Book Review | #whoaretheclan | “A Thousand Words for Stranger” by Julie E. Czerneda Jorie reads #TheClanChronicles for #RRSciFiMonth!

Posted Thursday, 12 November, 2015 by jorielov , , , , , 3 Comments

Ruminations & Impressions Book Review Banner created by Jorie in Canva. Photo Credit: Unsplash Public Domain Photographer Sergey Zolkin.

Acquired Book By: I was chosen to participate in Julie E. Czerneda’s #timeandstarstour on behalf of the seventh volume of The Clan Chronicles ‘This Gulf of Time and Stars’. Ahead of reading that installment, I reached out to the author to sort out a way to read her entire series spilt between two trilogies: a prequel and the inaugural trilogy which launched the series as a whole. She offered to have DAW Books send me the series in paperback editions to help me sort out the hours I would need to read them as I could only use inter-library loan which has a built-in delay from receiving books via your local library.

Thus a book parcel from her publicist at DAW arrived forthwith and gave me the two trilogies ahead of ‘This Gulf of Time and Stars’. I received a complimentary copy of ‘A Thousand Words for Stranger’ the first novel of original trilogy better known as The Trade Pact Universe. I was not obliged to post a review or share my impressions or opinions on behalf of these stories. I am posting my thoughts for my own edification and to help encourage new readers to meet the characters Czerneda created especially if like me, they are discovering The Clan Chronicles for the first time!

Continuing onward inside The Clan Chronicles:

As I disclosed on my review of Reap the Wild Wind this is my first reading of the works by Julie E. Czerneda. This is my continuing journey deep into the heart of The Clan Chronicles whilst conversing on Twitter via the tag #whoaretheclan.

Hidden behind Rift in the Sky was a ‘secret addition’ Stonerim III, of which I felt was a clever surprise for readers as Rift in the Sky was fully complete with it’s own Epilogue and Cast of Characters; a tradition of closure for The Clan Chronicles. Rather than speak about this additional chapter of Clan insight on my last review, I decided it would be best to attach it to my thoughts on behalf of The Trade Pact Universe, as I gathered a deep sense this would become the gateway to A Thousand Words for Stranger and everything that would come from within it.

The presumption of Marcus’s people to believe he had any connection to the results of interference proved how willing his kind were to make leaps of baseless argument. They could only presume to know what happened on Cersi as they were nowhere near the site of what happened; how could they even theorise about something they wouldn’t have the capacity to understand? A numbing realisation that what I gathered about Marcus’s origins had been a bit more accurate than how I would have cast an arrow to marker. They were not as immune to deception as the Om’ray were led to believe nor were they entirely honest in their intentions for excavating Cersi. Marcus was the wisest of his kind, compassionate with fatherly empathy, kind-hearted and trusting; he was a true explorer who left not footprints but heartprints behind where he walked.

When the Om’ray of Sona shifted through time (as teleportation is their most dangerous and powerful Talent), they did not simply leave behind the Cersi ruled by Oud and Tikitik; they left their memories of being on Cersi! A whole new realm opened up before my eyes, as I knew the Trade Pact Universe was going to be completely different from Stratification but how different, I was not quite prepared! This is a ruthless universe banking on bartering and incautious greed. A place where tech is necessary to understand and where seemingly appearing to be human isn’t quite the same as being human. This is where Marcus was from and why his datalock of memories influenced the Sona Clan to travel here is at this time a bit of a wonderment!

A credit to Aryl, Naryn and Enris – they continue to trust their bond to each other and their protective instincts towards their Clan (more than seven hundred strong!). Their survival skills are bar none akin to another as they do what they need to do in the moment of necessity; even if there are after effects of their actions. They are blind to this world’s habits and traditions; they do not even blend by thread or fabric and yet, they chose to come here for re-colonisation. They even chose an otherworld name for their Clan which hints towards their Talent: M’hiray Clan. Their memories stirred inside kinetic reminders of who they once were even if the signals were a bit blurred and out of focus; they felt something of their past.

The shadow which looms over Stonerim III is a shadow-line of our own societies where the pursuit of power and wealth can sometimes overtake the logical sense of reason. Disassociating what is the thin line walked between right and wrong and that little grey area where wrong choices can be most disparaging. True to form, Ms Czerneda has interlaced a larger scope of depth inside her universe; you only have to read within the lines of her stories to see what The Clan Chronicles is truly attempting to teach you.

I was right. This was the beginning of Sira di Sarc.
The great-granddaughter of Aryl.

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Book Review | #whoaretheclan | “A Thousand Words for Stranger” by Julie E. Czerneda Jorie reads #TheClanChronicles for #RRSciFiMonth!A Thousand Words for Stranger
Subtitle: 10th Anniversary Edition

Synopsis on the Back Cover:

Ambushed by unknown assailants, cut off from her escort, and on the run with no memory of who she was, what she was doing on the world known as Auord, or why she was driven by a compulsion to find a specific ship and head for an unknown destination, she was forced to accept the help of a space trader named Morgan. Captain Morgan gave her the name Sira and a berth on his spaceship, but there was something about him she could not quite trust, something he was hiding from her.

Yet, sought by the Enforcers of the interstellar Trade Pact, by representatives of the Clan of which Sira herself was a member, and by mysterious pursuer determined to use Sira for his own ends, she had no choice but to ally herself with Morgan - even though each might well prove the other's doom. . . .

To commemorate the tenth anniversary of Julie E. Czerneda's debut novel, DAW is releasing A THOUSAND WORDS FOR STRANGER in this special edition, complete with an Introduction by the author, and a bonus story, "Brothers Bound".


Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 9780756404581

Series: Trade Pact Universe


Also in this series: Ties of Power, To Trade the Stars


on 4th September 2007

Pages: 444

 Published By: DAW Books (@DAWBooks)
an imprint of Penguin Group USA

Cover Artist: Luis Royo | Site | Twitter | Facebook

The Clan Chronicles:

  • Reap the Wild Wind (Stratification trilogy, No.1)
  • Riders of the Storm (Stratification trilogy, No.2)
  • Rift in the Sky (Stratification trilogy, No.3)
  • A Thousand Words for Stranger (Trade Pact Universe, No.1)
  • Ties of Power (Trade Pact Universe, No.2)
  • To Trade the Stars (Trade Pact Universe, No.3)
  • This Gulf of Time and Stars (Reunification, No.1)

Available Formats: Hardcover, Paperback and Ebook

About Julie E. Czerneda

Julie E. Czerneda Photo Credit: Roger Czerneda Photography

Since 1997, Canadian author/editor Julie E. Czerneda has shared her love and curiosity about living things through her science fiction, writing about shapechanging semi-immortals, terraformed worlds, salmon researchers, and the perils of power. Her fourteenth novel from DAW Books was her debut fantasy, A Turn of Light, winner of the 2014 Aurora Award for Best English Novel, and now Book One of her Night`s Edge series.

She began her first fantasy series: Night’s Edge with A Turn of Light, winner of the 2014 Aurora Award for Best English Novel. A Play of Shadow followed, winning the 2015 Aurora. While there’ll be more fantasy, Julie’s back in science fiction to complete her Clan Chronicles series. Reunification #1: This Gulf of Time and Stars, came out in 2015. #2: The Gate to Futures Past released September, 2016. Volume #3: To Guard Against the Dark, follows October 2017.

An award-winning editor as well, Julie’s edited/co-edited sixteen anthologies of SF/F, including the Aurora winning Space Inc. and Under Cover of Darkness. Her most recent anthology is the 2017 Nebula Award Showcase, published May 2017, a singular honour.

Next out will be an anthology of original stories set in her Clan Chronicles series: Tales from Plexis, out in 2018. When not jumping between wonderful blogs, Julie’s at work on something very special: her highly anticipated new Esen novel, Search Image (Fall 2018).

Biography updated November 2017
Photo Credit: Roger Czerneda Photography

My Review of A Thousand Words for Stranger:

It was the author’s note within ‘A Thousand Words for Stranger’ where I realised I had stumbled across something altogether special within a curious series entitled: The Clan Chronicles. In some ways, the Clan remind me of shapeshifters; the Clan do not change their appearance but everything else about them is negotiable and able to be altered to befit where they are at any given moment. This is the kind of note you celebrate as a reader because it makes you realise the writer had a heap of joy whilst penning the stories your consuming page by page; story by story.

Everything is foreign, unfamiliar and unnatural to the Clan of this time and setting; their very make-up which made them the Clan from their origins on Cersi have all but become erased. Forgotten. Discarded. Shelved by a dissolution of time out of their annals, where a newer more deadlier Clan emerged, not tied to the natural environment and cycles of a world but controlled by their thirst (lust!) for accumulating an untold amount of wealth brokered by a Talent wicking in trouble more than calm. Cersi would not recognise this Clan, they were too far removed from who they were to understand who they are – a deepening problem by half.

Sira is wandering lost on Auord – she has a happenstance meeting with a bloke named Morgan in the dirtier back streets of the city, claiming to be a ‘spacer’ same as he. At first sight of Sira, Morgan is a bit leery of what she intends to do as he found her following him at close range. Sira for her lack of facilities and mental recognition of self attempts to deflect his enquiry and key in on the one and only thing that matters to her right now: hide and secure her ship. Morgan, she sensed might play a part in how to do this and for that reason, she sets off in pursuit of where his path will lead hers.

The M’hiray in this generation are so vastly changed from the ones who emigrated to the stars from Cersi; they are shallow and hallow husks of whom they once were. No better off if they were fully Lost; for they are blind to their heritage. By being in the Trade Pact territories they are opening themselves to risk, as evidenced by a new Triad they should take notice of avoiding: Commander Lydis Bowman, ‘Whix (a feathered species called Tolian) and Terk. I noticed a familiarity with a pattern of speech, not from this union of coppers but with a sky pirate named Roraqk – either he was responsible in smirching Marcus Bowman’s legacy or someone related closely to him or his species was the offender. His speech rankled my brow as soon as he started to slur his words. Not that Marcus was a saint; evenso, the dead should be left to rest.

Sira has a genuineness about her reminding me of Aryl; great-grands have a way of linking themselves, and if Sira ever ‘wakes up’ to whom she’s related I sense a great disturbance of new change to once again re-shift the Clan. The rest of the Clan? They seem to have changed internally to become attracted to a lifestyle of living on the run, planet-hopping through the dirty backwash of cities and societies, whilst interacting with less than ideal persons whose morality and ideology do not even clash within a light year of their original beliefs back on Cersi. They’ve stepped away so fully from their roots, it’s hard to recognise the Clan unless they are together – such as when Rael and Barac are discussing what’s become of Sira now that she’s separated from the Clan; both in spirit and location. What I wonder about is the cause of this insurrection of sorts to step so far outside the norm of what once was a harmonious life on Cersi? Yes, they had troubles especially between the unique ‘balance’ issues between the Oud and Tikitik but Cersi had a lifestyle that was honourable and attached to the lifecycle of the natural environment. The Clan is so consumed by ‘keeping up with appearances’ in this new section of their lives, it’s hard to distinguish Human from Clan.

I am unsure what I was expecting the Trade Pact universe to look like once I was inside their cities and landscapes, but Czerneda surprised me with her ships which felt like the docks of New England. I was not expecting the ‘docks’ in her universe to have such a strong resonance with the shipping docks of our Earth; therein was an interesting turn of the page. I also liked the layout of the cities ruled by the Trade Pact and the Commonwealth or either/or directly. It proves there is a governmental imbalance and a society fraught with deception and a running of ill-moral behaviour that is too easily obtainable. A place that I dearly never thought I’d find the Clan but herein perhaps would be their greater life lesson? What do you forsake for the goodness of your people if the relocation you sought erases who you were?

I love reading nautical historical fiction – so as the narrative shifts to life aboard ship with Morgan and Sira heading to a remote outpost of a planet together, I found myself smiling into a smirk. After all, hadn’t I been blissfully attached to the Captain vs unplanned passenger inside Close to the Wind?

Part of my knowledge of the Clan is cheekily seeing how Sira is going through Choice; she’s unaware of why she’s attracted to Morgan but I gathered the sense that the Clan of her age and those who were alive during her great-grandmother’s experience Choice differently from one another. There is more structured rules within the Council and the Cloisters for Sira’s generation; even moreso (hard to believe!) than during Aryl’s. To Sira Choice has become something it was never meant to be.

It is Barac who speaks fondly on behalf of Cersi – he isn’t familiar with the name perhaps, too far removed from his living history (something that plagues his kind; without a living link, all past dissolves into the ether); it’s metalwork (once belonging to Aryl) of Enris which had drawn his attention to ponder the Clan’s origins. His murdered brother gave it to him as a gift; as someone who believed they should reconnect to their homeworld: be where it were. Rael has a sharpening edge reminding me of Naryn or even the First Scout whose moxie saved many lives Haxel! I become so engaged with these stories, it’s hard to know how to highlight all the characters who ignite a connection as I read. I must remember to expand on this lateron. Rael doesn’t see the benefit in remembering such ancient Clan history as in her eyes, the present is all that matters. Interestingly enough, it’s Sira’s Mum Mirim whose birthed the idea catching firelight and momentum from other M’hiray to seek out Cersi. Secretly I hoped their journey home would become a quick-step surge of return; they are too disconnected to understand their losses. Even though as a reader whose reading their histories as if beneficial to a historian of their species, I know their journey home will take quite a bit of time indeed. A sombering realisation by far.

One of the pleasures of reading Ms Czerneda’s universe is how she interconnects each installment (as mentioned previously) and how she wrote Reap the Wild Wind, Riders of the Storm and Rift in the Sky with such an accord of ingenious continuity to A Thousand Words for Stranger; deserves to highlight how well she sees her universe; understanding it’s need to thrive and to expand. Having walked into the Trade Pact via Stratification, I nearly begged to differ which of the two trilogies came first due to the seamless stitchings of the stories.

A lightbulb went off in my mind – sometimes when I’m reading a book series, I pick up on subtle differences, little nuances if you will, alerting me there is something not quite as it once were earlier in the sequences. In Chapter 8 I recognised what is missing from the Clan – their emotional reactions! Each time they would telepathically speak to each other, each word, phrase or sentence had a precept of feeling wherein you knew instantly their emotional and mind centre point. Traditionally throughout Stratification the two were adjoined, moving fluidly as if of one thought, one emotion. The Clan in the Trade Pact universe has stepped away from this tradition! That’s why I felt a bit disconnected from them (over and beyond the other reasons!) as they’ve re-identified not with their Clan language and ways, but with ComSpeak! The language of the interstellar travellers of whom they’ve become! They do technically at times share their emotional state but it’s far more reserved. I would not consider them transparent now, as Aryl and Enris would be quite gobsmacked by how vague and cloaked their Clan became in such a short lifespan of time. On the other hand, the Clan views lifespans a bit differently – perhaps it’s too far apart from them to register as a ‘short change’ but rather expelled over too long of a period to bother them?

Sira understands Morgan better than he understands himself which would be easy to do as he’s not a bloke of transparency. Morgan is a bit burnt out and jaded by the choices he’s made as a spacer who works the trades; his ship was his home, a place where he could rule his own destiny. When he had the happenstance meeting with Sira on Auord it set in motion a series of events that would tie the two together. Not surprisingly it also launched them into a duo whose trust for each other would slowly start to drop anchour. Neither one trusted easily, but there are certain things that happen between people who share close quarters; a ship in their world is not any different than a ship in ours. It gives you a measure of space to stay sane but an intimacy that is built on friendship and curiosity.

Oh, my! Morgan’s fate is entwined with Enris or rather, is it the other way round? Time is temporal and this universe asks questions of itself about the order in which things are known or changed. Enris might have come first but Morgan and Sira’s relationship are playing out truth to the nail in line with Aryl’s with Enris. What a beautiful scope of their lineage, Ms Czerneda! Great-grands, yes, indeed share a special connection!

A notation on Death in regards to the Clan:

I take special concern to appreciate the burial rites of other cultures, as part of growing in understanding towards those who are different from us is in studying how they respect their dead. The Clan view the deceased body as the ‘husk’ which I felt was apt to describe how the body is merely a temporary form which can become discarded lateron. They place more empathsis on the mind than the spirit or soul, as their minds are a connective thread (think of the ‘red thread bond’ in Asian cultures; see Red Thread Sisters) whose confluence of knowledge and awareness of being is what anchours them to each other. This is why to the Clan, only the living were remembered as the dead were ‘disconnected’ from the conduit of their energy.

The way in which they describe the heart’s grief and loss of a beloved spouse is quite guttingly sympathetic to the jolted suspense of denial from sorrow. For the Clan, this severed connection can take two lives, not one; either through conjoined death or through a vegetative state of unawareness.

Creatures both benign and terrifying occupy this series:

I am a regular attendee of #CreatureChat hosted by @OfTheWilds (Wednesdays @ 9p NYC) where I am generally the eager reader who wants dearly to read more stories to become introduced to more creatures as a way to interact better with other participants. Despite this one cardinal flaw of mine (as I’m limited to knowing the most about humanistic dragons, the fey, and fantastical shifting corvids) it’s the chatterment about the worlds of SFF I love the most. It is a weekly chat where you can happily find like-minded enthused souls as happy for the stories your seeking as they are reading or writing directly.

As soon as I started reading Reap the Wild Wind, my imagination had to start creating cognitively identifiable composites of the creatures I was being introduced at such a high speed of succession! I revealled in response to a comment on my review, it wasn’t until I enlarged the full scope of the cover art I understood one crucial part of the Harvest: those hard to see red fluttering things? Those were the main food for the Yena and they were feathery and lovely to the eye! Sometimes it takes a deep concentration for me to settle inside science fiction, with this series I challenged myself a bit harder to create the connections out of what Ms Czerneda had given me to work with as I had no ‘other reference’ to use as a guide. I fear it’s been too long since I’ve read science fiction regularly and all my ‘go to clues’ are bits of dust lost in my own memories. Remembered but out of sight, out of tangible connection and reassurance.

This is why I appreciated how much Czerneda populated her Cersi with such interesting non-humanoid beings – the Oud and Tikitik were a bit tricky at first to sort out, but they charmed me with their vocalisations and their conversations; the Tikitik might be more advanced but the Oud (for the most part) were more sincere. Imagine rocks who are not rocks (not a new concept to me as even ‘Galaxy Quest’ made the Rock Monster a daunting opponent as much as ‘The Never Ending Story’ provided another ‘rock’ entity for me in my youth.) but stealth hunters who rolled and flopped round the dirt seeking their prey. I liked the ‘pufferish’ or ‘blowfish’ type of sac these flatheads would ‘puff implode’ into whilst providing a quick nosh if you were so inclined.

By the time I entered the Trade Pact cosmic route of commerce, I was greeting a feathered and beaked officer of the law, who had the tendency to remind me of my readings of ‘corvids’. He was followed by nefarious toads and other offworld species who would make anyone break out in hives! His personality was interesting to read – especially how his ‘feathers’ affected his mannerisms!

Why I have become positively addicted to The Clan Chronicles:

Point. Blank. Truth: I’m so enraptured by this unputdownable series, I start to itch to read the next story involving the characters. There is a jumping of time between the prequel trilogy and the original trilogy (this one!) but I did not mind – it’s the writing, the world-building and the very scope of where this series takes you that I could simply not get enough of to satisfy my thirst for the Clan. Everything is included for you to drink in to your mind: drama, family, distrust, power, alliance, friendship, the natural environs, interstellar travel via teleportation, telepathy, self-aware children, and the determined grit to create your own destiny.

I admit, I was out of my depth a bit in the beginning – my sense of understanding left behind on Cersi, so attached was I to the Clan’s origins, I found myself fighting a bit to adjust to this new generation of the Clan. All my receptors were gone, and I had to find a new way to align within this section of the saga; to say Ms Czerneda kept challenging me would put it mildly. The gift for me was the fact she had challenged my mind to enter her universe.

One thing that helped me is that I started watching a new series #ondemand called: Blindspot about a woman whose had her memory ‘erased’ but it’s slowly returning through flashbacks and experiences. She’s teamed up with someone she trusts but for reasons she cannot fully process. Their relationship thereby complicated as they are too close to each other at times and not close enough at others. The series opened the door for me to appreciate this cavity of unknown probabilities for a character who doesn’t recognise any inch of herself in a mirror or through introspective examination. Blindspot allowed me to understand Sira di Sarc before I ever met Sira Morgan!

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This book review is courtesy of:

Julie E. Czerneda and DAW Books

which I am happily posting during:

Sci Fi November 2015 badge created by Jorie in Canva.

Sci-Fi Month 2015 is a month long event to celebrate science fiction hosted by Rinn Reads and Over the Effing Rainbow. You can view the schedule here, follow the event on Twitter via the official @SciFiMonth Twitter account, or the hashtag #RRSciFiMonth.

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Originally I was meant to post my review for ‘This Gulf of Time and Stars’ today, however, I fell behind but I did not ‘fall’ (an inspirational phrase I learnt from the Yena on Cersi). I intended to read The Clan Chronicles from start to finish as soon as the novels arrived from DAW Books, however, life has a funny way of upsetting your best laid plans. I have been blogging my ruminations on this series since Sunday, the 9th of November however, since 1pm on 10th of November I have remained vigilant in my readings and composing my reviews one after the other with only short breaks in-between postings. To this end, it’s the longest marathon (self-directed) challenge I’ve attempted since Nanowrimo 2008 where I staid up longer than 36 hours at a stretch. I am so consumed by this world, I do not want to wait to find out what happens next,… I want to live it, right NOW.

As an aside: by 11p on the 11th of November I crashed – all systems stopped and I required rejuvenation and a reprieve. By the afternoon of the 12th, I resumed where I left off at a rate where I can read whilst still maintaining my sleep patterns! It was such an incredible 37 hours! I even broached Cersi and the Clan during #creaturechat on Wednesday night – so happy I had something to contribute and generated interest in the species I met along the way.

I am especially grateful for the patience and understanding of Ms Czerneda, as I feel connected to her and her vision for this world as I read each installment of the series. These are my notes of gratitude on behalf of characters, world-building, depth of narrative scope and the uniqueness that only a Clan novel can give a reader who directly experiences this world through how it was conceived in her mind to tell. I cannot wait to see what lies ahead and I cannot wait to reach Reunification!

Earlier today, I posted my review for Rift in the Sky. It’s been a red letter day celebrating the novels of my (new) favourite Canadian science fiction and fantasy author!

Overnight (yesterday) I released my review on behalf of Riders of the Storm.

And, everything kicked off late Sunday with my introduction to Cersi within Reap the Wild Wind.

#whoaretheclan + #timeandstarstour are two tags I am proud to be waving in the twitterverse!

Whilst starting a trend to get #TheClanChronicles tweeted about as well!

Who are the Clan, to you?

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Reader Interactive Question:

What is your favourite discoveries in science fiction when it comes to ‘other’ species and origins of life within the universe you are reading? What do you fancy the most about how a species is conveyed and how they assert themselves so realistically into the background of the world-building?

Comment Box Banner made by Jorie in Canva.

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{SOURCES: Permission to use the book summary for this novel off the back cover was given to me by Ms Czerneda’s publicist who also sent me the book cover for “A Thousand Words for Stranger”; all of which is being used with permission of DAW Books. The author photograph of Julie E. Czerneda and author’s biography were sent to me by the author and used with permission. Ruminations & Impressions Book Review Banner created by Jorie in Canva. Photo Credit: Unsplash Public Domain Photographer Sergey Zolkin. Comment Box Banner made by Jorie in Canva. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Tweets embedded due to the codes provided by Twitter. Sci Fi November badge created by Jorie in Canva.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2015.

Comments on Twitter:

Here is a recap of my tweeting on behalf of the Clan via #creaturechat:

When you love a book series, you get chatty:

Convo with fellow SFF reader & appreciator:

More chatty love for the Clan:

(read the whole convo between Leah Harvey & Jorie)

About jorielov

I am self-educated through local libraries and alternative education opportunities. I am a writer by trade and I cured a ten-year writer’s block by the discovery of Nanowrimo in November 2008. The event changed my life by re-establishing my muse and solidifying my path. Five years later whilst exploring the bookish blogosphere I decided to become a book blogger. I am a champion of wordsmiths who evoke a visceral experience in narrative. I write comprehensive book showcases electing to get into the heart of my reading observations. I dance through genres seeking literary enlightenment and enchantment. Starting in Autumn 2013 I became a blog book tour hostess featuring books and authors. I joined The Classics Club in January 2014 to seek out appreciators of the timeless works of literature whose breadth of scope and voice resonate with us all.

"I write my heart out and own my writing after it has spilt out of the pen." - self quote (Jorie of Jorie Loves A Story)

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Posted Thursday, 12 November, 2015 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, Blogosphere Events & Happenings, Book Cover | Notation on Design, Book Cover | Original Illustration & Design, Book Review (non-blog tour), Canadian Literature, Compassion & Acceptance of Differences, Death, Sorrow, and Loss, Equality In Literature, Hard Science Fiction, Library Catalogues & Databases, Local Libraries | Research Libraries, Mother-Daughter Relationships, Sci-Fi November, Science Fantasy, Science Fiction, Space Opera




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3 responses to “Book Review | #whoaretheclan | “A Thousand Words for Stranger” by Julie E. Czerneda Jorie reads #TheClanChronicles for #RRSciFiMonth!

  1. Thanks for letting me know about this! This sounds great but so does the first Stratification book, and I’m still torn between whether to read Trade Pact or the prequel series first. Since I have read the first Reunification book, I have some of an idea of what happens in each and they both sound compelling. I want to read Trade Pact because I want to read Sira and Morgan’s story from the beginning, but the previous trilogy sounds fascinating.

    • Hallo, Hallo Kristen!

      You need to follow your heart – I think because you’ve entered this universe through Sira and Morgan’s story, you should best begin with A Thousand Words for Stranger. Let yourself give in to needing to know more about their moments with the Clan before you retreat backwards to Cersi where you will find Aryl and Enris. For me, I had the opposite problem: I desired more about Ayrl and Enris; did Haxel and Naryn find happiness? What became of them after that point where they first found Stonerim III?

      When I entered the Trade Pact universe, I felt jolted and disconnected; as my heart truly was still unified with Cersi; as you know as you’ve just read my thoughts! lol However, I think this is a book series where each reader who enters this world left by Ms Czerneda will have a different experience as they walk through it. It’s definitely intrapersonal and individual. If your still torn, do visit my other reviews for the prequel series – they might help you decide, but I think your heart decided already for you! And, that’s wicked good!

      Here’s one thing for certain: we both love this world! Thanks for stopping by and sharing your difficulty of knowing where to go from here to understand fully #whoaretheclan!

      • Thanks for the advice, Jorie! I think you’re right that A Thousand Words for Stranger is the best place for me to start. That is the book I most wanted to read immediately after finishing This Gulf of Time and Stars, and it wasn’t until later that I started wondering if maybe I wanted to start with Stratification instead.

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