Starship captain Terry Steward, ne Terry Radnor, is committed to spreading acceptance of psi powers and other advanced mind capabilities throughout the worlds of humankind. A strange turn of fate has enabled him to overcome terrorists who would have put an end to the colony world Maclairn's plan to achieve this goal. Now with his own ship Estel, he journeys from world to world, heralding the hopeful future about which he alone knows the full truth. But the opponents of mind power still pose a threat and on Earth the persecution of people who develop new abilities is increasing. Soon targeted by bounty hunters, Terry risks everything that matters to him in a desperate attempt to defeat Maclairn's enemies, not guessing that if he lives long enough, he is destined for an even greater role in human history than he has played as a defender of its cause.

This is the second book in the Captain of Estel trilogy, and is a sequel to Defender of the Flame, which should be read first because this one contains major spoilers for it. Set two centuries later in tme than Stewards of the Flame and Promise of the Flame, which tell of the founding of Maclairn, it is an independent and quite different story that in no way depends on having read them. Though intended for adults, the trilogy will also be of interest to older teens who have enjoyed Enchantress from the Stars and The Far Side of Evil, since it deals in part with the Service that appears in those books. (Please note that unlike Engdahl's YA novels, all five of these books contain some material inappropriate for readers below high school age.)

From the reviews:

"A futuristic ride that has many parallels in today's society. This is a 'thinking man's' science fiction book—the type we need more of today!" —The Feathered Quill ...

"These novels [this book and its sequel] are not so much genre ... 'Science Fiction' as they are Literature. These are novels about life." —Jacqueline Lichtenberg, Alien Romances Reviews 14