Sherwood Smith

Rachel Manija Brown

Many generations ago, a mysterious cataclysm struck the world. Governments collapsed and people scattered, to rebuild where they could. A mutation, "the Change,” arose, granting some people unique powers. Though the area once called 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 jewel-like 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 set on him 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.

Stranger

Paige Morgan

There are some books where you start with an expectation and the book either succeeds or fails in meeting it.

There are other books where you don't know what to expect, and what's inside is nothing that you'd have expected -- well, nothing where you would have said in advance "I want to read a story about _______!" -- but the book grabs you, and before you know it your whole evening is gone, and well-spent.

Stranger is the second kind of book. 

It balances the perspectives of five different characters, and I would almost say that five is too many, except that somehow Smith and Brown make it work, and made me feel that I needed each of their views on what was happening. Through the five narrators' interactions, you learn plenty about several other characters -- again, almost too many: it's a little crowded as a book, which is why I've given it 4 stars instead of 5. 

Each of the five characters is quite distinct, so there's really no chance of mixing them up. And they all have their quirks and flaws; in fact, the best part of the novel is how vividly I felt like I was in each of their heads, seeing the world through their eyes. I can't identify a favorite; they're all well done, and feel like individuals, rather than standard YA character types (even Felicité, who comes closest of the five to fitting a stereotype). It reminded me a bit of Jo Walton's The Prize in the Game, which is one of my top ten/desert island books -- though it's a bit more sprawling and chaotic than that novel.

Stranger introduces a world, and provides a fair amount of detailed worldbuilding, but it doesn't do much infodumping. I almost could have used an infodump, but decided that I was learning enough from the narrators, even if I sometimes felt startled by things that appeared, or the way that things worked. I found the setup, and the use of teenagers in town defense and patrols plausible, and carefully dealt with (something I don't always find in YA books). Ross's narrative (and plot) are strange and fascinating, and I want to know more! at least, more than is explained in this first book -- but Brown and Smith reveal enough that the arc feels entirely satisfying.

I am delighted that the authors decided to self-publish the sequel, rather than putting up with a delay imposed by the standard red-tape of publishing. I'm not usually too cranky about having to wait a year (or even two!) between volumes, but knowing that I could get the second volume right away and have a faster conclusion almost certainly did affect my excitement as I read.

Stranger

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