Status
Available
Call number
Publication
DAW (1999), Paperback, 496 pages
Description
Afraid her own people are exploiting her extraordinary powers, Sira chooses exile on a distant planet, hoping to build a new life, but trouble follows her there as well.
User reviews
LibraryThing member slothman
Our heroine discovers that her own Clan of psionics is far from unique in the universe, and finds unexpected allies while embroiled in the intrigues of her own people.
LibraryThing member SimonW11
The second part of the trilogy started with A thousand words for stranger,
They both hold their own as stand alone stories. The authors notes in my ebook edition implies that making it stand alone added a hundred pages of back story. but not in the main by repetition rather she used stuff from the
Having said that you really should read these in order. To avoid major spoilers.
It sprawls rather too much. leaving me floundering as I waited for plot points. Sira has her reproductive organs stolen. Understandably miffed at this she send her partner to retrieve them, Her attempts to follow after him are hammpered by the Drapsk a race of aliens who keep on insisting that they really really need her "magic" presumably her Psionic talents.
There are problems with this the Psionics are not well done but Czerneda does write good aliens.
They both hold their own as stand alone stories. The authors notes in my ebook edition implies that making it stand alone added a hundred pages of back story. but not in the main by repetition rather she used stuff from the
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cutting room floor.Having said that you really should read these in order. To avoid major spoilers.
It sprawls rather too much. leaving me floundering as I waited for plot points. Sira has her reproductive organs stolen. Understandably miffed at this she send her partner to retrieve them, Her attempts to follow after him are hammpered by the Drapsk a race of aliens who keep on insisting that they really really need her "magic" presumably her Psionic talents.
There are problems with this the Psionics are not well done but Czerneda does write good aliens.
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LibraryThing member gregandlarry
The story itself was a bit ho hum, but the worlds and beings were interesting.
LibraryThing member Shimmin
I read the first volume of this set a year or so ago, and I found the sci-fi setting pretty interesting. This story reveals more about the world, which I enjoyed as well as the story itself. That being said, I have to say that I found it a little wearing to read. In fairness, reading it in one
The story switches constantly (every few pages) between the two viewpoint characters, which I found a little inelegant, making it feel a bit unstable. This also prompted me to realise that it's a bit repetitive: most of the story involves scenes of Sira (mostly) being attacked, pursued, imprisoned or escaping, as well as people constantly passing out. Actually, rather similar to the first book, as I remember it.
The sections with the alien races, however, were intriguing and compelling, though the secrecy of the Drapsk was a bit tiresome after a while. I think it just felt a bit too convenient for the author's desire for piecemeal reveals, and the justification seemed quite flimsy. Also, super-enigmatic *anythings* are sort of overplayed in speculative fiction, to be honest. I know, this was written in 1999, but I'm reading it in 2014, so hey. Once revealed, though, each of the races seemed interesting and worthy of more exploration.
Czernada is obviously quite invested in unveiling her psychic powers and their metaphysics, which is a bit of a shame as I find the rest of the setting much more interesting. I suspect future books will only increase the centrality of this element, and the psychic Clan, who feel like one of the least original and intriguing things in the story. On the whole, I'm only broadly positive about this book, and probably won't read the next about these characters. Now that the story of Sira is explained, I find the actual characters aren't particularly gripping. In truth, it seems like the minor characters get more chance to develop than the protagonists in this volume. However, I might look out the other books in the same setting.
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block on a train was a big ask, but I didn't realise it would clock in at over 500 pages! That's the downside of e-books (mine shows only progress and chapter page counts, not total page count).The story switches constantly (every few pages) between the two viewpoint characters, which I found a little inelegant, making it feel a bit unstable. This also prompted me to realise that it's a bit repetitive: most of the story involves scenes of Sira (mostly) being attacked, pursued, imprisoned or escaping, as well as people constantly passing out. Actually, rather similar to the first book, as I remember it.
The sections with the alien races, however, were intriguing and compelling, though the secrecy of the Drapsk was a bit tiresome after a while. I think it just felt a bit too convenient for the author's desire for piecemeal reveals, and the justification seemed quite flimsy. Also, super-enigmatic *anythings* are sort of overplayed in speculative fiction, to be honest. I know, this was written in 1999, but I'm reading it in 2014, so hey. Once revealed, though, each of the races seemed interesting and worthy of more exploration.
Czernada is obviously quite invested in unveiling her psychic powers and their metaphysics, which is a bit of a shame as I find the rest of the setting much more interesting. I suspect future books will only increase the centrality of this element, and the psychic Clan, who feel like one of the least original and intriguing things in the story. On the whole, I'm only broadly positive about this book, and probably won't read the next about these characters. Now that the story of Sira is explained, I find the actual characters aren't particularly gripping. In truth, it seems like the minor characters get more chance to develop than the protagonists in this volume. However, I might look out the other books in the same setting.
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Original publication date
1999
Physical description
496 p.; 6.78 inches
ISBN
0886778506 / 9780886778507