The Doors of the Universe

by Sylvia Engdahl

Children of the Star trilogy, Book Three

A YA science fiction novel enjoyed both by older teen readers and by aduts.

Noren knows that his world is not as it should be--it is wrong that only the Scholars, and their representatives the Technicians, can use metal tools and Machines. It is wrong that only they have access to the mysterious City, which even in boyhood he longed to enter. Above all, it is wrong for the Scholars to have sole power over the distribution of knowledge. The High Law imposes these restrictions and many others, though the Prophecy declares that someday knowledge and Machines will be available to everyone. Convicted in youth of heresy, Noren has only recently come to believe in the Prophecy's intended fulfillment. And the more he learns about what happened in his people's past, the more convinced he becomes that it is up to him to restore their rightful heritage. But to do so, he must give up all else that matters to him, for it will demand more drastic steps than he has ever imagined.

Although this novel was originally published in hardcover by Atheneum as Young Adult fiction, unlike the first one in its series it is rarely of interest to readers below high school age. To see more reader reviews, look at those for the omnibus edition, Children of the Star: The Complete Trilogy, which was issued as adult science fiction.