Children of the Star [Paperback]

Sylvia Engdahl (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 10, 2000

This is a single-volume edition of the trilogy consisting of This Star Shall Abide, Beyond the Tomorrow Mountains, and The Doors of the Universe. It is now out of print, but there is a new print edition of This Star Shall Abide and Kindle editions of all three books.


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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The story is noteworthy for its dramatization of the crucial meeting of man, science, and the universe." --Horn Book (This Star Shall Abide)

"An excellent plot and remarkable character development make this tale of the future highly satisfying and thought-provoking." --Top of the News, American Library Association (This Star Shall Abide)

"Imaginative, carefully created science fiction." --Dallas Times Herald (This Star Shall Abide)

"In another superior and thoughtful science fiction novel, the author has created a believable civilization ... on a far-off planet in a far-distant time." --Chicago Daily News (This Star Shall Abide)

"Superior future fiction concerning the fate of an dealistic misfit, Noren, who rebels against his highly repressive society ... the attention of mature sci fi readers will be held by the skillful writing and excellent plot and character development." --School Library Journal (This Star Shall Abide)

"Tension-filled, beautiful and haunting." --Commonweal (This Star Shall Abide)

"Engdahl has carefully worked out the social structure and ecology of a scientific society that has been transferred to a planet without metals. What's more, she wrestles with deeply adult problems of an apparently meaningless universe and of a people s right to know facts that may destroy everything they hold dear." --Psychology Today (Beyond the Tomorrow Mountains)

"This Star Shall Abide and Beyond the Tomorrow Mountains ... serve as solid foundation for this powerful culminating volume that treats in far greater depth the philosophical/ ethical/ religious issues raised in the earlier books.... Almost as much a character study (albeit of a very special individual) as science fiction, Engdahl's latest story is certain to appeal to the thoughtful ... reader." --Booklist (The Doors of the Universe)

"There is nothing juvenile about [this trilogy].... Engdahl tells an important and pertinent story, a parable about the ethical uses of mythology." --San Jose Mercury News

On Beyond the Tomorrow Mountains: Engdahl has carefully worked out the social structure and ecology of a scientific society that has been transferred to a planet without metals. What's more, she wrestles with deeply adult problems of an apparently meaningless universe and of a people s right to know facts that may destroy everything they hold dear. --Psychology Today

On The Doors of the Universe: This Star Shall Abide and Beyond the Tomorrow Mountains ... serve as solid foundation for this powerful culminating volume that treats in far greater depth the philosophical/ ethical/ religious issues raised in the earlier books.... Almost as much a character study (albeit of a very special individual) as science fiction, Engdahl's latest story is certain to appeal to the thoughtful ... reader. --Booklist

On Beyond the Tomorrow Mountains: Engdahl has carefully worked out the social structure and ecology of a scientific society that has been transferred to a planet without metals. What's more, she wrestles with deeply adult problems of an apparently meaningless universe and of a people s right to know facts that may destroy everything they hold dear. --Psychology Today

On The Doors of the Universe: This Star Shall Abide and Beyond the Tomorrow Mountains ... serve as solid foundation for this powerful culminating volume that treats in far greater depth the philosophical/ ethical/ religious issues raised in the earlier books.... Almost as much a character study (albeit of a very special individual) as science fiction, Engdahl's latest story is certain to appeal to the thoughtful ... reader. --Booklist

From the Author

Children of the Star is an omnibus containing my science fiction trilogy This Star Shall Abide (aka Heritage of the Star), Beyond the Tomorrow Mountains and The Doors of the Universe. This edition, which I owe to the enthusiasm of readers who've contacted me on the Internet, was issued as adult rather than YA SF; it's of greatest interest to adults and mature teenagers. It is not for as young an audience as my Newbery Honor Book, Enchantress from the Stars.

Although this edition is now out of print, there is a new print edition of This Star Shall Abide and Kindle editions of all three books.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 726 pages
• Publisher: Meisha Merlin Publishing; 1 edition (January 10, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1892065142
• ISBN-13: 978-1892065148
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,078,003 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm the author of eight science fiction novels, most recently two adult novels, STEWARDS OF THE FLAME and its sequel PROMISE OF THE FLAME. There's a lot of information about them at www.stewardsoftheflame.com. My six Young Adult novels (which are also enjoyed by adults) were originally pubished by Atheneum in the 1970s but have all been reissued by different publishers, in both hardcover and paperback, in the 21st century. CHILDREN OF THE STAR contains my trilogy THIS STAR SHALL ABIDE (aka HERITAGE OF THE STAR), BEYOND THE TOMORROW MOUNTAINS and THE DOORS OF THE UNIVERSE -- although these were originally published as YA novels, the omnibus was issued in 2000 by Meisha Merlin as adult SF. A new hardcover edition of my YA novel ENCHANTRESS FROM THE STARS, a Newbery Honor Book, was published by Walker in 2001 and an updated hardcover edition of the related novel THE FAR SIDE OF EVIL (which is for older teens) in 2003; both are also available in Firebird paperback editions. The updated hardcover edition of JOURNEY BETWEEN WORLDS, a romance for teenage girls, was published by Putnam in 2006 and is also available as a Firebird paperback.

I now work as a freelance editor of nonfiction anthologies. These appear in my list of titles but they consist of reprinted material by other authors; I write only the introductions.

Besides my main website about my writing and the Stewards of the Flame website, I maintain a large Space subsite -- which can be reached either from my home page or by going directly to www.sylviaengdahl.com/space/ -- and "Space Quotes to Ponder" (www.spacequotes.com) which is a collection of quotations from well-known people, and some not well known, about why it's essential for our species to expand into space.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thought-provoking and deeply moving, January 15, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Children of the Star (Paperback)

I first read "This Star Shall Abide" while in high school, and was stirred by the powerful and profound questions posed by this book, its psychological and moral depth, and its ability to create a consistent world that's very different from our own. I found out a few years ago that there were more books in the series, but wasn't able to track them down, as they were out of print. But finally I've been able to read Ms. Engdahl's full series, and the wait was worth it. The second and third books in this volume surpass the first -- they raise issues of faith and perseverance, self-sacrifice, vision and hope. This new omnibus edition is essential reading not only for science-fiction fans, but for anyone who's thought seriously about ecological issues, the future of humanity, hope, faith or courage. Most highly recommended!

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How did this fall out of print?, May 30, 2001

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Children of the Star (Paperback)

As evidenced by masters such as Patricia McKillip, often worthy and original fantasies slip out of print under the wave of Tolkien ripoffs. Sylvia Engdahl's books are in that class, and thank God Meisha Merlin is reprinting them! May they keep on doing so.

The main character is Noren, a guy who knows that the world is unjust. The Scholars and Technicians are the only people allowed to use machinery and metals, and enter the City (which, of course, he also craves to enter). They also control the knowledge meted out to the lower caste systems, into which you are born and can never hope to rise from.

The High Law is why these rules are there, but a prophecy promises that knowledge and machinery will be accessible to everyone, not just the Scholars. Noren, however, doesn't care about High Law or the Prophecy, believing that High Law is simply oppression and the Prophecy untrue. But freeing his people to equality will be a strange and hard task...

Once again, Engdahl creates a believable and thought-provoking piece of SF/fantasy that doesn't fall to the usual ray-guns-or-dragons cliches. The questions raised about freedom in this book kept making me pause in the middle of a page, thinking deeply about what was being shown in the story. For fans of action: There isn't much. For fans of originality/intelligence: There's plenty.

Noren, the idealistic rebel, is a particularly endearing character. Like the characters in "Enchantress from the Stars" he is complex and multifaceted, and grows as characters should through his trials. His relentless search for truth is fascinating to the reader, and there are entire pages where you may forget you are reading a story.

Faith, truth, and knowledge are the cornerstones of this book, in my eyes. Yet they are not heavy-handed in their presentation, rather they are subtlely woven into the plot. Engdahl's writing style is, if possible, even more captivating than in "Enchantress," descriptive without getting too overwordy.

I'm not certain if this will appeal to the younger readers of "Enchantress," as this has topics in it that may bore them. (If your kids have read Tolkien, though, they will like this). I recommend it to fans of Tolkien, Lewis, McKillip, and readers of "Enchantress" who can appreciate this multilayered tale.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cannot recommend this highly enough!, April 24, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Children of the Star (Paperback)

I first read "This Star Shall Abide" when I was 11 or 12, but it wasn't until I was 26 that I managed to locate and read "Beyond the Tomorrow Mountains" and "The Doors of the Universe." The rerelease of all three books in a single omnibus edition is fantastic news for anyone interested in intelligent science fiction. The narrative follows one enormously sympathetic character who is notable for his overriding, unflinching honesty. As a young man, he gradually comes to resist the limitations of the caste system into which he has been born-- but this is just the beginning of a long and tortuous road to maturity. The other characters whom he encounters along the way, while rather modest in number, are also memorably and movingly drawn. Ms. Engdahl's work does not rely on flashy technology, kooky aliens, or gory battles to keep her reader's interest. Instead, she has conceived a world where abstract issues of faith, truth, knowledge, love, loyalty, and obligation have uniformly concrete consequences for its people's continued existence. To have such high stakes riding on individuals' morality and resourcefulness is what makes this such a gripping read.