Stewards of the Flame

Sylvia Engdahl
BookSurge (2007)
ISBN 9781419675065
Reviewed by Robin Witte for RebeccasReads (5/08)

Sylvia Engdahl is an acclaimed writer of juvenile fiction who terminated a long hiatus from writing to publish the masterpiece “Stewards of the Flame.”  This science fiction novel follows a starship captain, Jesse Sanders, as he is stranded on a planet run by a dictatorial medical establishment that takes health to the extreme.  Jesse becomes imprisoned in a hospital were medical personnel force treatment on him for alcoholism after he gets a little intoxicated at a local bar while on leave from his ship.  Jesse manages to escape the grueling treatment of this hospital with help from some new-found friends.  These friends however, have a lot of secrets and the reader sees Jesse transform as he begins to understand an underground movement on this planet that involves parapsychological and the freedom to die.

Engdahl does a fantastic and thorough job of researching the theory behind this novel and the detail that is revealed in paranormal states and higher consciousness is truly astounding.  The explanations and dialogue lean heavily towards scientific theory and tend to be a little dry at times with the plot taking a backseat to the descriptions of how these characters can manipulate their own minds.  This novel is concise enough to be an academic thesis on paranormal states and the training that reaching these states requires.  Engdahl does provide enough of a futuristic love story between Jesse and one of his new friends to keep the reader interested in what will happen next and we do see that there is a lot more mystery surrounding what a mysterious organization means to do on this planet.  Jesse is a revealed to be someone more than a stranded stranger on a planet and becomes someone with the possibilities of being a savior.

This novel is a unique look into a world that has too many similarities to our own world and does a fantastic job of making the reader think about how much power our government should really have over our health and medical decisions.  Engdahl has taken an idea that is rarely written about and managed to create a suspenseful and thought provoking novel that seems so plausible that it sends chills up my spine. I highly recommend this science fiction masterpiece to individuals that enjoy fully delving into the realm of other possibilities and want to fully realize Engdahl’s perceptions into the human mind.  “Stewards of the Flame” is truly a masterpiece of parapsychological science fiction and manages to entertain the reader as it informs.