  We study the influence of higher curvature effects on stellar structure and
conclude that the properties of stars are greatly impacted when such terms are
dynamic. In particular the surface gravitational redshift which is connected to
the equation of state and also the mass-radius ratio differs greatly from the
corresponding values in general relativity as evidenced through our empirical
comparisons. A model of a superdense star with strange star equation of state
is constructed within the framework of the Einstein--Gauss--Bonnet theory.
Under these assumptions large classes of solutions are admitted by the field
equations. We isolate a particular class with the ansatz of the Vaidya--Tikekar
superdense star spatial gravitational potential. The model is found to satisfy
elementary requirements for physical applicability and stability. The parameter
values chosen are consistent with observed star models. A significant effect of
the higher curvature terms is to reduce the speed of sound and to drastically
reduce the values of the surface gravitational redshift compared to the
Einstein counterpart. These latter results have implications for
interpretations of observations in relativistic astrophysics which are often
made against the background of the standard general theory of relativity.
