The Captain’s (B)log

The Faded Sun Trilogy

I finished reading this book last fall — so bear with me if I don’t get all the details exactly right.

Brief Synopsis

The Fade Sun Trilogy is a collection of three novels by C.J. Cherryh — a lot of classic SF that I’ve been reading is like that (I’m guessing it was the style at the time).

They tell the tale of the last two members of a proud an noble race, the “mri.”  The mri are a warrior space-faring species, used exclusively as the mercenaries and bodyguards of a race of creatures called the “Regul” that are have been fighting a war with the forces of Earth for nearly four decades.

The books pick up as the war has ended — Earth has won, the Regul are defeated, and the noble mri have been almost completely eradicated, after having been used as cannon fodder in the last few years of the Earth-Regul war.

The books tell the tale of the remaining members of the mri as they slowly die out, and of one man, Sten Duncan, who is tasked to investigate the mri and who eventually “goes native.”

My Thoughts

Well, it’s classic C.J. Cherryh, and I love it for that.  The mri are like one of C.J. Cherry’s many inceptions of the tall “fair folk” present in her books, be they elves in her fantasy novels, or a species like the “qhal” in The Morgaine Saga.  They are noble and superior to humans, but small in number and in “time left.”  (Kind like the Jedi, I guess.)

There are also many similarities between the mri and the “Fremen” in Frank Herbert’s famous Dune series of books.  They’re emotionless (or just hide their emotions well).  Their existence is hard and daily life is a struggle, leading them to be tough as iron (because of the condition of the planet they have settled on).  They favor simple weapons and hand-to-hand combat but are very proficient in modern technology, though they eschew any technology that might make their life easier.

All in all, a good read!

1. How old will you be in five years?
32 Earth years.
2. Who did you spend at least two hours with today?
All sorts of people.  Nina, lots of people at work.
3. How tall are you?
6 feet even.
4. What do you look forward to most in the next six weeks?
The start of the new Mad Men season.
5. What’s the last movie you saw?
Elephant.
6. Who was the last person you called?
My pops
7. Who was the last person to call you?
My pops
8. What was the last text message you received?
From Nina
9. Who was the last person to leave you a voicemail?
Don’t know, my voicemail is broke.
10. Do you prefer to call or text?
Both.
11. What were you doing at 12am last night?
Sleeping, I think.
12. Are your parents married/separated/divorced?
Married
13. When is the last time you saw your mom?
Last weekend
14. What color are your eyes?
Blue
15. Do you own slippers?
Yes
16. What are you wearing right now?
Nighttime clothes.
17. What is your favorite Christmas song?
O Christmas Tree
18. Where is your favorite place to be?
Home
19. Where is your least favorite place to be?
High School.  Yay, I don’t have to go anymore.
20. Africa-NewZealand-Japan?
Japan, land of toilets that talk to you
21. Where do you think you’ll be in 10 years?
The Land of Ennui, unless we have space stations by then.
22. Do you tan or burn?
Burn all over.
23. What did you fear was going to get you at night as a child?
The boogerman
24. What was the last thing that really made you laugh?
Thinking about MC Hammer
25. How many TVs do you have in your house?
Two, though one isn’t used.
26. When did you last get in a argument?
A few hours ago.
27. Do you have a laptop or desktop computer?
Lots of both.
28. Do you sleep with or without clothes on?
Depends
29. What color are your walls?
White, I think.
30. How many pillows do you sleep with?
Two.
31. What is your favorite season?
Winter, winter, and more winter.
32. What do you like about fall?
The feeling of the world going to sleep.
33. What do you like about winter?
It’s cold.  And still.  …And quiet.
34. What do you like about the summer?
Everybody seems happier, even if I’m just hot all the time.
35. What do you like about spring?
I don’t like Spring.
36. How many states have you lived in?
Two, kinda.
37. What states have you lived in?
Alabama, Michigan
38. Do you prefer shoes, socks, or bare feet?
bare feet, if possible
39. Are you a social person?
I try to be.
40. What was the last thing you ate?
Crackers and cottage cheese.
41. Have you tried escargot?
Nope.
42. What is your favorite ice cream?
A particular brand (that I can’t remember) that has a type called “Caramel Coyote” that I can’t find anymore.
43. What is your favorite dessert?
Tiramasu, right off the top of my head.
44. Have you drank a Shirley Temple
Nope.
45. What kind of jelly do you like on your PB & J sandwich?
Peach.
46. Do you like Chinese food?
Sure do.
47. Do you like coffee?
If it’s frothy and filled with sugar and milk, yeah.
48. How many glasses of water, a day, do you drink on average?
Probably about two, honestly.
49. What do you drink in the morning?
Water or tea if I have the time.
50. How often do you shower?
Every 36 hours, at least.
51. Do you sleep on a certain side of the bed?
A certain side.
52. Do you know how to play poker?
Yep.

Hopefully, I’ll have a few book reviews here soon — been dying to write some.