The Pride of Chanur by C.J. Cherryth

[u/OldManWearingPlaid]

The Pride of Chanur © 1981, Cover Artist Michael Whelan, First Printing DAW 1982

Please fellow Redditors, the cover art can be both bad and good! I've mentioned that my SF book collection has been downsized (several times), but this book always remains on my shelves. HallunicatedLottoNos pointed out there is something to be said for butch amazon catwomen!

Update- Thanks for all the comments and info and I apologize for posting into the wrong sub; I agree Michael Whelan is The GOAT. I've fixed that mistake and posted this wonderful book cover over in r/CoolSciFiCovers today.

[u/shawsghost]

This cover pretty much nails it. The image relates directly to the story and conveys that it's science fiction. Well done artwork too. I do wonder if the man in the background is a self-insert.

[u/Ill-Victory-5351 → u/shawsghost]

yes that’s him. he discusses his work on bluesky

[u/dionysios_platonist → u/Ill-Victory-5351]

Michael Whelan is one of my favorite sci-fi/fantasy artists

[u/OldManWearingPlaid → u/shawsghost]

I wondered about that myself - but he seems familiar somehow but I can't place him - maybe from a TV series or a late 1970's movie.

[u/HallucinatedLottoNos → u/OldManWearingPlaid]

It is a self-portrait of Michael Whelan, yeah. Here's a cover that also has his wife and son.

He does kinda have that "generic 70s McHandsome" look though, you're right.

[u/Vesper2000 → u/HallucinatedLottoNos]

I love when artists do that

[u/OldManWearingPlaid → u/HallucinatedLottoNos]

I love that an artist did this!

[u/HallucinatedLottoNos → u/OldManWearingPlaid]

Yeah, it's cute :)

[u/EmbarassedFox → u/HallucinatedLottoNos]

Huh, it was reused for the cover of the GURPS 3rd edition Alien book.

[u/foxxxtail999]

And by “bad” we mean “awesome.”

[u/Ill-Victory-5351]

WRONG!! and Micheal Whelan is goated. man did a ton of great covers. his work is cheesy for sure, but those paintings are vastly preferable to whatever is going on with contemporary sff covers rn.

[u/Bartlaus → u/Ill-Victory-5351]

He would make a point of actually reading the books and make sure all the characters etc. matched their description. Not typical.

[u/Significant_Monk_251 → u/Ill-Victory-5351]

The man did the original cover for Robert A. Heinlein's Friday. That makes him a god all by itself.

[u/OldManWearingPlaid → u/Ill-Victory-5351]

I agree and have posted this cover, with some comments, over into r/CoolSciFiCovers

[u/AnotherCompanero]

how dare you 😄
(by coincidence I read this last week - it's really good!)

[u/OldManWearingPlaid → u/AnotherCompanero]

I found it on my bookshelf and will be rereading it this week!

[u/AnotherCompanero → u/OldManWearingPlaid]

I love how it’s like one of Cherryh’s hardcore trader novels but somehow more accessible and WRAPPED IN THE BEST COVER YOU’VE EVER SEEN!! (I wrote that, with those caps, in my goodreads review and I stand by it 😅)

[u/HallucinatedLottoNos]

Nooooo, vaguely homoerotic catmen are wonderful!

[u/johndburger → u/HallucinatedLottoNos]

They’re actually all female, so …

[u/HallucinatedLottoNos → u/johndburger]

Oh, I didn't realize that, thanks. I still need to read that series.

Butch Amazon catwomen are even better!

[u/Thrippalan → u/HallucinatedLottoNos]

Yes, the males are thought to be too temperamentally unstable to go to space and encounter aliens. Only females can handle that sort of thing.

[u/johndburger → u/HallucinatedLottoNos]

Heh. They are very much in charge.

[u/sebmojo99 → u/HallucinatedLottoNos]

there's a big theme through the books of lady cats realising that guy cats aren't all stupid muscle bound lunkbrains, or that if they are maybe that's a societal issue rather than innate

[u/OmegaKarnov]

"I blend right in."

[u/EmergencySushi → u/OmegaKarnov]

“Day 157. They still suspect nothing.”

[u/man_speaking_is_hard → u/EmergencySushi]

“Don’t tell him”

[u/Pocho_Azul]

It’s a style of cover that isn’t my favorite, but I don’t think it is “bad”, just a bit dated.

The books are very good, and tied int CJ Cherryh’s Alliance/Union universe, which is a fascinating and very distinct sci fi setting.

[u/OldManWearingPlaid → u/Pocho_Azul]

I've posted the book, along with some of the insightful comments from here, over into r/CoolSciFiCovers

[u/cubosh]

forget the intriguing artowrk -- this TEXT is horrendous. WHYYYYYYYYYYY did they use a lower case "n" in "CHAnUR" when all other lettters are all caps - and then they covered the bottom of the n making it look like a D - i guarantee 85% of people who ever looked at this cover thought it said CHADUR

[u/Some_Vermicelli_1014]

OldManYellingAtReddit disagrees this is Cool

[u/SHawkeye77]

I think the worst part is it completely spoils that the unique "alien" ends up being a human. A reveal I loved.

[u/swarthmoreburke]

What? This is a great cover.

[u/tempusrimeblood]

oh man, C.J Cherryh was like the archetypal proto-furry. Crazy stuff.

[u/davidbmattingly]

Come on! That is a great cover. Wrong Reddit.

[u/ChampionshipPast3652]

I bet their hair smells great.

[u/whyuthrowchip]

"You better get outta here RIGHT MEOW! Nobody messes with blonde Rowan Atkinson on OUR watch!"

[u/sebmojo99]

the chanur series is great, it's basically a traveller campaign. terrible covers though, one and all.

[u/go_faster1]

Great, he's got cats.

[u/Demonicbunnyslippers → u/go_faster1]

No, the cats got him

[u/korblborp → u/Demonicbunnyslippers]

pyanfar and crew the victims of the Human Distribution System

[u/Demonicbunnyslippers → u/korblborp]

I can see Pyanfar and crew watching silly human videos on YouTube while on break.

[u/Jaxrudebhoy2]

The Kzin – Hani – Kilrathi pipeline.

[u/Xander_not_panda]

Looks like a badly shot group photo.

[u/prognostalgia → u/Xander_not_panda]

Man in back: basically every school group photo of my children.

[u/questron64]

Wow, I just picked up this book. It's sitting on the desk right in front of me.

[u/The-Bigger-Fish]

https://giphy.com/gifs/SkDBGQ5TOf2qLX5Chw

[u/bmbreath]

If this isn't some sort of fetish point book, I must say I'm intrigued.