Reviews tagging 'Genocide'

Dawn by Octavia E. Butler

14 reviews

salemander's review against another edition

5.0

ahhhh this book made me feel so weird octavia butler you’ve done it again 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Violence, War, Medical trauma, Pandemic/Epidemic, Gore, Colonisation, Gaslighting, Death, Genocide, Homophobia, Kidnapping, and Medical content

vigil's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

so intriguing and against all odds, enticing, despite also being deeply horrifying. ms butler loves to make you uncomfortable, and by god does she do it here. i liked how butler really keenly portrayed the bond that occurs between a victim and abuser(s)

and how often sexual assault is used as a way to create that tether

and was able to sketch out the appeal that can exist in that relationship for a victim against all odds.

lilith and nikanji are both very sympathetic yet also ambiguous figures (nikanji, more so, but lilith is beginning to gain on it towards the end) who's attachment to one another is very clear to the reader. the ethics of consent is something i've long been interested in and i'm intrigued by how its explored here, even if i don't necessarily agree with the alien's conclusions.

i'd say my one complaint was that

this book is rather essentialist. its from 1987 so like, yeah obviously but i would've liked more exploration on it in a world building point of view. the onakali's essentialism didn't quite bother me, it fit with the attitudes the book potrayed them with but i would've liked a deeper explanation into it. what about onakali's who don't fit into the frame work of male-female-ooloi pairings? what in the culture or history led them here. but considering this book was founded off of octavia butler assuming something was wrong with humans in our genetics, i'm not too sure that's the aim of the book.

very dismayed at octavia butler becoming one of those black author's everyone quotes but never reads and posits as a moralizing figure here to teach ignorant white people. she's not one for moralizing and isn't trying to preach an agenda. many of her focuses lie in the frequent eroticism in fraught and distressing topics. this is because octavia butler at her core was a fucking freak. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Misogyny, Violence, Rape, Genocide, Colonisation, Confinement, War, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, Grief, Death, Sexual assault, Medical content, and Blood

dreareads_'s review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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

The way I love this book with everything I am.

Listen I’m making an unnecessarily long video review about this book, don’t worry. Just know…. It’s perfect.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Torture, Grief, Self harm, War, Cursing, Mental illness, Rape, Violence, Death, Colonisation, Gaslighting, Slavery, Suicide, Abandonment, Toxic relationship, Body horror, Murder, Sexual assault, Child death, Confinement, Physical abuse, Xenophobia, Homophobia, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts

tanilian's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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? No

3.5

I honestly have no idea what I just read...

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Genocide, Gaslighting, Infertility, Sexual content, and Body horror

Minor: Xenophobia and War

risaleel's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Xenophobia, Confinement, and Violence

Moderate: Death, Grief, and War

Minor: Homophobia, Rape, and Genocide

liormaleficent's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, Drug use, Cancer, Sexual assault, Medical trauma, Death, Sexual violence, Genocide, Xenophobia, War, Violence, Suicide, and Confinement

mrising1's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

Devastating. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Death, Rape, Slavery, Grief, Genocide, Confinement, Torture, Violence, and Sexual assault

blazingquill's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

This is a disturbing read that creates a horrific story about breaches in consent and the abuse of colonization. It asks the question, “what are you able to do when you’re helpless?” then weaves a complex answer considering love, hate, and resistance. It’s a story that could not have come from another author, and I think is an important read. 

That being said, despite its discussion of gender, it maintains a very cis and straight perspective throughout, which effected my reading of the book. There is also a very complex relationship that edges into both abuse and pedophilia that I think was intended to be read as disturbing but I know could be interpreted differently. Heavy content warnings as well for: nonconsensual procedures, noncon relationships, rape, forced sterilization, and sensory deprivation torture.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Colonisation, Death, Confinement, Gaslighting, Medical trauma, Rape, Xenophobia, Cancer, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Racism, Sexism, Sexual violence, Misogyny, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Murder, Violence, and Cancer

Minor: Genocide, Incest, War, Child death, Car accident, Infertility, and Torture

sup3r_xn0va_maya's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Dawn by Octavia E. Butler is my first finished read of 2023! It was my first time reading this piece of work, and I really enjoyed it.

I have a phobia of aliens, which I've mentioned in the past. I was very creeped out going into this book, but I couldn't put the book down once I started (I finished it in two days!)

This book explores themes of gender, society, humanity - and what that means, sexuality, and I'm sure I'm missing some.

I enjoyed the world building. The aliens and the ship were all so creatively designed. This story just had so many great working parts, and it all came together to make a creepy but wonderfully written story.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4.5/5 Stars

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Death, Confinement, and Genocide

Moderate: Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, War, Rape, Xenophobia, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence

Minor: Cancer and Homophobia

sefercakee's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault, Violence, Genocide, Racism, Homophobia, Xenophobia, and War