Downbelow Station

Author: C. J. Cherryh

The Campany Wars. Never forget. Space has been colonized not by governments, but by warring corporations who realize the economic possibilities. On top of that, there is an inhabited planet with a station orbiting it. That is the basis for the very fine novel Downbelow Station, and when you add in alien races, and political and interpersonal conflicts, it’s a phenomenal combination. Like most great science fiction novels, Downbelow Station manages to work within a set of concepts that deal with the effects of colonization and commercialization on both those being attacked, and those doing the attacking. These are a series of incredibly intricate conflicts that deal with many different kinds of power dynamics, which allows the exploration of individual character motivations and how they attach to so many parts of the world we live in. This is not a novel of foreign concepts, even though we encounter great grand ideas all along the way. Cherryh manages to create great big stories and ideas while never losing the idea that every space battle, every attack is effecting the lives of individuals, and in that lies both the triumph and heartbreak. Why it’s on the list A marvelous story, beautifully written, that won the Hugo, and quite deservedly so!

Books in The Company Wars Series (10)

Downbelow Station

Merchanter's Luck

Rimrunners

Heavy Time

Hellburner

Tripoint

Finity's End

Tripoint

Hellburner

Finity's End