C.J. CHERRYH

This is the story of three people: Sten Duncan, a soldier of humanity; Niun, last warrior of the mri humanity's enemies; Melein, priestess-queen of the final fallen mri stronghold.

This is the story of two mighty species fighting for a galaxy: humanity driving out from Earth, and the enigmatic regul struggling to hold their stars with mri mercenaries.

This is a story of diplomacy and warfare, of conspiracy and betrayal, and of three flesh-and-blood people who found themselves thrown together in a life-and-death alliance.

A DAW BOOKS CLASSIC

C.J. CHERRYH

Sten Duncan had saved the lives of the last two of humanity's deadliest enemies, during the takeover of their planet Kesrith.  Sten therefore felt responsible for them and for their future - if any.

For though the two mri were brother and sister, they represented different power-castes of their ancient warrior-race.  Niun was the last of the bred samurai.  Melein, though young, was perforce the last priestess-queen.

But struggle and mutual danger had sealed Sten Duncan to their loyalty.  As their blood-brother, he would have to help them flee mankind and take the long, long evasion-route across the cosmos to a legendary lost planet which might afford the mri one more chance.

"When another Darkover novel, a book by C. J. Cherryh, or a new Arthur C. Clarke book comes along, I still drop everything I can to read it.  And I still feel the tingling eagerness...."
-Lester Del Rey,
Analog

- A DAW BOOKS ORIGINAL -
NEVER
BEFORE IN PAPERBACK

C.J. CHERRYH

Kutath was an ancient world and a dying one.  In ages past its best sons and daughters had gone to the stars to serve as mercenaries in the wars of aliens.

Now the survivors of its star-flung people, the mri, had come back - in the form of a single woman, the last priestess-queen Melein, and a single man, the last warrior, Niun.  And one other - the human Sten Duncan who had deserted Earth's military to swear service to the foes of his own species.

Here is the grand climax of the highly praised novels of the Faded Sun, candidates for Hugo and Nebula awards.  Complete in itself, it is a science-fiction novel of the highest caliber, an in-depth study of the last stand of an alien culture confronted with the devastating vengeance of two star-conquering races.

A DAW BOOKS CLASSIC