Can't say much about this last volume without spoilage, but the question is how will the mri manage to survive with the regul absolutely hell-bent on destroying them and the human 'allies' having trouble distinguishing between self-interest and ethical behaviour. (If you do unto others what you consider a crime to have done unto you . . . what does that make you?). My only gripe is that at the last minute (and I mean that, the last 100 or so pages) a new element is introduced, hinted at earlier but maybe not quite enough?), to explain an aspect of the mri . . . to me, done a bit awkwardly. I give this final tome ****1/2 because of it -- overall the trilogy is a ***** star read, no question. Cherry's gift is for plunging a human into an alien world and then, as it were, observing what happens! This is done beautifully throughout -- including making the dus, the emotionally connected bearlike creatures integral. For the entirety *****. ( )

I guess this sort of plot isn't for me. I like more action in my plots, and I felt like the book was going too slow. Couldn't gain the interest to finish the book after the first couple of chapters. Too much detail, and the characters got on my nerves. ( )

And as the mri trilogy comes to a close with "The Faded Sun: Kutath", it does so with a roller coaster ride into a fantastic ending. Another superb series by CJ Cherryh!

**********Warning**********Possible Spoilers**********

Duncan, Nuin and Nuin's sister, the She'pan Melein, have survived the long voyage through space and are on the mri home world of Kutath, with the ever present dusei in tow. After attempting to destroy the last mri in existence, the regul are now trying to convince humans that extermination of the species is necessary if the peace between the regul and humans is to survive. Why else did they track the mri vessel through dozens of galaxies?

Will the last of the mri survive? Will the regul make a power grab from the humans? And what will happen to Duncan, human living like mri, in an environment only mri could survive...? ( )

The whole trilogy was good, but it ended even better than it began. ( )