Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

Wild Seed by Octavia E. Butler

33 reviews

emilyready's review

challenging emotional 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Incest

Moderate: Murder

Minor: Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

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: Incest, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Racial slurs, Suicide, Sexual assault, Trafficking, Rape, Racism, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, 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: Cannibalism, Child abuse, Child death, Colonisation, Death, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Grief, Incest, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence

kaylamoran's review

challenging dark emotional reflective 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

2.0

This really wasn't my cup of tea at all.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Incest, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship

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

booknchaoswithmarz's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Doro is a special entity who collects special people and breeds them like livestock, searching for the perfect combination of qualities.
 His villages are under his protection but also at his mercy when he decides to claim the body of one after the other to prolong his life. 

His perfect world is thrown into chaos when he meets Anyanwu, who is very much like Doro however where he kills, she is a healer, a nurturer. 

Their story unfolds over hundreds of years and encompasses so many themes throughout. Those sensitive to slavery be aware that it is included without being romanticised nor overly graphic (in my opinion & comparative) it is very much a part of the entire book and can be confronting. 

Anyanwu is a complex character that evokes complex feelings, instead of being this two dimensional fantasy creature we unravel her gradually to reveal a real person with real range of emotions. At one time we see her struggle with the patriarchal control exerted onto her, another we see her as a wise strong woman upheld as a leader, we see her jealous, lustful, meek, confused, beautiful, confident, resolute, conflicted, and more. 

Doro, as a perceived villian, is a fantastic character and I truly loved him for the very fact that I despised him and his cavalier outlook on life and eugenics. But the author really does make you think, how different would you be if you were in the same set of circumstances and despite yourself you understand his actions or at least his reasoning behind those actions. 

I'm very interested in seeing what the next instalment has in store for us. 
 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Colonisation, Death, Incest, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Slavery, and Suicidal thoughts

eli_is_trying's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective tense medium-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Incest, Toxic relationship, Murder, Child death, and Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Trafficking, Slavery, and Pedophilia

Minor: Abortion, Homophobia, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Suicide

alsoapples's review

adventurous challenging inspiring fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, and Mental illness

Moderate: Ableism, Abortion, Addiction, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Animal death, Child death, Child abuse, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, and Medical content

zoe_'s review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

As you might be aware of, I usually refrain from rating books I read for university--unless they're extremely good book. So, yeah, this one is great. Like, holy shit. I feel like I've been emotionally run over by a truck. This made me quietly angry, frustrated, sad, and helpless and would not let up. And being all those things, even quietly, for two days straight (I didn't read it in one go, but whenever I wasn't reading, the story continued its hold on my emotions/brain) was/is exhausting. Exhausting to a point were I could so easily relate to Anyanwu's perspective at the end of the novel. 

Anyways, this was excellently written and incredibly interesting and so complex and fleshed-out feeling. There is so much that could still be explored, so much to see. The story is quite simple but so incredibly well crafted that it feel slike a much grander narrative. I highly, highly recommend this. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Xenophobia, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, and Death

amberinbookland's review

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Trafficking, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Gore, Incest, Infertility, Murder, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, Violence, and Vomit