Quotes from Reviews of
Promse of the Flame
A novel by Sylvia Engdahl
"Outsoars its predecessor. . . . This is a book written by somebody at once holding firm convictions as to the potential human life can have but with enough political intelligence to note that even a society far improved over its predecessor will have its own problems, will be only a half-utopia. But even a half-utopia equipped with freedom and the possibility for optimal human interconnection is better than a society that disciplines and denies these. . . . As with all of Engdahl's work, science-fiction fans will recognize the tropes she uses, but it is not just ';for' them, no more than the work of a great artist who happens to work in, say, ceramics is just for adepts of that medium. Engdahl has produced high-quality work over a forty-year period, but this is one of her finest achievements." --Nicholas Birns (author of J.R.R. Tolkien: Architect of Modern Fantasy), Amazon.com, May 30, 2010 '
"It is not necessary to read the first [book] in order to be enthralled by the second. . . . Engdahl's gift is to make her characters seem comfortable and familiar to the reader, even though their circumstances are not. Although clearly a work of science fiction, the ideas and futuristic possibilities are disturbingly real and will remain with the reader long after they've finished the book." --Peggy LaVake, Indie Reader Staff Review, July 2010
"I started reading Promise of the Flame as soon as it arrived and I was hooked from the first page. I picked the book up every chance I got and finally the second day finished it by staying up late. Sylvia Engdahl knows how to pace a novel and get her message across while telling an engaging and suspenseful story." --J. C. Jones, Mixed Book Bag, October 10, 2009'
"I think I actually like Promise of the Flame even more than Stewards of the Flame. In the first book, the idealist philosophy was created in opposition to the bounds of their society. However, in the sequel, the characters have to balance survival (short and long term) with these ideals. Definitely not an easy task." --Tami Brady, TCM Reviews, October 30, 2009'
"The FLAME novels' premise is incredibly timely.... Both books introduce new readers who wouldn't ever want to read science fiction to a way of thinking about the world that challenges the issues that are so big we can't see them.... Ought to be required reading in university philosophy courses." --Jacqueline Lichtenberg, The Book Connection (comment), October 19, 2009'
"Right now all I can feel right now is ';wow!' What a great story with thought-provoking themes and heroic characters. The suspense is so much fun, I couldn't put the book down through the last couple of hundred pages." --Robert Haven, Amazon.com, March 9, 2010
"There were . . . parts where I could barely put the book down for wanting to know what would happen next. This is one of the few situations where I reach the end of a book or a series and feel like I'm saying goodbye to friends, and to me, that means it's a pretty darn good book."--"Bunkie68," LibraryThing.com, June 25, 2010
FAQ about the book, excerpt, and purchase information
A novel by Sylvia Engdahl
"Outsoars its predecessor. . . . This is a book written by somebody at once holding firm convictions as to the potential human life can have but with enough political intelligence to note that even a society far improved over its predecessor will have its own problems, will be only a half-utopia. But even a half-utopia equipped with freedom and the possibility for optimal human interconnection is better than a society that disciplines and denies these. . . . As with all of Engdahl's work, science-fiction fans will recognize the tropes she uses, but it is not just ';for' them, no more than the work of a great artist who happens to work in, say, ceramics is just for adepts of that medium. Engdahl has produced high-quality work over a forty-year period, but this is one of her finest achievements." --Nicholas Birns (author of J.R.R. Tolkien: Architect of Modern Fantasy), Amazon.com, May 30, 2010 '"It is not necessary to read the first [book] in order to be enthralled by the second. . . . Engdahl's gift is to make her characters seem comfortable and familiar to the reader, even though their circumstances are not. Although clearly a work of science fiction, the ideas and futuristic possibilities are disturbingly real and will remain with the reader long after they've finished the book." --Peggy LaVake, Indie Reader Staff Review, July 2010
"I started reading Promise of the Flame as soon as it arrived and I was hooked from the first page. I picked the book up every chance I got and finally the second day finished it by staying up late. Sylvia Engdahl knows how to pace a novel and get her message across while telling an engaging and suspenseful story." --J. C. Jones, Mixed Book Bag, October 10, 2009'
"I think I actually like Promise of the Flame even more than Stewards of the Flame. In the first book, the idealist philosophy was created in opposition to the bounds of their society. However, in the sequel, the characters have to balance survival (short and long term) with these ideals. Definitely not an easy task." --Tami Brady, TCM Reviews, October 30, 2009'
"The FLAME novels' premise is incredibly timely.... Both books introduce new readers who wouldn't ever want to read science fiction to a way of thinking about the world that challenges the issues that are so big we can't see them.... Ought to be required reading in university philosophy courses." --Jacqueline Lichtenberg, The Book Connection (comment), October 19, 2009'
"Right now all I can feel right now is ';wow!' What a great story with thought-provoking themes and heroic characters. The suspense is so much fun, I couldn't put the book down through the last couple of hundred pages." --Robert Haven, Amazon.com, March 9, 2010
"There were . . . parts where I could barely put the book down for wanting to know what would happen next. This is one of the few situations where I reach the end of a book or a series and feel like I'm saying goodbye to friends, and to me, that means it's a pretty darn good book."--"Bunkie68," LibraryThing.com, June 25, 2010