The Sirian Experiments The Report by Ambien II, of the Five

Lessing, Doris

ISBN 10: 0224018914 / ISBN 13: 9780224018913

Published by Jonathan Cape Ltd, London, 1981

About this Item

Only light wear & scuffing to glossy B&W dust jacket ; A bright, solid book, DJ in protective Mylar sleeve, unclipped. ; Canopus in Argos: Archives #3; 8.60 X 5.40 X 1.20 inches; 288 pages; The Sirian Experiments is a 1980 science fiction novel by Nobel Prize in Literature-winner Doris Lessing. It is the third book in her five-book Canopus in Argos series and continues the story of Earth's evolution, which has been manipulated from the beginning by advanced extraterrestrial civilizations. This book relates directly to the first book in this series, Shikasta which is the history of the planet Shikasta (an allegorical Earth) under the influence of three galactic empires, Canopus, Sirius and their mutual enemy, Puttiora. Shikasta is told from the Canopean viewpoint. The Sirian Experiments (subtitled The Report by Ambien II, of the Five) tells the story of Shikasta from Sirius's point of view and describes their activities on the planet and their strained relations with Canopus. Lessing stated in an afterword in the next book in this series that The Sirian Experiments and The Making of the Representative for Planet 8 were inspired by her 50-year fascination with the ill-fated 1910-13 Antarctic expedition of Robert Falcon Scott.The Sirian Experiments is a 1980 science fiction novel by Nobel Prize in Literature-winner Doris Lessing. It is the third book in her five-book Canopus in Argos series and continues the story of Earth's evolution, which has been manipulated from the beginning by advanced extraterrestrial civilizations. It was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1981. This book relates directly to the first book in this series, Shikasta which is the history of the planet Shikasta (an allegorical Earth) under the influence of three galactic empires, Canopus, Sirius and their mutual enemy, Puttiora. Shikasta is told from the Canopean viewpoint. The Sirian Experiments (subtitled The Report by Ambien II, of the Five) tells the story of Shikasta from Sirius's point of view and describes their activities on the planet and their strained relations with Canopus. Lessing stated in an afterword in the next book in this series that The Sirian Experiments and The Making of the Representative for Planet 8 were inspired by her 50-year fascination with the ill-fated 1910-13 Antarctic expedition of Robert Falcon Scott.". Seller Inventory # 16192

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Sirian Experiments The Report by Ambien ...

Publisher: Jonathan Cape Ltd, London

Publication Date: 1981

Binding: Hardcover

Condition: Very Good+

Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good+

Edition: 1st UK Edition.

About this title

Synopsis:

Physical description; 288p. ; 23cm. Subject; Fiction in English - 1945- - Texts

From the Back Cover:

Shortlisted for the 1981 Booker Prize, 'The Sirian Experiments' is the third volume in Doris Lessing's celebrated space fiction series, 'Canopus in Argos: Archives'. In this interlinked quintet of novels, she creates a new, extraordinary cosmos where the fate of the Earth is influenced by the rivalries and interactions of three powerful galactic empires, Canopus, Sirius and their enemy, Puttiora. Blending myth, fable and allegory, Doris Lessing's astonishing visionary creation both reflects and redefines the history of our own world from its earliest beginnings to an inevitable, tragic self-destruction.

'The Sirian Experiments' chronicles the origins of our planet, as the three galactic empires fight for control of the human race. The novel charts the gradual moral awakening of its narrator, Ambien II, a 'dry, dutiful, efficient' female Sirian administrator. Witnessing the wanton colonisation of land and people, Ambien begins to question her involvement in such insidious experimentation, her faith in the possibility of human progress itself growing weaker every day.

"The story Ambien tells is a panorama of the possibilities of civilisation and barbarism, ranging from a matriarchal version of Atlantis to the Aztec cult of human sacrifice. Doris Lessing's interests are strictly terrestrial and the figures from outer space are there to serve as tellers of an earthly tale, providing a new, sometimes startling, perspective on earthly affairs and a largeness of vision beyond the horizon of the conventional novel."
ROBERT ALTER, 'New York Times'

"One of our greatest contemporary writers...Doris Lessing had invented a new cosmology to look at the world in a new way: she is attempting to tackle nothing less than all human life on Earth."
FINANCIAL TIMES