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The Power of Stars
After being bitten by a dying rabbit Jane Bates develops new destructive powers inexplicably drawn from the stars. This story of the supernatural also deals with rivalries for affection and emotional relationships between young people. Louise Lawrence's first novel was "Andra".
160 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1972
About the author
Louise Lawrence
40 books58 followersElizabeth Holden, better known by her pen name Louise Lawrence, is an English science fiction author, acclaimed during the 1970s and 1980s.
Lawrence was born in Leatherhead, Surrey, England, in 1943. She became fascinated with Wales at a young age, and has set many of her novels there. She left school early on to become an assistant librarian. She married and had the first of her three children in 1963. Her departure from the library, she recalls, gave her the potential to turn toward writing: "Deprived of book-filled surroundings, I was bound to write my own."
Lawrence was born in Leatherhead, Surrey, England, in 1943. She became fascinated with Wales at a young age, and has set many of her novels there. She left school early on to become an assistant librarian. She married and had the first of her three children in 1963. Her departure from the library, she recalls, gave her the potential to turn toward writing: "Deprived of book-filled surroundings, I was bound to write my own."
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 23, 2015
This is Louise Lawrence's second novel, another story for young adults (or at the time of publication, older children, as there was no YA category in the UK in the early 70s). As with her first, the science fiction elements are weak but this novel's human relationships are better. The relationship of the two 17 year boys and 16 year old girl come across as convincingly oblique and edgy, given the tension between the two boys - Jimmy, who has known Jane since their childhood and regards her as part of the furniture, until she acquires a guardian who buys her nice clothes so that she doesn't have to wear school uniform all the time, and Alan the newly arrived boy from a wealthier background who has his own car and treats Jane as an individual from the start. Jane is bitten by a rabbit that appears to give her a 'contamination' from space and soon Jane cannot stand machinery and is able to explode it - with fatal results. Only Jimmy believes this, whereas Alan is falling for Jane and cannot let himself believe until brought face to face with incontrovertible proof. So ironically it is Jimmy who accepts Jane until the end although he is the one trying to stop what she is doing.
This book is a little more 'mature' than her first novel, where the girl protagonist was a perfect beautiful character whom everyone except the evil villain loved, and who shared a room with two young men without any attraction emerging between any of them. In The Power of Stars, there is some innocuous 'romance' in that Jimmy invites Jane to the school dance once he realises that she is a girl, and Alan is falling for Jane, although the only oblique reference to sex is when Alan is accused of bringing Jane back to his parents' house after she turns up at her guardian's place at four in the morning, and indignantly denies he would do such a heinous act, and that he took her home at midnight.
Without giving away spoilers, the science fictional aspects although weak are not such a stumbling block as they were in Andra where they were central to the story because this book is fantastical: for example, if the energy of stars is sufficient to allow Jane to blow things up, wouldn't the sun's rays be even more efficacious? Yet it is the stars alone that do it. This does allow Lawrence to write some evocative scenes of darkness, stars, and people wandering around at night, so for her it has to be the stars rather than the prosaic scenes that occur in daytime. The SF is really a spurious explanation for what could be a psychic ability in another novel. The original edition's cover blurb admits that, saying that the novel "combined a compelling story of supernatural powers with a deep and sympathetic understanding of young people and their emotional relationships".
Some of the aspects of the book truly belong to the 60s or the early 70s when it was published: for example, Jane's guardian, an eccentric female scientist, initially keeps bats locked up - when bats have been protected in the UK for years and couldn't be treated like this legally - and later keeps Jane locked up at night for Jane's and everyone else's own good as she sneaks out to stare at the stars otherwise and charges her machine-destroying batteries, when imprisoning her in this way would be treated as child abuse these days.
The only adults featured in the novel are the scientist and Alan's stepfather, also a scientist/doctor: otherwise, the story is rather lacking in adults, as Alan's mother, although referred to, never appears, Jimmy's parents likewise do not appear and Jane is already an orphan living with her grandmother when the story starts.
In common with Andra, the viewpoints are really those of the young men, Jimmy and Alan, and Jane is fairly passive though far less irritating than Andra - really because she does far less, just moons around when not blowing things up. In view of the more convincing setup of this book compared to Andra, and the evocation of the setting and mood, I am rating it an additional star, but it is going to frustrate anyone who wants real science fiction.
This book is a little more 'mature' than her first novel, where the girl protagonist was a perfect beautiful character whom everyone except the evil villain loved, and who shared a room with two young men without any attraction emerging between any of them. In The Power of Stars, there is some innocuous 'romance' in that Jimmy invites Jane to the school dance once he realises that she is a girl, and Alan is falling for Jane, although the only oblique reference to sex is when Alan is accused of bringing Jane back to his parents' house after she turns up at her guardian's place at four in the morning, and indignantly denies he would do such a heinous act, and that he took her home at midnight.
Without giving away spoilers, the science fictional aspects although weak are not such a stumbling block as they were in Andra where they were central to the story because this book is fantastical: for example, if the energy of stars is sufficient to allow Jane to blow things up, wouldn't the sun's rays be even more efficacious? Yet it is the stars alone that do it. This does allow Lawrence to write some evocative scenes of darkness, stars, and people wandering around at night, so for her it has to be the stars rather than the prosaic scenes that occur in daytime. The SF is really a spurious explanation for what could be a psychic ability in another novel. The original edition's cover blurb admits that, saying that the novel "combined a compelling story of supernatural powers with a deep and sympathetic understanding of young people and their emotional relationships".
Some of the aspects of the book truly belong to the 60s or the early 70s when it was published: for example, Jane's guardian, an eccentric female scientist, initially keeps bats locked up - when bats have been protected in the UK for years and couldn't be treated like this legally - and later keeps Jane locked up at night for Jane's and everyone else's own good as she sneaks out to stare at the stars otherwise and charges her machine-destroying batteries, when imprisoning her in this way would be treated as child abuse these days.
The only adults featured in the novel are the scientist and Alan's stepfather, also a scientist/doctor: otherwise, the story is rather lacking in adults, as Alan's mother, although referred to, never appears, Jimmy's parents likewise do not appear and Jane is already an orphan living with her grandmother when the story starts.
In common with Andra, the viewpoints are really those of the young men, Jimmy and Alan, and Jane is fairly passive though far less irritating than Andra - really because she does far less, just moons around when not blowing things up. In view of the more convincing setup of this book compared to Andra, and the evocation of the setting and mood, I am rating it an additional star, but it is going to frustrate anyone who wants real science fiction.
December 30, 2014
Why was such an ineptly conceived and badly written book published? Am I missing something?
Jane lives with her grandmother in the remote British village, Lydcroft. She goes around with two young men: Jimmy, whom she had known since childhood, and Alan, who recently moved to Lydcroft with his stepfather, Nick, a London doctor and researcher. When Jane is bitten by a rabbit, she undergoes a personality change and, intermittently, can play the piano and dance, abilities she lacked before. Machines upset Jane, and when agitated, she telekinetically destroys them. When Jane causes the television to explode, her grandmother is killed. Jane’s scientist neighbor, Miss Cotterel, gives Jane a home, but locks her in at night. Examining Jane’s blood under a microscope, Miss Cotterel and, subsequently, Alan’s stepfather, Nick, learn that Jane is a host for extraterrestrial parasites.
Not only is the science utterly unconvincing, but the characters are plunked into the novel with no back-story. Why does Nick, an eminent physician and researcher, leave London for a remote backwater like Lydcroft? Why should Alan and Jimmy, who obviously dislike one another, be inseparable companions? How can Miss Cotterel and Nick INDEPENDENTLY OF ONE ANOTHER conclude from Jane’s blood that she has been infected by extraterrestrial parasites, activated by starlight?
Despite its unconvincing science, POWER OF STARS might have worked if the characters had exhibited the slightest tenderness or concern for one another. Lawrence’s characters are continually enraged, interacting only through petty bickering. Stephanie Meyer’s YA novel, THE HOST, provides an instructive contrast. Meyer’s rather silly novel has the same premise: extraterrestrial parasites travel from planet, seeking living entities as hosts. In contrast to POWER OF STARS, however, THE HOST works (sort of) because the reader sympathizes with the unexpected tenderness that develops between human host and alien. In contrast, the reader neither identifies with, nor feels the slightest affection for, anyone in POWER OF STARS.
Jane lives with her grandmother in the remote British village, Lydcroft. She goes around with two young men: Jimmy, whom she had known since childhood, and Alan, who recently moved to Lydcroft with his stepfather, Nick, a London doctor and researcher. When Jane is bitten by a rabbit, she undergoes a personality change and, intermittently, can play the piano and dance, abilities she lacked before. Machines upset Jane, and when agitated, she telekinetically destroys them. When Jane causes the television to explode, her grandmother is killed. Jane’s scientist neighbor, Miss Cotterel, gives Jane a home, but locks her in at night. Examining Jane’s blood under a microscope, Miss Cotterel and, subsequently, Alan’s stepfather, Nick, learn that Jane is a host for extraterrestrial parasites.
Not only is the science utterly unconvincing, but the characters are plunked into the novel with no back-story. Why does Nick, an eminent physician and researcher, leave London for a remote backwater like Lydcroft? Why should Alan and Jimmy, who obviously dislike one another, be inseparable companions? How can Miss Cotterel and Nick INDEPENDENTLY OF ONE ANOTHER conclude from Jane’s blood that she has been infected by extraterrestrial parasites, activated by starlight?
Despite its unconvincing science, POWER OF STARS might have worked if the characters had exhibited the slightest tenderness or concern for one another. Lawrence’s characters are continually enraged, interacting only through petty bickering. Stephanie Meyer’s YA novel, THE HOST, provides an instructive contrast. Meyer’s rather silly novel has the same premise: extraterrestrial parasites travel from planet, seeking living entities as hosts. In contrast to POWER OF STARS, however, THE HOST works (sort of) because the reader sympathizes with the unexpected tenderness that develops between human host and alien. In contrast, the reader neither identifies with, nor feels the slightest affection for, anyone in POWER OF STARS.
September 6, 2022
The Power of Stars by Louise Lawrence
This is the second book written by Louise Lawrence, and it was first published in 1972, just one year after her debut novel Andra.
Like Andra, The Power of Stars has strengths and weaknesses that are not so apparent in the author’s later novels. The strengths mainly lie in the area of the personal relationships between the characters, whereas the weaknesses are related to the science fiction elements of the story.
The principal protagonists in this tale are three teenagers, two boys and a girl, which seems to be a pretty typical setup for novels of this period aimed at older children and teenagers. The straightforward and somewhat tactless Jimmy has grown up alongside Jane Bates, whom he hardly seems to regard as an individual at all. Jane is an orphan who lives with her grandmother, and we do not learn anything at all about Jimmy’s family, apart from the fact that it is by no means well off financially. Seventeen-year-old Alan is the newcomer who moves into the area with his wealthy family. Alan’s stepfather is an eminent doctor and the scientist from the big city who for some inexplicable reason decides to move into a rural area near the border between England and Wales where the events of the book take place. Although Alan and Jimmy do not get along very well, they are often in each other’s company, perhaps because Alan has taken something of a fancy to Jane.
The tale really gets underway when Jane is bitten very hard by an injured wild rabbit which she originally intended to take to the vet for treatment. After Jane’s minor medical emergency is dealt with, her personality begins to alter in noticeable ways. She acquires abilities which she did not possess before, and becomes irate whenever she is in the presence of noisy machinery of any kind. These changes would not be a great problem in themselves (except for Jane herself), but when various electrical and other appliances begin to explode without warning there is naturally cause for concern, especially when deaths occur as a result.
Jimmy quickly discerns that the common denominator in all the explosions is the presence of Jane, but Alan will not accept the conclusion that Jane might be responsible in some way. When Jimmy observes Jane’s nightly stargazing activities, he concludes that starlight must somehow be involved in providing her with her new powers. The illogical element here may go unnoticed by younger readers, but more seasoned readers of science fiction will almost certainly wonder why daytime sunlight would not suffice to satisfy her needs.
A local scientist studying bats obtains a sample of Jane’s blood, which Jimmy then proceeds to steal and hand over to Dr. Mackenzie (Nick), Alan’s stepfather. After the two scientists get together to discuss the matter, there occurs one of the most unconvincing scenes in the book, since these two experts are somehow able to reconstruct the entire history of an alien race and explain why they hate machines so much merely from what they discover in that sample.
An interesting point is the role-switch that occurs between Alan and Jimmy toward the end of the story. Previously it was Alan who treated Jane with respect as an individual, but when he finally is forced to accept the truth about what has happened to her, he finds it almost impossible to approach her or to treat her as a human being. Jimmy, on the other hand, is a lot more understanding, and this rather ironically sets the stage for a somewhat unexpected finale.
Most reviewers seem to prefer The Power of Stars to Andra, but I think I enjoyed the latter book more. However, it should be pointed out that the science fiction content of both books is undeniably weak, and The Power of Stars feels like fantasy masquerading as science fiction. Again, the story is told primarily from the point of view of the male characters, although Jane Bates with her lack of personality is a direct contrast to Andra, who had far too much. I do think, however, that the interpersonal dynamics in The Power of Stars are more complex and convincing than those in Andra. The language in both books is dated, especially the expressions and vocabulary which the characters use in conversation, and some of the social situations and attitudes described in The Power of Stars clearly show that it was written some decades ago.
Of course, this was only Louise Lawrence’s second book, and the reader may perceive that she was still feeling her way and experimenting with form and content. The writing itself is good, and tension is maintained throughout (primarily through the difference of opinion between Jimmy and Alan, the believer and the unbeliever), but the novel cannot be considered representative of her best works.
The Power of Stars is far from perfect, but it is not a terrible piece of work either. I would say it is worth reading if you wish to understand how this author’s writing developed, or if you are interested in young adult and children’s science fiction and fantasy literature from the 1960s and 1970s.
The following are some quotations from this book:
“Coincidence.” “Is it? Coincidence is queer. This is too queer. It’s not only queer, either. It’s something powerful, something dangerous.”
“Sorry I spoke,” Jimmy muttered and swung into the coffee shop. The air was thick with tobacco smoke.
Jane gripped the edge of the table with whitened knuckles and stared at the jukebox behind him. “They don’t need it,” Jane said. They give machines the power to speak and one day they won’t be able to speak or sing. Machines will do it for them. Don’t they know that? Don’t they realize?”
“Some people don’t hear music,” she said. “They only hear noise. And they never see anything, they only watch T.V. They never feel anything deep. They never use their senses at all. They never even think.”
“She’s up there somewhere. She hasn’t had time to get home. She was strung up. She could have done it. Jane could have done it, Alan.” “I don’t believe you,” Alan said quietly.
Alan took a cigarette from the packet on the piano and went to stand beside Nick and stare from the window.
They saw history repeating itself and they retaliated. They reversed their energy process, poured out the starlight they had taken in, destroyed machines.
“She’s my wife,” Nick said. “She’ll do as she’s told.
This is the second book written by Louise Lawrence, and it was first published in 1972, just one year after her debut novel Andra.
Like Andra, The Power of Stars has strengths and weaknesses that are not so apparent in the author’s later novels. The strengths mainly lie in the area of the personal relationships between the characters, whereas the weaknesses are related to the science fiction elements of the story.
The principal protagonists in this tale are three teenagers, two boys and a girl, which seems to be a pretty typical setup for novels of this period aimed at older children and teenagers. The straightforward and somewhat tactless Jimmy has grown up alongside Jane Bates, whom he hardly seems to regard as an individual at all. Jane is an orphan who lives with her grandmother, and we do not learn anything at all about Jimmy’s family, apart from the fact that it is by no means well off financially. Seventeen-year-old Alan is the newcomer who moves into the area with his wealthy family. Alan’s stepfather is an eminent doctor and the scientist from the big city who for some inexplicable reason decides to move into a rural area near the border between England and Wales where the events of the book take place. Although Alan and Jimmy do not get along very well, they are often in each other’s company, perhaps because Alan has taken something of a fancy to Jane.
The tale really gets underway when Jane is bitten very hard by an injured wild rabbit which she originally intended to take to the vet for treatment. After Jane’s minor medical emergency is dealt with, her personality begins to alter in noticeable ways. She acquires abilities which she did not possess before, and becomes irate whenever she is in the presence of noisy machinery of any kind. These changes would not be a great problem in themselves (except for Jane herself), but when various electrical and other appliances begin to explode without warning there is naturally cause for concern, especially when deaths occur as a result.
Jimmy quickly discerns that the common denominator in all the explosions is the presence of Jane, but Alan will not accept the conclusion that Jane might be responsible in some way. When Jimmy observes Jane’s nightly stargazing activities, he concludes that starlight must somehow be involved in providing her with her new powers. The illogical element here may go unnoticed by younger readers, but more seasoned readers of science fiction will almost certainly wonder why daytime sunlight would not suffice to satisfy her needs.
A local scientist studying bats obtains a sample of Jane’s blood, which Jimmy then proceeds to steal and hand over to Dr. Mackenzie (Nick), Alan’s stepfather. After the two scientists get together to discuss the matter, there occurs one of the most unconvincing scenes in the book, since these two experts are somehow able to reconstruct the entire history of an alien race and explain why they hate machines so much merely from what they discover in that sample.
An interesting point is the role-switch that occurs between Alan and Jimmy toward the end of the story. Previously it was Alan who treated Jane with respect as an individual, but when he finally is forced to accept the truth about what has happened to her, he finds it almost impossible to approach her or to treat her as a human being. Jimmy, on the other hand, is a lot more understanding, and this rather ironically sets the stage for a somewhat unexpected finale.
Most reviewers seem to prefer The Power of Stars to Andra, but I think I enjoyed the latter book more. However, it should be pointed out that the science fiction content of both books is undeniably weak, and The Power of Stars feels like fantasy masquerading as science fiction. Again, the story is told primarily from the point of view of the male characters, although Jane Bates with her lack of personality is a direct contrast to Andra, who had far too much. I do think, however, that the interpersonal dynamics in The Power of Stars are more complex and convincing than those in Andra. The language in both books is dated, especially the expressions and vocabulary which the characters use in conversation, and some of the social situations and attitudes described in The Power of Stars clearly show that it was written some decades ago.
Of course, this was only Louise Lawrence’s second book, and the reader may perceive that she was still feeling her way and experimenting with form and content. The writing itself is good, and tension is maintained throughout (primarily through the difference of opinion between Jimmy and Alan, the believer and the unbeliever), but the novel cannot be considered representative of her best works.
The Power of Stars is far from perfect, but it is not a terrible piece of work either. I would say it is worth reading if you wish to understand how this author’s writing developed, or if you are interested in young adult and children’s science fiction and fantasy literature from the 1960s and 1970s.
The following are some quotations from this book:
“Coincidence.” “Is it? Coincidence is queer. This is too queer. It’s not only queer, either. It’s something powerful, something dangerous.”
“Sorry I spoke,” Jimmy muttered and swung into the coffee shop. The air was thick with tobacco smoke.
Jane gripped the edge of the table with whitened knuckles and stared at the jukebox behind him. “They don’t need it,” Jane said. They give machines the power to speak and one day they won’t be able to speak or sing. Machines will do it for them. Don’t they know that? Don’t they realize?”
“Some people don’t hear music,” she said. “They only hear noise. And they never see anything, they only watch T.V. They never feel anything deep. They never use their senses at all. They never even think.”
“She’s up there somewhere. She hasn’t had time to get home. She was strung up. She could have done it. Jane could have done it, Alan.” “I don’t believe you,” Alan said quietly.
Alan took a cigarette from the packet on the piano and went to stand beside Nick and stare from the window.
They saw history repeating itself and they retaliated. They reversed their energy process, poured out the starlight they had taken in, destroyed machines.
“She’s my wife,” Nick said. “She’ll do as she’s told.
February 28, 2018
I read this so long ago that all I could remember was the rabbit bite and something about the stars. Took me forever to find it, but now I know what it was. I read it about the same time as I read the Diamond in the Window and the rest of that series, so I think I had it mixed up with one of those books.
June 16, 2023
I first read this story in junior high, and was amazed at how good it is. The premise is intriguing, the characters and plot well rounded.
The last line of the book has stayed with me all these years. In fact, when I was on speech team, I read a selection from the book for speech meets.
I would love to read it again as an adult.
The last line of the book has stayed with me all these years. In fact, when I was on speech team, I read a selection from the book for speech meets.
I would love to read it again as an adult.
October 13, 2012
Not my favorite Lawrence, was not yet all that into science fiction at that time.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews