Protector by CJ Cherryh (Foreigner #14)

Protector by C.J. Cherryh

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Jacket Blurb:  It's coming up on Cajeiri's birthday. The boy has been promised he can have the young human children he knew from his voyage sent down from the space station for a two week stay.

But there's far a darker business going on in the background--a major split compromising the Assassins' Guild, which furnishes security and law enforcement to the whole continent.  Tabini's consort's own father has been barred from court, and may be involved in a new conspiracy against him.

For safety reasons, Tabini wants Bren and Ilisidi to take charge of Cajeiri, and protect him and his young guests. They themselves are very likely targets of whatever's going on, no question of it. So is Cajeiri. But having the targets separated and contained is an advantage.

It's Bren's responsibility to entertain the guests, keep the security problem secret...and let a lonely eight-year-old prince reestablish his controversial relationship with the only other children he's ever met...inside the best security they can manage.


Protector moves the plot forward from the previous installment with Cajeiri finally getting his felicitous nine birthday party with his associates from the space station. Unfortunately for Cajeiri, the Dowager is moving atevi around like they are her personal chess pieces, and what was supposed to be an unremarkable trip to Uncles manor, turns into the threat of assassination.

I have to say for this book, I found Cajeiri's story the more interesting plot line, which is a flip from the last several books. And I also have to admit, Cajeri didn't get quite as much page time in this book as in past books and what he did get, was rather limited to him worrying about Boji (his monkey) and his guests while trying to figure out what was going on.

But we knew what was going on because Bren, Jase, Tatisigi, Banichi, and the Dowager spent pages and pages discussing the issues and history that brought them to this current state of crisis.

Book 14 is the start of the next trilogy, but yet it had the feel of a transition book - a lot of politics happening, allegiances shifting, allegiances coming into question and a history of deceit going back nearly forty years. At first I found it interesting, then my attention began to wane as it felt certain ground was being rehashed as some small bit of information or action came to light.

I hate to admit it, but at this point I'm more interested in finding out how Cajeiri's birthday party is going to happen back at the Bujavid than I am in the conspiracy theory's happening elsewhere. I'm also interested in the continued association between Cajeiri and his station friends and how that is going to play out in the future.



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