The first adventure in the Nebula Award–winning author’s “masterful SF trilogy” about the attempted colonization and terraforming of the planet Venus (Publishers Weekly). 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.

Pamela Sargent published the first novel in her ""Venus"" trilogy, Venus of Dreams, in 1986; it was followed by Venus of Shadows (1988) and Child of Venus (2001). For the first time, Dream of Venus collects the short fiction set against the backdrop of the author's Venus novels, comprising four stories written after the trilogy had been completed. As Sargent writes in her Introduction: ""Characters and stories existing in the interfaces of the novels began to speak to me."" These are tales that can be enjoyed both for themselves and by longtime fans of the Venus trilogy.

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 Dreams: 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. Venus of Shadows: 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 Venus: 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.

The Nebula Award–winning author’s “masterful SF trilogy” of human colonists terraforming the second planet from the sun comes to a stunning conclusion (Publishers Weekly). Often compared to Kim Stanley Robinson’s acclaimed Mars trilogy, the three novels in the Venus saga—Venus of Dreams, Venus of Shadows, and Child of Venus—further establish the Nebula and Locus Award–winning author of The Shore of Women as “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 fate of multiple generations. The great task has already survived the ravages of civil war and continues unabated, overseen by two distinct rival factions: the “Cytherian” human colonists in enclosed settlements on the planet’s surface and the “Habbers,” cybernetically enhanced human dwellers living in a mobile asteroid orbiting above the planet. Mahala Liangharad is a true child of Venus, conceived from the genetic material of rebels who died long before her birth. Chained to the Project her forebears began centuries earlier, she is restless and dissatisfied with the prospect of spending her entire existence inside a sealed dome. But her life is changed forever when the Habbers receive alien radio signals from six hundred light years away. With all work on Venus abruptly halted, Mahala now faces the most momentous decision of her young life. She can remain behind on the unfinished planet, or leave everything she’s ever known and loved to pursue her destiny—and humankind’s—to the far reaches of the universe . . .

In the tradition of the old Ace Doubles (flip one book over to read the second title), here's the twenty-seventh Wildside Double: DREAM OF VENUS AND OTHER SCIENCE FICTION STORIES, by Pamela Sargent. Sargent published the first novel in her "Venus" trilogy, Venus of Dreams, in 1986; it was followed by Venus of Shadows (1988) and Child of Venus (2001). For the first time, Dream of Venus collects the short fiction set against the backdrop of the author's Venus novels, comprising four stories written after the trilogy had been completed. As Sargent writes in her Introduction: "Characters and stories existing in the interfaces of the novels began to speak to me." These are tales that can be enjoyed both for themselves and by longtime fans of the Venus trilogy. DECIMATED: TEN SCIENCE FICTION STORIES, by Jack Dann and George Zebrowski. Long before their award-nominated and awarded stories and novels, these two writers word-jammed together, learning the music of story writing and the blood and bones of distinctive prose. And all these early efforts were published! Here they are again, together in one place--ten riveting stories of science fiction--as entertaining as they were fun to write--including the previously unpublished tale, "The Standard Crisis Scenario"!

Western culture has long been fascinated by black women, but a history of enslavement and colonial conquest has variously labeled black women's bodies as "exotic" and "grotesque." In this remarkable cultural history of black female beauty, Janell Hobson explores the enduring figure of the "Hottentot Venus." In 1810, Saartjie Baartman was taken from South Africa to Europe, where she was put on display at circuses, salons, and museums and universities as the "Hottentot Venus." The subsequent legacy of representations of black women's sexuality-from Josephine Baker to Serena Williams to hip-hop and dancehall videos-continues to refer back to this persistent icon. This book analyzes the history of critical and artistic responses to this iconography by black women in contemporary photography, film, literature, music, and dance.

The dark side has infiltrated many governments and much of the world of finance. The mission from Venus threatens their planned takeover of Earth. Failing a takeover, the dark lords will cause the planet's destruction through nuclear war, to prevent Earth from ascending to the fourth dimension on the path of light. The volunteer wanderers are all that stand in the way.