The Sirian Experiments (Canopus in Argos)

The third volume of Lessing's visionary series is the first-person account of Ambien II, a female ruler of the Sirian empire who slowly realizes how sophisticated the Canopus empire is and attempts to effect a similar society

'The story Ambien tells is a panorama of the posibilities 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 an 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 largeless of vision beyond the horizon of the conventional novel.' - Robert Alter, New York Times

'One of our greatest contemporary writers...Doris Lessing has invented a new cosmology to look at the world in new way: she is attempting to tackle nothing less than all human life on Earth.' - Financial Times