Iris Angharads, a determined, independent woman, sets herself one massive goal: 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.

As a second generation of settlers attempts to tame Venus, political differences threaten to tear the colony apart

The Project—the terraforming of Venus—was begun centuries ago. And generations more will come and go before the planet's surface has been rendered fully habitable and its human settlers, the Cytherians, can finally leave their protective domes. There are those, however, whose patience has grown dangerously thin—malcontents unwilling to resign themselves to never enjoying the fruits of freedom promised to their descendents.Devastation and horror recently paralyzed this world in transition, as two religious cult leaders brought a plague of civil war to Venus, and were ultimately destroyed by their own treachery and despair. Out of the chaos and conflict came Mahala Lianghard—a true child of Venus conceived from the rebels' genetic material and artfully gestated after their deaths. Some believe Mahala should never have been born; others see her as the glorious light that arose out of a dark time. Mahala herself is conflicted, as she struggles to come to terms with her painful birthright and her immutable future: a lifetime of unquestioning service to the Project. Young Mahala fears her obligations to the expectations of others will leave her no room to pursue her own destiny, whatever it may be. But things are changing in the universe around her—and not all for the good. The already fragile alliance between Earth and Venus shows signs of shattering, as the Cytherians seek a greater independence from the stifling dominance of the home planet. And rumors of a hidden agenda among the "Habbers" — the cybernetically enhanced dwellers of the mobile asteroid "Habitats" — threaten to bring about a rebirth of the bloody turmoil that once nearly doomed a world. Withcatastrophe looming, it is Mahala who must take the steps to ensure that there is a future for her flawed, star-traveling kind—as a mysterious call from deep space pulls her toward the fulfillment of her most cherished dreams . . . even as it tears her brutally away from everything she has ever known and loved. The long-awaited conclusion to Pamela Sargent's remarkable epic trilogy of the colonization of Venus is a stunning feat of inventive storytelling and flawless world-building from a widely respected name in the field of speculative fiction. It is a masterful achievement, combining heartrending humanism with breathtaking wonder.

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.