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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
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:
Complicated
Not as strong an entry at the first in Lilith's Brood, this sequel shines in its continuation of futuristic worldbuilding. Well paced in its writing and in the orientation to time in relation to the first book, the shift in focus to the upbringing of Lilith's son is well executed. Dragged a little bit at some parts, and ended on a bit of a cliff hanger, without too much actual suspense. Themes of assimilation, colonization, and rifts between old world vs. new world pose challenging questions about what it means to move forward and survive.
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
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Butler brings us deeper into the heart of humanity as we take a hefty time jump from book 1 and learn a lot more about the Oankoli, the state of the world, and their plans for it. Similar to the first book this novel is incredibly easy to read, the pages fly by. The writing is always direct and unadorned, but that feels perfect for this story. Everyone in the story, human, oankoli, and construct, are constantly seeking. They are never satisfied with how they exist, and that inquisitive nature is reflected in the prose style which draws the reader in and invites them to be part of the emotional landscape of the main characters but is always leaving a door open to search for something else.
While this novel is told primarily through one character’s POV it does feel like it moves around, much more so than the first novel which was incredibly tight to Lilith. The characters continue to deepen and intrigue me, and Butler manages to really confuse ideas of the human and the alien in meaningful and contemplative ways.
I am glad that she doesn’t shy away from some of what I thought were the more intriguing ideas in the first novel, namely parochialism and colonialism, combined with the human need for the feeling of independence, even when the that drive goes against the logic of the situation. Considering the evolution of the characters we are able to venture into muddier terrain than we could with Lilith in the first novel, and I appreciated that.
I will say, I know that including a third biological sex (and third gender) is itself groundbreaking, but I feel like the male/female gender roles are somehow both painfully traditional and also under-developed. There is an underlying heteronormativity that, in some cases is at least mentioned, at least when it takes the form of fragile masculinity, but otherwise it feels unquestioned and assumed, even among the alien species. Every once in a while I felt myself just being a little disappointed that the novel can be so revolutionary in some ways but then also have characters go through puberty-like experiences where they know they need an opposite-sex mate and that isn’t ever even questioned. What makes it even more frustrating is that the male and female aliens don’t have externally coded genitalia, and Butler doesn’t do a great job of fleshing out how they are different or why a pubescent Oankoli would feel revulsion at a same-sex mate. Obviously reproduction is the driving factor for these aliens, more so than sex for pleasure alone, and reproduction requires three participants, one of each of the genders. So, from a purely reproductive perspective it would make sense, but scenes of lust and pleasure are described, and it feels like a weird adhesion to a regressive status quo.
Still, strong writing and a deeper exploration into exciting ideas about what it means to be human as well as whether anything like autonomy can truly exist explored through engaging and complicated characters. It took everything in the first novel and built on it in ways that I felt were compelling and revealing, and it makes me even more intrigued to see how she wraps everything up.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
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
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-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:
Complicated
A really enjoyed how this book invites you to explore your own beliefs about the nature of humanity and our eventual fate and the fate of the world we inhabit. What does the preservation of life and diversity really mean? How does one protect autonomy and freedom of choice and is that the moral road or should people be protected from themselves?
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Very interesting continuation of the story, I'm excited to see what the final book has in store for the human species
I could not put this sequel down. Our story takes place many years after the first book, and mostly on Earth. If I thought the first book was about the human condition, that was a bachelor's degree and this is a PhD!