I finally was able to track down the short story Darkwar and it's changed my opinion of the Darkwar trilogy. Yes, I still feel that Cook wasn't able to build much sympathy for the Meth or the main character in that series, but that matters a bit less now. I now view the entire trilogy as the prelude for the short story. Viewed that way it's a bit long, but it sets the scene for a great short story. One set centuries after the events in Ceremony. One that could have shared a title with the third Star War prequel. One that I wish had been in an extra chapter in Ceremony - or maybe not. It would have been jarring to switch directly between Meth mindsets. If you haven't read that short story and you've read the Darkwar trilogy, it's wonderful. If you haven't read that short story and you haven't read the Darkwar trilogy, it completely spoils the ending (and much of the plot). In short, I now feel that reading that trilogy was time well spent. Richard