Trilogy including This Star Shall Abide, Beyond the Tomorrow Mountains and The Doors of the Universe Though these were originally published by Atheneum as Young Adult novels, this one-volume edition was issued as adult science fiction. The individual novels are in print only in e-book form, available from Mobipocket.
Noren knew that his world was not as it should be--it was wrong that only the Scholars, and their representatives the Technicians, could use metal tools and Machines. It was wrong that only they had access to the mysterious City, which he had always longed to enter. Above all, it was wrong for the Scholars to have sole power over the distribution of knowledge. The High Law imposed these restrictions and many others, though the Prophecy promised that someday knowledge and Machines would be available to everyone.
Noren was a heretic. He defied the High Law and had no faith in the Prophecy's fulfillment. But the more he learned of the grim truth about his people's deprivations, the less possible it seemed that their world could ever be changed. It would take more drastic steps than anyone imagined to restore their rightful heritage.
Professional Reviews
Book 1, This Star Shall Abide
"Tension-filled, beautiful and haunting." --Commonweal, 17 November 1972
Book 2, Beyond the Tomorrow Mountains
"Wrestles with deeply adult problems of an apparently meaningless universe and of a people's right to know facts that may destroy everything they hold dear." --Psychology Today, August 1973
Book 3, The Doors of the Universe
"Much more than an adventure story.... This is a contemplative book, but one never gets bored with the story and it haunts the reader long after it is finished." --Journal of Reading, November 1981
“The year is 2011 and Samuel Elmsmore is adrift in the universe. After a series of breakdowns he awakens as a virtual prisoner in a hostel for the mentally ill. He’s estranged from his family and friends, and is jobless after an unfortunate incident
