It's always hard to judge omnibi, and no less so when the first book is the concluding part in a trilogy whose other parts are included in another omnibus - The Chanur Saga - and the other book is a standalone, an elaboration on the universe.

Chanur's Homecoming
The previous book, The Kif strikes back, ends in a monumental cliffhanger, and Homecoming takes up the thread exactly where the last volume ended - not a breath wasted, and guaranteed not to let the reader waste any breaths either; CJC takes us on a roller-coaster through kifish politics, mahendo'sat politics, and, last but not least - hani politics, all against a backdrop of an imminent threat of war.

Cherryh uses this to show how differences in language and culture conspire to shape a general atmosphere of distrust and uncertainty, with some of the major characters not trusting each other even when they like or respect the other.
She also shows how cultural rifts can appear in our midst, with neither part realising what is going on and both acting to preserve what they perceive as in their interest.

This book is a worthy ending to this saga, even if it felt a bit cheap to have Pyanfar get out the way she did (no, I won't say anything, you have to read it yourself). If I'd rate this book on it's own I'd give it a 4½ stars.

Chanur's Legacy
What of the people living in the wake of a powerful and influential person? How do they deal with living in a not altogether unproblematic shadow of their famous relatives? And what about a young confused male, in a society entirely and historically consisting of women?

I wasn't entirely sure I'd like this book, and sometimes it felt a wee bit too predictable, not least because the 'troubled young adult male out of his depth' is a much revisited theme in Cherryh's writing. In the end I did enjoy reading it, though, and I finally have to agree that CJC writes some real good aliens - the stsho are here shown to be even more alien than the kif.

If I'd rate Legacy separately I'd probably give it a 3½ stars. While not one of the absolute best of CJC's books it was certainly worth the time it took reading it. ( )

I just finished re-reading this and The Chanur Saga. Chanur's Homecoming is the last book in a trilogy that includes the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th books of the Chanur story. Fair warning, it is not at all a stand-alone and must be read after The Chanur Saga (or The Kif Strike Back if you're reading them separately).

Chanur's Legacy is, however, much more of a stand-alone book. It tells the story of Pyanfar Chanur's niece after she leaves The Pride and how Hilfy learns to overcome resentment of her aunt's overwhelming success and to run her own ship and her own crew, while saving the Universe. ( )

I liked the Chanur saga: The Pride of Chanur, Chanur's Venture and The Kif Strike Back, but I absolutely loved the Chanur's Endgame - the omnibus finis of the saga, with Chanur's Homecoming completing Pynafur's tale, and Chanur's Legacy moving on to the story of the mature Hilfy as captain of her own ship.

I had doubts that I could enjoy HIlfy's story as much as Pyanfur's books, but it was everything I could have hoped for. I give both books in Chanur's Endgame a five star rating - and if it were possible, I'd give it a ten.

Pyanfur's finale was full of political double-cross, suspenseful action, and the extremely alien aliens that Cherryh does so well. Pyanfur played for the highest possible stakes in a game of cross-species brinkmanship that would result in the destruction of her home world and her entire species if she made one false move.

Hilfy's story was an amusing revelation of the shto', and has an ending I'll never forget. I love the humor and the intelligence that permeates C.J. Cherryh's writing. This Science Fiction fan says of the Chanur books: highly recommended. ( )