Stewards of the Flame wins bronze IPPY Award

PRESS RELEASE

Stewards of the Flame by Sylvia Engdahl has won a bronze medal in the Visionary Fiction category of the 2008 Independent Publisher (IPPY) Book Awards.

Launched in 1996 as the first unaffiliated awards program open exclusively to independent, university, and self-published titles, the 2008 IPPYs were presented to winners in 64 subject categories. This year’s awards attracted 3,175 entries from 49 U.S. states, nine Canadian provinces, and 16 countries overseas. “This year’s winning books come not only from diverse locations, but also diverse personalities and viewpoints,” said awards director Jim Barnes. “The list represents some of the most unique and daring writing and publishing being done in the world today.”

Previously known as an award-winning author of YA science fiction, Sylvia Engdahl published Stewards of the Flame, her first adult novel, independently. The trade paperback edition, distributed by BookSurge, can be obtained from Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Abebooks.com, Alibris.com, and a number of other retail outlets. An e-book edition is available at Mobipockets.com.

“Grips the attention with the raw immediacy of the problems. . . . It asks the sort of questions only SF can pose, and paints a vivid picture of where failing to answer those questions might lead. . . . Stewards is the kind of SF I’ve been craving!”

--Jacqueline Lichtenberg, Monthly Aspectarian, June 2008

“A suspenseful and thought-provoking novel that seems so plausible that it sends chills up my spine . . . truly a masterpiece of parapsychological science fiction.”

--Robin Witte, Rebecca’s Reads, May 2008

“The story is compelling, and drew me in from the first few pages. . . . I recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading genre fiction with some substance to it.”

--Anna Creech, Blogcritics, March 2008

“Stewards of the Flame is a brave book, and the numbers of those holding to the sentiments it conveys are growing. . . . It can’t be faulted for challenging our comfort zone, when after all, that is one sure measure of worthwhile fiction.”

--Carlos Aranaga, ScifiDimensions, February 2008

“A brilliant twist on dystopianism. . . . The book builds just the right amount of tension, and shows the stark reality of benevolent tyranny, one that any so-called democracy could creep towards quite easily. ”

--Anders Monsen, Prometheus, Winter 2008

More information about Stewards of the Flame, including a video trailer, sample chapters, review excerpts, and a reading group discussion guide, is at www.stewardsoftheflame.com.

A full listing of the IPPY winners can be found at www.independentpublisher.com/article.php?page=1231.