Tales of Telenia: STRANDED

I'm not a science fiction fan. I thought it just wasn't my style. But then I read this book. Was captivated. Something about this book touched the inner part of me. It's beautifully written. The main character Amanda Shelton's spacecraft crashed on a strange planet. Her crew members died, and she is left feeling very alone. She responds by rebelling against a somewhat backwards culture, and trying to decide whether to trust those around her. I like that Amanda is a strong person. She's not one of those weak, wimpy characters. All I could think was what would I do in her position, and I couldn't help but admire her.

Even if you don't consider yourself a science fiction fan, you should consider trying this book. You may be pleasantly surprised like I was.

Amanda Shelton was part of a space crew on an interplanetary shuttle when their ship encounters a spatial rift and crash lands on an unknown planet. The only survivor, she finds herself a captive of Prince Paxton and soon discovers he is interested in her technological knowledge to aid him in his country's current war effort. Forced to learn their language, Amanda quickly realizes that this society has no respect for women and can only dream of returning home. The story opens and closes six years into the future with a small boy begging Amanda, his mother, to tell him the story, a style reminiscent of The Princess Bride. As a fan of this author's cozy mystery series, I was hesitant to try this fantasy/sci fi tale, but I absolutely loved the story of this modern woman coping in a strange universe...a universe filled with poverty, strange food and animals, different customs and male chauvinists. I already downloaded the next book in this series and can't wait to learn more about Amanda and her adventures in Telenia. Note: I read this book when it was originally titled Threshold.