Stewards of the Flame

[altariel]

To my great excitement, one of my favourite authors, Sylvia Engdahl, is publishing a new novel, her first in 26 years.

Sylvia Engdahl's novel The Far Side of Evil was my most important reading experience as a child, after The Lord of the Rings. It may be the book that turned me into a sociologist. A heavy responsibility to lay at anyone's door. I think Ursula Le Guin might have had a hand in it too.

The new novel is called Stewards of the Flame (yes I know!) and is intended as an adult novel. edge_of_ruin, you are first up to borrow it.

Comments

[trixieleitz]

Oooh, that looks interesting! Might be relevant reading for my course *evil grin*

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I imagine I'll be getting it hot off the press.

[edge-of-ruin.livejournal.com]

Ooh! Sounds irresistible - and a chance to use my favorite icon.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Hee!

[gair.livejournal.com]

EEEEE!!!

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Yes, that's roughly the noise I made!

[phyloxena.livejournal.com]

I never heard this name before. But "Stewards" and "Flame" together... it pushes buttons.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I love her earlier books, so I'm really excited about this, title notwithstanding!

[katlinel.livejournal.com]

Eeeeeeeeeee!

*gibbers with excitement*

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I know!

[katlinel.livejournal.com]

I dreamt last night that I was back in the library of the town where I grew up, and there on the shelves were the Engdahl books, and I was just reaching for the copy of The Far Side of Evil because I wanted to see the original (UK publication) cover again, and it was Very Important that I should do so at that time, on account of it would save the world or something like that, and then the dream shifted, and I can only assume the world fizzled out.

My subconscious is very annoying at times.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Gah! Gah! I often have those dreams where I am extremely happy in a huge library of joy, and then wake up. It's very frustrating.

I couldn't find a picture of the original UK cover online to link to, unfortunately, although I do have that edition on the shelf upstairs.

[katlinel.livejournal.com]

I also have dreams where I have either read or written the most perfect book ever, and then I wake up in the dream, and it all fades away, just like Lucy in Voyage of the Dawn Treader. They are also frustrating, like the library dreams.

I'd gone looking for the Gollancz cover online, but I couldn't find it.

[forodwaith.livejournal.com]

Stewards of the Flame? It's like she can read your mind...

[altariel.livejournal.com]

There was a bit of a double-take when I read the email, I can tell you!

[jhall1.livejournal.com]

I confess that I'm not familiar with the work of Ms Engdahl. Perhaps I should be.

I think Ursula Le Guin might have had a hand in it too.

That I can readily believe, She writes what one might well call sociological SF.

[jhall1.livejournal.com]

I;ve now had a look at her website, and was sufficently intrigued that I've just ordered a copy of The Far Side of Evil from Amazon.

Incidentally, you might well enjoy Golden Witchbreed and its sequel Ancient Light by Mary Gentle. They were clearly influenced by LeGuin's The Left Hand of Darkness, but are fine books in their own right, especially the first. They are very different in style and content from Gentle's later books.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I do hope you enjoy it! If you do, I'd also recommend her other book Enchantress From the Stars, which is very Le Guin-ish.

I should read some Mary Gentle: several people have recommended her to me now. Argh! So many books!

[jhall1.livejournal.com]

Thanks. :)

Those two are early Mary Gentle. They're SF in spite of their titles, very different from her later books, but equally good.

[katlinel.livejournal.com]

I definitely second the recommendation for Mary Gentle. And the one for Sylvia Engdahl's books.

In Golden Witchbreed and Ancient Light, there's messing with gender and ruined cities and vast bridges and love and betrayal and galactic corporations and humanity fucking it all up, all through good intentions. I think Gentle uses the word "fuck" a lot less frequently in these books than in some of her later ones.

[jhall1.livejournal.com]

All true. Also, again unlike her later books, they're rather lacking in humour.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

there's messing with gender and ruined cities and vast bridges and love and betrayal and galactic corporations and humanity fucking it all up, all through good intentions

Sounds just my kind of thing!

[jhall1.livejournal.com]

I've now finished The Far Side of Evil. It took me until about halfway though before I was fully engrossed in the story, but after that I was hooked. So I think I shall be ordering Enchantress From the Stars next. :)

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Oh, splendid! I'm so glad you enjoyed it, I'm always nervous about recommending books (particularly ones I love!). Enjoy Enchantress.

[jhall1.livejournal.com]

I know what you mean about the dangers of recommending books.

The one thing that surprised me about The Far Side of Evil is that it's marketed as a "young adult" book. It's not the first time that I've read a "young adult" book that's deeper than the average run of "adult" fuixtion, but this was very dark as well.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Yes, some "young adult" books really do surpass mainstream litfic.

I first read The Far Side of Evil when I was about 9 or 10 - it had a tremendous impact. Many years later, finding Sylvia Engdahl's website, we had a brief exchange about this - I think she was quite alarmed I'd come to it so early. I gather she regrets that Enchantress from the Stars and The Far Side of Evil were originally positioned as companion volumes, since Enchantress is suitable for younger children.

[jhall1.livejournal.com]

I share her alarm. :) You must have been a remarkable ten year old. I can't imagine that I could have enjoyed such a book at so young an age.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Blake's 7 had provided training!

[greylin.livejournal.com]

Oh good, another author for my collection. I can't imagine how I missed this one in my youth, particularly as I had a Saturday job in a children's library!

[altariel.livejournal.com]

All of her books have recently come back into print, which is good news. I think her most well-known book is Enchantress From the Stars, which is wonderful blend of fantasy and SF (as well as first person and third person narrative).

[muninnhuginn]

Oooh!

(I'm sure I could say something more--but that makes me incoherently happy.)

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I understand! Me too!