|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Shikasta
| | Doris Lessing
| The benevolent galactic empire Canopus colonises a young planet they call Rohanda, the fruitful. They nurture its humanoids by introducing superior creatures from other colonised planets to teach & speed evolution. Some aliens also breed with natives to strengthen Rohanda's gene pool. When Rohanda is ready, Canopus imposes a Lock linking it to the harmonious strength of the Canopean Empire. The link is established by energy transmissions from stone formations built in native settlements.
In addition to Canopus, two other empires establish a presence: Sirius & Puttiora. Canopus' allied Sirians confine themselves to genetic experiments on southern continents during Rohanda's prehistory (cf. Sirian Experiments), while the Shammat of Puttiora wait for opportunities to spread evil.
For millennia Rohandans prosper in a Canopean induced climate of peaceful accelerated development. Then an unforeseen cosmic realignment puts Rohanda out of phase with Canopus causing the Lock to break. Deprived of Canopus's resources & a steady stream of SOWF (substance-of-we-feeling), the natives develop a degenerative disease that puts individual goals ahead of communal. The Shammat exploit this disturbance & begin undermining Canopus' influence by infecting natives with their ways. Rohanda degenerates into greed & conflict. The Canopeans reluctantly change its name to Shikasta, the stricken.
To salvage Canopus's plans for Shikasta & correct the natives' decline, Canopean agents are sent. Johor is one such emissary, who takes on a native form & begins identifying those individuals who haven't degenerated too far to be amenable to corrective instruction. Johor then sends those he's successfully converted to spread the word. Soon isolated communities begin to return to pre-Shikastian ways. But without the strength of the Lock, Canopus is fighting a losing battle. The planet declines.
By the 20th century, Shikasta has degenerated into self-destructive war. Johor returns, but this time thru Zone 6[b] from which he's incarnated as a Shikastian, George Sherban. As Sherban grows up he contacts other Canopeans in disguise & then resumes trying to help the Shikastians. Famine & unemployment grow, anarchy spreads. Sherban plays a prominent role in Youth Movements, striving for reconciliation amongst the youth.
On the eve of WWIII Sherban & other emissaries relocate a small number of promising Shikastians to remote locations to escape a coming nuclear holocaust. The war reduces the population by 99%, sweeping the planet clean of barbarians. The Shammat, who set the Shikastians on a course of self-destruction, self-destruct & withdraw. The Canopeans help survivors rebuild their lives & realign with Canopus. With a strengthened Lock & SOWF flowing freely again, harmony & prosperity return.
|
|
|
|
