In the Company of Others

by Julie E. Czerneda

Book Overview

Celebrating the 20th anniversary of its publication, this trade paperback edition of Czerneda's Aurora Award-winning sci-fi novel features an all-new author's note and an introduction by Tanya Huff,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0739418785
• ISBN13: 9780739418789
• Release Date: January 2001
• Publisher: DAW Books, Inc.
• Length: 565 Pages
• Weight: 1.60 lbs.

Customer Reviews

aliens that really are alien

Czerneda has joined my science fiction short list. She ranks with Niven, Heinlien, Pournelle, and Card. She creates aliens and universes that are truly alien and plots that require a bit of thought and concentration. I like that. She reminds me of C. J. Cherryh in the way she makes alien characters seem real and reasonable, yet truly non-human. If there is any weakness in this story, it is in the logic of the engineering of the spacestation. (My wife tells me I'm overly critical in that area anyway.)

Solid one volume slice of the future

In the Company of Others is a character-driven future history novel in which the drive for space terraforming and colonization is ruined by a particularly interesting ecological mistake by the early terraformers. The sense that the "adversary" is not some set of bug-eyed aliens, but instead a mistaken spread of a species by the humans themselves, is a very appealing plot device. The characterization is overall very good. The narration is in third person, and all but one of the central relationships is believable. There are a few "stock" 'spacer maverick' and 'loyal soldier' type characters, and the central love story in the work seems to arise from fairly whole cloth. Still, these flaws are overshadowed by the fact that In the Company of Others uses its central dilemma as a workable platform to make points about the problems of communication and interconnection. So many times science fiction seems to be caught between trite and trivial emotional content and some contrived "hard" science. In the Company of Others manages to tell a whole working space opera in a single volume, without needless tech-obsession or undue maudlin content. This is a worthwhile read, enjoyable as a golden age novel, but less imprisoned by the conventions of that time.

One of the best

Czerneda has done it again! The love story here resonated for me, though it seemed to be fumbled away at the end, without the climax (no pun intended) it deserved. The plot hung together well, and I liked the strong characters --- especially a new Dr. Smith, at long last here to rehabilitate the name for space voyagers everywhere.

Czerneda is a Must Read

One thing I've learned to expect from Julie E. Czerneda is plot twists that sometimes take you where you'd rather not be, but then, she rescues you -- somehow. She always provides characters you can bond with, laughter, tears, and just plain fun! IN THE COMPANY OF OTHERS is no exception. If anything, it's more of everything that is Czerneda. The story and characters are more mature, the conflict more personal. This is an exceptional read and a must for any serious collector of fine speculative fiction. Thank you, Ms. Czerneda!

Great juicey read

Mankind broke free of the solar system and terra formed sixteen different planets so humans can live on them. Then the Quill, a fungus like organism with soothing properties was found on a planet. They quickly spread throughout the terra-formed world, killing everyone on it. The people of earth abandoned those living outside the solar system out of fear that the Quill would invade the home world.At Thromberg Station, Dr. Gail Smith, backed by soldiers, searches for Pardell, a person who was born on a Quill-infested planet. Pardell has gold veins that make him sensitive to touch. However, he agrees to accompany Gail back to his home world in an attempt to rid the orb of the Quill.IN THE COMPANY OF OTHERS is a big juicy novel that provides for outer space buffs what Highlander did for immortal gurus. Fans will enjoy this book as Julie E. Czerneda shows she is an up and coming talent by writing a tale with a strong plot populated by complex and diverse characters.Harriet Klausner