I bought "Heritage of the Star" (UK title) when I was 11, more or less at random from the Puffin Book Club, and it remained my favourite book for years and was lent to everyone I know. It was one of the first science fiction books I had ever read that made me THINK (and wasn't just Boys Stuff in Space), and its outcome surprised and amazed me. It had never occurred to me that there could be sequels, so I was delighted to find this trilogy at Amazon and finally read the rest of the story. Science (and Science Fiction) may have moved on, but this remains one of the best stories for teenagers (and everyone else) I've ever read; it deserves a much higher profile - buy it for yourself and every young person you know who likes to daydream and think about the bigger things in life.

I first read "This Star Shall Abide" while in high school, and was stirred by the powerful and profound questions posed by this book, its psychological and moral depth, and its ability to create a consistent world that's very different from our own. I found out a few years ago that there were more books in the series, but wasn't able to track them down, as they were out of print. But finally I've been able to read Ms. Engdahl's full series, and the wait was worth it. The second and third books in this volume surpass the first -- they raise issues of faith and perseverance, self-sacrifice, vision and hope. This new omnibus edition is essential reading not only for science-fiction fans, but for anyone who's thought seriously about ecological issues, the future of humanity, hope, faith or courage. Most highly recommended!

The first book in this trilogy, This Star Shall Abide, literally helped determine the course of my life. It took years before I realized I was following a similar course to that of its main character, a course I first read of when I was in about fifth grade. The main character, Noren, is unflinching in his search for Truth with a capital T, a search that demands that he face the hardest of questions and challenge the heirarchical status quo of the world he was born into.

You don't have to like or even be interested in science fiction to love this story. It's about the highest strivings of the best of humans. It's a terrific model in many ways for the right way of approaching the world. It's smart, it's cleverly constructed, and it's challenging.

The second book I find a little thinner in its reverberations in my life, although my personal struggles -- which on the second book's subject also mirror the main character's -- have led me to essentially the same conclusions. The story grows richer each time I reread it.

I only found out today that there WAS a third installment in the saga. I look forward to reading it.

Ms. Engdahl's works are the rare sort that broaden or change philosophical mindsets while being great stories with characters the reader never forgets. That any of her works are out of print is a mystery. Whenever I have loaned anyone her books, they have devoured them in one sitting and begged for more. The Far Side of Evil is a realistic depiction of the emotions involved in individuals living in a world divided by ideology. The writing is a masterpiece of human psychology. More than that, it offers hope of a sane future for humanity presented with calm rationality and certainty. And even more than that, you can't help but laugh and cry with Elana, and feel, as she does, empathy for those whose emotions have pulled them in destructive ways yet who are not bad people, just mistaken. The people of Elana's world view compassion as a strength, unlike our still Youngling world with its emphasis on the hard exterior which is only an appearance of strength. I read this book for the first time when I was 12, and I still check it out from the library. My son read it and loved it as much as I do (though the Children of the Stars trilogy is his favorite)If only the publishers would sit up and take notice and reprint this book!

I read this book when it first was published, and recentlyfound it again when moving and going through books. Even thirty yearslater, it is still fresh, and gives a vivid picture of totalitarian society as seen by an outsider. The moral and ethical issues are interwoven with a touch of Sci Fi. It might be classified as 'young adult' but this adult enjoyed it once again!

This is a wonderful sequel to 'Enchantress from the Stars', telling about the further adventuers of Elena. As good as the first book. But please, why isn't it in print?

Why is all of my very favorite science fiction out of print?

Ah, well, do whatever you have to to dig up a copy of This Star Shall Abide. It's an amazing otherworldly tale of a society wherein superstition and tradition are followed as rigidly as possible, for survival's sake, and how that society deals with a man who is driven to question even at the risk of all his dreams.

Like The Giver, this story is sophisticated enough for an adult audience, but nothing is barring intelligent kids from reading it (except perhaps that their parents might not want them thinking too hard about some of the ideas about the nature of authority and the nobility of independence.)

BEing an avid Science-fiction lover, I was gleeful when I found this book. I first read Enchantress from the Stars, then the Far Side of Evil. Then I moved into the Star triology. I can't say what happened in the 2nd book because my library didn't have it. This book is captivating and wonderful and delicious in everyway. I recommend it to any person who calls themself a true science fiction fan like myself.

This is probably the best novel I have ever read (out of several thousand) - not just the best SF novel or best young adult novel, but simply the best. It weaves philisophical points about the nature of truth and scientific method into a thrilling adventure of defiance to a represive regeme, with many surprise plot twists. I have a copy that I have saved for over 4 years and will save for another 6 to be able to give it to my niece at the appropriate age.

Embarassingly enough, I'd not even heard of Ms. Engdahl before my wife introduced me to her works (the star trilogy, etc.). This book, along with its sequels, has proven to be one of the most thought-provoking and captivating works that I've read in years... and that's saying quite a bit. Not only were the setting and plot creative, the characters were very accessible, personally... and I found special empathy with Noren's quest for meaning while blessed/cursed with a questioning mind that doesn't easily settle comfortably in one place. This book was stirring, touching, and hopeful in a very wise, subtle, and engaging way. I'm only sorry that the trilogy is ended! (Any change of a sequel...? :) )

This is the title that "This Star Shall Abide" was published under in UK and comonwealth.

Ms. Engdahl has a unique talent for presenting sympathetic characters who deal with life-changing ordeals and must make hard ethical choices. Enchantress from the Stars introduces us to Elana, a young girl from a highly advanced culture who has the opportunity to rescue a primitive culture from another somewhere in between. Set in a science fiction framework and filled with commentary on the nature of magic, the responsibilities of knowledge, and the joys and sorrows of love, this book will enthrall you from beginning to end. The sequel, The Far Side of Evil, is even better.

In her novel Enchantress from the Stars, Sylvia Louise Engdahl combines science fiction and fantasy to weave together an intricate plot and tell an entertaining and interesting story. The time in which this story takes place is not clear. When the book begins, it seems as if Engdahl is writing of the future. As the story progresses, it seems as if she is writing of the past. In the end of the book, the two times intertwine so that it seems as if time does not exist at all.

The plot is set on the planet of Andrecia, home to a poverty-stricken, primitive society in which the people live in small rural villages and are governed by a monarchy. In one of the poor Andrecian villages, at the edge of the dreaded Enchanted Forest, lives a woodcutter with his four sons, all of whom dream of better, brighter futures. While the three eldest brothers wish for power, gold, and treasure, the youngest, Georyn, wants only wisdom equal to that of his King. Thus, when word travels to them that the person who slays the dragon inhabiting the Enchanted Forest will receive from the King whatever reward he desires, all four brothers are eager to set out at once. However, the dragon is actually a giant machine, or rockchewer, built by a far more technologically-advanced society, the Imperials. The Imperials, who are planning to take over the planet, have created the rockchewer to clear the land so they can build a colony. As the Andrecians appear one by one to Òslay the dragon,Ó they are paralyzed by the ImperialÕs stun-guns, making them defenseless captives.

Another society of people, even more advanced than the Imperials, is determined to stop them from taking over the planet. Elana and Evrek, two teenagers, and ElanaÕs father journey to Andrecia to help the native Andrecians revolt against the Imperials and scare them off the planet. ElanaÕs people have the unique ability to move objects with their minds and to communicate telepathically. As a result, Georyn and his brothers believe Elana to be an Enchantress. Through many tests and a developing friendship, she teaches Georyn how to control the movement of objects and prepares him for his face-off with the dragon.

"Enchantress From the Stars" is an engrossing book that keeps the reader on their toes from the very first chapter. Weaving together two different genres allows Engdahl to interest readers of all kinds. "Enchantress" is not only a story about dragons and spaceships, it is also about testing the true strength of love. A definite must read!

I was somewhat reluctant to read this book because I am not a big fan of science fiction. However, I am so glad I read it! This is a very captivating story full of excitement and adventure, but also full of so much more. I found this book to be loaded with very deep meaning about life, humanity, and faith. The author was definitely trying to convey some interesting ideas about humanity and society, and I found those ideas to be fascinating and full of some important truths. This book opened my mind and really got me thinking about a lot of things.

This book will grab you right from the beginning, but I did find it to get just a little confusing in some places towards the end. However, overall I would definitely say it is a page-turner and well worth your time, not just for the entertainment value but also for the ideas that it contains. I highly recommend this book, even if you are not a fan of science fiction. Read it -- I feel confident that you will be glad you did!

I am a great fan of Sylvia Louise Engdahl's novels Enchantress From the Stars and the Far Side of Evil. I was pleased to find this book, which I'd never heard of, in my public library.

I read it in one sitting, absorbed by Melinda's struggles, by her friend Alex, and by the philosophical themes that underlie Ms. Engdahl's work.

Though it was an interesting story well told, I did feel compelled to dock it a star. The author has a definite bias in favor of space colonization, and all of the conflicts in the novel are weighted towards that.

Poor Janet, the space-phobic biologist, is the novel's strawman (or woman): all of her objections to colonization are so extreme, they are set up only to be knocked down. I felt the same about Melinda's flaws: To arrive at a faraway place without much idea of how people actually live, (particularly when you've never wanted to visit!) isn't provincial, just human.

Another reason for docking it a star is the novel's adaptation of the concept of Manifest Destiny, glossing over the more brutal flaws of that inspiration to expansion.

Ms Engdahl believes that expansion and exploration are a challenge humanity needs to rid it of war (explored more thoroughly in The Far Side of Evil.) However, America's own history proves this is not so; sadly, we bring our problems with us, rather than leave them behind. New territory alone does not solve them.

That is not say there is no value to the idea of space exploration and colonization. It is true, after all, that humanity needs challenges to grow. I also believe, as she does, that a society with too much material comfort, and too little challenge, can become corrupt, even decadent.

I don't agree, though, that space exploration is the only answer. Though the idea is raised only to be dismissed, there is value to the idea of solving our problems before we export them to new worlds. Certainly there are challenges enough here to demand our creatively, commitment, intelligence and courage for generations to come. Perhaps we shouldn't wait to solve *all* of our problems before venturing to other worlds, but we should at least learn how not to exploit an environment simply for what it offers us.

Now back to the story: Unlike so much science fiction, the conflicts and situations are rooted in what is human and believable, rather than some "futuristic" idea of how people should behave. This is what makes the story so gripping. Melinda meets challenges and grows, without coming across as unusually perfect or good. Alex slowly becomes her friend and guide. It would have been easy for his character to come across as two dimensional or insufferable. Instead he is intelligent and fairly wise, but not flawless.

I did feel a little uneasy with the issue of Melinda's longing for Earth, and how that is resolved--or rather, never fully resolved. One thing is clear: changing planets isn't like changing continents; it is going to an environment entirely hostile to humans. Longing for air, water, plants, animals, Earth landscapes, weather, is more than homesickness. It is longing for the very stuff we are made of, and that makes us. I also had trouble believing that her choice must be a one-time all-for-nothing one, since Melinda is something of an heiress, and could therefore afford more than one trip. There was a little too much sacrifice in the resolution of that conflict for me.

In spite of my misgivings, I was moved, left unexpectedly happy and hopeful, by the ending, especially the final paragraph.

Bottom line: If the book is in your public library, get it! (along with her others.) You won't regret it, especially if you know a girl or young woman who loves new worlds and loves to read.

I'm a lucky owner of this young adult novel. My poor copy is a beaten, bruised thing with a twisted spine and stained pages; I adore it.

Anyone familar with Engdahl's work understands that she lays a foundation of philosophy and bases story atop this sometimes shaky ground. Her ideals, however, are refreshing. Not hard sci-fi, not entirely romantic, and certainly not pushy, but full of hope and whimsy and thought-provocation. Considering that this was published in 1970, the scientific reasoning (surrounding the journey to Mars and Mars itself) is left open-ended and ambiguous, which I actually appreciate. It gives the novel a sense of timelessness and doesn't outdate recent scientific knowledge. What's left is a charming, charming tale.

We the reader even get our happy ending.

By the way, this was the first novel Engdahl wrote. She had difficulties locating a willing publisher and, while still searching, wrote Enchantress from the Stars. It was this second novel that got quickly swallowed by the Atheneum publishing house who then agreed to also print the much beloved Journey Between Worlds.

So, if this book presents itself, I highly recommend it! It's a fast and fetching read, Absolutely charming.

This is a wonderful book, and one of my favorites in the whole world. The reader can really connect to the characters. It's a shame that it isn't in print. In my opinion, Engdahl's novels should be included with other popular young adult science fiction/fantasy classics like The Giver, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Wizard of Oz, etc.

Don't pass up a chance to read this book.

P.S. They should make this book into a movie!

I got this because I liked 'Enchantress from the Stars'. Do not be misled; this is not science fiction! This is a book on NON-FICTION!1