Enchantress from the Stars

Rating:
Summary: an evergreen classic
Review: A beautifully rendered novel with high intelligence, captivating character, and cosmic soul. In many ways, Sylvia Engdahl's writings are the logical successors to Heinlein's derring-do tales of gifted individuals making a difference in human exploration of other worlds. But Engdahl's pace is more leisurely, reflective, and the tapestry she weaves may well outlast Heinlein's. Here, she introduces Elana, with a very special mission.... (For further exploits of Elana, and a crucially important argument for the necessity of space exploration right now, see Engdahl's The Far Side of Evil...)
Although Elana is young, this is a novel for adults of all ages.

Rating:
Summary: an evergreen classic
Review: A beautifully rendered novel with high intelligence, captivating character, and cosmic soul. In many ways, Sylvia Engdahl's writings are the logical successors to Heinlein's derring-do tales of gifted individuals making a difference in human exploration of other worlds. But Engdahl's pace is more leisurely, reflective, and the tapestry she weaves may well outlast Heinlein's. Here, she introduces Elana, with a very special mission.... (For further exploits of Elana, and a crucially important argument for the necessity of space exploration right now, see Engdahl's The Far Side of Evil...)
Although Elana is young, this is a novel for adults of all ages.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent and Well-done
Review: A jewel among books, Engdahl indeed do a fantastic job while writing her story. She combined three different viewpoints with three completely different styles of writing a put it together in such a way that everything flowed perfectly together.

This book, set on the planet Andrecia, tells about a girl who comes from a society more advanced than our own. She finds out a Youngling planet, one that is less advanced than our own, is in trouble and her father and best friend/eventual marriage partner is going down there to try and remedy the situation. She sneaks with them, discovers real love and the horrors that people experience everyday, and how to cope with them. It completely changes her view on life in such a realisitic amazing way.

If you want to read a fantasy book that is not all fun and happiness, although the major portion of the book is, and is fantastic and marvellous and wonderful, I suggest you buy this book. Engdahl herself is very responsive. I wrote her a letter telling her how much I loved her book, and I had a response the next day.

Trust me, buy it.

Rating:
Summary: Nice to see things from different perspectives...
Review: Elana is part of a highly advanced society, but they keep themselves secret to all societies below them- at whatever cost. During a mission to save a Youngling planet from another that is more advanced than it, Elana comes along, but she isn't a full-fleged Agent yet. Elana ends up working with her father and the boy she is to marry, as she helps try to perserve the planet with a native's help. What is science to Elana is "magic" to the people of this planet. We see things from Elana's viewpoint, the viewpoint of the invading society, and the viewpoint of the planet that is being invaded, who all have very different ways of thinking. Sometimes I felt the plot went off course talking about "responsibility" but otherwise, pretty interesting stuff.

Rating:
Summary: enchantress from the stars
Review: fresh new approach to the age old questions about our own possible beginings, I was in awe of the simplicty of the idea and how this could indeed be how things began and history turns into legend

Rating:
Summary: "Enchantress From the Stars" is one of my all-time favorites
Review: I have always been an avid reader. When I was a young teenager I discovered an old copy of "Enchantress From the Stars" on a bookshelf in our house and devoured it within a few hours. I have since read it several times and just finished it again last week. I find it one of the finest, most well crafted, intriguing books I have read, and it occupies a place of honor on the shelves that house "my favorite books." I love Science Fiction as well as Fantasy, and this book combines both of them in a fascinating, compelling way that makes the reader not want to put it down till it is done, and come back to it again later like an old friend. Ms. Engdahl intertwined the three viewpoints/cultures of Elana, Georyn, and Jarel in a highly talented, fascinating way that I have never come across in any other book. The plot is very original, exciting, and thought-provoking.

Now that I am married and have a baby of my own, I am very excited to share this book with my own children and husband. I wish I knew why it isn't more widely circulated/well-known, and I think it should still be in print. Hats off to Ms. Engdahl. I hope she has great success with her work and I think it would be wonderful to see another book about Elana (the only other one I know about is "The Far Side of Evil").

Rating:
Summary: An enthralling, wondrous adventure and coming of age story.
Review: I picked up "Enchantress From the Stars" in the library, in one of my routine sweeps of the childrens books. I'd never hear of it, or Sylvia Lousie Engdahl before, but it was an intriguing looking science fiction/fantasy, and even though I don't have much time for casual reading these days, I decided to try it.

I'm so glad I did.

Enchantress From the Stars is the story of three people from three civilizations at various points of development: Elana, from a futuristic society, part of an order that helps protect "Youngling" societies, as they call the cultures and civilizations far elow their level of development. Jarel, a medic for an Imperial colony that has come to take over the planet Andrecia for the Empire, even if it means neutralizing its "less than human" population, and Georyn, a native Andrecian, facing a danger that he knows only as "the Dragon".

The book takes the point of view of each of these characters at various points, switching points of view and styles smoothly and easily, drawing the reader further into the minds of the three main characters. The story is engaging and compelling; Elana's development, and her team's struggle to protect Andrecia without violating thier version of something akin to Star Trek's Prime Directive pulls the reader in and doesn't let go, and Georyn's intelligence and yearnings for something greater make him a character you'll never forget.

Enchantress From the Stars is a wonderful books that combines the best qualities of wonder of both science fiction and fantasy. You'll never forget it, or its characters; thier story, their coming of age, their insights, will hold your mind for a long, long time after you close the book.

Rating:
Summary: New way of history
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: A thrilling combination of science fiction and fantasy
Review: In her novel Enchantress from the Stars, Sylvia Louise Engdahl combines science fiction and fantasy to weave together an intricate plot and tell an entertaining and interesting story. The time in which this story takes place is not clear. When the book begins, it seems as if Engdahl is writing of the future. As the story progresses, it seems as if she is writing of the past. In the end of the book, the two times intertwine so that it seems as if time does not exist at all.

The plot is set on the planet of Andrecia, home to a poverty-stricken, primitive society in which the people live in small rural villages and are governed by a monarchy. In one of the poor Andrecian villages, at the edge of the dreaded Enchanted Forest, lives a woodcutter with his four sons, all of whom dream of better, brighter futures. While the three eldest brothers wish for power, gold, and treasure, the youngest, Georyn, wants only wisdom equal to that of his King. Thus, when word travels to them that the person who slays the dragon inhabiting the Enchanted Forest will receive from the King whatever reward he desires, all four brothers are eager to set out at once. However, the dragon is actually a giant machine, or rockchewer, built by a far more technologically-advanced society, the Imperials. The Imperials, who are planning to take over the planet, have created the rockchewer to clear the land so they can build a colony. As the Andrecians appear one by one to Òslay the dragon,Ó they are paralyzed by the ImperialÕs stun-guns, making them defenseless captives.

Another society of people, even more advanced than the Imperials, is determined to stop them from taking over the planet. Elana and Evrek, two teenagers, and ElanaÕs father journey to Andrecia to help the native Andrecians revolt against the Imperials and scare them off the planet. ElanaÕs people have the unique ability to move objects with their minds and to communicate telepathically. As a result, Georyn and his brothers believe Elana to be an Enchantress. Through many tests and a developing friendship, she teaches Georyn how to control the movement of objects and prepares him for his face-off with the dragon.

"Enchantress From the Stars" is an engrossing book that keeps the reader on their toes from the very first chapter. Weaving together two different genres allows Engdahl to interest readers of all kinds. "Enchantress" is not only a story about dragons and spaceships, it is also about testing the true strength of love. A definite must read!

Rating:
Summary: Ethics vs. morality with a touch of philosophy for spice
Review: Science fiction and fantasy rarely interact well with one another. A story that begins by uttering factual possibilities (as science fiction does) will not fare well in the face of fantastical elements. And then you read a miraculous story like, "Enchantress From the Stars" and it all goes higgledy-piddledy out the window. Sylvia Louise Engdahl's 1970 classic isn't just well written. It is also a deeply moving work that seeks to answer questions we may have about our own innate morality and future prospects.

In this story we meet our heroine Alana. Alana spells out clearly the three phases of humanity. In the first phase, people are superstitious and primitive. In the second, they are scientific and logical. In the third (and this is the phase to which Alana belongs) people remember the spiritual side to life and enter onto an entirely different plane from that of their forebears. Those planets and people in the universe who have advanced to the third phase have joined together to save those in the first phase from those in the second. In this particular story, Alana joins both her father and her lover on a planet not too different from that of Earth. Their goal is to save the planet's fledgling civilization from a group of colonizers from another planet. To do so, Alana must enlist the help of a man living in an age of chivalry and a man living in an age of science. As these three worlds intersect, the book thoroughly examines where it is humanity is heading and what we have to look forward to. In short, it is a book about faith.

How easy it would have been for author Engdahl to screw up while writing this. She could have made it too long (and it's not a quick read at that). The pace could have dragged. The characters (and jumps between different people's perspectives) could have rung false. Instead, the book is nearly perfect. Alana has sworn an oath to protect the secret of her advanced world's existence from the people she interacts with. At the same time, however, she wonders if it is proper to question the oath's policy. When she asks her father this question he responds as such:

"We are sworn to carry out Federation policy, yes, just as a policeman is bound to uphold the law; but that doesn't mean we suspend our own ethical judgement".

So Engdahl smoothly works in questions of ethics vs. morality as well. The book goes far beyond the normal sci-fi/fantasy literature it has been so unfortunately paired with. Rather, it is a deeply moving and deeply felt story that reaches for the Big Questions and, on top of that, is an enjoyable read. It is probably the most enjoyable philosophical book written for young adults that I have ever had the pleasure to read. A nearly forgotten, marvelous, wonderful book.