Carolyn Janice Cherry (born September 1, 1942), better known by the pen name C. J. Cherryh, is an American writer of speculative fiction.

She is known for worldbuilding, depicting fictional realms with great realism supported by vast research in history, language, psychology, and archeology.

She began writing stories at the age of ten when she became frustrated with the cancellation of her favorite TV show, Flash Gordon.

In 1964, she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Latin from the University of Oklahoma (Phi Beta Kappa), with academic specializations in archaeology, mythology, and the history of engineering.

In 1965, she received a Master of Arts degree in classics from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, where she was a Woodrow Wilson fellow.

Cherryh's breakthrough came in 1975 when Donald A. Wollheim purchased the two manuscripts she had submitted to DAW Books, Gate of Ivrel and Brothers of Earth.

Her books have been translated into Czech, Dutch, French, German, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Spanish, and Swedish.

Cherryh's works depict fictional worlds with great realism supported by her strong background in languages, history, archaeology, and psychology.

In her introduction to Cherryh's first book, Andre Norton compared the effect of the work to Tolkien's: "Never since reading The Lord of the Rings have I been so caught up in any tale as I have been in Gate of Ivrel."

Another reviewer commented, "Her blend of science and folklore gives the novels an intellectual depth comparable to Tolkien or Gene Wolfe."

Cherryh creates believable alien cultures, species, and perspectives, causing the reader to reconsider basic assumptions about human nature.

Some of the issues she considers critical to take into account in detailing an intelligent alien race are: In a 2005 interview, the interviewer asks CJ Cherryh “How much science is there in science fiction?” Cherryh responds with “Quite a bit and if I get something wrong, I know I’m going to hear about it.” 02:15 She then later goes on and states “I’ve had operational conferences with astronauts.” 3:03 [11] Her protagonists often attempt to uphold existing social institutions and norms in the service of the greater good while the antagonists often attempt to exploit, subvert or radically alter the predominant social order for selfish gain.