A Thousand Words for Stranger [Hardcover]

Julie E. Czerneda (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1997

Book I of The Trade Pact Universe Author's Note: This was my first novel, both in terms of the first piece of fiction I ever finished and the first I sold. It started as just one of many stories I was playing with as a hobby, never thinking to see copies in the hands of readers, certainly never planning to send it out to a publisher. I'm very happy I did, but I do confess my first thought after the fateful phone call was "Oh no! What have I done!?" because by then, I knew I could do better. I harboured dark suspicions readers would take one look and say "She thinks she can write?" Fortunately, my editor had the confidence I lacked and readers kindly took a chance on an unknown. I'm proud to be able to say this book has been a bestseller, was recommended by Locus, made Editor's Choice for the Science Fiction Book Club, spawned a series, started my partnership with the talented Luis Royo, and has been reprinted several times. It was also responsible for my nomination for the John Campbell Award for Best New Writer of 1999. I expected none of this -- and I still pinch myself every time I look at it. Who knew? But I'll always have a special place in my heart for the first story of Sira and Morgan.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 366 pages
• Publisher: DAW (1997)
• ISBN-10: 1568656238
• ISBN-13: 978-1568656236
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,402,030 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A love of reading turned into a love of writing for Julie E. Czerneda. A former biologist, then writer and editor of non-fiction, in 1997 DAW Books published Julie's first sf novel, "A Thousand Words for Stranger" and she hasn't stopped since. Her work has received international acclaim, multiple awards,and best-selling status. You'll find her work in anthologies as well, as she enjoys working with other writers. Julie is a popular speaker, whether on writing, science, or the use of science fiction to promote scientific literacy. Her most recent adventures included being Guest of Honour for the national conventions of New Zealand and Australia, as well as Master of Ceremonies for Anticipation, the Montreal Worldcon (2009).
Julie is currently writing her first fantasy novel, A Turn of Light, to be published by DAW in 2011. (She started by building a scale landscape for Marrowdell, where the story takes place, so you can see she's having great fun with it already!)
For more on Julie's work and upcoming events, please visit www.czerneda.com
Oh, and when not writing or at conventions? Julie and her photographer husband grab their canoe and disappear into the glorious wilderness surrounding their central Ontario home.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Give this book a try!, October 12, 1997

By 

[e-mail] (Berkeley, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Thousand Words for Stranger (Paperback)

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 surprises and twists as we learn more about Sira. So although the book starts a bit slowly, as it progresses it becomes much harder to put down.

The books is also peopled with several different types of aliens, some of which feature prominently in the story, others of which are more in the background. I sometimes found myself wishing that the book would tell me more about some of these alien species, but it's clear from what it does tell that Czerneda has some talent for creating interesting cultures. I'm looking forward to seeing what she comes up with in her next book.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Strong First Effort, June 19, 2000

By 

AntiochAndy "antiochandy" (Antioch, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Thousand Words for Stranger (Paperback)

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 otherwise) and easy transport and communication between habitable planets. This may be unrealistic, but for the purpose of a story, Niven's concept of a gigantic ringworld is the only thing that surpasses it when it comes to providing an endless opportunity for cultural and biological variety. All in all, this is entertaining reading and 4+ stars in my book.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting mix of emotion and adventure., June 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Thousand Words for Stranger (Paperback)

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!