title: Protector (Foreigner)
author:  C. J. Cherryh 
description: Praise for the<i>Foreigner</i>series:<br /><br />C.J. Cherryh's splendid<i>Foreigner</i>series remains<b>at the top of my must-keep-up reading list</b>after two decades." <i>Locus<br /></i><br />"This is the kind of anthropological SF of which<b>[Cherryh] is an acknowledged master.</b>" <i>Booklist<br /><br /></i>"<b>A seriously probing, thoughtful, intelligent piece of work</b>, with more insight in half a dozen pages than most authors manage in half a thousand." <i>Kirkus Reviews<br /></i><br />One of the best long-running SF series in existence...Cherryh<b>remains one of the most talented writers in the field</b>." <i>Publishers Weekly<br /></i><br />This is<b>one of the best science fiction series currently running</b>.by this point, the series has turned into a complicated set of thrillers involving political and factional turmoil, as well as a close and detailed examination of the troubled interactions between human and alien cultures. Strange Horizons<br /><br />"My favorite science fiction series is C. J. Cherryh's<i>Foreigner Universe</i>.<b>Cherryh deftly balances alien psychology and human vanities</b>in a character caught between being human and part of an alien race." <i>Denver Post<br /><br /></i>Cherryh plays her strongest suit in this exploration of human/alien contact, producing<b>an incisive study-in-contrast</b>of what it means to be human in a world where trust is nonexistent. <i>Library Journal<br /></i><br />"A large new novel from C.J. Cherryh is always welcome. When it marks her return to the anthropological SF in which she has made such a name, it is a double pleasure. The ensuing story is not short on action, but stronger (like much of Cherryh's work) on world-building, exotic aliens, and characterization.<b>Well up to Cherryh's usual high standard.</b>" <i>The Chicago</i><i>Sun-Times<br /><br /></i>[Cherryh] avoids any kind of slump with a<b>quick-moving and immediately engaging plotline</b>, and by balancing satisfying resolutions with plenty of promises and ominous portents that are sure to keep readers appetites whetted. <i>RT Reviews<br /></i><br />These are thinking mans reads with<b>rich characters and worlds and fascinating interactions</b>that stretch out over many generations. SFFWorld<br /><br />Cherryh's forte is her<b>handling of cross-cultural conflicts</b>, which she does by tying her narrative to those things her point-of-view character would know, think, and feel.SFRevu<br /><br />"The<i>Foreigner</i>series is about<b>as good as it gets</b>...so finely and densely wrought that you may end up dreaming of sable-skinned giants with gold eyes, and the silver spun delicacy of interstellar politics." SF Site
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  Foreigner 05] - Defender
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Foreigner [5]
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  C.J. Cherryh
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  Foreigner 05] - Defender
  
  
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  > CJ Cherryh [Foreigner 05]
  
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  DEFENDER
  
  Caroline J. Cherryh
  
  the fifth in the Foreigner sequence
  
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  Chapter 1
  
  Firelight went up to the red figures of an ancient frescoed vault, smoke-hazed
  from the braziers on either side of the black stone tomb. In the dark
  congregation, watchful eyes now and again caught the firelight and reflected
  it, gold fire brighter than the sheen of light off opulent brocade.
  
  It 