50 Must-Read 50 Beta
← The Must-Read 50
Cover of The Pride of Chanur by C. J. CherryhThe Pride of Chanur
Classic · Fiction, Adventure, Science Fiction

The Pride of Chanur

by C. J. Cherryh
1981 · 224 pages · Fiction
59.8Must-Read
Score Classic
Critics' pick
≈ 6 hours to read · about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day

What it's about

Pyanfar Chanur, the lion-like captain of a merchant spaceship crewed by her alien species, the hani, takes in a strange creature who escapes from another ship's captivity: a human, a species nobody has seen before. Protecting him drags her ship and her clan into a dangerous conflict among the galaxy's alien races.

Why it's worth reading

It was a Hugo finalist. It's a fun, inventive space adventure.

You'll love it if you liked

Cover of Downbelow Station by C. J. CherryhDownbelow Station
Downbelow StationC. J. Cherryh
Cover of Cyteen by C. J. CherryhCyteen
CyteenC. J. Cherryh
Cover of A Memory Called Empire by Arkady MartineA Memory Called Empire
A Memory Called EmpireArkady Martine

Good to know

It's the first of a series.

By the numbers

59.8Must-Read Score
  • Readers35 out of 100 · counts 42%
  • Critics25 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
  • Bestseller9 out of 100 · counts 14%
  • Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%

Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.

Where it ranks

Why it made the list

Shortlisted
Hugo Award finalist (1983)

Reads as

Adventurous

How we rank

Already read it? Upload your Goodreads or StoryGraph history and get the 50 best books you haven't read, tuned to your taste.Get my 50

More by C. J. Cherryh

Cover of Cyteen by C. J. CherryhCyteen
CyteenC. J. Cherryh
Cover of Downbelow Station by C. J. CherryhDownbelow Station
Downbelow StationC. J. Cherryh

If you like this, read next

Cover of The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. TolkienThe Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the RingsJ. R. R. Tolkien
Cover of Hyperion by Dan SimmonsHyperion
HyperionDan Simmons
Cover of The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le GuinThe Dispossessed
The DispossessedUrsula K. Le Guin
Cover of Foundation by Isaac AsimovFoundation
FoundationIsaac Asimov
Cover of Ficciones by Jorge Luis BorgesFicciones
FiccionesJorge Luis Borges
Cover of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas AdamsThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the GalaxyDouglas Adams

Explore the best-of lists

All 36 best-of lists →
Science fiction booksTop 25 · 313 rankedClassic booksTop 25 · 762 rankedBooks of the 1980sTop 25 · 202 rankedFantasy booksTop 25 · 459 rankedMysteries and thrillersTop 25 · 555 rankedLiterary novelsTop 25 · 309 rankedMemoirs and biographiesTop 25 · 290 rankedRomancesTop 25 · 233 ranked

Quick answers

Is The Pride of Chanur worth reading?

Yes. It was a Hugo finalist. It ranks #2,392 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 59.8 (the best book we found scores 99).

What is The Pride of Chanur about?

Pyanfar Chanur, the lion-like captain of a merchant spaceship crewed by her alien species, the hani, takes in a strange creature who escapes from another ship's captivity: a human, a species nobody has seen before. Protecting him drags her ship and her clan into a dangerous conflict among the galaxy's alien races.

How long does it take to read The Pride of Chanur?

About 6 hours (224 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.

What should I read after The Pride of Chanur?

If you liked it, try Downbelow Station by C. J. Cherryh, Cyteen by C. J. Cherryh or A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine.