliance when Union cedes the region of space that includes Gehenna to its rival's sphere of influence. In Cherryh's novel Cyteen, the rediscovery of the Gehenna colony causes a major political scandal in Union; it is also revealed that specific traits were introduced into the genesets of the azi, without the knowledge of the Union military, in order to help them survive. Reception Dave Langford reviewed Forty Thousand in Gehenna for White Dwarf #75, and stated that "You feel there's been too much background information and not enough about what's happening now. An interesting read, but little is lost by skimming the first half." Reviews Review by Faren Miller (1983) in Locus, #271 August 1983 Review by Tom Easton (1983) in Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact, October 1983 Review by Diane K. Bauerle (1984) in Fantasy Review, November 1984 Review by Don D'Ammassa (1985) in Science Fiction Chronicle, #64 January 1985 Review [French] by Richard D. Nolane (1986) in Fiction, #371 Review by Martyn Taylor (1986) in Paperback Inferno, #59 Review by Hannu Hiilos (1986) in Foundation, #37 Autumn 1986 References External links C. J. Cherryh, Science Fiction, and the Soft Sciences Alliance/Union universe. Forty Thousand in Gehenna review. 1983 American novels 1983 science fiction novels Science