Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

Clay's Ark by Octavia E. Butler

13 reviews

micksland's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Of all the books in Butler’s “Patternist” universe, this is my favorite. It’s the last in publication order but third in the series’s internal chronology. “Clay’s Ark” is a true horror novel and story of survival, taking cues from “The Andromeda Strain” as well as Butler’s earlier woks. This novel is a pandemic story, and it concerns the arrival of the Clay’s Ark organism which will eventually impact the story in “Patternmaster”.

All of Butler’s novels include a high level of body horror, violence, and sexuality, but setting these motifs in the context of a brain-altering disease ratchets up the level of discomfort for the reader. Much like the real-life Cordyceps and Leucochloridium organisms, Clay’s Ark microbes change the behavior of their hosts in order to spread the disease. This leads to a conflict between the behaviors mandated by the disease and the “free will” of the infected characters.

As always, Butler’s vision of a post-apocalyptic United States is horrifyingly rooted in reality, with a focus on income inequality, climate change, and a failure of the social contract that resonates deeply despite the fact that this novel was published in the 1980s.

Terrifying and timely, highly recommended for fans of dystopian horror with strong stomachs.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Torture, Rape, Incest, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Terminal illness, Murder, and Medical content

Minor: Racism

theinkwyrm's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-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? It's complicated

3.5

I enjoyed this, but I’m not sure how it fits in with the other books that come before it in this series. Other than a few things that you could infer as relating to the first books (and actually more so to the other series’ of hers, especially the Xenogenesis series- I think that the disease in this is an ancestor of the aliens in that series or maybe part of why the aliens chose to bond with humans), this really seems almost wholly disconnected from the first two books. I’ll be interested to see how they connect in the fourth official book in this series (and in the fifth unofficial book). 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Torture

Moderate: Confinement, Adult/minor relationship, and Terminal illness

jacobshere's review

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Terminal illness, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Chronic illness, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Sexual assault, Incest, Gun violence, Grief, Suicide, and Child death

tanvicious's review

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Kidnapping, Incest, Death, Body horror, Cancer, Violence, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Racism, Sexual content, Rape, Pedophilia, and Murder

areadingstan's review

dark mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Gore, Gun violence, Rape, Terminal illness, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Suicide, and Blood

belovedsnail's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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

I found this a bit less strong than the first two books in the series, and I was uneasy with the sexual and physical violence. Still, Butler continues well on the same theme of the series. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Torture, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Incest and Terminal illness

thenonbinaryc's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Trafficking, Fire/Fire injury, Confinement, Death of parent, Death, Chronic illness, Cancer, Sexual content, Rape, Physical abuse, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Incest, Grief, Gore, Adult/minor relationship, Terminal illness, Suicide, and Pregnancy

erikawynn's review

adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Rape, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Child death, Death of parent, Incest, and Violence

Moderate: Animal death, Miscarriage, and Suicide

Minor: Racism and Xenophobia

fairyollie's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

Octavia was going THROUGH IT when she wrote this book! if you're unable to handle gore - like me - I suggest reading this with cautious eyes. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Terminal illness, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Rape, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Murder, Kidnapping, Grief, Gore, and Death

Moderate: Cursing, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Stalking, Miscarriage, Grief, Excrement, Death of parent, and Confinement

Minor: Car accident, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Racial slurs, and Racism

blurrycat's review against another edition

dark tense

• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Blood, Child death, Death, Terminal illness, Suicide, Rape, Murder, Miscarriage, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, and Incest

Moderate: Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Blood, Car accident, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Self harm, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, and Violence