Enchantress from the Stars

"Enchantress from the Stars" is a young adult science-fiction novel by Sylvia Engdahl. It is a 1971 Newbery Honor book, and it was given a 1990 Phoenix Award by the Children's Literature Association "from the perspective of time". It was a Finalist for the 2002 Book Sense Book of the Year Award in the Rediscovery category. It is followed by The Far Side of Evil, which features the same heroine but is significantly different in tone.

The 2001 edition includes a foreword by author Lois Lowry.

Background

Engdahl wrote parts of the novel in the 1950s Thus most of the concepts in the novel were conceived prior to such science fiction franchises as Star Trek. In her journal article, "Enchantress from the Stars: Sylvia Louise Engdahl, Star Trek and Science Fiction", Carol Littlejohn writes that many of the themes and concepts in the novel (such as the peaceful exploration of space without interfering in the history of other planets) are similar to those in Star Trek. However, the author notes her characters take the rule of non-intervention much more seriously than does the crew of the USS Enterprise in Star Trek. [FAQ with the author at sylviaengdahl.com, [http://www.sylviaengdahl.com/elana.htm] ]

Plot summary

Elana belongs to a peaceful, technologically advanced, space-faring civilization called the "Federation", which monitors worlds which are still "maturing", allowing them to grow without any sort of contact or intervention. Elana stows away on a ship in order to accompany her father on a mission to a planet where intervention has been deemed necessary because a technologically advanced empire has invaded the planet in order to take advantage of its resources. In order to lead a young woodcutter (a native of that planet) against them (without exposing him to the truth about either alien civilization) Elana takes on the role of an enchantress. She gives him various tools, leading him to believe that they are magical.

Analysis

Engdahl wrote parts of the novel in the 1950s Thus most of the concepts in the novel were conceived prior to such science fiction franchises as Star Trek. In her journal article, "Enchantress from the Stars: Sylvia Louise Engdahl, Star Trek and Science Fiction", Carol Littlejohn writes that many of the themes and concepts in the novel (such as the peaceful exploration of space without interfering in the history of other planets) are similar to those in Star Trek. However, the author notes her characters take the rule of non-intervention much more seriously than does the crew of the USS Enterprise in Star Trek. [FAQ with the author at sylviaengdahl.com, [http://www.sylviaengdahl.com/elana.htm] ]

The author notes that there are many fantasy elements in the novel, such as the fact that the inhabitants of entirely different planets closely resemble each other in appearance. She states that this was necessary for her readers to relate to the characters, and that in real life extraterrestrials (assuming they exist) will most likely be too different from lifeforms on Earth for any human to possibly imagine. However, she was deliberately ambiguous about specifics such as the main character's race and skin color. She also states that the events of the novel are not meant to be compared to real world political situations, in which, she believes, a technological society does not necessarily equal an advanced society. [FAQ with the author at sylviaengdahl.com, [http://www.sylviaengdahl.com/elana.htm] ] Any of the civilizations in the novel could be the inhabitants of planet Earth in the past or future. [Review at sonderbooks.com, [http://www.sonderbooks.com/YAFiction/enchantress.html] ,]

The novel is written from the frame of reference of three different characters: Elana, The Woodcutter, and a man from the invading empire. [www.fairrosa.info, [http://www.fairrosa.info/booknotes/page4.html] ,]

In the sequel, "The Far side of Evil", Elana journeys to a planet which is under the control of an oppressive government, and a turning point involving the invention of space travel may bring peace. A revised edition came out years after the publication of the original, reflecting the author's belief that only a long-term expansion of humankind into space will bring about world peace. [FAQ with the author at sylviaengdahl.com, [http://www.sylviaengdahl.com/elana.htm] ] Due to some torture scenes, the author notes that this novel is intended for more mature readers. This novel also includes drug use (which it criticizes), race riots, and other aspects of human culture. Some called this sequel "powerful," while other reviewers were more negative. [Carol Littlejohn, Enchantress from the Stars: Sylvia Louise Engdahl, Star Trek and Science Fiction, [http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ALAN/fall97/littlejohn.html] ] Littlejohn refers to the novel as one of Engdahl's weakest, because "at times the moralizing of the "strong" characters interferes with the pace of the plot".

The "Federation" also appears in one of her other science fiction series.

One reviewer believes that the novel has long been ignored by the adult science fiction literary community due to its having been promoted as a children's/young adult book. [, Review at Infinityplus.co.uk, [http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/nonfiction/enchantress.htm] ]

Footnotes

ources

* [http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ALAN/fall97/littlejohn.html Carol Littlejohn, Enchantress from the Stars: Sylvia Louise Engdahl, Star Trek and Science Fiction, The Alan Review, Vol. 25 No. 1, Fall 1997]

External links

* [http://www.sylviaengdahl.com/elana.htm FAQ with the Author]