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sunsun886's review
3.0
"We need to know that there are alternatives to the awfulness we face everyday. We need to know that those alternatives are imaginable, thinkable, workable, doable. That they are fantastic but real."
cavalier_tj's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
hallelizak's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
paperbacks_and_ponytails's review
1.0
I just don't think Octavia E. Butler is an author for me. Besides having some language and a few close to being explicit scenes, I don't really find her stories easy to get into.
teachinsci's review
4.0
This short work features two stories by an author whose work I love.
The first is a novella (A Necessary Being) about a group whose highly stratified social structure determines how high an individual can rise by how blue they are. It is a story about frustration, but also about learning where you fit in and how to help others see who you really are. I enjoyed it but there was nothing that seemed ground-breaking.
The second (Childminder) is a short story that begs for a full novel or even a trilogy. The characters are psychic and the main protagonist is a woman who can find new psi-talented children. To me, she is reminiscent of Anyanwu from the Patternist series. A strong woman fighting back against a system she doesn't like and willing to sacrifice everything for her children.
If you have ever enjoyed works by Butler before, you will enjoy this short book as well.
The first is a novella (A Necessary Being) about a group whose highly stratified social structure determines how high an individual can rise by how blue they are. It is a story about frustration, but also about learning where you fit in and how to help others see who you really are. I enjoyed it but there was nothing that seemed ground-breaking.
The second (Childminder) is a short story that begs for a full novel or even a trilogy. The characters are psychic and the main protagonist is a woman who can find new psi-talented children. To me, she is reminiscent of Anyanwu from the Patternist series. A strong woman fighting back against a system she doesn't like and willing to sacrifice everything for her children.
If you have ever enjoyed works by Butler before, you will enjoy this short book as well.
alaiyo0685's review
3.0
I'll confess that science fiction really isn't a genre I have much experience with, but it was hard for me to feel comfortable being thrown into the worlds of these stories. It felt like I was continually playing catch up.