Divergence by C.J. Cherryh
Cover art by Todd Lockwood
Published by DAW Books
Reviewed by Leigh Kimmel
In the previous volume of this long-running series, the dowager Ilisidi borrowed Bren Cameron, the paidhi (long translated "interpreter," but more on the order of a middleman or go-between) of humanity to the atevi, to help resolve a situation in the mountains that divide the traditionalist East from the innovative West of the mega-continent that is the principal land mass of the earth of the atevi. She wanted to bring yet another group of clans more firmly into the Western Association (the main government of the atevi) as part of her long-term plan to bring all atevi together under the aijinate. After lengthy political maneuverings, the novel ended with a literal bang: the explosion of a transformer that knocked out power to much of the mountain town in which they were staying.
Given that they'd already dealt with a member of the Assassin's Guild whose partner had been held hostage by the infamous Shadow Guild, the splinter faction that had been created by an old man who'd had ambitions far beyond what he could legitimately gain, and who had manipulated things in a manner reminiscent of a spider in a web, they had reasons to be concerned about this unexpected development. Just side was this Guild member on? Or more correctly in atevi terms, to whom did his man'chi belong?
And then a train comes roaring through, unheralded and unexpected. Given the tradition of treachery in atevi culture, especially in the wake of the destruction of the transformer, this could be a very grave development indeed. It doesn't slow down, even as it approaches the steepest and most dangerous grade on the planet, one which has regularly derailed trains going too fast, causing deaths, life-changing injuries, and massive property damage. In its wake it leaves one huge question: who sent it, and why?
With multiple factions in play, including one or more surviving splinter factions of the Shadow Guild, and several of those factions being of very uncertain man'chi, that question represents an enormous peril. For all Bren or the dowager and their respective staffs and bodyguard units know, this train could well have been sent on a suicide mission to create a wreck that will render that railroad line impassable, and thus laying the groundwork for an ambush on anyone who tries to withdraw in the other direction.
In the mountains, Bren and the dowager Ilisidi determine that their efforts here have reached a point where nothing more can be done, and they must descend into the troubled Marid. However, when a frightened young heiress leaves her family's quarters and seeks comfort with the young heir-presumptive of another clan, she creates a situation that could become a major scandal. Although the atevi may have a surprising degree of equality between the sexes in many areas (women can inherit clan lordships, and receive the same title as their male counterparts, and there are women in the Assassins' Guild, working right along their male counterparts), the atevi are still a very prim people who deeply value propriety. And given the importance of bloodlines in inheritance, creating a situation in which the paternity of a child could be uncertain is a very serious issue, particularly among the children of clan lords, in which marriage is something carefully contracted to give the child the proper balance of man'chi that will result in the proper fortunate number of protective alliances.
Although the incident does not result in anything ugly, it's still a shadow hanging over them as they enter the Marid, and particularly the contested capital of one of the most troublesome clan lords. Soon Bren is in the midst of a battle, as the Assassins' Guild put the city under the atevi version of martial laws, which seems like an extreme version of the lockdowns for the COVID-19 pandemic -- which raises the question of exactly when Ms Cherryh wrote this novel. Given traditional publishing's long, slow production process, it could be possible that she wrote it in 2019 and the similarity is a coincidence (or a case of art prefiguring life, which is known to happen -- often creatives seem to have a connection to something akin to Ed Mitchell's idea of the quantum hologram, something that somehow transcends linear time).
Just when it starts looking as if things are close to being resolved, everything gets upended. Remember that flighty young heiress who'd gone running about in the aftermath of the transformer explosion and the appearance of the unexpected train? Now she's kidnapped by parties unknown, and the responses of several people raise questions about their man'chi. Just to make things even worse, the dowager is sleeping and is not to be disturbed, so not only can she not be called upon to lend her perceptive mind to the problem, there's also the question of whether she might be ill, perhaps even the victim of some mischance. She is elderly, and has been involved in a considerable amount of exertion for one of her advanced years.
As it turns out, the young heiress is rescued with the assistance of the candidate for the ever-troublesome clan of Ajuri. In his long exile and consequent peregrinations, he formed a number of connections, including a rather shady merchant in this city. Quite honestly, the man feels very much like an atevi version of Tony Soprano -- but he delivers the goods, and as a reward is offered an amnesty for all crimes he may have committed. However, it has a peculiarly atevi twist -- it is contingent on his effectively making a full confession of all the crimes for which he wishes amnesty, so now the Assassins' Guild not only has him on their radar, but also knows what types of criminal activity he is apt to return to as soon as he thinks the heat is off.
As all this is going on, there's a second, parallel storyline in Shejidan, where young Cajeiri is struggling with the conflict of being safe while his great-grandmother and Bren are both in danger. Cajeiri is hearing a number of deeply disturbing rumors, some of them through Guild channels that he's technically not supposed to have access to -- which means that any mention of that information could reveal his unauthorized access and endanger his sources. Yet again we see that he is learning discretion as he carefully approaches his security detail, raising his concerns in ways that make it clear he is able to handle the information responsibly, that he understands it is not enough just to avoid talking about sensitive subjects, but must also be careful that no information leaks through his reactions -- or his failure to react as expected because the news isn't a surprise.
Once he has learned what they can reveal to him, Cajeri takes a carefully calculated step and pays a formal visit on his great-uncle, Lord Tatiseigi of the Ategeini. There he carefully broaches several very sensitive subjects relating to the current situation. As we see the young gentleman's political savvy and remember that he is all of nine years old, it really brings home how different atevi are in their development -- because atevi are so fiercely private about family matters, we really don't know all that much about the rate at which atevi children develop to maturity, and how the ages at which they reach various developmental milestones compares to human development.
However, Cajeiri's role in this novel is relatively minor, almost a side note -- except that we know that it is apt to be foundational to other volumes coming along in the future. And it's interesting that there is almost nothing mentioned about events on Mospheria or his concern about his human associates who are supposed to be settling in there, and when he can once again visit them, or even contact them.
Given that events in the Marid seem to have reached a reasonably successful conclusion but the configuration of the Red Train in the epilog suggests that the Guild is anticipating further trouble, we can be fairly confident that we'll be treated to more Interesting Times among feuding atevi clans before we return to the more human problems of how to integrate the refugees from Reunion Station among the people of Mospheria, a people who have deep-seated resentments toward them.
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Review finished September 5, 2021
