Engdahl, Sylvia

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I Liked It BUT....
Best Sci-Fi Book
A Classic Returns
A book to remember
New way of history

Enchantress from the Stars
Sylvia Engdahl
Manufacturer: Firebird
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0142500372

Book Description

Elana, a member of an interstellar civilization on a mission to a medieval planet, becomes the key to a dangerous plan to turn back an invasion. How can she help the Andrecians, who still believe in magic and superstition, without revealing her own alien powers? At the same time, Georyn, the son of an Andrecian woodcutter, knows only that there is a dragon in the enchanted forest, and he must defeat it. He sees Elana as the Enchantress from the Stars who has come to test him, to prove he is worthy. One of the few science fiction books to win a Newbery Honor, this novel will enthrall teenage and adult readers.

Customer Reviews:

I Liked It BUT...........2007-03-09

Please keep in mind that I really liked this book. "Enchantress" is well written and enjoyable. That being said, I could not entirely enjoy the story because I had a problem with the heroine. I know this probably says more about me than her but...

The heroine, as thoughtful and insightful as she is, is a bit of a hypocrite. She "suffers" enormously with guilt about even the smallest of lies she is forced to tell her "poor primitive" lover.

On the other hand she only feels a twinge of condescending pity for her fiancé whom she has been more-or-less betraying by concealing her "forbidden love" for the "primitive" for most the book.

And when it comes to lying to her father and sneaking around behind his back; forget about it! She doesn't even hesitate a second and even takes a certain pleasure in it, even when, inevitably, her "disobedience" endangers entire civilizations.

There are only four main characters in this book. The heroine, her male father, her male fiancé, and her male lover. I found myself many times wishing she had a mother, sister, or best friend to whack her upside the head and tell her to stop acting so ridiculous.

The one woman who COULD and WOULD have set her straight was killed as the book opened. (Actually there WAS one other female in the book; a practically-unconscious sacrifice victim being "delivered to the dragon.")

Anyway enough about my problems. If you didn't even notice the things I had issues with, (and you probably didn't) "Enchantress" is a good read.

Best Sci-Fi Book.......2006-05-01

When Elana's mission gets put in jeopardy she faces a lifetime of torture and imprisonment. Will she be able to save herself and the mission? Elana, the Enchantress, and her father were agents of the Federations Anthropological Center and it was their assignment to stop the Imperials from taking over the planet Andrecia. They led Georyn, a woodcutter's son, to believe that a stone was the source of his new magical powers; however, the truth was that they had taught him telekinesis and he wasn't even aware of it. Georyn was supposed to use his "magic" to defeat the dragon (a mechanical weapon used the Imperials). Elana and Georyn were on their way to the Imperials camp when natives captured them. The natives took them to the Imperials camp where they were locked in barracks. The Imperials planned to send them to a research center to be studied. Elana persuaded one of the guards, Jarel, to help them and he let Georyn out of his cell when no one was paying attention. When it appeared that the dragon was going to defeat Georyn, Elana decided to sacrifice herself to try to end the whole ordeal. As she ran and laid in front of the dragon, a flood of courage surged through Georyn. He used his magic powers to save her, stop the dragon, and scare away the Imperials. Georyn went to the king to announce that the dragon had been killed and to get his reward. He decided to explore the rest of the planet he lived on while he had the chance. Elana left Andrecia after accomplishing her goal and traveled back to her own planet. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone and everyone who enjoys reading a great book.
This book is written with loads of details. Georyn was the youngest of four sons born to a poor woodcutter, who lived on the planet Andrecia. Elana was a young woman in the First Phase of her training to be an agent. Jarel was an Imperial medic who was determined to prove that his civilization was not right in trying to colonize Andrecia.
Even though this is a science fiction book some of the things in it are realistic to our own world. The cool, green, peaceful planet, Andrecia is the third planet of a medium sized yellow sun. The Federation tried to prevent weaker nations from being taken over by stronger nations. Some types of people tend to be better at some things than others.
This book will stretch the reader's imagination. The Imperials used a huge machine that resembled a dragon to clear an area on Andrecia for the colony they were planning to establish. Georyn was taught telekinesis on a subconscious level, therefore he didn't even know about it. The Federation was an organization meant to save weak planets from the more powerful ones trying to colonize.
I recommend this book to everyone. It is a great read. It is very imaginative but some of the elements of the book seem somewhat realistic. Even if you are not a big fan of science fiction books this is a story that everyone should read.
~V. Newberry

A Classic Returns.......2006-02-08

I read this many years ago as a young teenager and am pleased that it has returned for a new generation. A young girl finds that her wits, her psionic powers, and the courage of a young peasent turned warrior are all that stands between a primitive world and destruction.

A book to remember.......2005-04-23

I read this in the sixth grade. It was my first encounter with sci-fi, and I loved it. Thanks to Mrs. Wallace, the librarian, for recommending it to me.

New way of history.......2004-07-22

I was expecting to read some kind of Star Wars but I was surprised. Begin with the idea based from the much-talked-about alien, Ms. Engdahl turned it into a concept that what if the ancient things, such as magic, dragon, wizards, witch, beyond our capability to understand, was things from another planet, another world, with civilization higher than ours?

This book really made me think and even helped me in someway to add to my understanding about human, life and alien. A deep thoughtful science fiction story about human civilization evolution.

Average customer rating:

Wonderful Book!
This Star Shall Abide -- Welcome back to a long out of print book!
leaves an impression - a simple review
Children of the Star
Unique, compelling, satisfying!!

Children of the Star
Sylvia Louise Engdahl
Manufacturer: Meisha Merlin Publishing, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1892065142

Product Description

Single-volume edition of the trilogy consisting of This Star Shall Abide, Beyond the Tomorrow Mountains, and The Doors of the Universe. Noren knew that his world was not as it should be--it was wrong that only the Scholars, and their representatives the Technicians, could use metal tools and Machines. It was wrong that only they had access to the mysterious City, which he had always longed to enter. Above all, it was wrong for the Scholars to have sole power over the distribution of knowledge. The High Law imposed these restrictions and many others, though the Prophecy promised that someday knowledge and Machines would be available to everyone. Noren was a heretic. He defied the High Law and had no faith in the Prophecy's fulfillment. But the more he learned of the grim truth about his people's deprivations, the less possible it seemed that their world could ever be changed. It would take more drastic steps than anyone imagined to restore their rightful heritage.

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful Book! .......2006-04-28

Overall, I was really impressed with this book. At times it goes a little slow, but Engdahl made up for it in the wonderful plot of the book. The surprising things, is that Noran, the main character, would actually be considered a static character, which is not typical of an engaging main character. His views do not change, nor does his personality or goals throughout the entire book. What keeps the reading turning the pages is the strangeness, and the fact that this sci-fi book could in fact be based on events that could happen one day. Another aspect of the book that was really engaging was the originality of the ideas used. It was not the typical sci-fi book that included space-crafts, aliens and the like. The ideas were extremely original, and fact-based. The other reason I enjoyed the book so much was that throughout the entire thing there was a mixture of sci-fi writing, and science. Sections of the book were devoted to explaining the concept of genetic engineering, which if you are interested in, is used very well in this book. The fact that a good book can incorporate aspects of reality, in the form of genetic engineering, is amazing, and makes the novel that much more notable.

I would recommend this book for people who won't get frustrated with the sections that are very slow-paced, but who are dedicated to reading each and every page, because they all add to the entire meaning of the book as a whole. It is not a typical sci-fi book, so don't expect lots of space-ships and people from different planets, but instead look forward to a well written novel about a culture struggling to re-build its self. You will follow Noran as he struggles to find his place in a world that he feels is wrong, and corrupt. Be open to twists in plot, and strange themes brought up again and again throughout the book, and you may enjoy it as much as I did.

This Star Shall Abide -- Welcome back to a long out of print book!.......2005-09-02

Noren is a young man who is frustrated about the class stratified society that he lives in. When he decides to challenge the system, he finds himself on a perilous journey . . . facing truth as he has never imagined. When I read this story many years ago in junior high, I realized for the first time that it was possible to have a perspective on life that did not encompass a large enough view of the truth. This story challenged my views on the limitations of my own perspectives. It is science fiction at its best. This book is a compilation of the trilogy that begins with "This Star Shall Abide".

leaves an impression - a simple review.......2005-01-05

I first read these books (now book) over 10 years ago. They have remained among my favorite books. The book is appealing to people young and old. Ms Engdahl's writings have a way of staying with one always.

This trilogy serves as a thought provoking journey through the relationship between society, religion, and science. It starts out with one man challenging the foundation of his society, to him embracing it, and back to him challenging it yet again, but for a completely different and selfless reason. Ms. Engdahl paints a wonderful picture of a futuristic and simultaneously primitive world whose advances and way pique the imagination.

Ms. Engdahl throws a taste of her intergalactic society into the final installment, but no one recognizable from Enchantress from the Stars or The Far Side of Evil.

Children of the Star.......2003-08-21

Everything Ms. Engdahl writes is gold. Not only does this book have a great storyline and characters, it also is thought provoking. She centers around themes about the importance of spacetravel and innovations in science. Even if you aren't usually a fan of science fiction, you will love this book!

Unique, compelling, satisfying!!.......2003-01-24

Sylvia Engdahl's intelligence, thoughfulness and care in weaving this story have brought about a book unlike anything else I've read. The hero is never allowed the easy way out, the reader is never treated with condescension. If you enjoy grappling with big chunky issues of politics, philosophy and theology all rolled together, rites of passage, technological challenges, and a delicious flavour of ultimate conspiracy... do yourself a favour and read it!!

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Courtesy of Teens Read Too
One More Great Book!
A journey into adulthood
amazingly unique, humanist science fiction
We're all correct; this should be reprinted!

Journey Between Worlds
Sylvia Louise Engdahl
Manufacturer: Putnam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0399245324
Release Date: 2006-05-18

Book Description

Eighteen-year-old Melinda Ashley never wanted to go to Mars. She had her life all planned out—marry Ross, become a teacher, and inherit the beloved family home. But when her estranged father convinces her to take a trip with him to the remote colony on Mars, she finds herself tempted to leave her comfortable existence on Earth behind. Mars proves to be quite different than she had imagined and when she meets Alex Preston, a second generation Martian colonist, she finds herself on a surprising new path.

This timeless novel of a young woman's journey between two worlds has stirred readers' imaginations for generations.

Customer Reviews:

Courtesy of Teens Read Too.......2006-10-30

Melinda doesn't want to go to Mars. Why leave Earth when everything humans are meant to enjoy is there? But when her father, whom she's only seen sporadically over the last ten years, asks her to join him on a business trip to one of the Mars colonies after she graduates from high school, she can't bring herself to refuse him. Little does she know her months on Mars will change the way she thinks about life, love, and humanity.

With JOURNEY BETWEEN WORLDS, Sylvia Louise Engdahl has written a science-fiction story that will appeal to a variety of teens. Melinda faces many of the same problems today's young adults do, only in an otherworldly location. The first person narrative puts readers right inside Melinda's head and allows them to see through her eyes. Her struggle to overcome her fear of change and to examine her feelings and beliefs honestly should resonate with anyone uncertain of exactly who they are and want to be.

The story, of course, is not only about Melinda, but also Mars. The descriptions of Mars and its colonies are fascinating in their detail and realism, providing an exciting setting for Melinda's personal conflicts. The colonists, with their pride and passion, will make readers wonder if they, too, would have the pioneer spirit.

I would recommend JOURNEY BETWEEN WORLDS to any teen looking for a thought-provoking read. Unlike many science-fiction novels, this is not a story of action and technology, but rather of wonder. I'll admit, at times I wished there was more excitement, but overall it was a satisfying read. Both Melinda's problems and the issues raised by the colonization of another planet will give readers much to ponder long after they've finished reading.

Reviewed by: Lynn Crow

One More Great Book!.......2006-05-20

Lessons on growing up are often unpalatable for teens, but this one tastes great! I can still remember the first time I read it upon its original publication. It stresses that sacrifice for the greater good of all humanity is one of the highest qualities a person can strive to have. Great science facts are also included.

A journey into adulthood.......2006-04-12

Reviewed by Kim Peterson for Reader Views (4/06)

Melinda plans to marry Ross after graduation and someday live at Maple Beach in the house she will inherit from Gran. She fosters no aspirations to pioneer new places like her ancestor Melinda who traveled across the plains to Western Oregon in a covered wagon. She plans to teach and live a quiet life. But her father's graduation gift threatens to change her world-literally. He offers her a ticket to accompany him on a year-long business trip to the colonies on Mars.

Wanting to reconnect with her father and responding impulsively to her fianc?'s negative reaction, Melinda boards the Susan Constant and journeys to Mars. She compares everything about the trip and her time on the planet to Earth. She misses the abundant water, the fresh air, the rhythm of the ocean and "normal" gravity. If it weren't for Alex Preston, a second-generation Martian colonist, she might not have learned many of the positives that life on Mars offered or the thoughtfulness of genuine love.

Engdahl's science fiction romance targets young adult readers well. Melinda tells her story in first person with believability and the indecisiveness and emotion that naturally accompany major life decisions when the ramifications will last forever. The journey between worlds literally spans between Earth and Mars, but it also shows her journey into adulthood as well as the shift in her thinking about what she wants from life.

I enjoyed my return visit into the world of Engdahl's books. She updated this volume to reflect what we now know about Mars, and to reflect our shift in thinking about women. However, the book seems to me as fresh as it did when I read it as a child. The pace moves a bit slower than today's readers might expect, but the story line remains solid and the themes still feel relevant today. What a thrill to see Engdahl's books back in print!

amazingly unique, humanist science fiction.......2005-12-29

It's not very often that you can say a science fiction book is dated--and not consider that a problem. I wish someone would reprint _Journey Between Worlds_ because I'm not sure there's anything else like it--and it's a wonderful read. It's fascinating to look at how strange some of Melinda's preconceptions sound today. She assumes that she should let her boyfriend make decisions for her, and that she'll end up a housewife after she gets married and her husband finishes law school--and she eventually realizes she's not satisfied with that, but it happens quietly. Mentions of "Manifest Destiny" are also troubling historically--but it's funny when you realize that the planets they're talking about colonizing don't have any native inhabitants. The social implications all change, of course; in that sense this may be a really excellent book to read in the classroom, probably at a junior-high or high school level (if only it were in print!), because it does sort of explain the perspective of colonization in a way that lets you understand how the colonists must have felt. Comparing this book to a story sent on Earth, looking at colonization and oppression, would be a very interesting exercise.

On the other hand, perspectives of the space age--right as it began--are fascinating and beautiful. I'm not sure of any other novel that expresses that feeling so well. It's also a bit bittersweet to read it now, since the author's wide-eyed hopes haven't come to pass, after all over the intervening decades. I guess, all in all, there's a surprising amount to think about here. Plus a really good story (which I haven't even mentioned...)

We're all correct; this should be reprinted!.......2003-04-19

I'm a lucky owner of this young adult novel. My poor copy is a beaten, bruised thing with a twisted spine and stained pages; I adore it.

Anyone familar with Engdahl's work understands that she lays a foundation of philosophy and bases story atop this sometimes shaky ground. Her ideals, however, are refreshing. Not hard sci-fi, not entirely romantic, and certainly not pushy, but full of hope and whimsy and thought-provocation. Considering that this was published in 1970, the scientific reasoning (surrounding the journey to Mars and Mars itself) is left open-ended and ambiguous, which I actually appreciate. It gives the novel a sense of timelessness and doesn't outdate recent scientific knowledge. What's left is a charming, charming tale.

We the reader even get our happy ending.

By the way, this was the first novel Engdahl wrote. She had difficulties locating a willing publisher and, while still searching, wrote Enchantress from the Stars. It was this second novel that got quickly swallowed by the Atheneum publishing house who then agreed to also print the much beloved Journey Between Worlds.

Book Description

Elana, newly graduated from the Federation Anthropological Service Academy, is sent immediately into danger on the planet Toris-a world poised on the brink of nuclear war. She is ordered to merely observe, and must not reveal her alien origin or interfere with the planet's natural course of evolution. But how can she stand by and watch? Her fellow agent, Randil, is not properly trained to work in the field, and his compassion for the Torisians may lead him to intervene. Yet his very actions may bring about the holocaust that he is so desperately trying to prevent. Elana must make a crucial decision: side with a renegade agent, or stop him at any cost. . . .

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Elana Returns to Save Another World.......2006-02-08

Elana returns to save another world, this time one embroiled in a conflict much like Earth's Cold War. Naturally, Elana is assigned in a deep cover role to the "other side" and much trouble ensues. It is a somewhat darker story than Enchantress from the Stars, with scenes of torture. The story hits on Engdahl's themes of space exploration as the salvation of civilizations.

My one regret is that decades have passed and yet no further adventures of Engdahl's plucky heroine.

Dark and not dark.......2005-08-13

In this book, Elana is sent on a solo mission to observe a world called Toris, which is in the "critical stage". This is the stage when a sentient species has nuclear weapons, but not space colonies. THat means that they can destroy their planet, but don't have other colonies to live on if they do. If they (we; we're in the Critical Stage as I understand it) destroy their (our)planet, their species dies with it. Toris is in a cold war between two superpowers, the Neo-Statists and the Libertarians. The former have nuclear weapons. Presumably so do the latter. However, they have not even sent a satelite into orbit.

Sometimes Elana would be allowed to intervene: this time, she is only an observer, and she has only two things to concern herself with: information, and staying alive. With temporary amnesia and sickness, she is placed in a hospital in the control of the controlist Neo-Statists (who beleive that "anyone who believes himself independantly wise is insane". They also beleive that people have no worth except as part of the State. I am compelled to quote a Star Trek book: "Without all the 'ones', there would be no 'many'"). The amnesia is a good alibi for not knowing much about Torisian society, so she escapes most suspician. Then she finds a menial job and an appartment, which she shares with a young woman named Kari. Kari, it turns out, is in love with a man that Elana knows is also an "agent", a member of her Fedaration who chooses to go undercover on "Youngling" worlds. This man, Randil, is like Elana afraid for Toris, and wants to keep nuclear war from happening. Unlike her, he interferes. He gives the Neo-Statists a spaceship. Elana trys to destroy it, and is caught.

That's when the "dark" part of the book starts; it's a lot of sceens between Elana and a torturer. Elana is a very strong character; she doesn't hate him. He thinks she's a Libertarian agent; she finds that immensly funny. Actually, it's told in first person, as though she is in the prison, recounting the story of how she got there. When she runs out of "past" story, Elana goes on to describe how she and Kari convince Randil to destroy the ship himself.

Each character is well-defined and interesting. Elana doesn't describe appearances, which may bother some people. I don't mind it. There are only a few characters with important roles: Elana, Kari, Randil, and Commander Feric, the torturer who is as close to a villain as there is. If anyone but Elana were telling hte story he WOULD be the villain, but Elana just says that he's wrong. In just about everything. He never understood that Elana would never give in, because more was at stake (that world) than he could destroy to coerce her. I was very satisfied with his fate.

Randil is a positive character, even though he causes a lot of the trouble in the book. He is a bit naive, and he has less experiance than Elana. (He applies the similarity between the growth fo a species and the growth of a person too literally. Planetary civilizations have a childhood, adolescence, and adulthood; so do people. But people can want war even though worlds can't, and he assumes that no person can want war when there is an alternitive. He doesn't understand the reality of evil.)He makes a terrible mistake and pays for it, and he is a bit tragic, even before the end of the story, because you know (through Elana) that an agent and a Youngling who fall in love can't stay together.

Kari, who is in love with him and assumes that she will marry him, is the character who grows most in the course of this story. As it starts, she is insecure and pessimistic about the fate of Toris. (I understand that feeling very well.) She is kind and smart, but she has no confidance in herself. She's sympathetic to the Libertarians- but since that's against the law, she can't tell anyone. When she is arrested and tortured to influence Elana, Elana fakes that a drug has given her telepathic abilities, like the one that lets her not care about pain. (The principle sounds like shock- it's there, but it's not conected.) As Kari goes through terrible experiances (which I won't describe; suffice it to say that I found this in the YA section, but I'm not sure that all teens could deal with it), you'd expect her to be broken by the experiance. She isn't. She becomes stronger, until she is willing to die in the explosion that will destroy the spaceship. At the end, she has decided to enter the Resistance against the Neo-Statists. Kari is an ordinary person who becomes a hero in her own way, and she effected me as deeply as Elana and Randil did. Maybe she will live and maybe die, but she will have done the right thing, and made a difference.

Elana is the teller of the tale, as she told the very different story of "Enchantress From the Stars". She is deeply compassionate, kind, and likeable on a personal leval. I'd like to describe her further, but it is hard to do that with someone you see only through their own eyes. So I will describe her civilization instead. The Fedaration (not the UFP of Star Trek, though there is a similarity to the Prime Directive) is made up of mature species, which have grown out of war and superstition and hate. They believe in freedom; they are completely different from the Neo-Statists. The Service is a group of people from the Fedaration who pretend to be Younglings (people from species that haven't grown up yet) to either learn about them or avert disaster on Youngling worlds. Elana has been in the Service for a short time, since the events in "Enchantress". She questions many ideas in the rule of noninterferance, but ultimately decides that they're right. The fact that she does not believe in even her own people's ideals unquestioningly makes her very real. Elana is a very intelligent and thoughtful person, besides bravery. She makes hard choices: when she tries to destroy the ship, she knows that people will die. But she also knows that it's the lesser evil, and better than the destruction of Toris. Back to the Service: one of the requirements of the agents is the compassion that Elana shows. She mentions at one point that some people could harden themselves to suffering, but they aren't the kind of people who get into the Service.

The scientific/philosophical ideas of this book are facinating. The one I will mention is the idea that all sentient species go thorugh a childhood, when they are believe in magic and have low-level technology; an adolescance when they put that aside as superstician; and an adulthood, when they realize that science and magic are the same thing after all. Another element of philosophy in this book is Elana's statement htat the fall of empires is a law of nature, although it will come at the price of evil and suffering. But, as she says, "there are always people, ordinary people like Kari, who are willing to pay the price for freedom." It is very true.

This story is dark in the sense that the Neo-Statist government supresses freedom in the countries the rule. And horrible things happen to Kari and Elana, although Elana can deal with pain and helps Kari to do so. (She does it through telepathy. Since Kari doesn't believe in that, she tricks Kari into thinking that it's the effect of a drug. Torisian society has this idea that drugs can do anything.) It is not dark in the sense that Toris is saved (By diverting the government's attention from war to space. That's a neat idea that I think that we should take more heed of (maybe it wouldn't really work, but I hope so): That nuclear war can be avoided by diverting our attention to something "more important": space travel and space colonies), Elana and Kari both survive, and Elana knows that now that Toris is past the Critical Stage, it will survive, becoming a mature civilization like her own.

I suppose I should describe this edition in particular. I read a copy with a very inacurate cover, which shows Elana in rather conspicuous clothes outside a city that looks more advanced than the Torisians are described as being. There is a huge and very visible spaceship in the air overhead. But covers are nearly always innacurate (do cover artists even read the book?) so that is nothing against the edition. In the back is a note from the author, explaining that the Critical Stage is a real thing to her (and me) not a plot device. She also says that while the prequel was not meant to be taken literally, but this one is. She makes a rather valid point that at the moment, even given the ability, we probably wouldn't make a star empire like the ones in some fiction that go around conquouring worlds, and she doubts that we or anyone else would do so when we do have the ability. Finally, she states that what she meant by "out of the Critical Stage" was colonies, not jsut space probes and satilites. This edition was adapted a bit to make that clear.

A dark book, but wonderful. I would recomend it, but if you don't want to read a very dark book, the prequel "Enchantress from the Stars" is far less so and just as good.

Dark and not dark.......2005-08-13

Genius.......2005-05-13

I have read this book, and thoroughly enjoyed it. It talks a lot about Engdahl's view on the progression of civilizations, and it gives such wholly-developed perspectives of people who share different opinions. It really provides such a solid foundation of beliefs on which the author constructed the book. It also makes us wonder just where we stand, as a species on a planet that may be one in millions. The statements it offers on the whole Critical Stage idea I found extremely sensible. Although there are people who believe that the idea of alien civilizations is completely far-fetched, it really is a narrow-minded assumption-after all, we are just one species on one planet in a whole universe of unexploration. I highly recommend this book.

the case for the stars.......2004-05-25

Fiction doesn't have to be profound, just entertaining. But every once in a long while, a novel comes along that is both. Here, Sylvia Engdahl presents her "Critical Stage" argument for space exploration -- to wit, if we do not get out into space now, much further and longer than we have heretofore, then we may never get the opportunity again. As an advocate of space exploration and human life in the cosmos, I have explored this theme in my own non-fiction writings, noting how many cultures invented many things, only to see them languish (the Aztecs invented the wheel, to give but one example -- but they confined its use to just the toys of children). Engdahl had developed this idea years earlier, in The Far Side of Evil, but with all the tender flourishes and haunting interludes and personal verve of science fiction at its very best. The heroine, Elana (last seen in Enchantress from the Stars) is not very old. But the challenges she encounters echo from the very beginning to the ends of time, and speak to the very place of humanity in the universe, and what we need to do to attain and claim it. In age in which terrorism has threatened our ways of life in unexpected ways, Engdahl's probing story, and the recommendation it contains, are especially relevant. Originally published some three decades ago, this new edition, revised by the author's deft hand, is even better.

Euthanasia (Contemporary Issues Companion)

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Euthanasia (Contemporary Issues Companion)

Manufacturer: Greenhaven Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0737732520

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Enchantress from the Stars
Sylvia Louise Engdahl
Manufacturer: Atheneum
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000BCJWOM

Tool for Tomorrow : New Knowledge About Genes

Average customer rating:

Ugh! Do NOT mistake this for science fiction!

Tool for Tomorrow : New Knowledge About Genes
Sylvia Louise Engdahl , and Rick Roberson
Manufacturer: Atheneum
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Biology | Science, Nature & How It Works | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Customer Reviews:

Ugh! Do NOT mistake this for science fiction!.......1999-12-15

I got this because I liked 'Enchantress from the Stars'. Do not be misled; this is not science fiction! This is a book on NON-FICTION!1

Average customer rating:

This Star Shall Abide
Sylvia Engdahl
Manufacturer: Atheneum
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GREFCQ

Authors:

Authors

Authors