Part of Series

Venus

Series · 4 books

By Pamela Sargent

The Nebula Award–winning author’s “masterful SF trilogy” is a multigenerational epic of human colonists terraforming the second planet from the sun (Publishers Weekly). Often compared to Kim Stanley Robinson’s acclaimed Mars trilogy, the three novels gathered here comprise the complete Venus saga by the author of The Shore of Women, “one of the genre’s best writers” (The Washington Post). The Venus Project—making the planet’s atmosphere habitable for humans—spans centuries and determines the fates of multiple generations. Venus of Iris Angharads, a determined, independent woman, sets herself one massive to make the poison-filled atmosphere of Venus hospitable to humans. She works day and night to realize her dream, with only one person sharing her passion, Liang Chen. It seems impossible to make Venus, with its intolerable air and waterless environment, into a paradise, but Iris succeeds. And in doing so, she also creates a powerful dynasty, beginning with her first born, Benzi Liangharad. Venus of The Venus Project calls upon the strongest and most courageous to create a prosperous world in the dismal wilderness of Venus. Those who demonstrate the skill and passion to embark on this adventure must transform the barren planet in the midst of political and cultural unrest. When Risa and Benzi, children of Iris, find themselves in opposing forces on the battlefield, it is their love and perseverance that will determine the destiny of the new world. Child of Mahala Liangharad, a true child of Venus, conceived from the genetic material of the rebels and brought to birth only after their deaths, is seen as a beacon of hope in a colony still ravaged by the aftereffects of civil war. But her world is being torn apart by a drive for independence from Earth by the Venus colonists and rumors of a secret plan developed by the “Habbers,” cybernetically enhanced human dwellers of a mobile asteroid. A mysterious call from deep space offers Mahala a chance to fulfill her own destiny, along with the terrifying possibility of losing touch with everything she has ever known and loved.

Avg Rating

4.22

Number of Ratings

5 STARS

56%

4 STARS

17%

3 STARS

22%

2 STARS

1 STARS

goodreads

Author

Pamela Sargent

Author · 6 books

Pamela Sargent has won the Nebula Award, the Locus Award, and has been a finalist for the Hugo Award, the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award, and the Sidewise Award for alternate history. In 2012, she was honored with the Pilgrim Award by the Science Fiction Research Association for lifetime achievement in science fiction scholarship. She is the author of the novels Cloned Lives, The Sudden Star, Watchstar, The Golden Space, The Alien Upstairs, Eye of the Comet, Homesmind, Alien Child, The Shore of Women, Venus of Dreams, Venus of Shadows, Child of Venus, Climb the Wind, and Ruler of the Sky. Her most recent short story collection is Thumbprints, published by Golden Gryphon Press, with an introduction by James Morrow. The Washington Post Book World has called her “one of the genre's best writers.” In the 1970s, she edited the Women of Wonder series, the first collections of science fiction by women; her other anthologies include Bio-Futures and, with British writer Ian Watson as co-editor, Afterlives. Two anthologies, Women of Wonder, The Classic Years: Science Fiction by Women from the 1940s to the 1970s and Women of Wonder, The Contemporary Years: Science Fiction by Women from the 1970s to the 1990s, were published by Harcourt Brace in 1995; Publishers Weekly called these two books “essential reading for any serious sf fan.” Her most recent anthology is Conqueror Fantastic, out from DAW Books in 2004. Tor Books reissued her 1983 young adult novel Earthseed, selected as a Best Book for Young Adults by the American Library Association, and a sequel, Farseed, in early 2007. A third volume, Seed Seeker, was published in November of 2010 by Tor. Earthseed has been optioned by Paramount Pictures, with Melissa Rosenberg, scriptwriter for all of the Twilight films, writing the script and producing through her Tall Girls Productions. A collection, Puss in D.C. and Other Stories, is out; her novel Season of the Cats is out in hardcover and will be available in paperback from Wildside Press. The Shore of Women has been optioned for development as a TV series by Super Deluxe Films, part of Turner Broadcasting. Pamela Sargent lives in Albany, New York.