Enchantress from the Stars by Sylvia Engdahl

Both Elana and Georyn are strained to the deepest core of their own beliefs and understanding. When Elana meets Georyn, a Youngling, from the seemingly less advanced native Andrecian civilisation, she faces moral and personal dilemmas beyond her wildest capacity to imagine. Elana must quickly confront the wretchedness of learning the craft and power of her role as a Service field-agent, sometimes learning too little, too late. Interactions between species are carefully managed and protected by the Service. Beneath the light of extraterrestrial skies and the sun setting over alien meadows and forests, recognisably human, yet extra-terrestrial species are in different states of technological and scientific development. The events of the book are based on the planet of Andrecia.

The mission of the Service is to protect inter-planetary civilisations from invading and destroying each other. It is told through the experiences of Elana, a young adult who stows aboard a starship with the Anthropological Service, known as The Federation. In the prologue I could already sense a clear potential to hook those who believe that science-fiction isn’t a genre they enjoy.Įnchantress from the Stars explores the complex speculative future of intelligent alien life through a future of planet colonisation.

Although perhaps already hinted at in the critical acclaim and awards cited on the cover, Engdahl’s writing and how she expresses the inner thoughts of her characters is compelling from the outset. Enchantress from the Stars has already gathered a beloved cult following and is now building a new fan base.Īs a fan of classic sci-fi, having read my way through the likes of Isaac Asimov and Ursula Le Guin, before moving into fantasy for many years, Enchantress from the Stars has made me fall in love with science-fiction all over again. Originally written in 1970 and now reissued in 2018 as a paperback, I am one of the new readers bewildered by only just discovering Engdahl and her incredible capacity for stories of future worlds.

Enchantress from the Stars by Sylvia Engdahl