Reviews with content warning for Murder - Amanecer

I read Parable of the Sower last year and immediately knew that I needed more Octavia Butler in my life. How had I been sleeping on her for this long? Part of the issue is that I don’t really consider myself a science fiction reader, which is what Butler’s books are generally classified as. But I am a fan of speculative fiction and dystopian fiction, and in Butler’s version of sci-fi, there’s considerable overlap with these genres. So, in addition to being a glowing review, this is also a PSA to try reading genres you sometimes don’t consider. And if you’ve never read anything by Octavia Butler, please do so post haste.

Let’s get the scary sci-fi part out of the way: there are aliens in this book. And while the aliens are a major factor, please know that this is so much more than a book about aliens. More than anything, it’s a book about humans, what it means to be human, and at what point in the evolutionary process does what we are fundamentally change?

Dawn was written in the 1980s, at the height of the Cold War, and it shows. Butler has a knack for looking at the world and imagining the long term consequences if we continue on our current trajectory. This book raises big questions. Does being human mean that we are destined to destroy ourselves? What are the ethical ramifications of animal research, breeding, and genetic modification? And, what price is too high to save our world?

Content Warnings

mizelse's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Content Warnings

lisaisabobisa's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense

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

4.5

Some parts were disturbing, but I loved it. Will be reading more of this series/author. Gave it a half-star off because of chosen-one trope that serves the narrative but is nevertheless infuriating to read. Otherwise, a flawless story that drew me in from the first chapter and

Content Warnings

ekua33's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious fast-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? It's complicated

3.0

Content Warnings

leabhar_love's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

Content Warnings

eaird's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging fast-paced

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

4.5

Content Warnings

2treads's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging tense fast-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? No

4.0

Mama Butler doesn't play when it comes to exploring complex themes and social constructs.

TW: attempted rape, violence, murder.

Octavia Butler just continues to stun with her explorative and intuitive examination of, not only the human condition, but what the fallout can be when we take our hubris too far.

Dawn is just another way in which she has chosen to interpret her understanding of the world as she saw it and existed within it. Mama Butler paid attention; she observed and experienced the ways in which humans interacted with each other, what our intelligence was used to accomplish and what possibilities our social hierarchies and dominance could possibly cause.

Lilith must now reckon with her current existence among this alien community who have had enough time to learn, if not understand the mentality, psychology, behaviour, social norms, and emotions of humans.

Their way of life, terms of assimilation, and expected outcome of repopulation of a restored Earth are foreign and unwelcome to Lilith. But if she is to survive and thrive, she must find a way in which she can come to terms with what is now her present reality.

It is very interesting to see Lilith's growing trepidation to the Oankali's interpretation and understanding of human physiology and interactions; as she begins to realize that in their execution of their mission to integrate and populate the stars, their actions are reminiscent of past cultures and empires on Earth that at one point or other were hegemonic and autocratic.

With each Butler book read, it is clear that she wanted to use her fictional worlds to question societal constructs, hierarchies, hegemonies, identities, the natural world, and beyond.

Content Warnings

More...