Children of the Star (Paperback)

by Sylvia Engdahl (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"...[T]he story is noteworthy for its dramatization of the crucial meeting of man, science, and the universe." -- Horn Book, June 1972

"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)

"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, January 1973

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

"Imaginative, carefully created science fiction." -- Dallas Times Herald, December 1972

"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)

"Tension-filled, beautiful and haunting." -- Commonweal, November 1972

"[T]here 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, 4 June 2000

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 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.... What happens to the hero Noren when he forces admission to the inner city makes for fascinating reading. --Chicago Daily News

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.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 726 pages
• Publisher: Meisha Merlin Publishing, Inc.; 1 edition (January 10, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1892065142
• ISBN-13: 978-1892065148
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #568,232 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thought-provoking and deeply moving, January 16, 2000

By A Customer

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!

12 of 12 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 (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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

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.