C.J. Cherryh

[Bick]

Just started The Faded Sun Trilogy yesterday. Cherryh launches you straight into the alien culture which I found a bit dense for a few pages, but I have soon got used to it and I'm enjoying it now. It reminds me slightly of Dune - not so much the geography of the planet so much as the immersive world and culture she's building. Good stuff!

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

The Faded Sun is a very good introduction to Cherryh. I think it's one (or three) of the best things she's written.

 

[clovis-man]

The Faded Sun is a very good introduction to Cherryh. I think it's one (or three) of the best things she's written.

You beat me to it. I was going to say it's one of her best series.

 

[Bugg]

The Faded Sun is a very good introduction to Cherryh. I think it's one (or three) of the best things she's written.

You beat me to it. I was going to say it's one of her best series.

Good to know this! I read Downbelow Station back in the 80s and I remember very little about it apart from finding it quite heavy going at the time. As a result, I'd never returned to Cherryh's books until now.

I recently picked up the Faded Sun Trilogy. I started Kesrith on Sunday, finished it last night, and am already into Shon'Jir. This is very fast reading for me, especially considering the book's stately pace. I'm absolutely loving it and finding it completely absorbing - so much so that I've also re-purchased Downbelow Station to give it another go

 

[Fried Egg]

It did take me a while to get around to reading Cherryh again but here I am at last getting right near the end of "Cyteen". I've been reading for nearly five weeks now; really slow going. Not just because it's a large book but some bits of it are certainly drawn out. But you can't skim read because there's other parts of intense detail and complex politics going on which one must take in carefully.

 

[Timewalker]

It did take me a while to get around to reading Cherryh again but here I am at last getting right near the end of "Cyteen". I've been reading for nearly five weeks now; really slow going. Not just because it's a large book but some bits of it are certainly drawn out. But you can't skim read because there's other parts of intense detail and complex politics going on which one must take in carefully.

You're right about not skimming when reading Cyteen. It's one of the most complex SF books I've ever read. I've re-read it at least half a dozen times, and each time I'm still gaining new insights to parts of it I hadn't fully understood before.

Are you planning to read the sequel, Regenesis? It takes up shortly after the events of Cyteen end, so the story continues quite nicely. I hope there's a third book, since I can think of several story threads I'd love to see continued.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

But you can't skim read because there's other parts of intense detail and complex politics going on which one must take in carefully.

That's always the way with her science fiction, isn't it? Though to a greater extent with books like Cyteen and a lesser extent with the Merchanter books, you always have to pay attention or you get lost.

 

[Timewalker]

That's always the way with her science fiction, isn't it? Though to a greater extent with books like Cyteen and a lesser extent with the Merchanter books, you always have to pay attention or you get lost.

This is one reason I like her books so much. The stories and characters are complex, but never for any simple reason. This is an author who respects her audience and offers a satisfyingly complex story that she expects us to be able to understand, and presents some really interesting things to discuss - like the ethics of cloning, who really owns the products of genetic engineering/modification when the subjects are fellow humans, and if it's ethically right to try to remake people - literally, in this case, with psychogenesis.

 

[Fried Egg]

That's always the way with her science fiction, isn't it? Though to a greater extent with books like Cyteen and a lesser extent with the Merchanter books, you always have to pay attention or you get lost.

Yes, you're right. And I don't make a habit of skim reading. Only when a story feels drawn out it one can be tempted.

Are you planning to read the sequel, Regenesis? It takes up shortly after the events of Cyteen end, so the story continues quite nicely. I hope there's a third book, since I can think of several story threads I'd love to see continued.

I have no plans to. The book definitely feels like it could do with a sequel as much was left unresolved. I just don't know if I want to invest any more reading time in this story...but you never know.