Shejidan / Healthy, happy, and stepping away. A sad day.

**Posted by Aja Jin** 4/25/2026 12:34 pm

From CJ on Facebook:

Dear readers and friends. The unhappy fact is---the numerous bouts of anaesthetic I've had have made it pretty well impossible for me to write. I drop stitches. Not many. No problems with daily life or doing creative stuff or enjoying life in general. But the ability to control narrative is just not what it was, and it's just not going to be there. I've accepted that, painful as it is. I thank all of you who've stood by me patiently. The body of work is what it is, and I am lastingly grateful to my publisher, Betsy Wollheim, who has given me every extension of time and resource. And of course to Jane, who is all things.

Last edited by Aja Jin (4/25/2026 12:34 pm)

**Posted by Surtac** 4/25/2026 3:58 pm

Very, very sad to hear this.. But life is what it is.

I'm glad the decision was still hers to make.

**Posted by Eupathic Impulse** 4/26/2026 11:05 am

That's what I was afraid of and suspected. I guess we're going to be left at a cliffhanger in the Foreigner series, which is a pity, and what I worried about most in terms of her writing. I thought maybe Jane Fancher was planning to continue it in some sort of transition like other authors with long-running series', but I suspect not. I don't think we're going to get anything like it again.

**Posted by Aja Jin** 4/26/2026 11:33 am

Eupathic Impulse wrote:
That's what I was afraid of and suspected. I guess we're going to be left at a cliffhanger in the Foreigner series, which is a pity, and what I worried about most in terms of her writing. I thought maybe Jane Fancher was planning to continue it in some sort of transition like other authors with long-running series', but I suspect not. I don't think we're going to get anything like it again.

I hope there is a chance that Jane will be able to carry on, with CJ's help. But not yet. I'm sure they have/will discuss this.

**Posted by Eupathic Impulse** 4/26/2026 12:08 pm

What was posted sounded very final, as in, she's basically informed her publisher that planned releases aren't planned anymore and "the body of work is what it is". It's a stupendous body of work, of course.

**Posted by Eupathic Impulse** 4/27/2026 10:38 am

What I would like to see maybe is if she could publish or make available some kind of notes so we could, like, know what the intended outcomes of some of the...rather significant Chekhov's guns that have been left on the table (and maybe a scene or two from Cajeiri trying to single-handedly manage the refugees). I guess that'll have to become a decent fanfic at some point...hopefully.

**Posted by Roci** 4/27/2026 12:01 pm

"The body of work is what it is" makes me think that there will be no other writers and additions to her stories. I'm sad that it will be the end of the Foreigner series with so much left untold and conclusions yet to be shown, but I'll always be grateful for stories she has written, completed or not.

I still have so many more of her stories that I am yet to read, and hopes that other authors may have taken inspiration and try to bring the same perspectives to their own works. Cherryh has earned her retirement.

Last edited by Roci (4/27/2026 12:01 pm)

**Posted by HRHSpence** 4/28/2026 4:11 pm

That is sad news indeed.

**Posted by nighthawk** 4/28/2026 8:18 pm

I haven't looked in here for a long time, since it's easy to follow the regular updates on Facebook, but stopped by to confirm that the news has reached this group. I'm 87, this isn't the first time I've learned that there will be no more books from a beloved author, but it's always a sad day.

**Posted by starexplorer** 5/12/2026 11:30 am

I rely on this group for any information about CJC. I don’t follow any other sources.

What is this business about “bouts of anesthetic“?

Very sad news, of course. I still have many of her books to read, which should keep me busy for a long time after I step down from paid work on May 22.