Reviews with content warning for Xenophobia - Dawn

Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'

Dawn by Octavia E. Butler

64 reviews

blazingquill's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective slow-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

4.0

This is a disturbing read that creates a horrific story about breaches in consent and the abuse of colonization. It asks the question, “what are you able to do when you’re helpless?” then weaves a complex answer considering love, hate, and resistance. It’s a story that could not have come from another author, and I think is an important read.

That being said, despite its discussion of gender, it maintains a very cis and straight perspective throughout, which effected my reading of the book. There is also a very complex relationship that edges into both abuse and pedophilia that I think was intended to be read as disturbing but I know could be interpreted differently. Heavy content warnings as well for: nonconsensual procedures, noncon relationships, rape, forced sterilization, and sensory deprivation torture.

Content Warnings

readingsofaslinky's review against another edition

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challenging dark fast-paced

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

4.0

Content Warnings

storybookvisitor's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging tense medium-paced

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

3.0

Content Warnings

stefhyena's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

3.75

It was well written, interesting, unique and far too rapey for me. I don't think the intent was to make rape palatable but there was too much attempt to make consent more complex than I am ok with it being. Considering this was back in the 80s I sort of get it but the idea of "your words said yes but your body betrayed your real desires" is horrible, especially when it's against the best interests of the character. Butler does not make her own moral standpoint on that clear but it happens again and again and it's unpleasant to read about and I didn't feel it was a useful thought.

There are a couple of attempted rapes by human males and Lilith fights them as she does not fight other non-consensual stuff. The result is a "naturalisation" of rape. At one point we are told that the men were angry because being non-consensually taken by the aliens positioned them as women. Even if this is some sophisticated, ironic point Butler is making I don't find that useful. It just made me hate all the characters.

As far as Lilith goes I did invest in her early on and stayed more or less loyal even though I did not agree with things. Treating her as a character is if anything cruel optimism because any agancy she has turns out to be an illusion. To the aliens, for all they call humans "trading partners" what they are doing is colonising and enslaving them. This is possibly a good point to consider but then the humans in the book are evil and horrible too and it leaves you feeling like there is nothing to hope for or strive for - sentient life is just rotten. There are no good guys whatsoever in this.

As I said it was well written and easy to dip back into every time I got a free moment. I wanted to know what happens next because I wrongly thought (this being the first of a series) that we'd be given a moderately happy and hopeful ending.

Content Warnings

crowcollected's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective 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

5.0

Amazing book. It talks a lot about consent, and blurs the lines between consensual and nonconsensual. The line is not clear-cut, and you have to figure out where some actions fall on your own, not just based on the objective facts of the situation but also the environment the actions are made in. It also talks a lot about choice, and the choices people make even when they've been stripped of all their choice.

Content Warnings

sup3r_xn0va_maya's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

💬: “You don’t look that threatening. Just … very different.”
“Different is threatening to most species,” Nikanj answered. “Different is dangerous. It might kill you. That was true to your animal ancestors and your nearest animal relatives. And it’s true for you.”

Butler, Octavia E.. Dawn (The Xenogenesis Trilogy Book 1) (p. 211). Open Road Media. Kindle Edition.

📖Genres: sci-fi, dystopia, post-apocalyptic, aliens, horror, speculative fiction

📚Page Count: 248

🎧Audiobook Length: 09h 20min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 - 4.5/5
----

Dawn by Octavia E. Butler is my first finished read of 2023! It was my first time reading this piece of work, and I really enjoyed it.

I have a phobia of aliens, which I've mentioned in the past. I was very creeped out going into this book, but I couldn't put the book down once I started (I finished it in two days!)

This book explores themes of gender, society, humanity - and what that means, sexuality, and I'm sure I'm missing some.

I enjoyed the world building.

The aliens and the ship were all so creatively designed.

This story just had so many great working parts, and it all came together to make a creepy but wonderfully written story.

I knocked off .5 stars because of how heteronormative the story was, with all the males trying to find a female within their groups to "hook up" with. Someone pointed out that was a unrealistic that everyone was so heteronormative, and I agree

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4.5/5 Stars

Content Warnings

raccooonhands's review against another edition

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challenging dark

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

5.0

Content Warnings

sefercakee's review against another edition

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challenging emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Content Warnings

taroroot's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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.

Content Warnings

lbrex's review

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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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