Customer Reviews

Shikasta Re: Colonized Planet Number Five

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Shikasta is the first, the largest (in bulk and in scope) and the most epic of the quintet collectively titled Canopus in Argos: Archives. It's a stunning work, one of the very few science-fiction novels to show any awareness of the cosmic perspective of Olaf Stapledon (Last and First Men, Star Maker), let alone adapt it into another, wholly independent vision. Shikasta is the name Canopus use for Earth; the word means broken, wounded, suffering. The book falls into two parts. The first is a science-fiction revision of the Old Testament, an astounding overview of the Canopean Empire's colonising efforts over vast forgotten tracts of time which have come down to us as fossilised, distorted myths. It makes for a breathtaking two hundred pages, rivalled for sheer dizzying cosmicism only by Stapledon, the best of Lovecraft and some of Stanislaw Lem. The second part of the book is the story of the Sherban family during the last days of Western civilisation; and particularly the story of George Sherban, an agent of Canopus who (as many times before) has taken on human shape in order to guide the evolution of the human race. Sherban's efforts, observed through the bewildered but movingly sympathetic eyes of his sister Rachel, and later by a thoughtful and humane Chinese colonial administrator, culminate in a vast show trial of the white races (the natives of what the Canopeans, with a fine sense of perspective, call "the Northwest fringes") for thousands of years of horrific oppression. Despite the glorious writing, admirable originality and a total refusal to settle for easy answers, I'm not altogether sure this second part quite comes off - after the merciless dissection of human frailties in Part One, it just doesn't seem credible for Sherban's scheme to work. And the ending comes perilously close to suggesting that if we could only kill off nine-tenths of the population and live in geometrically perfect cities, all our problems would be over. That said, however, Shikasta remains a great and compelling work, always fascinating and often deeply moving - an amazing synthesis of the cosmic perspective with the political and the personal. Small wonder that it took Lessing four more books to work out the implications as fully as she wished.

I've read this book so many times over the years that by now I'm quite astonished to find it never loses its impact. It seems very much alive and growing to the challenge of a better understanding on my part. You may not like the perspective. However, accurate observation and a profound knowledge of human behavior and aim will disregard the wrapping they are delivered in. To call this a "Science Fiction" book is misleading. It is easier to read a newspaper at a certain distance from your face - and so it is perhaps easier to accept and digest the most uncomfortable facts about human society (and yourself) if the author goes about her business describing those from an outer-space-view. It's too close for comfort - and a most exciting and rewarding read.

Lessing's criticism of the twentieth century is pointed, somtimes funny, and ultimately hopeful. The other four books in her 'Canopus' series are much stronger, though.
Shikasta - the outsider's name for Earth - is presented in a series of vingettes, case studies, and partial exchanges of letters. Perhaps the intent was to create a mosaic from those many pieces. I just found it fragmentary; somehow, it never formed a whole, coherent image for me. Also, this book is longer than the others in the set. In those, Lessing makes her points concisely; this book's increased length just gave more of the poor organization.

I recently re-read the other four books (not the proper order of the set of five), and came away more impressed than ever. Singly and as a set, they are wonderful. I'm glad I read this one last. If I had read this before the others I might not have bothered with them - that would have been a true loss on my part.

I recommend the Canopus series most highly. The other books are among the finest literature I know. It is unfortunate that Shikasta does not rise to their standards, and it would be sad if a new reader judged the series by it's first member.

//wiredweird

I've read this book so many times over the years that by now I'm quite astonished to find it never loses its impact. It seems very much alive and growing to the challenge of a better understanding on my part. You may not like the perspective. However, accurate observation and a profound knowledge of human behavior and aim will disregard the wrapping they are delivered in. To call this a "Science Fiction" book is misleading. It is easier to read a newspaper at a certain distance from your face - and so it is perhaps easier to accept and digest the most uncomfortable facts about human society (and yourself) if the author goes about her business describing those from an outer-space-view. It's too close for comfort - and a most exciting and rewarding read.

I don't read a whole lot of novels, and truth be told I've never been able to read anything else of Lessing's. Yet this book remains indelible and forever in my heart. Lessing herself said that this work felt born through her as much as from her, and considering the discrimination and intellect of the woman, I take that as a powerful statement.

And truly visionary this work is- it's able to zoom into the heart and process of darkness in our contemporary world without comprimise, then give the reader a view from above without sentiment or easy platitudes, with compassion and true insight.

This is a true work of spirituality- that is bringing the heart and the intellect together, without resorting to easy answers. May each one of us aspire to the dedication and tireless compassion as does Johor in order to benefit beings.

Shikasta is one of those rare creations that defies classification, a gripping novel which through the medium of fantasy reveals deep truth. For its rich humanity, its scope and its uncanny perceptions of the human condition, this work is sure to last forever.

This is a luminously compassionate and brilliant novel that on some intuitive level (the novel is multileveled) rings "true."

It endeavors to explain the phenomenon of "evil," and, from where I stand, it is more "inclusive" in its vision than most anything else I've been exposed to in this life.

At times, Lessing's images sing. At times they stumble and bog down, becoming overly concrete. But Lessing does not need to be forgiven as an author. One needs sunglasses and sunscreen just to read her. She's a modern day Cassandra holding a lightning rod for us: The ensuing flash illuminates the landscape all around us even as we inexorably move from one Age to the next.

Although this book is, in its style and content, "science fiction" it is really about our own history, as all science fiction is.. but this one is different.

Reading this book you get the authentic and real sense of an outside spectator to our own bloody history and decay over the ages. But not in a scalding way. On the contrary, the book shows genuine concern with this planet's destiny and the role that humans have played to lead it there. And don't expect any "see-it's-their-fault-not-mine".

A must read, I say therefore, for those who share these concerns and wnat to care about the future for all of us.

In Shikasta Ms. Lessing writes about a planet's misfortune, that started as a planetary potential for Human Evolution. An experiment that could have gone right or wrong. This book starts with a series of story's about the beginning and present states of a planet called Shikasta (earth ) that fell from grace after a galactic miss- alignment, and a tampering from a malignant force. Canopus ( a civilized planetary intelligence within this sector of the Universe, given permissible action to help stranded Planets gone backwards, or to seed new planets with potential for growth and evolution ) Is overseeing the progress made by their agents being sent to Shikasta in different time periods.
Ms Lessing goes on from Story to Reports to human behavior in a moments notice. Be prepared to jump from one subject to the next just like a student attends a History class at 9:00 AM to Sociology at 10:00 AM to Psychology at 11:00 AM.
Shikasta is a marvelous work of literature, giving us examples of human creation and miscorrelations. Perhaps the biggest impact is the similarity to our own planet earth's history. Makes me wonder is fiction really a meager attempt at explain the little truth we know about our own planets evolution. In my opinion Ms. Lessing comes dangerously close to what really happened on a small little planet called earth.

Was living in Key West in my 20's and wandered into the library down the street from my house one day. The librarian suggested this book. Little did I know that I was about to read something that would offer so much. Enlightened and deeply compassionate. A shot in the darkness to see the interconnected nature of life.

Great storytelling, epic themes. A must read.

I repurchased it to read again recently and am enjoying it all over.