Stranger [Mass Market Paperback]

Simon Clark (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2003

An ocean of humanity runs from a devastating force that no one can even see - they pour northwards over the Mexican border. A mighty nation falls...Sullivan town remains one of the last enclaves of civilisation. Greg Valdiva, a stranger to the community, has lost his city home and his mother and sister both died on the gruelling journey here. Beyond the township's ramparts humanity is undergoing a strange and terrifying transformation. Fearing contamination, Sullivan isolates itself, allowing no one in or out, under the threat of death. When Greg Valdiva helps hungry refugees, he is forced to flee. He joins a band of teenagers and discovers that the Earth has been overwhelmed by a new species of human beings. He and his friends are on the run; theirs is a ceaseless struggle for survival. Soon Greg will learn about the twenty-first century curse that has befallen humanity. And that this is the start of a war like no other as humankind plunges towards the abyss of total extinction. Is this the end? Or does humankind have a saviour?

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This highly readable but flawed tale from British horror author Clark (Vampyrrhic, etc.) suffers from multiple personality disorder. It begins as a tale of Sullivan, a small town protected from apocalyptic disaster by dint of its isolation and the protection of outsider Greg Valdiva. Valdiva can somehow sense if strangers seeking entry to the community are infected with the mysterious malady that has wiped out most of civilization. When he detects the zombie-like carriers, dubbed "hornets," he quickly dispatches them. As in many apocalyptic tales, the townspeople go too far in their quest to keep the outside world at bay and eventually turn on their own. In time, Valdiva flees Sullivan and hooks up with a band of young survivors that includes his love interest, Michaela. Just when the reader thinks it's them against the hornets, the hero and heroine find themselves trapped in a bunker with a mad scientist. Meanwhile, a new threat looms: "hives," rooms full of jiggling red gelatin with body parts floating in it, are sucking unwary humans dry. The story's jumpy plot has one benefit-it will keep readers on their toes. But the setting feels more British than American; the catastrophic cause of it all is unbelievable; the dialogue is bland; and the protagonist seems far more experienced than his 19 years.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

In this nasty little romp through a post-apocalyptic, plague-ridden country, the mere survival of the human species is highly unlikely. The Gantose plague, at first carried by South Americans, makes people terrified of illness and, eventually, insanely violent. Some pockets of the immune and merely isolated remain, fighting the killer "hornets"--those infected with the plague--to survive. Executioner Greg Valdiva, tolerated by the town of Sullivan because he can sense the presence of the disease in visiting strangers, sees lights across the lake in Lewis and leaves Sullivan to investigate. When he returns, the town no longer wants an executioner and, therefore, no longer wants him. With another Sullivan resident and a band of survivors from New York, Valdiva then has to fight tooth-and-nail to survive. These "heroes" are tough and certainly not perfect, but their fight is engrossing. The ending leaves many questions unanswered, but well crafted stories will do that. Regina Schroeder
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 418 pages
• Publisher: Leisure Books; Reprint edition (October 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0843950765
• ISBN-13: 978-0843950762
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,352,432 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Simon Clark is the author of the cult apocalyptic novel Blood Crazy: "everyone over the age of 19 has been driven murderously insane... children and teenagers flee for their lives..." His novels include Nailed By The Heart, Vampyrrhic, Whitby Vampyrrhic, Ghost Monster and a bloody fistful of others that earned accolades from magazines around the world. This from Hellnotes: 'Clark's is surely the most outrageous imagination to grace horror since the discovery of Clive Barker' And: 'I actually loved Blood Crazy. Not just liked it, but loved it.' A quote from Beyond.

Simon was raised in a family of story-tellers. One told of a human skull buried under the family's garage. Currently he lives in the North of England where Robin Hood once roamed, and where legends of monsters lurking in ponds and caves abound. 2010 sees the release of his latest novella, Humpty's Bones, from Telos Books.

For news and videos about Simon Clark and his grisly craft be sure to Google his name from time to time.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!, December 4, 2005

By 

Demetrius - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stranger (Mass Market Paperback)

I am a first time reader of Clark's but I will definitely read more of his work! This story was very engaging and exciting. It also does not seem impossible for this to happen. Many subtle messages of perserverance, drive, etc. I highly recommend this book if you like thriller/scary stuff. Koontz fans should love this.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Something Is Missing, October 10, 2004

By 

Emma Bunton "Emma" (Conneticut, East Windsor , USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stranger (Mass Market Paperback)

Well I thought the book was ok,it kept me interested init enough not to put it down,but I too thought Simon Clark could of elaborated more on Greg Valdiva's insights on he could detect "Hornets" or "Bread Bandits".Why him and what's that about him being from the "Hive",the author left me wnating to know more about that as well,other wise the ending was ok and it was a good book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Better than "Blood Crazy", January 11, 2004

By 

William M Miller (Bronxville, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Stranger (Mass Market Paperback)

"Stranger" is a completely satisfying read from beginning to end. I agree with the first reviewer that this is better than "Blood Crazy". It had more believable characters, more realistic situations, and a convincing ending that I thoroughly enjoyed. Not everything is spelled out for the reader -- which is where your imagination takes over. My only two problems were (don't worry -- no spoilers) the two things I didn't buy... (1) the towns punishment and (2)Mel's discovery. Everything else was quite nice. However, this wasn't a scary book, but if you enjoy apocalyptic epics, this is a fun ride. Chalk up another victory for Simon Clark.