Reviews tagging 'Injury/Injury detail'

Wild Seed by Octavia E. Butler

15 reviews

becksusername's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

aegagrus's review

3.5

The most captivating aspect of Wild Seed is the remarkable way in which Butler has imagined Anyanwu and Doro. Each immortal struggles with their own exceptional power in fascinating ways, confronting their abilities' depths and limitations, the costs of exercising such abilities, and the ways in which their power sets them apart from their own identity and from the world around them. They make a good pair: there is a streak of idealism and humanity in the generally malevolent Doro, and there is a streak of bloodlust in the generally beneficent Anyanwu. As a character, each is quite unique, making for remarkable and unexpected developments in their relationship. Doro's movements through the book, in particular, are sinister and frightening, all the more so because he is not a monochromatic antagonist. Anyanwu's acts of resistance, in turn, are all the more compelling because she is never able to shake a degree of complicity.

The story's morally ambiguous conclusion serves these tensions well.

Though gripping, Wild Seed also has hefty things to say about history and society. Butler's exploration of slavery through the extended analogy of Doro's breeding projects is always interesting and emotionally affecting. Her exploration of gender dynamics through the immortals' relationship (perverse, but still resonant with reality) is also generally of interest. Her gestures towards LGBT themes feel comparatively shallow and don't to me seem to add very much, despite the obvious potential in both main characters' gender-mobile personages. Themes relating to history and inevitability are occasionally curious ancillaries to more central themes, but are often inessential.

Wild Seed is well-written, striking a good balance between literary heft and engaging storytelling. At times, dialogue feels a little forced, and I was not entirely satisfied with the pacing in the third act. In general, though, this was a gripping read, and the sheer uniqueness of Doro and Anyanwu's relationship was of great value to me as a reader. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery and Grief

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Trafficking, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

metawidget's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

soyouwinagain's review against another edition

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Gore, Incest, Rape, Slavery, Blood, Cannibalism, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

caseythereader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail