Defender of the Flame by Sylvia Engdahl

Science Fiction

From Goodreads:

"Starship pilot Terry Radnor, involved in a secret mission after training that gives him extraordinary physical and psychic capabilities, finds fulfillment in love and in commitment to a cause—until an ironic twist of fate tears him away from everything he cares about. He is forced to build a whole new life, far from all that has previously mattered to him. Is there any hope that he can fulfill his pledge to protect the world whose safety is crucial to the future of humankind?

While this novel completes the trilogy begun with Stewards of the Flame and Promise of the Flame it is a completely independent story set two hundred years later, and can be read alone."

Worldbuilding:  This completes the worldbuilding started in the first two books.  This is a future where the power of the mind is front and center in the story.  The first part of the book re-introduces how the mind can be trained and the concept of moving humans to a new level.  There are some new elements presented in the book that advance the story 200 years.

Backstory:  This is the third book in a trilogy and there is quite a bit of backstory that leads to Defender of the Flame.  Don’t worry about being confused about what is happening and why.  The important elements that you need to know are presented in conservations and arrive as you need to keep up with what is happening.

Plot:  Humans can develop new mind powers but if the knowledge gets out too soon that development can be killed and humans will come to a dead end.   The one planet where the development is part of the culture must be protected.  There are new elements that want to protect and some that want to destroy.

Characters:  This is basically the story of one character, Terry Radnor.  While he interacts with many others, Terry is the only character who is in the entire story.  The others are there and then gone.

Writing:  The book is well written and mostly in an active voice.  It did get a little long at times.  Some things were presented a few more times than I though they needed to.  I did think the book had a very elegantly written ending.

I have said this before but it bears repeating, Stewarts of the Flame was one of the best discussion book we read at our Science Fiction Book Club.  It is free on Amazon.  Pick it up and then get the other two books in the trilogy.  The series is entertaining while presenting a very interesting message.

Ad Stellae Books published Defender of the Flame by Sylvia Engdahl in 2013. 

Teaser Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:"

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser is from Defender of the Flame by Sylvia Engdahl.  This is book three in the Flame trilogy.  It can be read as a stand-alone but read all three.  Right now book one Stewards of the Flame is free on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.  All three are great discussion books for any book club even one that is just general fiction.

"You don't care about getting rich?"

"No," Terry agreed  "That what everybodyelse wants so I say it ...but I've always thought, l hoped anyway that someday I's come across some tremendous secret out there, out near some star where no one
has been before, something that mattered..."  To make light of it he added "Aliens, maybe." 

The teaser is from early in the book and is a case of be careful what you wish for.  The results might be very different from what you expected.

Promise of the Flame by Sylvia Engdahl

Science Fiction

Promise of the Flame is the continuation of the story began in Stewards of the Flame. You can follow this link to see my post on Stewards of the Flame, the first book in the series.

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. Since she does not ever let the message overwhelm the story you can relax and enjoy a well-told tale of struggle and victory over huge odds. After you get through enjoying the story you can think about the message. (Since there are several I will let you find them for yourself.)

I think this is a series everyone should read. It is a though provoking story that uses a future setting to speak about some of the problems we have today. It would be a great book club book sure to bring about a spirited discussion. For a reading group discussion guide click here.

Promise of the Flame can be read as a stand-alone but I recommend reading Stewards of the Flame first.

Ad Stellae Books published Promise of the Flame by Sylvia Engdahl in 2009.

Both Promise of the Flame and Stewards of the Flame are available from Amazon.

Stewards of the Flame by Sylvia Engdahl

Science Fiction came out of my Mixed Book Bag Today

Sylvia Engdahl wrote and published six young adult novels between 1971 and 1980. I read all six and always felt they could be listed as adult as well as young adult. After 1980 she went off to make a living and nothing was heard from her until Stewards of the Flame her first new book in over 20 years. It is also her first book listed as adult science fiction. The book received very excellent reviews and I purchased it shortly after it was released. It stayed on my too be read pile because after reading the reviews I was afraid that the book was very grim and depressing. The book is set on Undine a planet where medical treatment is carried to the extreme. People's bodies are not allowed to die. The premise sounds grim and depressing but the book is not. The story deserves all of the rave reviews it received.

Sylvia Engdahl self-published the book. In her notes at the back of the book she explained that it just did not fit any of the publishers categories. I think any publisher who turned the book down was the loser. We, the readers, would have lost if the story had never been released. Medical treatment taken to the extreme is a current and future concern. Be sure to read Stewards of the Flame.