Rating: 
Summary: Excellent world, good aliens, but not for the speed reader
Review: This was an excellent story, but what impressed me most about this book was how well crafted the aliens were. Many times aliens in sci-fi are just different looking humans, and their minds and ways of understanding the world are barely if at all different from ours. In this book, Cherryh has been successful in creating two alien races that are very different from us in culture and thought. I was especially impressed by the Regul, the "enemy" race. Cherryh went into great detail about the inner workings of the culture and thought of these very interesting creatures. I really enjoyed this detail, but it could bore some readers. Also, This book does not make any clear moral stands, except perhaps those of the heart. It's complex, subtle, intelligent and vast. This is not an easy one night read,it makes you contemplate. So, if you like intelligent and subtle sci-fi READ THIS BOOK! If you are looking for a quick fix then look elsewhere.
Rating: 
Summary: A Good Effort
Review: Well, it's different. The Faded Sun Trilogy will never be listed among the absolute greats of the science fiction genre, but it does bring a touch of originality and intelligence, enough to be well worth reading. The story, as you can read on the back cover, follows a race of alien warriors known as the Kel, who hire out as mercenaries on spacegoing missions for other species. While they have long been viewed as the greatest soldiers in the galaxy, they are losing a war against humanity, who they view as fighting without honor.However, the war between humans and the Kel is not the main focus of this book. The majority of the story focuses on the journey undertaken by surviving Kel to find their forgotten homeworld, and in a larger sense on their species' struggle to find purpose and meaning in a world that no longer seems to value them. The portions of the trilogy that are written from an alien perspective are the best parts, a fascinating exploration of a society built on completely different assumptions than our own. Unfortunately, Cherryh decided to add on a large number of human characters in the second and third novels, and much of the material dedicated to them is frequently a bit boring. Writing throughout the trilogy is first-rate. Cherryh provides good, spare, efficient descriptions of landscapes and scenery, and she makes good use of dialogue in a huge variety of situations. The total amount of storytelling that's covered in just three short books is rather remarkable. Also, the thought-provoking, philosophical portions of the books are worked well into a story that also has plenty of entertainment value. While it's true that there isn't non-stop action, each novel does have a stirring conclusion, and there are some surprising twists and turns that will keep you reading.
Rating:
Summary: wow
Review: Well... wow. I read this book several months ago and I still can't get the imagery out of my mind. The only word I can think to describe it in its entirety is: intriguing. I picked it up on a whim and really, REALLY enjoyed it. I'm usually the type of person to read a book, put it down and never look at it again, but this is one of the only books I'd go back and reconsider reading. After this book, I read quite a few more of Cherryh's books, but I think that this one is one of her best. It's wonderful; I can't recommend it enough. Go! Read! : )
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant moral view
Review: What a wonderfull book I have just finished it and I must say I am impressed. I have never read anything else by the author but from the Faded Sun Trilogy she is one of the greats. This for me is a book of moral attitudes for each race described in this book is driven by the ideologies and ethics inherent to them; even inspite of survival. It is a book of strange heroism from all parts but heorism neverthless. It is a book to read specially in these times of war.
|
