I have put together a retrospective of Octavia Butler's forward-looking science fiction and added my thoughts about Butler's vision of the future of humanity.
Tag: Octavia Butler
Unexpected Stories by Octavia Butler, two never-before-published short stories available only as an ebook, is recommended for fans of Butler and fans of well-written fantasy shorts.
I keep a record of what I read in LibraryThing. I haven't recorded every book I've ever read, because I don't remember (boy, I wish I had started keeping a list at the age of 5 or something). But I have recorded almost 1,200 books, so I thought I'd take a look at my authors … Continue reading Most influential authors…
At some point, I set out to read a representative sample of all the "great" writers of science fiction, so I could feel reasonably well-educated in the genre. If you haven't read a lot of science fiction, I recommend this exercise. It provides a grounding so you can learn where the well-worn tropes originated and appreciate … Continue reading A survey of classic science fiction, with notes about diversity in sci-fi…
In a recent post, I discussed trying to read books written by women. This led me to consider which women authors I would recommend, and I came up with a list of books by women that I think are entertaining and enlightening reads. Of course, I am not the only person to have come up … Continue reading Books by women: A reading list
SF Mistressworks has kindly republished my review of Lilith’s Brood
by Octavia Butler. Go check it out!
Lilith’s Brood (Dawn, Adulthood Rites and Imago), Octavia E Butler (1989)
Review by Shannon Turlington
Octavia Butler’s Xenogenesis novels were first compiled into one volume in 1989, but that compilation is now out of print. As with Seed to Harvest, Grand Central Publishing has reissued the compilation in an attractive trade paperback to capture new readers. And I’m glad they did, because I probably wouldn’t have read these books otherwise.
When I finished Lilith’s Brood, I actually wasn’t sure whether I liked it or not, but I thought about it a great deal, which I think is a sign of a book worth reading. The underlying theme disturbed me, partly because I didn’t find much hope in it, partly because I found myself agreeing with the series’ assessment: that humankind is fated by our own biology to destroy ourselves.
Lilith’s Brood includes three novels: Dawn, Adulthood Rites
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