A review by ladygeeke
This Star Shall Abide by Sylvia Engdahl
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.