Reviews with content warning for Violence - Dawn

i don't normally read sci-fi so this was an interesting departure from my usual reading. i think the world and the aliens Butler created were absolutely fascinating. i wish we as readers could understand more about the Oankali's physiology as well as how they communicate amongst each other. i dislike the way consent was portrayed in this novel which made me absolutely hate the ending. "you told me 'no' but your body told me you were ready" is not proper consent.

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lbrex's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This is clearly one of Butler's best. If I was going to assign this to a specific aesthetic category, I would say it made me "queasy." Butler has explored issues of human survival, mutual benefit with an alien race, bodily autonomy and reproductive autonomy, sex, and genetics in many of her works, but they are rarely combined in a way that is this complicated, gross, and intriguing. Think of her story "Bloodchild," but imagine additional levels of complicity and nuance, and you have Dawn. And yes, there is tentacle sex, though Butler allows for lots of ambivalence here, as she has the Oankali refer to the Ooloi tentacles as "sensory arms" and has all of the humans comment on the amazing levels of pleasure and intimacy that the tentacles allow. Queasiness is an aesthetic category that sticks with you, whether you like it or not. I'm glad I read this again and now I'm looking forward to the next volume in the trilogy!

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piikasmalls's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

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bookwisp's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

2.5

I’ll freely admit this book went over my head. I studied English Literature at uni, so, alas, I’m extremely familiar with the sensation. This was one of those books where I know that I didn’t “get it” so I’m aware that I can’t fully appreciate what Butler’s aimed to achieve here.

This started off weird, tense, and gripping and I flew through the first parts. But there was a point in the narrative, probably around the 60% mark, where it lost me.

Consent is a key issue in the narrative. The way theses issues are explored was, to me, uncomfortable. I’m absolutely sure it’s supposed to be uncomfortable but a particular series of events tipped it over into the realm of Too Much and killed it for me, really.

I recognise it’s an interesting book - one I might’ve been better off studying for an essay because there’s a huge amount to unpack - but as a leisure novel it’s not my cup of tea.

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aralakh's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective sad 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? No

2.5

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