Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Wild Seed by Octavia E. Butler

55 reviews

peachani's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense slow-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

3.75


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antimonium's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This book gave me the ick. Don't like the whole breeding thing.

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yomireads's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

So, as a whole, this book is well written, and its clear that Octavia E Butler has a strong grasp of her craft. Anyanwu and Doror both are well shaped characters with strong wills that clash, neither bending easily to the other. The abilities and the exploration of these otherworldly abilities is captivating to be sure. The dark and keen look at slavery and the loss of autonomy is very intentional and poignant. 

But God was I uncomfortable the entirety of this novel. I'm positive the discomfort is intentional, the fear, rage, and overall frustration simmering just below boiling from the start is intentional, but the obstinate refusal of the clearly villainous Doro to have any sort of real character growth for literal centuries made me want to chuck this book into an ocean.

The incest was obscene. Eugenics at its finest (most disturbing). And the strange pervasive nature of misogyny in characters who can shift their sex at will wildly frustrating. 

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rlgreen91's review

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challenging dark emotional reflective 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

Alright, so even though I finished this book over a month ago, life got in the way of jotting down some thoughts.  And y'all, I promise I did have a lot of thoughts about Wild Seed, but honestly, that's par for the course when it comes to Butler's work.  I have yet to come across a text she wrote that didn't expect you to think.

So...a month or so later, what thoughts continue to elbow their way to the front when I think of this book?  For one, I really liked how Butler depicted Doro and Anyanwu as these nigh immortal, long-lived beings, especially in moments of boredom, without the depiction itself being boring and repetitive.  It's hard to put my finger on it, but something about the characterization of Doro and Anyanwu seems more "lively" than your typical characterization of a god, or vampire, or person who accidentally becomes immortal, or what have you.  And again, this perception exists, even in moments where Doro or Anyanwu are reflecting on the boredom and fatigue that accompanies living for so long.  It's fascinating because it's so skillful.

The other thought that continues to come to the forefront of my mind is my appreciation for Anyanwu as a lead character whose skills and personality focus on healing and nurturing.  This is partly due to a personal preference for shifting away from achievement as domination and competition to collaboration and care.  But I also appreciate that, for all Doro could not see or imagine it, Anyanwu's efforts to heal, nurture, and care for the people around her was a choice.  After all, it wasn't like Anyanwu wasn't capable of killing anyone or inflicting pain; we see her do just that a number of times in the book.  There's no reason why Anyanwu couldn't have been more ruthless, more dangerous, more deadly, especially in societies that would assume she was powerless by default.  But Anyanwu chose to do what she could to care, nurture, and heal the people around her and that is no small thing.

Overall, I really enjoyed Wild Seed, but I say that about everything I ready by Butler, so not that surprising. :) Looking forward to getting to Mind of My Mind soon-ish. 5 stars.

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rachbake's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

4.0


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amerily123's review against another edition

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adventurous 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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abmochapman's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

this just confirms octavia butler is a FREAK

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kshertz's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Octavia Butler saw the future and dreamed it. This book is no different. The idea of enslaved people and people in Africa that can change bodies. Creating their own tribes in Africa and America. The following of those with magical powers and their lineage was fascinating. She was so creative and it stands the rest of time for sure. 

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inlibrisveritas's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

As with the other books by Butler this has my mind racing, struggling to put together coherent thoughts and honestly makes me glad I no longer review in long form. What could I even say that would adequately describe exactly how I feel or what this book manages to do?

I love the deep dive into ways people try to fill the loneliness, what hard lines they set (if any), and where they begin to bend under the weight of eternity. What loneliness without empathy and compassion can lead a person to do, to believe. This of course is not the only theme, but it's the one that stood out to me the most as I turned the last page. 

This is no easier a read than any of other Butler's novels, and so much of it had my stomach in knots. But I'm glad I finally got a copy and it's going to stick with me for a long time. 

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tenderbench's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5


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