Reviews

TIMELY.

When apparent stability disintegrates,
As it must -
God is change -
People tend to give in
To fear and depression,
To need and greed.
When no influence is strong enough
To unify people
They divide.
They struggle,
One against one,
Group against group,
For survival, position, power.
They remember old hates and generate new ones,
They create chaos and nurture it.
They kill and kill and kill,
Until they are exhausted and destroyed,
Until they are conquered by outside forces,
Or until one of them becomes
A leader
Most will follow,
Or a tyrant
Most fear.

From Earthseed, Book of the Living

emilyfeldmesser's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

whatsbookinjenni's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional reflective slow-paced

3.5

I finished this two days ago (albeit two very chaotic days), but I think I may have to continue sitting on this one (and eagerly awaiting talking about it as a book club pick) because I don't quite know what to think! Octavia Butler offers a lot of interesting ideas, particularly in terms of the quiet apocalypse in which some institutions still exist while social norms and structures have just totally fallen apart...but at the same time it was just SO SO violent, which I think I really struggled with (and I think is juxtaposed in a lot of ways with Station Eleven, which portrays an apocalyptic world in which our innate human connectivity really comes through)...lots to think about!!