If you believe the human mind has more powers than are generally recognized and wonder why so many people deny that the so-called paranormal exists, you’ll like this novel. What would happen if such ESP and similar capabilities became more widespread, as they very well may do as humans continue to evolve? Would everybody welcome this, or would its advocates be persecuted? How, in the distant future, might a starship captain promote acceptance of such powers, and what price might he have to pay? And what if he knew a secret hidden even from fellow-believers, a reason why failure of humankind to develop them would lead to disaster?
This is the second book in the Rising Flame series (Defender of the Flame and Herald of the Flame), which follows the Hidden Flame series (Stewards of the Flame and Promise of the Flame, but is a separate story set two centuries later. Originally there was just one series, called a trilogy, but with the publication of Herald it's not a trilogy anymore, and it has been split because some readers like Defender better than Stewards and the second series doesn't depend on having read the first one. Readers who found Stewards too controversial, or who would rather have less philosophy and more action, may prefer to start with it, yet nobody wants to start with a book labeled number 3.
Actually, you don't even have to have read Defender to enjoy Herald of the Flame; it contains enough backstory to stand alone. But if you have read the first book, you’ll want to find out about the even stranger destiny that awaits Terry later in his life.