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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
Made me think/wonder a lot about how benevolence works in situations where one group has all the power and offers seemingly-helpful improvements to life, while simultaneously utterly limiting the lives of other groups of people.
BUT WE'RE JUST TALKING ABOUT ALIENS HERE.
BUT WE'RE JUST TALKING ABOUT ALIENS HERE.
A decent middle book. Nothing much happens but it is well written .
Adulthood Rites did not resonate with me nearly as much as Dawn did. For the early part of the book, it was hard for me to read about a child less than 2 years old being kidnapped and kept away from his family when my own daughter is under 2. Even though Akin’s inhuman ability to express himself and understand what’s going on around him is obviously different than my daughter, this still hit too close to home for me.
I also struggled in general with the concept that faced with the choice of having construct offspring with the Oankali or being sterile, all of humanity would either engage in the “trade,” despair and destroy themselves, or resort to stealing construct children. Maybe there are humans out there who are content to not reproduce and just live their lives, but Butler doesn’t choose to write about them. I’d like to think that’s where I’d fall.
Watching Lillith’s journey and learning about the Oankali in Dawn was a much more compelling read for me. I will definitely finish the trilogy and read more of Butler, but I’m not in a big hurry to do so.
I also struggled in general with the concept that faced with the choice of having construct offspring with the Oankali or being sterile, all of humanity would either engage in the “trade,” despair and destroy themselves, or resort to stealing construct children. Maybe there are humans out there who are content to not reproduce and just live their lives, but Butler doesn’t choose to write about them. I’d like to think that’s where I’d fall.
Watching Lillith’s journey and learning about the Oankali in Dawn was a much more compelling read for me. I will definitely finish the trilogy and read more of Butler, but I’m not in a big hurry to do so.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Infertility, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
slow-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
The saga continues. Really loving this series anthropological bent. At its heart, back to the nature vs. nurture debate, but with aliens. Me gusta!
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-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
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved this more than Dawn! It takes the deconstruction of humanity to a whole new level, and gives a sense of possibility while it’s at it. Like Paul in Dune, Akin has the burden of humanity on his shoulders at far too young an age, but unlike Paul, it seems to humble, rather than idealize him.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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
Butler builds upon the world she created in the first book wonderfully in this title. It was a bit slow and confusing in part 3 but it picked back up in part 4. Overall a really great sequel.