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Three hundred people in a starship low on life support--they must land fast, or they'll run out of air. Captain Jesse Sanders is their only pilot. How can he choose where to locate their colony with no chance to explore the raw new world? How can he shuttle them all to the surface within a few short hours? And when the site proves less than adequate, how can he live with the knowledge that his own astrogation error was what got them into such a fix?Isolated by choice on a world they have reached in secret, the colonists hope to establish a culture based on psi powers that can someday shape the future of humankind. If they don't starve first. And if they don't lose heart in the face of hardships beyond any they imagined. Jesse hasn't expected to be responsible for the settlement. Peter is the leader, the visionary on whose inspiration they all depend. But Peter has his hands full, not only with maintaining morale but with a grueling ordeal of his own. So the job of ensuring the colony's survival falls on Jesse. And in the end, he must stake his life in a desperate attempt to prevent the loss of all they have gained.Although this is the second book of the Founders of Maclairn duology, it is an independent and quite different story that can stand alone. However, reading them in reverse order will affect some of the earlier book's suspense. Please note that unlike Engdahl's YA novels, these are adult science fiction and contain some material inappropriate for readers below high school age.

When burned-out starship captain Jesse Sanders is seized by a dictatorial medical regime and detained on the colony planet Undine, he has no idea that he is about to be plunged into a bewildering new life that will involve ordeals and joys beyond anything he has ever imagined, as well as the love of a woman with powers that seem superhuman. Still less does he suspect that he must soon take responsibility for the lives of people he has come to care about and the preservation of their hopes for the future of humankind.This controversial novel deals with government-imposed health care, end-of-life issues, and the so-called paranormal powers of the human mind. Despite being set in the distant future on another world, it appeals not only to science fiction readers but to others who question the dominant medical philosophy of today's society, or who value personal freedom of choice.This is the first book of the Founders of Maclairn duology and is followed by Promise of the Flame, which is quite different and can stand alone. Please note that unlike Engdahl's YA novels, these are adult science fiction and contain some material inappropriate for readers below high school age.````````

This book consists of essays by the author of Enchantress from the Stars selected from her collections Reflections on Enchantress from the Stars and Other Essays, From This Green Earth: Essays on Looking Outward, and The Future of Being Human and Other Essays, which are available only as ebooks. Because of their length these collections cannot be issued as paperbacks at reasonable prices, so this short sampler has been produced for the benefit of readers whohave a strong preference for print books. It contains no new essays. The lead essay "Reflections on Enchantress from the Stars" deals with issues that the author feels readers of the novel should be aware of. The other essays in this book are about subjects relevant to the story such as the importance of space exploratiom, outlook toward the future, and the reality of psi powers. They include: Reflections on Enchantress from the StarsPerspective on the Future: The Quest of Space Age Young PeopleFaith as the Focus of Children of the StarUpdate on the Critical Stage: The Far Side of Evil's Relevance TodayA Response to Some Reactions to Journey Between WorldsSpace and Human SurvivalBreaking Out from Earth's ShellWhy There Will Never Be an Interplanetary WarThe Role of Psi in Human AffairsThe Roots of Disbelief in Human Mind PowersTranshumanism Is a Dead EndWhy I Don't Read Much Science Fiction

Starship pilot Terry Radnor is elated to be among those chosen to defend the secret colony Maclairn against enemies who pose a threat to the spread of paranormal human mind powers. He commits himself wholly to the goal of that world, not guessing how far his effort to protect it will take him from everything else he cares about--his promising career as a Fleet officer, contact with people who share his newly-discovered psi capability, his wife and unborn child. Torn away against his will after learning a secret too deep for its disclosure to be risked, he is forced into exile from all that has previously mattered to him, and must build a perilous new life far from Maclairn, grounded without hope of fulfilling his earlier pledge. Yet a mysterious and extraordinary destiny has been predicted for Terry, and against all odds fate puts him in place to confront the colony's greatest peril. This is the first book in the Captain of Estel trilogy, but is complete in itself and can be read alone. Set two centuries later in time than the duology consisting of Stewards of the Flame and Promise of the Flame, which tell of the founding of Maclairn, it is an independent and quite different story that in no way depends on having read them. Please note that unlike Engdahl's YA novels, all five of these are adult noels and contain some material inappropriate for readers below high school age.

On completion of her training as an agent of the interstellar federation's Anthropological Service, Elana is sent to a world whose people may soon destroy their civilization. Since not enough is understood about the situation to justify any interference with their evolution, the Service has no power to act; its agents must go as helpless observers, posing as natives, in the hope of gaining knowledge that may help to save other worlds. This passive role proves intolerable to the young, inexperienced agent assigned to the same city as Elana, a city under totalitarian rule. After falling in love with a local girl who has become Elana's closest friend, he identifies too completely with the natives and unwittingly endangers the entire world by a well-meant but ill-advised attempt to intervene. Forced to assume responsibility for undoing the damage, Elana finds that only she-at great cost-can prevent an immediate war of annihilation. Although this novel has the same heroine as the author's Newbery Honor book Enchantress from the Stars, it is not a sequel but a completely separate-and very different-story not intended for readers below high school age, which is also enjoyed by adults. The two books are in no way dependent on each other and can be read in either order.

As captain of his own starship Estel, Terry Steward, born Terry Radnor, is committed to spreading acceptance of psi powers and other advanced mind capabilities throughout the colonies of humankind. Barred from contact with his beloved planet Maclairn, he now journeys from world to world, heralding the hopeful future about which he alone knows the full truth. But the opponents of mind-powers are gaining strength, and on Earth the persecution of people who develop such abilities is increasing. Soon targeted by bounty hunters, Terry risks everything that matters to him in a desperate attempt to defeat Maclairn's enemies, not guessing that if he lives long enough, he is destined for an even greater role in human history than he has played as a defender of its cause. This is the second book in the Captain of Estel trilogy. Though it is complete in itself and can be read alone, the first, Defender of the Flame, should be read before this one for fuller understanding of the hero's past experiences. Set two centuries later in time than the Founders of Maclairn duology, it is an independent and quite different story that in no way depends on having read them. Please note that unlike Engdahl's YA novels, all five of these are adult science fiction and contain some material inappropriate for middle-school readers.

An omnibus edition containing the complete trilogy This Star Shall Abide (known in the UK as Heritage of the Star, Beyond the Tomorrow Mountains, and The Doors of the Universe. Noren can see that his world is not as it should be--it is wrong that only the Scholars, and their representatives the Technicians, can use metal tools and Machines. It's wrong that only those few have access to the impenetrable City, which he has always longed to enter. Above all, it is wrong for the Scholars to have sole power over the distribution of knowledge. Unable to believe in the Prophecy that promises these restrictions will someday end, he declares it to be a fraud and defies the High Lew under which they are enforced. His family and the girl to whom he is betrothed reject him. Yet he cannot turn back from the path that leads him to the mysterious fate awaiting heretics. But the more he learns of the grim truth about his people's deprivations, the less possible it seems that their world can be changed. And once he discovers what really happened in their past, he becomes convinced that it is up to him to restore their rightful heritage. To do so, however, will mean giving up all else that matters to him, for it will demand more drastic steps than anyone has imagined. Of the hardover editions of these novels Kirkus Reviews said, "The fascination of both [the first two] volumes lies in Engdahl's ability to create a many-layered society with a tragic past and a doubtful future that depends on its ability to cope with a harsh, brutal environment." The three were "originally marketed as young adult books, but there is nothing juvenile about them," said the San Jose Mercury News when they were republished in one volume as adult science fiction. "Engdahl tells an important and pertinent story,"

Melinda Ashley has a plan for her life, and a trip to Mars isn't part of it. When she receives a spaceliner ticket as a high school graduation gift from her dad, she is dismayed, but reluctantly agrees to go with him--in part because she's infuriated by her fiance's high-handed declaration that she can't. Her outlook begins to change when she meets Alex Preston, a second-generation Martian colonist who is going home after college on Earth. Alex believes settling Mars is important. He's looking forward to the role he expects to play in the colony's future. Melinda finds this hard to understand, yet she is more and more drawn to him and, while on Mars, to his family. Torn between what she has always wanted and upsetting new feelings, she wonders if she can ever again be content. It takes tragedy and a terrifying experience on the Martian moon Phobos to make her aware of what really matters to her. The National Space Society's book reviews called this novel "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." The Wichita Falls Times described it as "absorbing science fiction ... Intensive first-person characterizations and a love story one can really care about." Although it's set on Mars, it's not about space technology or exotic adventure. It's centered on the experiences of ordinary people and is usually enjoyed more by readers who like romance than by avid science fiction fans. While intended for Young Adult readers, adults also enjoy it. A reviewer for Romance Junkies called it "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."

Ardith Moran is elated by the prospect of contact with extraterrestrial civilizations, elated enough to stake her life on her conviction that they exist after the exploratory expedition's leaders turn back. The last thing she expects is to fall in love with an alien, much less for their love to play a key role in saving Earth from tyranny and eventual ruin. As a member of the Anthropological Service, he is willing to make sacrifices and expects her to do the same. Can she, influenced by the legacy of the now-legendary Captain of Estel, convince Earthborn people that they can't retreat from the universe? Or will Earth's authorities succeed in killing her to suppress the evidence only she and her fellow envoys can provide? The first two bools in this trilogy, Defender of the Flame and Herald of the Flame, need not be read before this one, as it is complete in itself. However, the backstory it contains includes major spoilers for them. Please note that unlike Engdahl's YA novels, these are adult science fiction and contain some material inappropriate for readers below high school age.

(This book is known in the UK as Heritage of the Star) Noren can see that his world is not as it should be--it is wrong that only the Scholars, and their representatives the Technicians, can use metal tools and Machines. It's wrong that only those few have access to the impenetrable City, which he has always longed to enter. Above all, it is wrong for the Scholars to have sole power over the distribution of knowledge. Unable to believe in the Prophecy that promises these restrictions will someday end, he declares it to be a fraud and defies the High Lew under which they are enforced. His family and the girl to whom he is betrothed reject him. Yet he cannot turn back from the path that leads him to the mysterious fate awaiting heretics. This classic science fiction novel is enjoyed by readers age 12 and up as well as by teens and adults who go on to read the other two books in the Children of the Star trilogy. Originally published in hardcover by Atheneum in the US and by Gollancz in the UK under the title Heritage of the Star, it was the winner of a Christopher Award given for "affirmation of the highest values of the human spirit."

Interest in exoplanets--the worlds of other stars--is not new. From the late 17th century until the end of the 19th, almost all educated people believed that the stars are suns surrounded by inhabited planets--a belief that was expressed not in science fiction, but in serious speculation, both scientific and religious, as well as in poetry. Only during the first half of the 20th century was it thought that life-bearing exoplanets are rare. This is not a science book--rather, it belongs to the category known as History of Ideas. First published by Atheneum in 1974, it tells the story of the rise, fall, and eventual renewal of widespread conviction that we are not alone in the universe. In this 2012 updated edition the chapters dealing with modern speculation have been revised to reflect the progress science has made during the past 40 years, including the actual detection of planets orbiting other stars. However, it is not intended to be more than a brief introduction to today's views; its focus is on little-known facts about those of the past. Why should we care what our forebears believed? Now, the question of ET life is a matter for investigation by science. Yet it's significant that most educated people of past centuries were convinced that other inhabited worlds exist, without any scientific evidence whatsoever. This historical fact reveals that human beings have an instinctive sense of kinship with the wider universe and a desire to see the realms that lie beyond this one small planet--and perhaps, eventually, to go there. Our ancestors conceived of such voyages only in a spiritual sense, as occurring after death. But we who have taken our first small steps into space are aware that our descendants may set foot on the worlds of other suns. Just as in the 17th century people were initially upset by the new knowledge that the stars are suns scattered in space rather than lights fixed to a nearby sphere, the growing awareness that Earth is not safely isolated from whatever lies beyond makes many of our contemporaries uneasy. Thus today's predominant feelings about spaceships are ambivalent. Nevertheless, if an impulse toward belief that we are not alone in the universe is indeed an innate characteristic of human beings, as the past spread of belief in inhabited exoplanets suggests, we can be sure that those who follow us will not turn back from becoming spacefarers. This edition of the book includes poetry about extrasolar worlds from past centuries, source notes, and an extensive bibliography. plus an afterword, "Confronting the Universe in the Twenty-First Century," discussing the relevance of past upheavals in human thought to an understanding of the hiatus in space exploration that has followed the Apollo moon landings.