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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
relaxing
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:
Complicated
No me ha gustado tanto como el primero, especialmente por el personaje protagonista; veremos el último.
2.25 mostly because it didn’t feel like it added much to the conversation and questions posed by the first book, and the beginning dragged SO much. I just kept finding myself bored, baffled, and vaguely annoyed. The constant focus on sex and the weird truisms about the nature of relationships were so grating after a while, especially when it was kind of hard to tell if it was the Ooankali being wrong or just the author’s straight-up beliefs?
challenging
dark
hopeful
medium-paced
challenging
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-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
Octavia Butler is simply incapable of writing a bad book, I fear! I don't think anything will ever top the full immersive quality and horror of Dawn, but Adulthood Rites is such an inquisitive return back into the world of Xenogenesis and I enjoyed my read through nonetheless.
Akin's story was highly compelling, his rapid mental growth spurred such fascinating conversations from the secondary and tertiary characters he's surrounded with. And with Butler's mastery of writing, she frames each side of the conflict in such an empathetic way; it's easy to understand why the humans want nothing to do with the Oankali and to breed singularly human children. And at the same time, it's easy to understand why the Oankali want to mold the humans, and why that is a viable choice for the future of humankind. There are obviously flaws to both factions, but I feel like the arguments are so nuanced, that is just adds dimension to both sides in a way that feels so real and authentic. Specifically, the scene where the humans want to cut the tentacles off the hybrid Oankali x humans are so rage-inducing, but the mob mentality of the group wanting to resort to such violence is indicative of intensive research into the mindset of what breed discontent within mobs.
And Akin felt like the perfect character to tell this story; with his own Otherness being a tentacle within his tongue, his alienness was more hide-able, alluding to allegories of being "passable" among those who seek to oppress and demean out-groups. Additionally, I felt like Akin's perspective offered an outsider-looking-in viewpoint that suited the story structure so well; there are times when he feels like too passive of a character, but the story is quick to remind you that while he exists within a accelerated mental development, his still inhabits the body of a small toddler.
All in all, I enjoyed Adulthood Rites so much I absolutely inhaled the story within one day. The Xenogesis Trilogy is truly some of Octavia Butler’s best writing, and it’s clear to see why she’s garnered such a massive legacy.
And Akin felt like the perfect character to tell this story; with his own Otherness being a tentacle within his tongue, his alienness was more hide-able, alluding to allegories of being "passable" among those who seek to oppress and demean out-groups. Additionally, I felt like Akin's perspective offered an outsider-looking-in viewpoint that suited the story structure so well; there are times when he feels like too passive of a character, but the story is quick to remind you that while he exists within a accelerated mental development, his still inhabits the body of a small toddler.
All in all, I enjoyed Adulthood Rites so much I absolutely inhaled the story within one day. The Xenogesis Trilogy is truly some of Octavia Butler’s best writing, and it’s clear to see why she’s garnered such a massive legacy.