The Books of Sylvia Engdahl

Journey Between Worlds

A Young Adult novel about the colonizaion of Mars for readers age 12 and older.

"Beautifully-written, heartwarming, and scientifically plausible." --Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show

"A fun read for younger audiences and an inspiring, hopeful and entertaining tale for older readers as well." --ScifiDimensions

"A thought-provoking read... Will give readers much to ponder long after they've finished reading." --Teens Read Too

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CHILDREN OF THE STAR TRILOGY

A Young adult science fiction novel for readers age 12 and older.

Winner of a Christopher Award for "affirmation of the highest values of the human spirit."

"Both logically and consistently suspenseful... This Star will Abide a good deal longer than most here today, gone tomorrow sci-fi." --Kirkus Reviews

"Highly satisfying and thought-provoking." --ALA

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A Young Adult science fiction novel for high school and adult readers.

"Wrestles with deeply adult problems." >--Psychology Today

"The fascination . . . lies in Engdahl's ability to create a many-layered society with a tragic past and a doubtful future that depends on its ability to cope with a harsh, brutal environment." --Kirkus Reviews,

(No current separate print edition.)

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A Young Adult science fiction novel for high school and adult readers.

"More than stands on its own as an exquisite story of the lonely quest for knowledge and the burden of unsought leadership." --Voice of Youth Advocates

"Haunts the reader long after it is finished." --Journal of Reading

(No current separate print edition.)

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Issued as adult science fiction.

"[The novels were first] marketed as young adult books, but there is nothing juvenile about them.... Engdahl tells an important and pertinent story." --San Jose Mercury News

"You will almost certainly come away enriched from Children of the Star . . . an extremely good book." InfinityPlus

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THE CAPTAIN OF ESTEL TRILOGY

An adult science fiction novel that may also be enjoyed by mature high school readers.

"Reaches back to the brio and speculation of Engdahl's classic books of the Seventies." --Literary critic Nicholas Birns

"Profits from Engdahl’s long experience as a professional writer, assuring an engaging read." --Simon Brenncke's Book Review Blog (Germany)

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An adult science fiction novel that may also be enjoyed by mature high school readers.

"A futuristic ride that has many parallels in today’s society. A ‘thinking man’s’ scoience fiction book--the type we need more of today!" --The Feathered Quill

"Engdahl's books are torches that light a flame of hope that we may have a future beyond the clouded one on Earth." --Reader review, Amazon.com

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An adult science fiction novel that may also be enjoyed by mature high school readers.

The original edition has been withdrawn. If you purchased a copy with a different cover, use coupon ZX97X for a free copy of the current ebook at Smashwords.com.

"An optimistic view of humanity's future. A very good read!” —Amazon.com Vine Voice reviewer

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The first two books of the trilogy, telling the story of its hero's life, which can stand alone apart ftom the final book about the impact of his legacy on Earth;s future.

This trilogy is a separate, and quite different, story from the other novelw that have "Flame" in their titles.

“These novels are not so much genre . . . ‘Science Fiction’ as they are Literature.  These are novels about life.” —Jacqueline Lichtenberg, Alien Romances: Reviews 14

(No print edition.)

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FOUNDERS OF MACLAIRN DUOLOGY

An adult sf novel containing some material inappropriate for YA readers.

More controversial than the other "Flame" novels and not typical of them

“The story is compelling ... a thought provoking novel that may make you question the authority and direction of modern Western medical practices." --Blogcritics

"A brave book. . . . it can’t be faulted for challenging our comfort zone, when after all, that is one sure measure of worthwhile fiction." ScifiDimensions

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An adult sf novel containing some material inappropriate for YA readers.

Though a sequel to Stewards of the Flame, this novel is quite different and can be read independently.

"The ideas and futuristic possibilities are disturbingly real and will remain with the reader long after they’ve finished the book.” --IndieReader Staff Review

"Outsoars its predecessor. . . . This is one of [Engdahl's] finest achievements." --Literary critic Nicholas Birns

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NONFICTION

The Planet-Girded Suns: Our Forebears' Firm Belief in Inhabited Exoplanets

(Formerly subtitled The Long History of Belief in Exoplaanets.) For adults and high school readers.

About the little-known fact that most educated people in the 18th and 19th centuries believed planets of other suns are inhabited.

"Engdahl has marshalled an impressive and fascinating selection of primary sources and ... reminded us that our ancestors entertained a view of the universe that was larger and more imaginative than the history books lead us to believe." --Kirkus Reviews

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For adults and high school readers.

Essays about the importance of human activity in space, the reasons for the public's reluctance to support it, and the future of humankind as a spacefaring species.

This edition contains fewer essays than the original edition in order to make its issue in paperback possible.

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For adults and high school readers.

A short paperback and audiobook sampler containing the most important essays from the ebook essay collections that are too long to be issued in paperback at reasonable prices.

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For adults and high school readers.

Only 99 cents at all retailers.

Essays about Sylvia Engdahl's books and about her life, including two autobiographies illustrated with photos--the one from Contemporary Authors plus a newer one.

(No print edition.)

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For adults and high school readers.

Essays about what life will be like in the future, artificial intelligence, psi powers, healthcare policy, and more.

"Those interested in the future of sentient life, as well as one's personal life, will enjoy this book" --Reader Review, Amazon.com

(No print edition.)

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ANTHOLOGY (EDITOR)

Young Adult science fiction for readers age 12 and older.

Includes all of Engdahl's short fiction as well as original stories by other authors.

"The stories are well-written, deeply thought out and a pleasure to read." —Sunday Advocate, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

(No current print edition.)

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You may see other nonfiction books listed under Sylvia Engdahl's name in library or bookstore catalogs. They are textbooks she compiled for Greenhaven Press as a freelance editor. She did not write anything in them except the introductions, which do not express her personal opinions about the topics covered.

Paperback Editions

The paperback editions of Engdahl's novels can now be obtained at retailers in addition to Amazon.com. but at higher prices. (This is because copies sold at Amazon are printed there; having copies printed elsewhere and made widely available involves substantial distribution costs,) Unfortunately, you will not find print copies of her adult novels, or in-print editions of her YA novels, in libraries, as most do not buy indie editions -- but they can get FREE copies of all her ebooks (except Enchantress from the Stars) from Overdrive and several other library ebook systems. Please let your librarian know.

If the paperbacks are too expensive but you prefer a fixed page format to ebook format, you can get PDF editions for $2.99 or less at Google Play that are the exact image of the paperback pages.

What is Ad Stellae Books?

Ad Stellae Books is Sylvia Engdahl's personal imprint, used on the ebook and print-on-demand editions of her books and those written by her mother. It is not a publishing company. The name means "To the Stars" in Latin according to Google Translate, though that doesn't apply to all Latin sentence structures. You can see all the book covers on one printable web page at www.sylviaengdahl.com/adstellae (The site www.adstellae.com no longer exists.)

All Ad Stellae ebooks are DRM-free (except for five Kindle books that were published before Amazon offered authors a choice. DRM-free MOBI editions of them are available in the Children of the Star omnibus and/or at Smashwords.com). Sylvia Engdahl says, ''DRM--so-called copy protection--does nothing to prevent piracy. It simply restricts the rights of honest users with a legitimate need to copy, such as reading on an uncommon device or for backup if a consistent Internet connection is unavailable, while acting as no more than a minor inconvenience to dishonest ones. Free copy-protection removal sottware can be easily obtained. The honor system is in effect whether or not publishers respect it."

Which of the Novels Should Be Read First?

Sylvia Engdahl's novels are very different from each other and people sometimes don't realize that they might not have begun with the one they would be most likely to enjoy. Below are her suggestions for where to start. Although many of the books are conncted, each is a complete story in itself; she wrote (and in most case published) them one at a time without expecting to write sequels.

If you are in 5th or 6th grade you should start with Enchantress from the Stars, and you probably won't like any of the others until you are older.

If you are in 7th or 8th grade you should start with Enchantress from the Stars, This Star Shall Abide, or -- if you are a girl who likes romance -- Journey Between Worlds. The Far Side of Evil is rarely enjoyed by readers below high school age.

If you are in 9th or 10th grade, you will want to read Enchantress from the Stars if you enjoy stories told in the style of fantasy, but you don't need to read it first. If you prefer books that aren't at all like fantasy, you should start with This Star Shall Abide, The Far Side of Evil, or Journey Beween Worlds.

If you are an adult or a high school junior or senior, you can start with any of the above, but may prefer to read Children of the Star or Defender of the Flame first (or Journey Between Worlds if you like romance).

Although Defender of the Flame is less well known than the YA novels, it and its sequels will be of special interest to adults who like Enchantress from the Stars and The Far Side of Evil, as the second and third volumes of the Captain of Estel trilogy deal in detail with the Anthropological Service that appears in those earlier books. The third voiume, Envoy of the Flame (revised edition published in September 2022), can be read by itself but includes major spoilers for the first and second volumes. All three contain some material unsuitable for children.

If you are an adult and the controversial medical theme of Stewards of the Flame appeals to you, then read it before Promise of the Flame. if it doesn't, you can skip it, as Promise can stand alone. Neither of these is appropriate for YA readers, and neither needs to be read before Defender of the Flame unless you plan to read all five and want to avoid the spoilers in Defender's backstory.

Titles not mentioned above are sequels and though they can be read independently, they contain backstory that includes spoilers for the books that precede them.

Quick Links to Short Excerpts from the Books

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Entire site copyright 1997-2024 by Sylvia Engdahl except where earlier text copyright indicated.
This website has been online since March 1997. It was last updated in October 2024.