A Thousand Words For Stranger

The tenth anniversary edition of Julie Czerneda's debut science fiction novel, the story of a woman on the run, from the law, her own people, and an unknown pursuer. Her memory taken from her by a stasis block, Sira must stay free long enough to regain her identity and the full use of her telepathic powers-for failure may cost not only her own future but that of her entire race.

Customer Reviews:

Give this book a try!

By wshaffer@uclink4.berkeley.edu - October 12, 1997

I'll admit that when I first read the plot synopsis of this book, I wasn't all that enthusiastic about it. After all, a main character with amnesia who has to discover the secret of who and what they are is a bit of a science fiction cliche by now. However, I decided to read this book anyway, and I'm glad I did. In many stories of this kind, the poor amnesiac hero or heroine is basically passive, like a football that gets kicked around by the other characters until they reach the resolution of the story. It's hard to sympathize much with a football. But Sira, the protagonist of _A Thousand Words for Stranger_, displays a remarkable amount of courage and decisiveness. She doesn't let the other characters push her around. This not only makes her a more interesting and sympathetic character, it also makes for a few surprises when Sira does something that neither the other characters nor the reader expect. In fact, the plot of the book in the later half is riddled with... read more

A Strong First Effort

By AntiochAndy "antiochandy" - June 19, 2000

This is very good scifi. It's not quite Dune or Ringworld, but it is impressive for a first book. Let me start by saying that I am not generally fond of stories that rely on special mental powers (i.e. telepathy) to further the plot, and in this book, such powers are central to the story. However, the author sticks to the idea of writing an ordinary story rather than an apocalyptic description of the ultimate fate of the human race. And her "ordinary" story is pretty good. It keeps the reader guessing as to exactly who is doing what to whom right up to the end, with many twists and turns along the way. Further, her main characters are engaging. You find yourself rooting for Sira, the main character, as she seeks to recover the pieces of her missing past and to understand her relationship to the other principal character, Jason Morgan.The author seems to subscribe to a "Star Wars" vision of the universe, with multitudes of alien species (sentient and... read more

Interesting mix of emotion and adventure.

By A Customer - June 9, 1999

I have quickly become Julie Czerneda's biggest fan. I say this because she has successfully merged my favorite genre (science fiction) and my least favorite genere (romance). THOUSAND WORDS FOR STRANGER is for science fiction writing what BRAM STOKERS DRACULA is for horror film. Those of you out there who understand this connection I will say no more, for those of you who do not understand it, well, let me put it this way, it's erotic but without being sexual. Perhaps it is the voyer in us, uh, me. The relationship between Morgan and Sira is not the reason to read THOUSAND but it is part of what keeps you hooked. The story line is involved and interesting (I don't want to give anything away!) and best of all it is believable! I was wondering how I could have missed her work until I found out it was her first. I am glad I got in at the ground level and am earnestly awaiting her next book!