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mjfmjfmjf's review
5.0
Sylvia Engdahl is known primarily for her YA book Enchantress from the Stars for which she received a Newberry Honor. She is known less for the Far Side of Evil a better and much darker not quite YA sequel. This Star Shall Abide is better than both and apparently quite lesser known.
The edition I read it is paperback bound with it's two sequels. I got it from the local library for which they had exactly one copy and I waited months for it. And yet it was pretty obvious by the condition of the book that it had never been read.
This book is basically a political colonization allegory. It is simple but powerful. Truth over comfort and conformity. 5 of 5. A new favorite and I will re-read and buy.
The edition I read it is paperback bound with it's two sequels. I got it from the local library for which they had exactly one copy and I waited months for it. And yet it was pretty obvious by the condition of the book that it had never been read.
This book is basically a political colonization allegory. It is simple but powerful. Truth over comfort and conformity. 5 of 5. A new favorite and I will re-read and buy.
danmacha18's review against another edition
3.0
21st book of 2022
I give this three stars, but this book resides in the upper echelon of my three-star ratings.
Of the many Fantasy for Youth books I have read in the past three months, This Star Shall Abide stood out as the most interesting. Having read 1984 & The Giver in the past year, I couldn't help but be intrigued with a highly structured & controlling society, and I was really quite intrigued throughout the majority of the novel. The story itself was rather predictable, but that's okay. And I found that I eventually grew tired of Noren's & Stefred's conversations. There are just so many times when Noren would not stop being so demanding, yet I think that is the consequence of Engdahl writing a novel that is determined to be exploratory in nature.
I give this three stars, but this book resides in the upper echelon of my three-star ratings.
Of the many Fantasy for Youth books I have read in the past three months, This Star Shall Abide stood out as the most interesting. Having read 1984 & The Giver in the past year, I couldn't help but be intrigued with a highly structured & controlling society, and I was really quite intrigued throughout the majority of the novel. The story itself was rather predictable, but that's okay. And I found that I eventually grew tired of Noren's & Stefred's conversations. There are just so many times when Noren would not stop being so demanding, yet I think that is the consequence of Engdahl writing a novel that is determined to be exploratory in nature.
phunkypbj's review against another edition
4.0
Such a fascinating concept for a book: a teenager growing up in a primitive society run by a group of Scholars & High Priests becomes a heretic for doubting the truth of the claims and creation myth (known as the Prophecy) he was taught (particularly he has a problem with most knowledge and technology being kept for those in the city only). Although he expects his heresy to, possibly, cost him his life he ends up finding out that not only is he right about the information being kept from them, but that he is wrong about the myth being false--it's a poeticized version of the actual truth told them (without getting into the details) to ensure the survival of the human race. Along the way it explores not only the morality of ends justifying means but explores the role of myth and religion in the development of culture as well as humanism and the value of knowledge. It has it's semi-clunky didactic moments (particularly as Noren learns the truth about the Prophecy) but, for the most part, it's well written although, clearly for a younger audience. From what I understand the 2nd & 3rd books in the trilogy are written for older teens / adults so I'm anxious to continue the trilogy!
hoppy500's review against another edition
5.0
This Star Shall Abide by Sylvia Engdahl
Noren was a heretic. He defied the High Law and had no faith in the Prophecyâs fulfillment. But was defiance enough, or could some way be found to make it come true?
The back cover blurb is certainly intriguing.
This Star Shall Abide was first published in 1972, and is the opening book of a trilogy. It is dystopian fiction with a major difference.
When it was first appeared on the shelves, the School Library Journal issued the following comment:
âSuperior future fiction concerning the fate of an idealistic misfit, Noren, who rebels against his highly repressive societyâŚ. Although there is little overt action, the attention of mature sci-fi readers will be held by the skillful writing and excellent plot and character development.â
In a nutshell, This Star Shall Abide is the story of an intelligent teenager named Noren, who feels compelled to rebel against the repressive society in which he has grown up, and by degrees comes to declare openly that he believes the central tenet of the peopleâs religion (the future appearance the Mother Star) and an accompanying prophecy to be deliberately fabricated by the Scholar (or High Priest) Class to keep everyone else under their control.
In 1973, it won the Christopher Award, bestowed for âaffirmation of the highest values of the human spirit.â
There are aspects of this book which some readers have objected to. An example is that the society in which Noren lives is clearly sexist, which some may feel is not in accord with modern standards for Young Adult fiction. On her website, though, the author explains that this is just a part of the repressive nature of a society which has reverted to primitive conditions after the loss of all high technology. Certain readers have also misunderstood the values held by the author, imagining that she is somehow in favor of autocratic regimes. However, concluding that anything a writer describes in his or her work must be something that they support or advocate seems exceedingly odd to me. On the contrary, the very opposite is quite often true.
Specific themes which were present in Enchantress from the Stars and The Far Side of Evil appear again in this novel. Examples are, how important should the pursuit of truth be to the individual, to what extent and in what situations do ultimate ends justify the taking of drastic and even unfair action, and whether symbolism can be considered a valid method for expressing truths indirectly. Also, the idea that expansion into space is essential to the survival of humanity is once more alluded to. (Note: In Engdahlâs books âhumanityâ does not necessarily refer to people originating from the planet Earth, but to any humanoid species.)
After reading three of her books, I must confess that I am already thinking of Sylvia Engdahl as one my favorite authors.
Below are some quotes from book which epitomize the general tone and flavor:
âI donât want my faith restored,â he said heatedly. âI want to know the truth. The truth is the most important thing there is, Talyra. Donât you care about finding it?â âI already know whatâs true,â she maintained vehemently.
âThatâs blasphemous; I wonât listen.â âNo, I donât suppose you will. I can see how fraud has greater appeal than truth from your standpoint.â
That was the difference between himself and the others: he cared about the truth, and they did not.
We canât be forced to do or to believe anything against our will.
...he was sorry for all of them, sorry because they truly did not understand the thing they were lacking. They could not see that there was more to life than working, eating, and making love.
âI respect it too much to believe anything merely because some book or some person tells me I should. I want to really know! Maybe youâd rather accept stories that make you feel comfortable about the way things are, but I care more for truth than for comfort.â
He would undoubtedly be hurt in the City; in the end he would be killed; but as long as he kept on caring, nothing could touch the freedom of his inner thoughts.
âItâs not enough just to learn what there isnât; we need to know what there is. . .â
They will never change me, Noren promised himself grimly. No matter what they do or what they threaten, I will not deny the truth; I will not become like that man; I will not recant!
âKnowledge is worthless apart from truth. Itâs the truth I really value, but if I recanted, Iâd be lying. Truth belongs to everybody; to recant would be to accept your right to keep it from the other villagers.â
"Truth, Noren, can be quite terrible. Not everyone can face it."
âIf we donât give people symbols for the truths we cannot express openly,â he explained, âin time theyâll fall prey to superstition."
âSocieties, like people, cannot be controlled without destroying their ability to grow and develop.â
âTruth is truth, and itâs more important than what people think of me.â
Noren was a heretic. He defied the High Law and had no faith in the Prophecyâs fulfillment. But was defiance enough, or could some way be found to make it come true?
The back cover blurb is certainly intriguing.
This Star Shall Abide was first published in 1972, and is the opening book of a trilogy. It is dystopian fiction with a major difference.
When it was first appeared on the shelves, the School Library Journal issued the following comment:
âSuperior future fiction concerning the fate of an idealistic misfit, Noren, who rebels against his highly repressive societyâŚ. Although there is little overt action, the attention of mature sci-fi readers will be held by the skillful writing and excellent plot and character development.â
In a nutshell, This Star Shall Abide is the story of an intelligent teenager named Noren, who feels compelled to rebel against the repressive society in which he has grown up, and by degrees comes to declare openly that he believes the central tenet of the peopleâs religion (the future appearance the Mother Star) and an accompanying prophecy to be deliberately fabricated by the Scholar (or High Priest) Class to keep everyone else under their control.
In 1973, it won the Christopher Award, bestowed for âaffirmation of the highest values of the human spirit.â
There are aspects of this book which some readers have objected to. An example is that the society in which Noren lives is clearly sexist, which some may feel is not in accord with modern standards for Young Adult fiction. On her website, though, the author explains that this is just a part of the repressive nature of a society which has reverted to primitive conditions after the loss of all high technology. Certain readers have also misunderstood the values held by the author, imagining that she is somehow in favor of autocratic regimes. However, concluding that anything a writer describes in his or her work must be something that they support or advocate seems exceedingly odd to me. On the contrary, the very opposite is quite often true.
Specific themes which were present in Enchantress from the Stars and The Far Side of Evil appear again in this novel. Examples are, how important should the pursuit of truth be to the individual, to what extent and in what situations do ultimate ends justify the taking of drastic and even unfair action, and whether symbolism can be considered a valid method for expressing truths indirectly. Also, the idea that expansion into space is essential to the survival of humanity is once more alluded to. (Note: In Engdahlâs books âhumanityâ does not necessarily refer to people originating from the planet Earth, but to any humanoid species.)
After reading three of her books, I must confess that I am already thinking of Sylvia Engdahl as one my favorite authors.
Below are some quotes from book which epitomize the general tone and flavor:
âI donât want my faith restored,â he said heatedly. âI want to know the truth. The truth is the most important thing there is, Talyra. Donât you care about finding it?â âI already know whatâs true,â she maintained vehemently.
âThatâs blasphemous; I wonât listen.â âNo, I donât suppose you will. I can see how fraud has greater appeal than truth from your standpoint.â
That was the difference between himself and the others: he cared about the truth, and they did not.
We canât be forced to do or to believe anything against our will.
...he was sorry for all of them, sorry because they truly did not understand the thing they were lacking. They could not see that there was more to life than working, eating, and making love.
âI respect it too much to believe anything merely because some book or some person tells me I should. I want to really know! Maybe youâd rather accept stories that make you feel comfortable about the way things are, but I care more for truth than for comfort.â
He would undoubtedly be hurt in the City; in the end he would be killed; but as long as he kept on caring, nothing could touch the freedom of his inner thoughts.
âItâs not enough just to learn what there isnât; we need to know what there is. . .â
They will never change me, Noren promised himself grimly. No matter what they do or what they threaten, I will not deny the truth; I will not become like that man; I will not recant!
âKnowledge is worthless apart from truth. Itâs the truth I really value, but if I recanted, Iâd be lying. Truth belongs to everybody; to recant would be to accept your right to keep it from the other villagers.â
"Truth, Noren, can be quite terrible. Not everyone can face it."
âIf we donât give people symbols for the truths we cannot express openly,â he explained, âin time theyâll fall prey to superstition."
âSocieties, like people, cannot be controlled without destroying their ability to grow and develop.â
âTruth is truth, and itâs more important than what people think of me.â
ladygeeke's review
4.0
This dystopian YA novel was published in the early 1970s, which shows that no storyline is as new as we think it is. From our 20/20 hindsight view, the adolescent Noren rebelling against his family and village/clan to live and think independently seems like a well-worn pattern, but Engdahl was one of the pioneers of this type of fiction and deserves all credit for it.
Engdahl's book has some beautiful mobius-like twists in its plotline that leave even the modern reader unsure what will happen next.
My only criticism is that, as the book goes deeper into the political and philosophical aspects of truth and belief, it becomes rather dry and "preachy"; also it is completely without humour or wit, so the last few chapters are a bit of a slog, whereas the material could have been both instructive and entertaining in the style of Diana Wynne Jones or Terry Pratchett.
However, it is a classic and well worth a read.
Engdahl's book has some beautiful mobius-like twists in its plotline that leave even the modern reader unsure what will happen next.
My only criticism is that, as the book goes deeper into the political and philosophical aspects of truth and belief, it becomes rather dry and "preachy"; also it is completely without humour or wit, so the last few chapters are a bit of a slog, whereas the material could have been both instructive and entertaining in the style of Diana Wynne Jones or Terry Pratchett.
However, it is a classic and well worth a read.
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