Reviews

I enjoyed this read. It felt so mystical but also connected in reality in a strange way. With OB being a black author, I always feel as if this fact (as with most black authors) adds something of an undertone to everything that is being discussed. The themes of black women and their care of their children as those children are neglected by their black fathers (Doro). Also the struggle between two equals, one wishing to rule with fear and the other with love. I can honestly say that the only thing that would've really tipped this to a 5 star for me is if

she completed the act and Doro has to forever live with the consequences of resisting growth and change. But I know this is a series, and his vulnerability in the end shows that he had not let all of his human traits fall to the side.

abasdeo's review against another edition

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challenging emotional inspiring mysterious 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

4.75

easytocrash's review

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dark sad 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? Yes

4.0

jess_mango's review against another edition

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4.0

Wild seed is the 4th book that I've read by Octavia Butler. As with the other Butler books that I've read, this one is SFF featuring black main characters. This one spans several centuries, starting in 17th century Africa and going up until 19th century America. Doro is an ancient spirit who can take over any human body that he comes in contact with. In this way, he is immortal. He has a mission to breed the most supernaturally gifted humans that he can. He creates villages and settlements and choses who to breed with who. He calls the villagers his seed. One day he encounters a wild seed who is not part of one of his settlements. Anyanwu has her own special gifts and has lived for hundreds of years. She is a shape shifter and healer. Doro is drawn to Anyanwu and the promise that she has for good breeding. BUT, Anyanwu doesn't agree at all with Doro's mission. She tries to push back against him

Anyanwu is a strong female character who stands up to the seemingly unstoppable Doro. Fight the patriarchy! As expected there is also some commentary about white/black relations particularly between slave trader/owner and slaves. Overall, this was an entertaining book that also covered multiple social issues.

I won a copy of this book in a goodreads giveaway. Thank you to the publisher!

iamdoug's review against another edition

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challenging dark medium-paced

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

4.0

kdahlo's review against another edition

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5.0

One of my favorite themes that Butler explores (across many of her books) is what leverage, power and freedom is available even when characters are restricted and controlled. This book expands a lot on those themes. I think I read this book when I was much younger (high school, or college) but I got a lot out of it on this reading. I'm really excited to read the rest of the Patternmaster/Patternist/Seed to Harvest series and I was surprised to see that my library doesn't have any hard copies available, just the digital edition. It seems like this series is partially out of print or under stocked. I was able to find a used copy of the collected books.

One thing that I'm really curious about with these books is that they have a chronological order of events, but they were written out of order. This book occurs first in the in-book world, but was written second to last of the 5 novels. I will probably read them following the in-book order, but it would be interesting to read them in publication order at another time, to see how the books relate to each other differently.

I really thought this book was great, even compared to the Lilith's Brood novels, which I really like. I feel like the protagonist Anyanwu is an awesome character. She is not so different from Lilith in some ways, but the interplay with history and the world she shapes and inhabits makes the book feel really different and really broad in scope. Overall, a definite favorite.

lns242's review

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fast-paced

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

4.75

jaimekaya's review against another edition

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4.0

I didn’t like this book at first and found it a little hard to get into. I was disappointed because I love everything Octavia Butler has written, but this book quickly gets interesting.

Doro is highly unlikable, but you’ll love Anyanwu.

I won’t say anything else to avoid spoilers, but give this book a chance if it’s not catching your interest!

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