About Me
Click on the picture for information about my new adult science fiction novel Stewards of the Flame -- now available!
(Librarians please note: Unlike my other novels, this one isn't suitable for YA readers.)
I'm the author of six science fiction novels for teens that are also enjoyed by many adults. They were
first published by Atheneum in the 1970s but have been reissued in new editions by different publishers in the 21st century. If you're not a science fiction fan, don't let that put you off -- people who don't read other science fiction often tell me they like mine. On the other hand, if you're looking for the weird and incomprehensible, you're not going to find it in my books.
Visit my website! FAQs, book excerpts, essays and more!
The trilogy Children of the Star consists of the three novels This Star Shall Abide (aka Heritage of the Star), Beyond the Tomorrow Mountains, and The Doors of the Universe, originally published separately but now available only in omnibus form since it's all one long story. Though it was written for readers of high school age, the new edition, published by Meisha Merlin in 2000, was issued as adult SF.
Enchantress from the Stars was a Newbery Honor Book and appeals to readers as young as 11 as well as teens and many adult readers.
The new hardcover edition was published by Walker in 2001 and the paperback by Firebird in 2003.
The Far Side of Evil has the same heroine as Enchantress, but is a completely independent story and is intended for older readers than Enchantress.
The new updated hardcover edition was published by Walker in 2003 and the paperback by Firebird in 2005.
Journey Between Worlds is a romance for teens about the colonization of Mars (though many adult women also like it). The new updated hardcover edition was published by Putnam in 2006 and the paperback was published by Firebird in June, 2007.
Because Meisha Merlin, the publisher of this book, has gone out of business, it will no longer be available except from Amazon.com and from me. You can purchase a signed, personalized copy at my
website .
Librarians please note! I will sell this book to public and high school libraries at 40% off, and purchase orders are okay. Please message me for more information.
(Click on jacket for description)
Single volume containing This Star Shall Abide
(aka Heritage of the Star), Beyond the Tomorrow
Mountains, and The Doors of the Universe.
If you have read this trilogy, please read
the FAQ about it. (Contains major spoilers.)
From the reviews of Children of the Star or its separate novels:"The small press, Meisha Merlin ... is to be especially appreciated for this re-publication of Sylvia Engdahl's "Children of the Star" trilogy, here for the first time in one volume.... [The novels were first] marketed as young adult books, but there is nothing juvenile about them.... The writing is plain and direct, the only lyricism in the stunning liturgical language she invents." --Roz Spafford, San Jose Mercury News"Tension-filled, beautiful and haunting." --Commonweal"This is not the electronic-light-flashing-exterminate-him-thing from outer space type of science fiction. It is an allegory which poses one of the most heart-searching dilemmas of the human race, perhaps in the C.S. Lewis tradition. I mean Perelandra rather than Narnia.... This is a thought- provoking book distantly related to Lord of the Rings and The Glassbead Game, and may appeal to a similar readership." --The Junior Bookshelf"Engdahl has carefully worked out the social structure and ecology.... What's more, she wrestles with deeply adult problems of an apparently meaningless universe and of a people's right to know facts that may destroy everything they hold dear." --Psychology Today"The third book of [the] trilogy ... stands powerfully by itself... This is much more than an adventure story. It is one man's realization of the need for change and his slow acceptance of the responsibility to lead that change.... This is a contemplative book, but one never gets bored with the story and it haunts the reader long after it is finished." --Journal of Reading
(Click on jacket for description)
From the reviews of Journey Between Worlds:"Journey Between Worlds is a beautifully-written, heartwarming, and scientifically plausible novel. What's more, it's quite a lot of fun ... the sort of thing that's easy to devour in one sitting, and though short, it will leave you satiated afterward. On the other hand, now that I'm done with it, I want more." --John Joseph Adams, IntergalacticMedicine Show.com"Engdahl's return to the spotlight is long overdue ... Journey Between Worlds' theme of a human manifest destiny in space is by no means juvenile.... The veracity that Engdahl brings to Melinda's fantastic adventure is pure sci-fi sense of wonder.... In a low-brow teen marketing world that seeks to mold young women into juggernauts of mass consumption it's totally refreshing to witness the idealist spirit in this novel that is a fun read for younger audiences and an inspiring, hopeful and entertaining tale for older readers as well." --Carlos Aranaga, ScifiDimensions.com"For some reason the public -- aside from a select group of aficionados -- largely ignored Engdahl's work, and it's only within the past few years that it's been rediscovered as the treasure trove it
is.... <[i>Journey Between Worlds] is a beautifully written coming-of-age novel, as Melinda comes to realize that the proper place for the past is in the past, and that the future is something she wants to be a part of. Engdahl pulls you right into Melinda's life to make this an unforgettable
and completely engrossing novel." --Fantasy Magazine No. 3 (Wildside Press)“A must-read for all future space pioneers who wish to persuade their friends to join them in making that future journey between the worlds of the known and the unknown. I highly recommend it.†--Marianne Dyson,
Reading Space (National Space Society), September 2006"As an adult, I found Journey Between Worlds captivating and thought provoking. There’s much more to this book than romance or a coming of age type of story, but instead the concepts it holds are what make it appealing. It certainly made me think."
--Dorine Linnen, RomanceJunkies.com"Readers are instantly drawn to Melinda, who is portrayed realistically . . . we can all sympathize with her. If you've been trying to get your daughters to read [science fiction] to no avail, try this for a little lighter reading. You may be surprised how much they like it." --Anise Hollingshead, BookLoons.com
(See more reviews at www.myspace.com/journeybetweenworlds )
(Click on jackets for descriptions)
If you have read either of these books, please
read the FAQ about them! (Especially important for
teachers whose students are reading Enchantress.)
From the reviews of Enchantress from the Stars:"...Not just a novel for young adults but also one of the finest sf novels ever written--a classic of the genre. The only possible complaint one can make is that, after finishing it, you will likely find yourself disinclined for a while to pick up anything else in the genre for fear it will, as it were, taste of ashes. In sum, it is almost impossible to convey how good this book is. Please just read it." --John Grant, InfinityPlus"...Now reissued in an elegant new edition ... this novel is science fantasy at its best, using the setting of an imagined world to challenge our thinking about our own world. Both thought-provoking and thoroughly entertaining." --Terri Schmitz, Horn Book"Engdahl's thoughtful and enjoyable story has been republished for a whole new generation to discover. The story has a subtle allegorical premise that is still valid even after all this time.... Both an enchanting coming-of-age story and a compelling moral lesson that teaches respect for other cultures." --Sierra Phillips, Barnes & Noble Editorial Review"This poignant yet triumphant story examines powerful ideas about humanity through a beguiling blend of science fiction, fantasy and romance." --Wendy Betts, Notes from the Windowsill
From the reviews of The Far Side of Evil:"Engdahl's faith in the importance of space exploration and the questions she poses about the nature of 'progress' and the dangers of well-intentioned intervention will amply reward the careful reader." --Terri Schmitz, Horn Book"... A surprising, haunting, poetic book ... full of provocative philosophical and psychological questions as well as tense adventure and romance." --Commonweal"The author has a direct, forceful style of writing that sparks the reader's imagination." --Publisher's Weekly"... Gripping psychological science fiction ... the relationship between the heroine and her sophisticated, unbrutish interrogator is beautifully balanced and adds another dimension to a story which is already multi-faceted." --Times Literary Supplement, London
