Part of C.J. Cherryh's series about a lost colony of humans in an alien civilization, where human and atevi instincts make it impossible for the two species to live together without extensive training. And for once, the aliens are bigger than the humans. It's a stunning tour de force as Cherryh makes the atevi, the human characters, and eventually, space-capable humans believable. As usual, her world includes politics and economics as well as emotions and technology.

The series so far—two double trilogies and counting:
- Foreigner, Invader, Inheritor;
- Precursor, Defender, Explorer;
- Destroyer

Each of these books is about 460 pages.

See also:
- Compact Space series
- Faded Sun series
- Sword of Knowledge series
- Morgaine Saga series
- Rusalka series