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luminous's review
4.0
Somewhat weak for a Butler book, but still stellar amongst the pantheon of sci fi. I notice many reviewers mention the creepiness of a parasite that changes humanity and I get that, but I didn't get a lot of the visceral feels from it. Xenogenesis might have inoculated me on that front lol. Speaking of, you can see how here Butler is exploring the theme of alien organisms changing humanity and what it means to be human. I believe this book was a warm up for Xenogenesis.
Even as a warm-up, it's good, and I am digging that astronauts brought it back from space. Imagine that. Encountering alien life, but it's not our size and it's not bipedal or quadruped nor has other anatomy like ours. It's utterly alien, and it's a parasite (or perhaps a symbiote), and it decides to infect/merge with us. Only we aren't even sure if it's deciding or if it's some brainless creature. And what is the differnce, and does it even matter?
Okay I think the dread could have been upped a LOT more if the entire book wasn't the characters just talking to each other about the parasite infection and what it was doing to them. This is once I stance where I think more showing would have had a much stronger impact. Feeling the confusion etc. from the characters. We do get some of that, but not much.
Even as a warm-up, it's good, and I am digging that astronauts brought it back from space. Imagine that. Encountering alien life, but it's not our size and it's not bipedal or quadruped nor has other anatomy like ours. It's utterly alien, and it's a parasite (or perhaps a symbiote), and it decides to infect/merge with us. Only we aren't even sure if it's deciding or if it's some brainless creature. And what is the differnce, and does it even matter?
Okay I think the dread could have been upped a LOT more if the entire book wasn't the characters just talking to each other about the parasite infection and what it was doing to them. This is once I stance where I think more showing would have had a much stronger impact. Feeling the confusion etc. from the characters. We do get some of that, but not much.
heyitsmeshanie's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
aiight's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
I don't know how Octavia Butler does it, but with spare prose and little setup she can create compelling and realistic characters acting within an engaging plot (and where other authors might struggle to do so with twice the space). This story is no exception. It is not immediately clear how it fits into the Patternist series, but the story stands alone just fine. A full cast of interesting characters, a riveting plot that starts tense and only gets moreso, and the perfect worldbuilding that revs up your appetite without oversaturating you. It takes an otherworldly sci-fi background and manages to make it easy to imagine yourself in any one of the characters' place.
tas_f's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
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? It's complicated
3.0
tas_f's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
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? It's complicated
3.0
aubreystapp's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Murder, and Torture
barnesbookshelf's review against another edition
3.0
I spent most of this book wondering how it connected to the rest of the Patternist series. And the first connection I noticed happend 72% of the way through it. I couldn't help but wonder where the Patternists were and what they were doing.
Since the book took place in 2021 and was written in 1984, I was amazed at the things Butler predicted that turned out to be true, like the video phones.
This book seems to be a mix of both Dawn and the Parables, having the society of the Parables and the alien reproductive interference of Dawn. I am interested to see how Clay's Ark plays into the next Patternist novel.
Since the book took place in 2021 and was written in 1984, I was amazed at the things Butler predicted that turned out to be true, like the video phones.
This book seems to be a mix of both Dawn and the Parables, having the society of the Parables and the alien reproductive interference of Dawn. I am interested to see how Clay's Ark plays into the next Patternist novel.