“A fresh story with well-developed characters, fast-paced action, a fantastical world, and a hint of romance.” School Library Journal (starred review)
Description
Fast-paced, enormously cinematic, and full of inventive world-building, diverse characters, and moral complexity, Stranger is speculative fiction and its best—and its most true to our lives.
Many generations ago, a mysterious cataclysm struck the world. Governments collapsed and people scattered to rebuild where they could. A mutation called the Change arose, granting some people unique powers. Though the area once known as Los Angeles retains its cultural diversity, its technological marvels have faded into legend. "Las Anclas" now resembles a Wild West frontier town—where the Sheriff possesses superhuman strength, the doctor can warp time to heal his patients, and the distant ruins of an ancient city bristle with deadly crystalline trees that take their jewellike colors from the clothes of the people they killed.
Teenage prospector Ross Juarez's best find ever—an ancient book he doesn't know how to read—nearly costs him his life when a bounty hunter is sent to kill him and steal the book. Ross barely makes it to Las Anclas, bringing with him a precious artifact, a power no one has ever had before, and a whole lot of trouble.
Praise
“A fresh story with well-developed characters, fast-paced action, a fantastical world, and a hint of romance.” School Library Journal (starred review)
“Infused with a generous spirit—call it a utopian dystopia…Characterization is rich and stereotype-free…Equally exceptional is the depiction of conflict. The confusing adrenaline rush of war is followed by PTSD, its lingering afterimage. The five dynamic narrators and action-packed plot deliver thrills while slyly undermining genre clichés. A first-rate page-turner that leaves its own compelling afterimage.” Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“This dystopian novel…has a ‘wild west’ atmosphere…The story’s characters and their tightly woven relationships are well developed, and Brown and Smith provide plenty of narrative diversity, making each character’s entry feel fresh, distinctive, and unexpected. The buildup to the action-packed ending does not disappoint.” Publishers Weekly
“Brown and Smith have collaborated beautifully in creating an alternative future planet, with strange creatures, changed people, and many dangers. What makes this book different from so many dystopian novels is the depth of character development (including both straight and gay romances), chapter points of view that rotate through five different characters, and the ease with which readers will be completely immersed in this world. Perfect for fans of Michael Grant’s Gone series. Expect more.” Booklist
Details
| Language | English |
|---|---|
| Release Day | Nov 12, 2014 |
| Release Date | November 13, 2014 |
| Release Date Machine | 1415836800 |
| Imprint | Blackstone Publishing |
| Provider | Blackstone Publishing |
| Categories | Teen & Young Adult, Science Fiction & Fantasy, History & Culture, LGBTQ+, Literature & Fiction, Children/YA, YA, Fiction - All, Fiction - Child, Science Fiction |
Author Bio
Rachel Manija Brown is the author of the memoir All the Fishes Come Home to Roost: An American Misfit in India. She lives in Southern California.
Sherwood Smith is the author of many fantasy novels for teenagers and adults, including Crown Duel and the Mythopoeic Award finalist The Spy Princess.
Narrator Bio
Caitlin Davies is a New York City–based actor and audiobook narrator who studied acting at the Eugene O’Neill National Institute, the British American Drama Academy, and the Barrow Group. She specializes in audiobooks for teens and young adults.
Chris Patton has narrated over seventy-five audiobooks. His voice can be heard narrating such titles as Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, the dystopian juggernaut Yesterday’s Gone, Clive Barker’s Books of Blood series, and two titles by Joyce Carol Oates. Chris began his career in theater at age ten, and his voice-over career at twenty-nine. Since then, he has voiced over two hundred anime titles, numerous commercials and e-learning and industrial projects, and several video games. He’s also fronted a synthpop band called Paul Lynde Is Dead, written a teen urban fantasy about an emo vampire called Scene Immortal, and has appeared as a special guest at more than eighty-five pop-culture conventions.
Overview
Fast-paced, enormously cinematic, and full of inventive world-building, diverse characters, and moral complexity, Stranger is speculative fiction and its best—and its most true to our lives.
Many generations ago, a mysterious cataclysm struck the world. Governments collapsed and people scattered to rebuild where they could. A mutation called the Change arose, granting some people unique powers. Though the area once known as Los Angeles retains its cultural diversity, its technological marvels have faded into legend. "Las Anclas" now resembles a Wild West frontier town—where the Sheriff possesses superhuman strength, the doctor can warp time to heal his patients, and the distant ruins of an ancient city bristle with deadly crystalline trees that take their jewellike colors from the clothes of the people they killed.
Teenage prospector Ross Juarez's best find ever—an ancient book he doesn't know how to read—nearly costs him his life when a bounty hunter is sent to kill him and steal the book. Ross barely makes it to Las Anclas, bringing with him a precious artifact, a power no one has ever had before, and a whole lot of trouble.
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