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Venus #3
Child of Venus
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.
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.
448 pages, Hardcover
First published May 8, 2001
7 people are currently reading
153 people want to read
About the author
Pamela Sargent
161 books207 followersPamela 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 27, 2020
Wow, what an epic ending to a monumental trilogy! All I can say IMHO is this author is a genius! This is the fourth book of hers that I’ve read and they are all easily five-star classics. I desperately want to read the rest of her bibliography now. I count myself lucky to have many more Pamela Sargent books to look forward to.
*SPOILER*
I quite enjoyed how the mystery of the alien signal got me really excited but was never satisfactorily resolved— and then the author brilliantly uses her characters (whom at this point have evolved into a fully-conscious interplanetary worldlet comprised of a fusion of cyberminds and immortal human beings) to basically say that the alien signal mystery is boring compared to the mystery of what happens to Venus, and then proceeds to tie it all up very nicely with a bow on top. At once I feel both fully satisfied and also wanting more. New mysteries emerge: where did the Cytherians and Habbers go? Are Solveig and Dyami alive? The trilogy is complete, but I’d love to see a short story perhaps, just to see if Mahala ever finds out what happened. But I’m glad the book ended where it did, at the edge of the ocean on a lonely new planet. Almost like Venus was the real protagonist all along.
*SPOILER*
I quite enjoyed how the mystery of the alien signal got me really excited but was never satisfactorily resolved— and then the author brilliantly uses her characters (whom at this point have evolved into a fully-conscious interplanetary worldlet comprised of a fusion of cyberminds and immortal human beings) to basically say that the alien signal mystery is boring compared to the mystery of what happens to Venus, and then proceeds to tie it all up very nicely with a bow on top. At once I feel both fully satisfied and also wanting more. New mysteries emerge: where did the Cytherians and Habbers go? Are Solveig and Dyami alive? The trilogy is complete, but I’d love to see a short story perhaps, just to see if Mahala ever finds out what happened. But I’m glad the book ended where it did, at the edge of the ocean on a lonely new planet. Almost like Venus was the real protagonist all along.
July 26, 2017
The beginning was a little slow for me, but probably only because I was reading book 3 without book 1 or 2. Some of the background was obviously meant to be calling back to people and events from those books. Once I got rolling with Mahala's story for real, I enjoyed it. Towards the end, we drop back from a very personal viewpoint to a more distant one, and it makes sense why, but I missed the feeling of connection. It was still alright, but it was less satisfying.
October 9, 2019
This was an epic adventure, both human and in time, well told and engrossing. If you love far reaching future human endeavor books, this one is for you.
April 9, 2014
There are times one must wonder why it takes so long to complete a trilogy. Certainly Venus of Shadows begged for a sequel. Let's finish the terraforming of Venus and end this episode of future space history.
The novel's central figure, Mahala Liangharad is a test tube descendant (granddaughter) of Iris Angharad. She, too, will work to continue the project, but work is suspended when the Habbers encounter a distant signal suggestive of alien life. Sargent finally explains the notion of Habbers and Habitats, fascinating concepts both. Mahala embarks on a relativistic journey to meet the aliens and returns to Venus 1200 years later, though she only ages thirty years during that time. What she finds on her return may disappoint some, seem predictable or inevitable to others, but I won't provide the spoilers here. suffice it to say while the narration is the most page turning of the works in the trilogy, there is a sense that Ms. sargent had grown bored with The Venus Project and decided to bring things to a fairly hasty conclusion.
The novel's central figure, Mahala Liangharad is a test tube descendant (granddaughter) of Iris Angharad. She, too, will work to continue the project, but work is suspended when the Habbers encounter a distant signal suggestive of alien life. Sargent finally explains the notion of Habbers and Habitats, fascinating concepts both. Mahala embarks on a relativistic journey to meet the aliens and returns to Venus 1200 years later, though she only ages thirty years during that time. What she finds on her return may disappoint some, seem predictable or inevitable to others, but I won't provide the spoilers here. suffice it to say while the narration is the most page turning of the works in the trilogy, there is a sense that Ms. sargent had grown bored with The Venus Project and decided to bring things to a fairly hasty conclusion.
July 7, 2016
It's always weird to finish a series and to have the last book be the best one. Like, "Wait a minute! It just started to get good!" I'm not saying the other two are terrible. They just don't feel as polished or well edited. Those long years in between the second one and this one were well spent. I know you need some length to build a world, but Venus of Shadows could have stood to be 100 pages shorter.
I like how this one came full circle with the family line. I like how it was pretty positive and hopeful. It almost lost me in the beginning with the whole, oh a boy beats her up, he must like her nonsense. God, can we stop doing/saying that? Overall though, I think it was a good conclusion.
I like how this one came full circle with the family line. I like how it was pretty positive and hopeful. It almost lost me in the beginning with the whole, oh a boy beats her up, he must like her nonsense. God, can we stop doing/saying that? Overall though, I think it was a good conclusion.
December 14, 2012
I have been reading Pamela Sargent since I was 12, when i first stumbled across Alien Child. She is amazing. I love how many of her books leave the reader's imagination reeling! I adored the Venus Trilogy, with this book being the last one. It left me teary eyed. I wish there was more! It was a book / series that I hated to end.
September 22, 2008
one of the best books I have ever read. Although it is the last part of a trilogy.
February 3, 2013
Intricate and somewhat interesting. It was a page-turner, but ultimately I am not keeping it because I am picky about my sci-fi. I don't really recall seeing my spelling or grammar errors. =)
May 22, 2015
Downbeat ending to the Venus novels. The author seems to have great faith in human technology"," and very little faith in human nature.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews