The Marriages Between Zones Three, Four And Five

As Narrated by the Chroniclers of Zone Three.
Follows 'Re: Colonised Planet 5, Shikasta' part of the 'Canopus In Argos: Archives' series.

This book is the second volume in Doris Lessing's celebrated fiction series, 'Canopus In Argos: Archives'. In this interlinked quintet of novels, she creates a new, extraordinary cosmos where the fate of the Earth is influenced by the rivalries and interactions of three powerful galactic empires, Canopus, Sirius and their enemy, Puttiora. Blending myth, fable and allegory, Doris Lessing's astonishing visionary creations both reflects and redefines the history of our own world from its earliest beginnings to an inevitable, tragic self-destruction.

This volume is set in the indeterminate lands of the Zones, strange realms which encircle the Earth. Zone Three, a peaceful, contented, matriarchal paradise, is ruled by the gentle Queen Al . Ith; the neighbouring Zone Four is a land given to war and chaos, controlled by the brutal warrior-king, Ben-Ata. Their marriage, a melding of the extreme male and female principles, threatens to destabilise the entire galactic empire.