Book Review - Herald of the Flame

Herald of the Flame: Book Two of the Rising Flame Series 

By: Sylvia Engdahl
Publisher: Ad Stellae Books
Publication Date: October 2014
ISBN: 978-0692293768
Reviewed by: Ellen Feld
Review Date: November 2014

“I’m not some sort of superman...I’m merely a star pilot who happens to have some uncommon mind skills…” explains Terry Steward to some new friends mid-way through Herald of the Flame. As the reader will have already learned, however, Terry is selling himself short - he just might be the savior of the human race.

As the story opens, we meet Terry Radnor who is using the name Terry Steward to protect himself from his many enemies. The reader is given the backstory on Terry, once a respected Fleet officer, who was gifted with extraordinary psi skills and had been trained on the planet of Maclairn, where a secret colony of people existed who encouraged psi skills. He was imprisoned on Ciencia for encouraging people to hope, hope for ending the repressive government rule that they lived under, to change the censorship laws, to live freely and develop their own psi skills. He had been arrested, jailed, escaped and while on his way back to Maclairn, had discovered that his passengers were terrorists bent on destroying that secret colony. With no real options, he crashed his ship, killing all the passengers and almost perishing himself. The Elders, aliens unknown to all but Terry, had saved his life and now he was free to travel in his spaceship Estel.
Now, before Terry makes his permanent escape from the dreary, always overcast planet of Ciencia, he seeks out Alison Willard, the woman he loves. Together with Jon Darrow, a top-notch pilot, and Gwen Morrell, a maintenance engineer, they take flight to spread hope to other planets. The problem is, some people, particularly those in power, will do whatever they can to stop Terry. It doesn’t help that Terry broadcasts a message throughout Ciencia as they fly away to encourage dissent against the tyrannical government.

Faking an accident in the hopes that their pursuers will think they all died, the small crew destroys the Bonanza, their temporary ship, board the Estel, and head into deep space. Using smuggling as their cover, Terry and the others visit various worlds to bring the future he foresaw to all humankind. That future? A time where the powers of the human mind are accepted by all, where once those abilities are fully developed by everybody, the oppressors will no longer be able to maintain their control.

Herald of the Flame follows Terry as he travels to various planets, smuggling some interesting cargo, while he and the others hack the ‘net’ on these worlds to bring their message to the people. Messages soon go viral which is, of course, what they want, but it also brings out the government agents who will do anything to maintain power. Danger is in abundance, with many close escapes as well as tragedy for the crew.
Having not read the first book in this series, Defender of the Flame, I wasn’t sure how easy it would be to get caught up in the story. Actually, the prologue had me intrigued and I was hooked within a few pages. There was a bit of a lull in the action while Terry explained to Alison and Jon (and by default, the reader) what had happened to him prior to their meeting (book 1) but once that’s done, the book takes off and gives the reader a very satisfying ride. There were some very clever (or more accurate - cool!) events such as Terry getting caught via a force field that allows people to enter but not exit, the colony world of New Afrika which was settled by emigrants from Africa, and how Terry could use his psi to help ease a person’s pain level, all of which kept me intrigued and wanting to find out what else was in store.

Although the ‘cool’ concepts were fun, the real draw of this novel were the parallels it drew to today’s society. The whole idea of an oppressive government taking control seems all too real. At one point, Terry noted, “People sometimes vote away their own freedom...and I see nothing wrong in attempts to make them aware of that...people being harassed, even killed, because they believe unorthodox ideas…” (pg. 185) We also meet an ‘evolved’ Ku Klux Klan that has brought hate to a whole new level. What has happened through people’s complacency, and how Terry and his friends fight to right it, will have you turning pages quickly.

Quill says: A futuristic ride that has many parallels in today’s society. This is a ‘thinking man’s’ science fiction book – the type we need more of today!

Books In For Review

Here's a quick look at some of the books that have just arrived for review.  Check them out!




Inmate 1818 and Other Stories by Bernard Otterman he release of Inmate 1818 and Other Stories, a collection of twelve short stories inspired by the Holocaust and its aftermath, marks a new milestone for a celebrated writer with unusual skill and vision. The stories of Bernard Otterman, a Holocaust survivor born in Lodz, Poland, are set in the ghettos and camps of World War II and in the difficult days following Hitler’s war against the Jews. The Shoah defines the lives of all characters in the stories—survivors as well as their children. In the title story, “Inmate 1818,” a young boy is smuggled into a labor camp and befriended by an eccentric teenager with a love for astronomy, who gives the boy a gift that saves his life. In “Golem of Auschwitz,” a survivor is haunted by the memory of the golem, a mythical creature drawn from Jewish folklore, that he and a Rabbi’s son created while in captivity. A German boy is determined to redeem his family’s Nazi sins by recreating the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp using plastic toy bricks in “Lego Lager.” In “Days of Rage,” married survivors are tormented when their son believes and spouts a neo-Nazi ideology. A survivor in “Lotto Fever” is both upset and obsessed by winning the lottery using numbers very similar to those tattooed on his arm. And in “Black Grass,” the author turns to the rich tradition of magical realism to respond to the phenomenon of the Holocaust, where the darkness born by this tragedy slowly envelops the world.

Tending Fences: Building Safe and Healthy Relationship Boundaries; The Parables of Avery Soul by Terry M. Barnett-Martin Tending Fences is a collection of simple, yet profound parables about building healthy relationship boundaries that foster a sense of well-being, safety and respect. It speaks to the heart and intuition in a way that helps to make good relationships better, and sort out and set straight difficult relationships. In Tending Fences, Avery Soul discovers that in order to feel secure and happy in his world, he must build and repair the fences that run along the borders of his vast land, adjoining his many neighbors. The fences he builds vary according to his relationship with each neighbor. Some connections are safe and easy and the fences are simple. Others are imposing and harmful, and necessitate higher, stronger fences. These charming stories speak of universal relationship dilemmas we have all experienced at some time or another, and go about showing the value and the good work of building and maintaining safe and healthy boundaries.

Princess Cupcake Jones Won't Go To School! (Princess Cupcake Jones Series)by Ylleya Fields Princess Cupcake Jones returns in the second book of the Princess Cupcake Jones Series. This modern day princess, who loves her tutu and playing with her toys, is about to begin school...but refuses to go! Cupcake tries everything to avoid her first day from pretending to be sick to even hiding! However, Mom stays one step ahead of her. Only after arriving at school and meeting a new friend does Cupcake realize that school might not be as scary as she thought.

Bass Reeves: Tales of the Talented Tenth, Volume 1 by Joel Christian Gill Bass Reeves: Tales of the Talented Tenth tells the story of Bass Reeves, an escaped slave who became one of the most successful lawman of the old west and the rumored inspiration for The Lone Ranger. Volume I chronicles his life from winning shooting matches in early childhood to traveling with his master, living with Native Americans in Indian Territory, and finally becoming a Deputy US Marshal.  

Herald of the Flame by Sylvia Engdahl Through a strange turn of fate Terry Steward, born Terry Radnor, was in the right place at the right time to save the secret colony Maclairn from terrorists who would have destroyed its plan to spread advanced mind powers to Earth and the other worlds of humankind. Now with his own starship Estel, he sets out to further that plan by journeying from world to world, heralding the hopeful future about which he alone knows the full truth. Yet he is all too aware that Maclairn’s enemies still pose a threat, and that on Earth the persecution of people who develop such powers is increasing. Soon targeted by bounty hunters, Terry can see no way to combat a planet-wide conspiracy—nor does he guess that if he lives long enough, he is destined for an even greater role in human history than he has played as a defender of Maclairn's cause. This is the second book in the Rising Flame series. The first, Defender of the Flame, should be read before this one, but these two can be read independently of the preceding Hidden Flame series, Stewards of the Flame and Promise of the Flame, which are set more than two centuries earlier.  

Saving Baby: How One Woman's Love for a Racehorse Led to Her Redemption by Jo Anne Normile Jo Anne Normile was not supposed to keep the foal, an exuberant Thoroughbred with only a few white hairs on his reddish-brown forehead. But she fell in love with the young horse, who had literally been born into her arms. The breeder finally said she could keep the colt, whom she nicknamed "Baby" – but only if she raced him. It was difficult to take Baby away from the safety of his pasture. But Normile had made a promise. Besides, horseracing had always come across as a glamorous blend of mint juleps and celebrity, of equine grace and speed. It was a vision she found appealing. And she fell hard for it, this "Sport of Kings." She experienced a thrill every time Baby sprinted around the track, edging out other horses. But the magic that enchants is a veneer. For every Seabiscuit, there are tens of thousands of racehorses whose lives end in pain and despair, with indifference and corruption that runs rampant through the world of horse racing. Normile knew none of this. Not until an accident on a poorly maintained track. That’s when everything changed. That’s when Normile founded the most successful horse rescue in the country, an organization that would go on to save more horses than anyone else ever had. That’s when she knew she had no other choice.  
Gator, Gator, Second Grader by Conrad Storad Many creatures make great classroom pets, but others just DO NOT! That's what the teacher says, anyway! When second graders Benny and Jacob bring a baby alligator to school in a cardboard box, their teacher, Mrs. Nichols, has an important message to share. A baby gator is NOT a good classroom pet! she explains. As an impromptu pet safari unfolds, Mrs. Nichols helps her students identify which creatures are suitable for school and which animals are better housed elsewhere! Her last-minute lesson soon leads to an exuberant naming game, with students clamoring to compare turtles with Gila monsters, hamsters with grizzly bears, and much more. Following the story, a well-researched curriculum guide captivates young readers, helping them develop a deeper respect for nature. Narrated by a beloved classroom pet nicknamed Snoozer, Gator, Gator Second Grader cleverly draws young readers into the story from word one (Howdy!), making them feel like part of Mrs. Nichol's lively second grade classroom. As students compare and contrast a wide variety of animals, they quickly learn to recognize which creatures make good pets and which creatures do best in the zoo or in their natural habitats. The book's accompanying curriculum guide expertly introduces students to gerbils like Snoozer and provides an in-depth look at American alligators.

A Love Letter From God by P.K. Hallinan In this new title by P. K. Hallinan, the author supposes what God might say in a personal letter written to a child. The unconditional and unlimited nature of God's love is revealed through simple and lyrical language.