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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
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
dark
emotional
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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
challenging
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:
Yes
I liked this one even more than the first, probably because it was a coming of age story for a construct child. They had the same thought processes I did, so I found it really interesting. Another great feature of the book is skipping over large chunks of time to make the story progress. This was a great narrative device in a story of this type. I can't wait to see who narrates the last book and what happens in it!
Whereas Dawn was a peek into the Oankali-Human relationship, this is a full on treatise exploring the biological merging of the two beings and the complex ramifications of the physical marriage. This installment has so much to say about the choices we make as entities with agency even if our decisions are rash and violent at times. Butler really pounds home the notion of violence and war being the constant end result of human cultural growth, and I began to see humans in the novel as evil, antagonist beings. But its her subtle descriptions of Oankali control and their mass-breeding machinations that roam through her narrative and provide the counterpoint to mankind's destruction. Is free will something to cherish, or an almost eternal existence with no disease and the passing down of lineage according to a clinical extra-terrestrial? Even with this heavy-handed approach to her overarching themes, Butler doesn't let the worldbuilding aspect fall to the wayside. There are some sections, like when Akin visits the sort of mothership for a coming-of-age pow-wow with higher-up Oankali, that tend to get mired in overtly nuanced descriptions of the differences between them and mankind. However, you never lose track of of the novel as a riveting exploration of what it means to make decisions about your future, and the sheer power of parentage to provide meaning to a life lived.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
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:
Yes
Octavia Butler has moved into my top five favorite fiction authors. She was nothing less than brilliant.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character