Faery in Shadow [Paperback]

C.J. Cherryh (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Legend paperbacks; 1st Published edition (August 19, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0099267217
• ISBN-13: 978-0099267218
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

More About the Author

I've written sf and fantasy for publication since 1975...but I've written a lot longer than that. I have a background in Mediterranean archaeology, Latin, Greek, that sort of thing; my hobbies are travel, photography, planetary geology, physics, pond-building for koi...I run a marine tank, can plumb most anything, and I figure-skate.

I believe in the future: I'm an optimist for good reason---I've studied a lot of history, in which, yes, there is climate change, and our species has been through it. We've never faced it fully armed with what we now know, and if we play our cards right, we'll use it as a technological springboard and carry on in very interesting ways.

I also believe a writer owes a reader a book that has more than general despair to spread about: I write about clever, determined people who don't put up with situations, not for long, anyway: people who find solutions inspire me.

My personal websites and blog: http://www.cherryh.com
http://www.cherryh.com/WaveWithoutAShore
http://www.closed-circle.net

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A sadly neglected gem, September 26, 2006

By 

Randym - See all my reviews

This review is from: Faery in Shadow (Mass Market Paperback)

Caith mac Sliabhin has been cursed by the Sidhe. He wanders the world an outcast, with his companion Dubhain, a pooka who appears sometimes as a dark-haired youth, sometimes as a black horse. In a valley where things are somehow terribly wrong, they meet a beautiful young couple who need their help...a couple who may not be what they seem.

Though set in a Celtic fantasy world reminiscent of The Dreamstone and The Tree of Swords and Jewels, this book is more like Cherryh's "human among the aliens" SF, such as Hunter of Worlds or Foreigner. The aliens, in this case, are the Sidhe. These aren't J.R.R. Tolkien's elves. They are like forces of nature, unmoved by, perhaps even unable to comprehend, the things that are important to mortals. Yet one gets the feeling that they are fond of Caith, in their inhuman way. Poor Caith.

Cherryh has a knack for hard-edged fantasy, and it's on fine display here. As in Rusalka, magic works in this universe according to rules and limitations that make it seem almost like science. The characters also have more of an edge than you commonly find in fantasy. Cherryh's characters are always interestingly flawed, but Caith and Dubhain are especially so. Caith has had an exceedingly rough life, and has good reason for carrying the chip on his shoulder he does. He's basically a decent guy, but his hot temper and stubbornness often get him into trouble. As for Dubhain...well, he's a dark Sidhe, a pooka whose job it is to take horse form, lure men onto his back, then drown them. Talk about having a dark side! Nevertheless, he has a sort of elemental innocence that makes it easy to forgive his mischief.

What Pat Nussman called "the magic circle" - a situation where a pair of characters are forced to rely on only each other for trust and friendship - is quite literal here. Caith has been damned by Faery, more because of the family he was born to than anything he did to deserve it. He avoids human company for fear of bringing his misfortune on others. Dubhain is similarly damned for the crime of doing a good deed. In a moment of weakness, he rescued Caith rather than drown him, and for this failure, he was bound to Caith by geas. They are each other's punishment...but also friends, as much as human and Sidhe can be. Dubhain is wicked and feckless and not entirely trustworthy, but humans need companionship, and he's all Caith has - the only being it's safe for him to be with. Dubhain is a loyal friend, as much as a dark Sidhe can be, but he's not human, and doesn't live by human rules. He can't give gifts without strings attached; every kindness must be balanced by a cruelty, however small. It's just his nature, and Caith understands this, even as he curses it. They are devoted to each other, but neither will ever admit it. They taunt and tease each other incessantly, using sarcastic terms of endearment more suitable for lovers than friends.

This book is a sequel to "The Brothers," a story from Cherryh's 1986 anthology, Visible Light. (The story can also be read in the omnibus The Collected Short Fiction of C.J. Cherryh.) However, the book stands alone. The key points from "The Brothers" are covered in Faery In Shadow, in flashback. (The events of Faery In Shadow occur five years after "The Brothers.")

Faery In Shadow is one of my favorite books of all time. If the Sequel Fay appeared and gave me one wish, this is the book I'd want a sequel to. Alas, barring such magical intervention, it's not likely. Faery In Shadow didn't get much notice when it was originally published. Cherryh says that her publisher thought it was too dark and depressing. Many reviews and readers have said the same. Part of the reason for this is that these days, people just expect fantasies to be fluffy. And part of it is that, like many Cherryh books, the ending of this one wasn't really meant to be "The End" but "To Be Continued." It becomes quite different when viewed in that light.

UPDATE: In 2009, CJ Cherryh self-published a re-write of "Faery In Shadow" under the title "Faery Moon." It's a $10 electronic download in multiple formats, including plain text, PDF, and Kindle. (Google it, and it should turn up.) Included is the prequel, "The Brothers," some new art, a glossary, and an explanation about why she felt the need to re-write the book and why it go so little promotion in the US.

I've read both versions multiple times, and they're not that different. She says she put more emphasis on the dialect, particularly the difference between Caith's relatively modern speech and Dubhain's much older language. However, I found the difference quite distinct in the earlier version, and didn't really notice the changes. The difference I did notice is that there's a bit more explanation of what's going on...in particular, that the crime that got Dubhain bound to Caith for punishment was doing a good deed, and that (in Caith's view, anyway) compassion is a sin for a dark Sidhe.

Should you buy "Faery Moon"? Yes, if you don't have a copy of either "The Brothers" or "Faery In Shadow" and want one, if you want Kindle versions of either of those stories, if you just want to support the author or self-publishing, or if you're a really hardcore fan of Caith and Dubhain. Otherwise, there's probably not enough new material to make it worth the price.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Faerie emerging from the Shadows, August 16, 2009

By 

silver elves "silver elves" (honolulu, hi.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Faery in Shadow (Mass Market Paperback)

First...

dear lovers of the Sidhe (Faerie Folk),

... it is only fair to reveal that years ago when this book wasn't even available in the U.S.A. we wrote to the author and she very kindly gifted us an autographed copy, so we were already inclined to love it, particularly because we already loved her book(s) The Dreaming Tree. C. J. Cherryh is one of the few modern writers who has a genuine understanding of the Sidhe, who in this work are equivalent essentially to Virtues, Powers, or Dominions in angelic hierarchy. It is a good novel and clever and it ends, at least for these elves, in a very satisfying way. We just wish she'd write more in this genre.

kyela,

the silver elves

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Celtic Mythology Wonder, February 3, 2005

By 

G. E. Williams "Nunah" (California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Faery in Shadow (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a great story based in the ancient UK . Celtic honor, and horror. The secret problem with the book is that it is the second part of a story that is available in Ms Cherryh's collected short stories. If you have enjoyed her ancient Russia stories and The Dreamstone stories, you will enjoy this rare gem.