The Faded Sun: Shon’ Jir Nelson Double Day INC. C.J Cherryh Copyright 1978 # Of pages: 245 review by: Rachel m Larson “They were beautiful people, tall, slim, and golden beneath their Mri robes: golden manes streaked with bronze, delicate humanoid features… disturbingly alien.” THE FADED SUN: SHON’ JIR What happens when a human “goes” Mri? Duncan, a military SurTac, is crazily attached to the human like species, Mri. Duncan is originally from earth, but was sent with the honorable G. Stavroce, as a body guard and new world “tamer’ to the planet Kesrith. Then a fateful encounter with the last serving Mri of the ones that went out from their first home world creates an illegal mental bond between species. Duncan then help play the mri into human control, think to save there lives… but then everything goes wrong and Duncan escapes with the Mri, brining us to the start of the second book Shon’ Jir. “Nuin had fought and won a battle for life which fully conscious he would have surely refused to win.” Such is the Mri way… Nuin a young adult Mri younger than Duncan is head strong and taught of the kel cast. (The Mri“ army” and workers) Just like any Kel cast Mri, he follows his shipan’s words to there fullest no matter what they entitles. Such is Kel law, the people known as the “face turned outward”, turned toward si-mri or aliens. Malean is shipan, or in anther words the ruler of Mri. She is also Nuin’s sister, but when she learned the secrets of the shipan and sin, the holy. Nuin’s sister was no more; in her place was a new cold-hearted shipan, “mother” of the people. Nuin grieved to lose malean’s soul to this but know he is little more than a playing piece in her game, a servant to her will and he cannot say this to her face. The main plot of the story and series is Shon’ Jir, the passing game, thus the name of this book. Shon’ Jir means literally to cast or to cast away. All Mri play a version of the game, suited to their cast whether it be sin or kel. The kel’s version of the game is to toss back and forth in rhythm the traditional Mri weapons like knives. Some die and others survive and gain honor. The Sin however play with batons as to not cause injury. Kel do not think they miry do what they’re told, planning is for the shipan, and this series is about the fight to keep the Mri species alive through out the war. The shipan must survive with her people by again playing a version of this dangerous long-lived game. Using wits the shipan can politically cast and then it is her reasonability to catch, for the sake of her children. This book starts out with the last two Mri, a Kel… Nuin, and a shipan… Malean with no kath or sin left. Little hope awaits them as the fly off kesrith with Duncan as there pilot. Before Duncan had helped them escape they had been sedated and drugged is a lab research bed, chained down. They are followed in there desperate flight by the human military. Duncan is now known as a traitor to humans and only has the Mri left as a twisted family, he will do anything to protect. I really liked this book, but to understand you must read the first one, but other than that I was sucked into this amazing read, constantly wondering what was going to happen next, what secrets did malean have, and mainly will Nuin and Duncan’s friendship last? The character depth was amazing, there were times were I could understand them better than even my closest friend, and there were times when their actions seemed so random there must have been a hidden motive or hinted at reason that I didn’t catch. The intensity of the feelings raging on from anger, sadness, and rejoice were phenomenal. C.J Cherryh was born 1942, and is about 65 years old. She has been writing since the mid-70s and has written more than 60 books. This series being one of her earlier. C.J Cherryh is still writing today. The recommendations I have come across are PG16, I only say that it is for a mature audience, you should probable ask your parents. If you don’t understand it you won’t enjoy it.