it is a first contact story, sort of: humans are finally attempting to establish real diplomatic relations with the Hwarhath, a furred but otherwise essentially humanoid alien species. neither species has ever encountered another sentient alien before, and as a result both sides struggle to communicate and to grasp the nature and structure of each other’s societies and social worlds.

this is particularly challenging because Hwarhath gender is superficially similar to human gender but also functions dramatically differently in its social context: men and women exist in almost entirely separate social worlds, though men and women of the same lineage may interact, but with women in charge of the most important political decision; heterosexuality is considered an unnatural perversion (differentiating between sex and reproduction is considered a sign of meaningful intelligence); and homosexuality is the norm.

the perspective characters are Anna Perez, a biologist searching for intelligent life who finds herself caught up in the negotiations, and Nicholas Sanders, who has been living among the Hwarhath for twenty years after having been captured while on an espionage mission and who has largely integrated into Hwarhath society, including taking a (male) hwar lover.

it is, like Survivor, a novel about the complexities of gender, sexuality, and social hierarchy, and the possibility of communication between different systems of social organization; like the Chanur books, it is a novel about first contact that decenters or unsettles the human (though it has a tedious affection for Shakespeare); like Elemental Logic, it is a novel about trying desperately to prevent a genocidal war that would destroy both sides.

highly, highly recommend it. I need to read her other books now (and also now I want to go back to the other Chanur books).

moods: hopeful, reflective, tense

webring >:-]
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