The Far Side of Evil - Softcover

Engdahl, Sylvia

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0142402931 ISBN 13: 9780142402931

Publisher: Firebird, 2005

Synopsis

On completion of her training as an agent of the interstellar federation's Anthropological Service, Elana is sent to a world whose people may soon destroy their civilization. Since not enough is understood about the situation to justify any interference with their evolution, the Service has no power to act; its agents must go as helpless observers, posing as natives, in the hope of gaining knowledge that may help to save other worlds. This passive role proves intolerable to the young, inexperienced agent assigned to the same city as Elana, a city under totalitarian rule. After falling in love with a local girl who has become Elana's closest friend, he identifies too completely with the natives and unwittingly endangers the entire world by a well-meant but ill-advised attempt to intervene. Forced to assume responsibility for undoing the damage, Elana finds that only she--at great cost--can prevent an immediate war of annihilation.

Although this novel has the same heroine as the author's Newbery Honor book Enchantress from the Stars, it is not a sequel but a completely separate--and very different--story intended for older readers, high school age and adults. The two books are in no way dependent on each other.

About this title

From the Author:

If you are interested in the ideas underlying this story, read my 2017 essay "Update on the Critical Stage: The Far Side of Evil's Relevance Today" at my website.

About the Author:

Sylvia Engdahl is best known as the author of highly-acclaimed Young Adult novels, one of which was a Newbery Honor book and a finalist for the 2002 Book Sense Book of the Year in the Rediscovery category. However, her Children of the Star trilogy, originally written for teens, was republished as adult SF, and she has written four adult novels. Although all her fiction takes place in the distant future on hypothetical worlds and thus is categorized as science fiction, it is directed more to mainstream readers than to avid science fiction fans and is enjoyed by a wider audience than seekers of the genre.

About this edition

• Publisher: Firebird
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0142402931
• ISBN 13: 9780142402931
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 336