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A review by doritobabe
Enchantress from the Stars by Sylvia Engdahl
4.0
I love older science fiction novels. Firebird Publishing seems to put out a lot of pro-female/feminist science fiction, too, as I have read this and [b:Firebird|2060939|Firebird|Kathy Tyers|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1410730152s/2060939.jpg|13570915] and enjoyed both immensely.
Enchantress from the Stars is a book that takes place in "the future" (kind of) and on a third planet from the Sun, yet it is not Earth. The author, Sylvia Engdahl explicitly states that the planet and all of it's characters are not from Earth, but another planet that is third to the sun. (When one thinks about it, I immediately think of Fermi's paradox and The Drake Equation and how these work together to inspire thoughts of many, many planets that may exist like our own.)
Elana is a part of a "more advanced" civilization that has peace keeping duties across the galaxy. The Federation works to aid Youngling ("primitive") populations that are negatively affected by other Younglings. They work quietly and covertly, however, and must not be known by the groups they are interfering with.
On one particular mission, Elana is a stowaway on her father's ship. They land on Andrecia, a planet that is much like feudal Earth, in order to stop an Imperial colonization. This is a wonderful blend of "fantasy" and science fiction, as the explanation for the Federation's help is described in the way of magic (Enchantress, Starwatcher and their gifts) and the defeat of a "Dragon".
This was a fun read and really deals with topics of colonialism and culture. Engdahl claims that this fiction was not written allegorically, but it is really hard not to read it as an active metaphor for human history, let alone an explanation for folklore and fable. I wonder is Engdahl was secretly a believer in the conspiracy that Aliens/other, more sophisticated lifeforms, actually aided in the advancement of our civilizations.
Enchantress from the Stars is a book that takes place in "the future" (kind of) and on a third planet from the Sun, yet it is not Earth. The author, Sylvia Engdahl explicitly states that the planet and all of it's characters are not from Earth, but another planet that is third to the sun. (When one thinks about it, I immediately think of Fermi's paradox and The Drake Equation and how these work together to inspire thoughts of many, many planets that may exist like our own.)
Elana is a part of a "more advanced" civilization that has peace keeping duties across the galaxy. The Federation works to aid Youngling ("primitive") populations that are negatively affected by other Younglings. They work quietly and covertly, however, and must not be known by the groups they are interfering with.
On one particular mission, Elana is a stowaway on her father's ship. They land on Andrecia, a planet that is much like feudal Earth, in order to stop an Imperial colonization. This is a wonderful blend of "fantasy" and science fiction, as the explanation for the Federation's help is described in the way of magic (Enchantress, Starwatcher and their gifts) and the defeat of a "Dragon".
This was a fun read and really deals with topics of colonialism and culture. Engdahl claims that this fiction was not written allegorically, but it is really hard not to read it as an active metaphor for human history, let alone an explanation for folklore and fable. I wonder is Engdahl was secretly a believer in the conspiracy that Aliens/other, more sophisticated lifeforms, actually aided in the advancement of our civilizations.