The Rising Flame: Box Set: Defender of the Flame + Herald of the Flame
Page 91
Terry, along with the whole Council, was at the Old Settlement to greet Liam and the Federation delegates when they landed. They were members of the team that had been observing Earth and therefore looked human; an introduction to species alien in appearance would come later. Though there was no language barrier in their case, communication was largely telepathic from the beginning, and sensing their common aims put the Council at ease.
It was a happy day that heralded an exciting new future for Maclairn and ultimately for Earth. Terry’s own future, too, was bright, for Liam informed him that the work of the Captain of Estel was by no means finished. His ongoing job would be to travel back and forth between Maclairn and Ydoril, just he had traveled between Earth and Maclairn as captain of Promise, taking observers from the old world to the new and bringing its representatives to spread knowledge among all who wished to learn.
Thus he would spend his remaining years carrying delegates of both civilizations to and fro aboard Estel; but he would be based on Maclairn with Kathryn, and he was awed by the winding route that had brought him back to where he belonged. His century of exile was now behind him. He was home.
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Afterword
My initial idea in writing my Hidden Flame series, which precedes this series but is independent, was to explore in a story for adults some of the ideas in my Young Adult novel Enchantress from the Stars and the related novel The Far Side of Evil, both of which have had many adult readers. Specifically, how would a future society similar to our present one take the first steps toward becoming a “mature” civilization as described in those books? How would we begin to develop the paranormal mind powers that characterized that civilization? It would have to start somewhere in a small way; the human race wouldn’t be transformed overnight.
To this end, I gave the characters in Stewards of the Flame and its sequel Promise of the Flame the same powers possessed by the heroine of the earlier books, though in a less advanced form. In the Rising Flame duology—Defender of the Flame and its sequel Herald of the Flame—I have expanded this theme further. Many readers of Enchantress from the Stars have been curious as to what I conceive as the key factor in the distinction between a “youngling” human species and a mature one, which in that book is assumed to be clear-cut. I have never pictured it as arbitrary, as if the older species simply considered themselves more advanced by some subjective standard. Nor do I consider it a merely cultural difference; contrary to the assumption of some readers of Enchantress from the Stars, that story is not applicable to relationships between cultures that might simultaneously exist within a single species. I believe there is an actual difference between a young “human” species and an older one based on its evolution over time, just as there was an actual difference between prehistoric humans and those that developed language and the use of tools. In my opinion this evolutionary process has not ended. In a future era when interstellar travel is commonplace, humans will develop greater capabilities than most of us have today.
Of course, we do not know what the culture of these future humans will be like, and so in fiction I portray it as like ours. There will be technologies then which we now cannot even imagine, and people’s customs will be different from the way I describe them. Unlike many authors of science fiction, I do not attempt to show difference merely for the sake of difference; since imaginary cultures are no closer to future reality than is ours, I see no advantage to lessening reader identification with my characters. Culture is merely the framework of a story, like the language in which it is written, whereas its substance concerns human potential and human values. I therefore make no apology for my use of familiar science fiction devices, such as starships that travel rapidly between stars in violation of our present conception of the laws of physics. Such tropes are simply a means of communicating with today's readers; they do not pretend to be a description of future technology.
The story’s portrayal of paranormal capabilities, on the other hand, is closer to what is actually known, although in some cases intentionally exaggerated. Telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition are known to exist. Remote viewing has been put to actual use. Information about this, including a list of excellent nonfiction books by respected scientists, can be found on the background pages for Stewards of the Flame.
I hope that adults who have enjoyed Enchantress from the Stars and The Far Side of Evil will also like the Rising Flame duology whether or not they enjoy the preceding series, the first volume of which, Stewards of the Flame, is focused on an additional controversial theme concerning today’s medical philosophy that is not pursued in this book.
About the Author
“Between 1970 and 1981 Sylvia Louise Engdahl published six sf novels ostensibly for young adults but more challenging (and better written) than almost all of the material published at the time for the adult market. . . . Yet for some reason the public—aside from a select group of aficionados—largely ignored Engdahl’s work, and it’s only within the past few years that it’s been rediscovered as the treasure trove it is.” —Fantasy Magazine, 2006
Sylvia Engdahl is the author of ten science fiction novels. Six of them are Young Adult books that are also enjoyed by adults, all of which were originally published by Atheneum and have been republished, in both hardcover and paperback, by different publishers in the twenty-first century. The one for which she is best known, Enchantress from the Stars, was a Newbery Honor book, winner of the 1990 Phoenix Award of the Children’s Literature Association, and a finalist for the 2002 Book Sense Book of the Year in the Rediscovery category. The omnibus edition of her trilogy Children of the Star was issued as adult science fiction.
Her four most recent novels, the Hidden Flame duology and the Rising Flame duology, are not YA books and are not appropriate for middle-school readers, but will be enjoyed by the many adult fans of her work. The first of these, Stewards of the Flame, won a bronze medal in the 2008 Independent Publisher (IPPY) Book Awards.
In addition, she has issued an updated and expanded edition of her nonfiction book The Planet-Girded Suns: The History of Human Thought About Extrasolar Worlds
Why would an established author publish some of her books independently? “Because publishers of adult fiction demand that it be strictly categorized by genre, while the novels of the Flame series don’t fit genre requirements,” Engdahl says. “Since they’re set in the future on other planets, they’re considered science fiction—yet like my YA novels, they appeal more to general audiences than to those with extensive science fiction background. This means they’re not suitable for adult sf lines, and in any case I want them to reach other readers, too. At my age, I feel it’s unlikely that marketing criteria will change during my lifetime. So I decided to make use of my desktop-publishing skills.”
From her home in Eugene, Oregon, Engdahl has worked both as a copyeditor and as a freelance editor of nonfiction anthologies for high schools. Now retired, she welcomes email to sle@sylviaengdahl.com as well as visitors to her large website www.sylviaengdahl.com, where background information about the Flame duologies--including a list of recommended nonfiction books about psi--can be found.
Books by Sylvia Engdahl
Available in Paperback and Ebook Editions
Under Her Personal Imprint, Ad Stellae Books
Hidden Flame duology, Book One:
Stewards of the Flame
When burned-out starship captain Jesse Sanders is seized by a dictatorial medical regime and detained on the colony planet Undine, he has no idea that he is about to be plunged into a bewildering new life that will involve ordeals and joys beyond anything he has ever imagined, as well as the love of a woman with powers that se
em superhuman. Still less does he suspect that he must soon take responsibility for the lives of people he has come to care about and the preservation of their hopes for the future of humankind.
This controversial novel deals with government-imposed health care, with end-of-life issues, and with the so-called paranormal powers of the human mind. Despite being set in the distant future on another world, it appeals not just to science fiction fans but to a wide range of readers who question the dominant medical philosophy of today’s society, or who value personal freedom of choice. (Available in paperback and Kindle editions.)
Hidden Flame duology, Book Two:
Promise of the Flame
Three hundred people, isolated on a raw new planet in the hope of fulfilling a dream, the dream that their psi powers will become the foundation of a culture that can someday shape the future of humankind. If they don’t starve first. If they don’t lose heart in the face of hardships beyond any they imagined. And if their kids can be reared to believe in the dream and advance both their technology and their psi powers from one generation to the next.
Starship captain Jesse Sanders hasn’t expected to be responsible for the settlement. Peter is the leader, the visionary on whose inspiration they all depend. But Peter has his hands full, not only with maintaining morale but with grueling ordeals of his own. So the job of ensuring the colony’s survival falls on Jesse. And in the end, he must stake his life in a desperate attempt to prevent the loss of all they have gained. (Available in paperback and Kindle editions.)
Omnibus Edition:
The Hidden Flame
The two books of the duology—Stewards of the Flame and Promise of the Flame—in a single volume. (Available in paperback and Kindle editions.)
Rising Flame duology, Book One:
Defender of the Flame
Starship pilot Terry Radnor, involved in a secret mission after training that gives him extraordinary physical and psychic capabilities, finds fulfillment in love and in commitment to a cause—until an ironic twist of fate tears him away from everything he cares about. He is forced to build a whole new life, far from all that has previously mattered to him. Is there any hope that he can fulfill his pledge to protect the world whose safety is crucial to the future of humankind?
Although this novel follows Promise of the Flame, it begins an independent story set two hundred years later that can be read alone. (Available in paperback and Kindle editions.)
Rising Flame duology, Book Two:
Herald of the Flame
Through a strange turn of fate Terry Steward, born Terry Radnor, was in the right place at the right time to save the secret colony Maclairn from terrorists who would have destroyed its plan to spread advanced mind powers to Earth and the other worlds of humankind. Now with his own starship Estel, he sets out to further that plan by journeying from world to world, heralding the hopeful future about which he alone knows the full truth. Yet he is all too aware that Maclairn’s enemies still pose a threat, and that on Earth the persecution of people who develop such powers is increasing. Soon targeted by bounty hunters, Terry can see no way to combat a planet-wide conspiracy—nor does he guess that if he lives long enough, he is destined for an even greater role in human history than he has played as a defender of Maclairn's cause.
Although this book is best read following Defender of the Flame, it can also be read alone. (Available in paperback and Kindle editions.)
Omnibus Edition:
The Rising Flame
The two books of the duology—Defender of the Flame and Herald of the Flame—in a single volume. (Available in paperback and Kindle edition.)
Children of the Star trilogy, Book One:
This Star Shall Abide
(Published in the UK as Heritage of the Star)
Noren knew that his world was not as it should be—it was wrong that only the Scholars and Technicians could use metal and Machines. It was wrong that only they had access to the knowledge hidden in the mysterious City. He was a heretic. He defied the High Law and had no faith in the Prophecy’s promised fulfillment. But was defiance enough, or could some way be found to make it come true?
A Young Adult novel. Winner of a Christopher Award, given for “affirmation of the highest values of the human spirit.” (Available in paperback, mobi, epub and pdf editions and as an audiobook.)
Children of the Star trilogy, Book Two:
Beyond the Tomorrow Mountains
Once Noren gained admission to the City where technology was hidden, he thought he had discovered how to make metal and Machines available to everyone and end the rule of the Scholars. But he soon learned it was not as simple as he had believed. Was it right to let people go on believing in the promises of a Prophecy that might not come true after all?
Originally published as a Young Adult novel, but of interest mainly to high school and adult readers. (Available in mobi, epub and pdf editions.)
Children of the Star trilogy, Book Three:
The Doors of the Universe
Noren had found faith in the Prophecy’s fulfillment in the face of overwhelming odds. Yet the more he learned of the grim truth about his people's situation, 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—and he alone could do what was needed.
Originally published as a Young Adult novel, but of interest mainly to high school and adult readers. (Available in mobi, epub and pdf editions.)
Omnibus Edition:
Children of the Star
The three books of the trilogy—This Star Shall Abide, Beyond the Tomorrow Mountains and The Doors of the Universe—in a single volume. (Available in paperback, mobi, epub and pdf editions.)
The Far Side of Evil
Assigned as a observer to a world whose people may soon destroy their civilization, Anthropological Service agent Elana expects merely to gain knowledge that may save other planets. When a young, inexperienced agent unwittingly endangers the entire world by a well-meant but ill-advised attempt to intervene, Elana finds that only she—at great cost—can prevent an immediate war of annihilation.
Originally published as a Young Adult novel. Although this book has the same heroine as Enchantress from the Stars, it is a completely separate story intended for older readers. (Available in mobi, epub and pdf editions.)
Journey Between Worlds
(A romance about the colonization of Mars)
When Melinda Ashley receives a ticket to Mars as a high school graduation gift from her dad, she isn’t at all eager for the trip. But he is going himself, and because she hasn’t had much opportunity to get to know him in the past, she agrees to accompany him. She has little interest in the Martian colonies until, aboard the ship, she meets Alex Preston, a second-generation colonist who is going home. During her stay on Mars she finds herself more and more drawn to Alex. She also enjoys the company of his family, and begins to understand why they believe so strongly in the future they are working toward. Ultimately, after she has faced tragedy and sorrow, a terrifying experience on the Martian moon Phobos shows Melinda what is really important to her. (Available in mobi, epub and pdf editions.)
Nonfiction:
The Planet-Girded Suns: The History of Human Thought About Extrasolar Worlds (2012 Updated Edition)
Interest in extrasolar worlds is not new. From the late 17th century until the end of the 19th, almost all educated people believed that the stars are suns surrounded by inhabited planets—a belief that was expressed not in science fiction, but in serious speculation, both scientific and religious, as well as in poetry. Only during the first half of the 20th century was it thought that life-bearing extrasolar planets are rare.
This book, first published by Atheneum in 1974, tells the story of the rise, fall, and eventual renewal of widespread conviction that we are not alone in the universe. Its chapters dealing with modern views have been revised to reflect the scientific knowledge gained during the
past 40 years, including the actual detection of planets orbiting other stars.
In addition it contains a new Afterword, "Confronting the Universe in the Twenty-First Century," discussing the relevance of past upheavals in human thought to an understanding of the hiatus in space exploration that has followed the Apollo moon landings. (Available in paperback, mobi, epub and pdf editions.)
Anthology:
Anywhere, Anywhen: Stories of Tomorrow (2011 Updated Edition)
This anthology of stories about the future, edited by Sylvia Engdahl, is intended not for science fiction fans but for teen readers who don’t ordinarily choose books from that genre. It focuses on the timeless aspects of being human, and aims to suggest ideas about the future in a way that those who prefer real-life settings to strange, “far-out” ones will enjoy. Contributors include Sylvia Engdahl, Shirley Rousseau Murphy, Mildred Butler, Carol Farley, Rick Roberson, and Robert Pierik.
In this expanded edition, two stories from Engdahl and Roberson’s previous anthology Universe Ahead are included, plus one never-before-published story by Engdahl. The book thus contains all her short fiction. (Available in mobi, epub and pdf editions.)