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594 reviews for:
Lilith's Brood: The Complete Xenogenesis Trilogy (The Xenogenesis Trilogy)
Octavia E. Butler
4.37 AVERAGE
594 reviews for:
Lilith's Brood: The Complete Xenogenesis Trilogy (The Xenogenesis Trilogy)
Octavia E. Butler
4.37 AVERAGE
my two main takeaways from this trilogy:
1) the human contradiction: to be both intelligent and hierarchical means that humans will inevitably destroy each other
2) the oankali are settler-colonists; but because they are not human, they don’t seek to eradicate life in their colonies.
i didn’t delight in reading these books as i did with butler’s other work—maybe it’s the alien sex of it all LOL
1) the human contradiction: to be both intelligent and hierarchical means that humans will inevitably destroy each other
2) the oankali are settler-colonists; but because they are not human, they don’t seek to eradicate life in their colonies.
i didn’t delight in reading these books as i did with butler’s other work—maybe it’s the alien sex of it all LOL
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
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:
Complicated
Very jarring and beautiful read that forces your empathy in conflicting directions.
Said by the author to be inspired by the cold War under the Reagan administration but mostly reading as a hauntingly realistic allegory for colonialism it's safe to assume that this series was not an EASY read ,right? Yes & no. It has incredibly dark and fatalistic material with disastrous implications in terms of human nature that ultimately seem way too accurate for comfort . BUT the way she writes,the articulate prose makes it riveting and un-putdownable and thus easy to commit to.
I do think this series overall is stronger than the Patternist/Patternmaster series despite not having nearly as definitive individual books in comparison (no one is touching the peak that is Wildseed). But due to its trilogy format its more concise and break neck. It makes all of it flow with very few instances of lagging. It's also great having a series with black and brown protagonists that treats them the way fiction usually treats its default white characters:as normal. The first of the series DAWN is the strongest with Imago being the weakest although not too badly though.
adventurous
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Magnificent. Each story stands alone and provides a different viewpoint, yet each is perfectly connected and builds upon the last. Butler is brilliant and her prose is amazing.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
This is a series about the human race being saved from killing itself by aliens (Oankali), who then make the humans into alien hybrids that are much better off than they were as humans - but at the expense of giving up what it means to be human. And here I am wondering which side I would take. The way the Oankali conduct their "trade" is compassionate in a sometimes immensly disturbing way, and it makes me wonder what this book would be like if told from a different point of view.
(4.5) Aside from the truly awful cover design, it was great having these three books together rather than reading them separately. I thought this was a mind-bending and brilliant creation with characters who are complex and compelling throughout all three volumes. While I found the first and second installments most interesting, the third one really does bring it all home, so to speak.
I couldn't agree more that our human species is doomed to destroy itself (along with the planet and countless other species), and this book really elevated that premise into something I found fascinating and, at times, disturbing.
I couldn't agree more that our human species is doomed to destroy itself (along with the planet and countless other species), and this book really elevated that premise into something I found fascinating and, at times, disturbing.
So. Much. Rape.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping