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leabhar_love's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Rape, Slavery, and Torture
Moderate: Murder, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Self harm, Racism, Sexual assault, Body horror, Colonisation, Death, Genocide, and Grief
Minor: War and Cancer
hannahollihan's review
challenging
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Racism and Homophobia
2treads's review
challenging
tense
fast-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? No
4.0
Mama Butler doesn't play when it comes to exploring complex themes and social constructs.
TW: attempted rape, violence, murder.
Octavia Butler just continues to stun with her explorative and intuitive examination of, not only the human condition, but what the fallout can be when we take our hubris too far.
Dawn is just another way in which she has chosen to interpret her understanding of the world as she saw it and existed within it. Mama Butler paid attention; she observed and experienced the ways in which humans interacted with each other, what our intelligence was used to accomplish and what possibilities our social hierarchies and dominance could possibly cause.
Lilith must now reckon with her current existence among this alien community who have had enough time to learn, if not understand the mentality, psychology, behaviour, social norms, and emotions of humans.
Their way of life, terms of assimilation, and expected outcome of repopulation of a restored Earth are foreign and unwelcome to Lilith. But if she is to survive and thrive, she must find a way in which she can come to terms with what is now her present reality.
It is very interesting to see Lilith's growing trepidation to the Oankali's interpretation and understanding of human physiology and interactions; as she begins to realize that in their execution of their mission to integrate and populate the stars, their actions are reminiscent of past cultures and empires on Earth that at one point or other were hegemonic and autocratic.
With each Butler book read, it is clear that she wanted to use her fictional worlds to question societal constructs, hierarchies, hegemonies, identities, the natural world, and beyond.
TW: attempted rape, violence, murder.
Octavia Butler just continues to stun with her explorative and intuitive examination of, not only the human condition, but what the fallout can be when we take our hubris too far.
Dawn is just another way in which she has chosen to interpret her understanding of the world as she saw it and existed within it. Mama Butler paid attention; she observed and experienced the ways in which humans interacted with each other, what our intelligence was used to accomplish and what possibilities our social hierarchies and dominance could possibly cause.
Lilith must now reckon with her current existence among this alien community who have had enough time to learn, if not understand the mentality, psychology, behaviour, social norms, and emotions of humans.
Their way of life, terms of assimilation, and expected outcome of repopulation of a restored Earth are foreign and unwelcome to Lilith. But if she is to survive and thrive, she must find a way in which she can come to terms with what is now her present reality.
It is very interesting to see Lilith's growing trepidation to the Oankali's interpretation and understanding of human physiology and interactions; as she begins to realize that in their execution of their mission to integrate and populate the stars, their actions are reminiscent of past cultures and empires on Earth that at one point or other were hegemonic and autocratic.
With each Butler book read, it is clear that she wanted to use her fictional worlds to question societal constructs, hierarchies, hegemonies, identities, the natural world, and beyond.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Racism, Xenophobia, Violence, and Murder
thatdistantlake's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
fast-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Racism, Suicide attempt, and Homophobia
kirkspockreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Sexual content, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Racism, Sexism, Grief, Confinement, and Body horror
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Rape, and Homophobia
justinlife's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-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
5.0
Reading books like this makes me upset that science fiction/speculative fiction/fantasy gained a reputation of being a boy's club, primarily a white boy's club. When I think of the genre, I think of Philip K Dick, Arthur C. Clarke, Ray Bradbury, George Orwell, Tolkien and Lewis, etc. I don't recall hearing a lot about the women who created and thrived in the genre, but they did and they created amazing works.
This is a beautiful, fascinating start to a series. It's post apocalyptic, it's alien invasion, it's futuristic. It's brilliant. This is one of those books that feels hard to describe without giving away a lot. Humans wrecked the earth and the remaining were abducted by aliens to study and rebuild the planet. Lilith is the protagonist, a black woman who lost her family before the war and is tasked with adjusting to the alien species and ensuring that other humans can survive in the new earth.
One thing I appreciated about the novel was how alien the aliens are. They aren't too humanoid. Butler describes them over and over again as frightening and disgusting. It's also interesting what qualities she gives the aliens that she doesn't give her humans. I appreciate all that a reader can take from this book- a discussion on colonialism, the strength of the human spirit, women in power, black women in power, consent, genetic manipulation, power dynamics. There's so much here.
This is a great start to a series and I look forward to reading the next two. Butler's prose is sharp and keeps the pacing moving quickly. This is a book that once you start, you might not want to put down.
Warning: Sexual assault, violence, consent
This is a beautiful, fascinating start to a series. It's post apocalyptic, it's alien invasion, it's futuristic. It's brilliant. This is one of those books that feels hard to describe without giving away a lot. Humans wrecked the earth and the remaining were abducted by aliens to study and rebuild the planet. Lilith is the protagonist, a black woman who lost her family before the war and is tasked with adjusting to the alien species and ensuring that other humans can survive in the new earth.
One thing I appreciated about the novel was how alien the aliens are. They aren't too humanoid. Butler describes them over and over again as frightening and disgusting. It's also interesting what qualities she gives the aliens that she doesn't give her humans. I appreciate all that a reader can take from this book- a discussion on colonialism, the strength of the human spirit, women in power, black women in power, consent, genetic manipulation, power dynamics. There's so much here.
This is a great start to a series and I look forward to reading the next two. Butler's prose is sharp and keeps the pacing moving quickly. This is a book that once you start, you might not want to put down.
Warning: Sexual assault, violence, consent
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement
Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Violence
Minor: Death, Homophobia, and Racism
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