Stewards of the Flame [Paperback]

This novel is very different from Sylvia Engdahl's previous novels, which were, somewhat misleadingly, marketed as young adult fiction. yet fans of the earlier works, especially the Children of the Star trilogy, will find some commonalities. In both fictional universes, a man finds himself seemingly alone facing an unjust system. Unlike the trilogy, though, in STEWARDS the system is not revealed to be a benign oligarchy doing what it has to do in order to save mankind, but a malignant surveillance society intent on controlling people and depriving life of its spontaneity and hope by enforcing a state of mandatory 'health' on all people. Jesse Sanders, threatened with being another passive victim of this monitoring regime, becomes determined to resist this evil by any means possible.

STEWARDS also joins the earlier trilogy in seeing space colonization as humanity's only hope, although just what `space colonization' consists of is defined far more elliptically in the current novel, and in seeing ritual as an important way to strive towards this hope.

Readers may have certain procedural issues with the book: the love of Jesse and Carla seems to flower too early (although revelations about Carla's past later somewhat explain this), female minor characters like Kira and Michelle sometimes seem interchangeable, the crucial Zeb subplot is introduced without adequate preparation, and the character of Ian is under-sketched. This is important as ian is a crucial precedent and inspiration for Peter, the compassionate, self-abnegating leader of the group, dedicated to the paranormal, that Jesse, joins after he realizes the totalitarian nature of those who control the planet Undine. If certain expository sections had been trimmed, there would have been more room to fully develop these characters' identity and motivaton.

But these lapses are more than made up for by Engdahl's unmatched ability to combine intellectual speculation, moral forthrightness, and narrative suspense. The book does not require the reader to assume Engdahl's own positions on certain aspects of contemporary life; though the author makes clear her stands, the reader can enjoy the book as narrative without adopting them. And the end is both exciting and searingly moving. Readers who enjoy the more adult works of Robert A. Heinlein or C. S. Lewis should enjoy this novel, though its atmosphere is more stark and bitter than either. The novel is eminently readable, indeed hard to put down.

Fans of the earlier books, perhaps themselves grown older, will enjoy this new Engdahl novel in a different way; it also has the potential to bring this undervalued author the wide reading public her talent merits.

It's been more than twenty years since Sylvia Engdahl last published a new novel, although her older ones have popped up more recently.

But she reenters the world of contemplative sci-fi again with "Stewards of the Flame," a slow-moving but rewarding novel about the power of the human mind and spirit. It takes a long time to really get moving, but it's pretty brilliant once it revs up -- an intense journey of impressive proportions.

Jesse is a newly-promoted starship captain... until he gets drunk on the planet Undine, and is imprisoned in the vast, dictatorial Hospital. On Undine, illness is a crime, and the doctors rule everyone. Jesse is forced through alcohol and psychiatric treatment, and used as a student guinea pig.... until a young technician, Carla, smuggles him out to a gathering of her friends, known as the Group.

The Group turns out to be more than just a collection of friends -- they are rebels, who have expanded their paranormal powers, and undermine the Hospital's attempts to put the dying into eternal stasis. Soon Jesse is involved deeply in their quiet rebellion, and acquiring the same powers. But he doesn't yet know how important he is to the Group's future...

"Stewards of the Flame" isn't your typical sci-fi novel, since the future here isn't too far ahead of our own, and little of the plot is spent in space. Instead, it's about a medical dystopia, and its story overflows with psychic explorations, true love, quiet rebellion, holistic healing, and a bit of Joseph Campbell.

It sounds a little dull, and admittedly it moves at a slow pace for awhile, as Jesse learns and explores his new powers. But Engdahl weaves a deceptively simple plot into a surprisingly complex storyline, with lots of secrets and counter-conspiracies from the Hospital. And, of course, the mysterious Ian's plans for the Group.

And in the final quarter the secrets are revealed, Jesse is seemingly doomed, and Engdahl keeps throwing curveballs right to the finale. It's a pretty thrilling ride by the end, without losing the contemplative quality of the first parts.

Jesse seems to fall in with Carla and the group a bit too quickly, but otherwise is excellent as a rather cynical, embittered captain who finds out what his life could be. The other most powerful character is Peter, an enigmatic, charismatic junior leader whose plans and thoughts are kept hidden much of the time.

"Stewards of the Flame" is a solid, slow-to-fast sci-fi novel that contemplates what we could be -- and what the medical profession might become. An intriguing read.

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"We are not superhuman, but we're finding ways to develop what some would call superhuman powers...We're a vanguard...but we are also stewards of something in humankind that our civilization no longer fosters: the awareness that we are more than our bodies, that the human mind and spirit is a tangible force that is no less real for being nonphysical. This awareness is a flame that must not be allowed to die...We resist not because there's anything wrong with medical treatment where it's truly needed, but because the right to free choice is denied us--and even that isn't the main thing we're fighting against. The underlying issue is that our culture's attitude toward health is based on a distorted view of life."

This is what a respected member of a rebel health Group says to "offworlder" starship fleet officer Captain Jesse Sanders in this intriguing novel by established science fiction author Sylvia Engdahl. This is Engdahl's first adult science fiction novel.

Sanders is being treated at and is detained on a space colony where health considerations are elevated above all other human values. You're not even allowed to die on this world but instead you're placed in "stasis" in vaults where your heartbeat is artificially induced to continue...forever.

Sanders becomes a member of this rebel Group where he is taught paranormal powers. However, the dictatorial medical regime on this planet threatens to expose the Group. Eventually, Sanders, who has come to care about the Group members, must take responsibility for their lives and preserve their hopes for the future of humankind.

After the novel ends, Engdahl includes an interesting and brief after word section. She begins it with these ominous words:

"We are closer than you may think to the things described in this [novel]--both the good and the bad."

Engdahl continues: "The so-called 'paranormal' powers in this story are exaggerated only with respect to the characters' conscious control over them. These abilities, with the exception of [two of them], have been confirmed by a vast amount of scientific evidence, albeit evidence that is ignored by too many orthodox scientists."

Note that this novel is more than your standard science fiction novel. Yes it's set in the future on another planet yet I feel a general audience would appreciate what it has to say than just those with an extensive science fiction background.

For example, this novel inspires many thought provoking "what if" questions about modern orthodox medicine. Thus, it could be used to spark stimulating discussions on bioethics.

Be aware that the novel begins slowly and the reader has to have patience. This patience is rewarded as it gradually picks up speed and leads to an exciting conclusion.

Finally, Engdahl states that there will be a sequel to this novel. Personally, I can't wait to read it.

In conclusion, this is a different kind of science fiction novel about a future space colony in which the trend toward medicalization has been carried to its ultimate logical and frightening conclusion.

(first published 2007; 6 parts or 68 chapters; main narrative 455 pages; afterword; about the author)

<<Stephen Pletko, London, Ontario, Canada>>

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