Reviews

As my first experience with Octavia Butler I did like it. There were a few problematic things that are a little forgivable since this story is so strongly linked to a time in history. In other goodreads reviews people have had problems dealing with how annoying the aliens are or how annoying humans are or how annoying the constructs are...it's an interesting opportunity to observe how people relate to oppressor/oppressed relationships. To me a lot of what Butler was reaching for seemed obvious, but I really liked that she did in an "it is what it is" way without bashing the reader in the face with a two-by-four. I look forward to reading her other works.

bergsteiger's review against another edition

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4.0

Wow. I'd never hear of Octavia Butler before or read anything by her, but this was a phenomenal story. I think I enjoyed the first book the most, although the final book did a good job of completing the evolution cycle (literally).

Perhaps one of the reasons I loved this book so much was its depiction of the human race. An unthankful lot that was ready to fight and kill aliens and themselves, even though they are almost annihilated by their own hand. Pigheaded, unable to grasp reality, and destructive in the face of extinction--yep that sums us up.

However, her true genius, I mean the absolute brilliance here, is her ability to create an alien race and then actually develop individual characters that are engaging, while clearly coming from a different baseline viewpoint than humans. They are neither anthropomorphized nor are the individual aliens acting as a monolithic block. They are some of the most realistic and exquisitely crafted aliens I have ever read about.

This was a fascinating story to read, although the middle book and first part of the third book bogged down a bit. The storytelling wasn't great in these parts, becoming both redundant and painfully obvious where the plot was going. However, the evolution that occurs in the third book brings the story home for a 4.5 star tale.

Mrs. Butler is from the old school of "thinking sci-fi" and if that's your jam then definitely pick this up. I will certainly be on the look out for more of her work.

luccaabele's review against another edition

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4.0

This was a very weird book but at the same time I wanted to keep reading it. Need to think more about deeper means

mdegge's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Butler is a fantastic writer and develops an alien civilization masterfully. The story is oftentimes unsettling and discomforting. This is often good, but makes it hard to enjoy the book at times. It makes you think and reflect on the dynamics at play.

kes's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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