When burned-out starship captain Jesse Sanders is seized by a dictatorial medical regime and detained on the colony planet Undine, he has no idea that he is about to be plunged into a bewildering new life that will involve ordeals and joys beyond anything he has ever imagined, as well as the love of a woman with powers that seem superhuman. Still less does he suspect that he must soon take responsibility for the lives of people he has come to care about and the preservation of their hopes for the future of humankind.

Winner of a bronze medal in the Visionary Fiction category of the 2008 Independent Publisher (IPPY) Book Awards, this controversial novel deals with government-imposed health care, end-of-life issues, and the so-called paranormal powers of the human mind. Despite being set in the distant future on another world, it appeals not only to science fiction readers but to others who question the dominant medical philosophy of today's society, or who value personal freedom of choice.

REVIEW

"The story is compelling, and drew me in from the first few pages. . . . 'Stewards of the Flame' is a thought-provoking novel that may make you question the authority and direction of modern Western medical practices. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading genre fiction with some substance to it."
--Anna Creech, Blogcritics Magazine, February 29, 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

"Inspires a lot of thought-provoking 'what-if' questions. . . . An excellent novel to read just for pure enjoyment, however, I would highly recommend 'Stewards of the Flame' to bioethics classes. It will certainly lead to some stimulating conversations."
--Paige Lovitt, Midwest Book Review: MBR Bookwatch, December 2007

"Extremely entertaining. . . . A cautionary tale that Big Brother is coming through the government medical complex."
--Harriet Klausner, Midwest Book Review: MBR Bookwatch, January 2008

"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

"'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

EXCERPT

"You mean everyone--everyone on this world who's not killed outright--dies slowly in that damned hospital, hooked to machines?" Jesse persisted.

"I wish that were what we meant," Bernie said. There was an uneasy silence. Then, with irony, he went on, "But you see, we have the galaxy's finest medical facility in this colony--"

"And," Kwame declared, "the galaxy's finest medical facility can't let people die."

"Till they've disintegrated from old age, you mean." God. It might take years, with unlimited forced treatment. . . .

"No, Jesse. It can't let them die at all. At least not according to the Meds' criteria."
He stared at Kwame. "I guess I don't quite see."

"Our medical facility," Bernie told him, "really is an advanced one. From the technological standpoint it's superb. It has developed sophisticated techniques not common elsewhere, and as you know, its funds are unlimited. The law says everyone must be treated for everything. So you see, bodies are just--maintained. Indefinitely."

"Even after they're brain-dead?" Jesse asked in a low voice.

"Yes--like bodies from which organs for transplant were taken, back in the days before cloned organs were perfected."

"But aren't they going to run out of bed space someday?"

"Well, they don't use regular rooms," Carla said painfully. "The bodies are kept in stasis units, like those that were once used on slow starships. Besides the treatment floors there are maintenance floors. That's a euphemism. The more accurate term is vaults."

Peter put in quickly, "Jess, we need you to be aware that what you saw tonight was a crime involving all of us--even you, should it ever become known that you witnessed it. According to the law you're now an accessory to murder."

"Murder? All I got a glimpse of was a wrapped body, already dead. That's all any of you saw."

"But officially, you see, there is no death from natural causes here. This world has no cemeteries. To bury a body is murder."