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ebweeks's review
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
scifi_rat's review
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Death, Violence, Xenophobia, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Sexual assault, Murder, Pregnancy, Rape, Religious bigotry, Misogyny, Gun violence, Slavery, Kidnapping, Bullying, Confinement, Stalking, War, Sexual violence, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Infertility
year23's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I am surprised at how much I liked this - even with the problematic race/color essentialism replicated in the Kohn, which I think is why Butler disavowed it - it’s a creative and compelling narrative. I see the Star Trek (or even Doctor Who) allusions here and that may be why I liked it more than expected.
The Tehkohn culture was super interesting, as was the relationship between Diut and Alanna. The theme of survival is strong and I think there are important questions explored in this story that are relevant today (as is common with Butler stories!).
The Tehkohn culture was super interesting, as was the relationship between Diut and Alanna. The theme of survival is strong and I think there are important questions explored in this story that are relevant today (as is common with Butler stories!).
peachani's review against another edition
challenging
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Death, and Racism
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Sexual content, Child death, Confinement, Gun violence, Infertility, Rape, Death of parent, Grief, and Pregnancy
miles862's review
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.75
This was probably my least favorite so far. Maybe I wasn't in the right mood to read it, but I found myself struggling to be invested in what was happening. As someone who predominantly loves character-driven series, I found it hard to get invested again. While I like the overall threads and worldbuilding, I was mostly checked out as far as the individual plots.
jacobshere's review
challenging
dark
sad
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? No
3.0
albatrossonhalfpointe's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Weird little tangent from the overall series arc. It has its issues, but generally, I enjoyed it. More thoughts at https://kingshearte.blogspot.com/2022/10/survivor-octavia-butler.html
calarco's review against another edition
3.0
Perhaps a bit unorthodox, but I need to start this review off by thanking my local library and Inter Library Loan system. First published in 1978 as an entry to the Patternist series, [b:Survivor|256890|Survivor|Octavia E. Butler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1186985614l/256890._SY75_.jpg|3346577] was Butler’s least favorite work and she subsequently opted to not have it reprinted. Being a completionist, I still really wanted to read it (without paying hundreds of dollars for a rare copy), so that is when my library came to the rescue—they have all of my nerd gratitude.
Now having read Survivor, I can see why Butler hated it. Compared to her other work, it really does stand out as it lacks her classic polish and narrative flow. In general, Butler’s stories are brilliantly paced with a smooth feel as they unfold; her dialogue often reveals key facts about the character, world, relationships, all while moving the plot along in interesting ways. As Survivor initially follows a group of humans (Missionaries) who have escaped a chaotic earth dealing with the Clayark plague and public emergence of Patternists, only to land on a planet during a dangerous conflict between the surprisingly anthropomorphic aliens called Tehkohn and Garkohn—there are simply too many sci-fi elements in too short a book (180 pages) to fully and seamlessly flesh out these different narrative ideas. This ultimately resulted in more “tell” than “show,” with dialogue often existing to provide convoluted exposition—I can see why Butler called this “my Star Trek novel.”
In this scenario, Butler has to lay down the rules of three distinct cultures, which we largely see through the eyes of Alanna—the titular “survivor”—who struggles to navigate all three. While not the first of Butler’s work to play with the concepts of consent amidst alien conflict and interspecies procreation (the Xenogenesis series does this really well), in Survivor these concepts devolve into a bizarre Stockholm syndrome as we follow Alanna’s storyline. She is not the strongest protagonist to begin with, but the way she jumps hoops of mental gymnastics to sympathize with a given captor would indicate more psychological malleability than adaptability. Some of these parts were really hard to read, but I digress.
So those are some criticisms, but all said and done I would be lying if I said I did not like this book (admittedly I do not think I could ever truly dislike anything Octavia Butler wrote, I stan far too much, as the kids say). The main reason I enjoyed this book was that Survivor, with its clunky over-expositioning, really does an excellent job of tying the events of [b:Wild Seed|52318|Wild Seed (Patternmaster, #1)|Octavia E. Butler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388462753l/52318._SY75_.jpg|1330000], [b:Mind of My Mind|116254|Mind of My Mind (Patternmaster, #2)|Octavia E. Butler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1389676159l/116254._SY75_.jpg|111957], [b:Clay's Ark|60933|Clay's Ark (Patternmaster, #3)|Octavia E. Butler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1461533398l/60933._SY75_.jpg|1008173], and [b:Patternmaster|116256|Patternmaster (Patternmaster, #4)|Octavia E. Butler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1389456750l/116256._SY75_.jpg|1119636] together. Also, I am a Trekkie, so while this was not Butler’s strongest work, it still works for me as a decent space story fueled by weird melodrama.
All in all, Survivor will not be for everyone, but I would still recommend it as I do with everything by Octavia Butler. That said, DO NOT pay hundreds of dollars for a copy; check your local library and if they do not have it you can put in an order through Inter Library Loan. Every library system is a part of a unique loaning network, so results may vary, but it is worth a try if you’re truly curious.
Now having read Survivor, I can see why Butler hated it. Compared to her other work, it really does stand out as it lacks her classic polish and narrative flow. In general, Butler’s stories are brilliantly paced with a smooth feel as they unfold; her dialogue often reveals key facts about the character, world, relationships, all while moving the plot along in interesting ways. As Survivor initially follows a group of humans (Missionaries) who have escaped a chaotic earth dealing with the Clayark plague and public emergence of Patternists, only to land on a planet during a dangerous conflict between the surprisingly anthropomorphic aliens called Tehkohn and Garkohn—there are simply too many sci-fi elements in too short a book (180 pages) to fully and seamlessly flesh out these different narrative ideas. This ultimately resulted in more “tell” than “show,” with dialogue often existing to provide convoluted exposition—I can see why Butler called this “my Star Trek novel.”
In this scenario, Butler has to lay down the rules of three distinct cultures, which we largely see through the eyes of Alanna—the titular “survivor”—who struggles to navigate all three. While not the first of Butler’s work to play with the concepts of consent amidst alien conflict and interspecies procreation (the Xenogenesis series does this really well), in Survivor these concepts devolve into a bizarre Stockholm syndrome as we follow Alanna’s storyline. She is not the strongest protagonist to begin with, but the way she jumps hoops of mental gymnastics to sympathize with a given captor would indicate more psychological malleability than adaptability. Some of these parts were really hard to read, but I digress.
So those are some criticisms, but all said and done I would be lying if I said I did not like this book (admittedly I do not think I could ever truly dislike anything Octavia Butler wrote, I stan far too much, as the kids say). The main reason I enjoyed this book was that Survivor, with its clunky over-expositioning, really does an excellent job of tying the events of [b:Wild Seed|52318|Wild Seed (Patternmaster, #1)|Octavia E. Butler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388462753l/52318._SY75_.jpg|1330000], [b:Mind of My Mind|116254|Mind of My Mind (Patternmaster, #2)|Octavia E. Butler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1389676159l/116254._SY75_.jpg|111957], [b:Clay's Ark|60933|Clay's Ark (Patternmaster, #3)|Octavia E. Butler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1461533398l/60933._SY75_.jpg|1008173], and [b:Patternmaster|116256|Patternmaster (Patternmaster, #4)|Octavia E. Butler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1389456750l/116256._SY75_.jpg|1119636] together. Also, I am a Trekkie, so while this was not Butler’s strongest work, it still works for me as a decent space story fueled by weird melodrama.
All in all, Survivor will not be for everyone, but I would still recommend it as I do with everything by Octavia Butler. That said, DO NOT pay hundreds of dollars for a copy; check your local library and if they do not have it you can put in an order through Inter Library Loan. Every library system is a part of a unique loaning network, so results may vary, but it is worth a try if you’re truly curious.