What is amazing about "The Sirian Experiments" [which I ought to point out I read independently from the rest of the series] is the way in which the science fiction works as a sort of political-psychological history of what makes up the human psyche. Through the memoirs of one of the leaders of the Sirian Empire, one of the fictional interplanetary empires that in Lessing's universe colonise and repeatedly experiment with the population of Earth, we see the history of the planet and human civilization as we might look at the history of a "balkanized" or African modern country that has been cobbled together by the arbitrary drawing of borders and the ostensible or hidden influence of self-appointed "civilizers".Of course, this isn't all there is to it. The book also takes on far more existential questions, such as the kind of daunting "what is the point of civilization", chronicling an empire's dread of finding itself and its citizens perfectly comfortable but with no purpose once comfort, health and safety have been achieved. In that sense, the book is more a sociological study of the colonist than of the colonized, an exploration of what drives a culture (Lessing herself was British but raised in Zimbabwe) to directing the fate of others and what that does to the culture itself.Fascinating as they are, the existential questions are never really answered, even in the context of the fictional universe. I understand that that is not the function (to borrow from the novel) of the story and that a lot of the world building I would have loved to have seen on Canopus (the rival apparently benevolent empire) is probably there in the other books. Perhaps that is the only reason why this particular book in itself feels a bit slight.
The third volume in Doris Lessing's space saga is very close in style to what I would have hoped to have seen in "Shikasta," the opening novel of the series. Like "Shikasta," "The Sirian Experiments" chronicles a long history of Earth, jumping from setting to setting, offering a panoramic view of our planet. Unlike "Shikasta," which was a near chaotic compilation of different texts barely forming a whole, this book is all one report from the viewpoint of an alien exploring this world. And the report is personal enough to be interesting, containing philosophical insights and some interesting character development. The reporter, Ambien II, is a complex protagonist. She's a very deep character, but an oddly elusive and vague one, even when the narration is done by her personal voice. A successful endeavor in creating an approachable but truly alien character I'd say.Because of its unique narrator and a vast structure filled with keen observations about our race, "The Sirian Experiments" is a compelling read. It does have a bit of the same problem "Shikasta" had with containing some too obvious thoughts that flatten even the highest peaks of insight. And the cohesion of the story could have been better again, as the novel is left a bit loose and doesn't really feel like a compact whole.
What do You think about The Sirian Experiments (1980)?
The concept of Lessing's series of soft science fiction novels is promising. It may be read as a series of accounts of surreptitious extraterrestrial interventions upon ourselves as the subjects of their competing attentions or it may be read as representing more or less covert Soviet and American competition over the allegiances and development of other states. The overriding concern, however, is moral, Lessing seeming to be more concerned with the character development of her protagonists in these struggles.Personally, I feel she failed in her intent. The science fictional settings all require description and explication. Her descriptions, inadequate in my opinion, detract from her ethical explorations. She is inadequate to her ambitious task which might have been better elaborated as a series of spy novels.
—Erik Graff
Just reread this after years and it was even better than my (rather faded!) memory of it. Lessing is one of my favourite writers and in my view was and is so beyond her time that even now this book is probably still just one step ahead of current evolution. It was fascinating to see how much of what was predicted for the "imaginary" Shikasta has actually come to pass in recent years. But what I really felt on this read was the deep flow of Canopus, with its heart based approach of flow and interconnection patiently waiting for the egoic and suspicious Sirius to catch up. Lovely, profound, moving, disturbing and totally captivating. I'm looking forward to rereading the rest of the series.
—J.M. Hurley
