num_pages: 295
description: 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 sheat great costcan 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 separateand very differentstory not intended for readers below high school age and is also enjoyed by adults. The two books are in no way dependent on each other and can be read in either order.
language: English
title: The Far Side of Evil
publisher: Independently Published