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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
I am conflicted. I loved "Wildseed" but none of the others in the series lived up to it. I think Survivor is second on the list...then maybe this...and Mind of My Mind and Clay's Ark are tied. The pre-quel sequels (except for Wildseed) just kind of left me wishing they were--more. This did too. I read the others thinking "Oh, the novel that demanded all this back story will be great!" It was just good. I came late to Butler (looking for a new voice to replace my favorite author Sheri Tepper). I may try her others...I may not. But I did most definitely enjoy WIldseed and Survivor.
The fastest read of the four (probably helped by the Christmas holiday). An end to the series, though not necessarily a conclusion. This one, though set in the future, brings us back to an almost medieval world. I'm curious about the treatment of women within it, and would have found it interesting if the narrative had explored how a race founded by a woman became one where women were subjugated. Although powerful, the Patternists were far from a better brand of humans. In each of the species (human, Patternists and Claysarks), there were elements of humanity, though by the end, none fully embodied it.
A great series though, and well worth reading, with much to provoke thought.
A great series though, and well worth reading, with much to provoke thought.
adventurous
challenging
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The society Butler sets up in her first published novel is compelling. There’s so much going on. Now that I’ve read the whole Patternist compendium I wish I’d read them in publication order. To be introduced to the more distant future society where the Clayarks and Patternists are fighting would have made me care more about understanding where they came from in the prequels.
I quite enjoyed the first half of this book, where we get to see how everyday life functions in a House. The second half, adventure-style, somewhat lost my interest. Butler is strongest when she’s putting people in questionable roles they carry out unquestioningly and letting it play out, and her keen instinct for that comes through even in this, her first.
I quite enjoyed the first half of this book, where we get to see how everyday life functions in a House. The second half, adventure-style, somewhat lost my interest. Butler is strongest when she’s putting people in questionable roles they carry out unquestioningly and letting it play out, and her keen instinct for that comes through even in this, her first.
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5 ⭐️rounded up
The first written novel in her Patternist series, but the last one chronologically in the series is a live wire of finely tuned science fiction storytelling. After having trudged through the preceeding convoluted bore that was "Clay's Ark" I was delightfully suprised by the quality of this debut. For a book written a year before my mom would even be conceived it's an unabashedly feminist a queer piece of black fiction. Butler crafts worlds with the ease of a God, embuing them with problems, few solutions and a myriad of compelling relationships. As with most of Butlers works it is deeply concerned with the consequence of power: having it,losing it,be hurt by it and liberation through it. An engrossing fact for me given my love for feminist and gender theory (sociology slut I am)but even more for how well written it is into her high concepts. How it never feels didactic or technical but like an immersion. Truly enjoyed every moment of this read . Definitely recommend this series.
The first written novel in her Patternist series, but the last one chronologically in the series is a live wire of finely tuned science fiction storytelling. After having trudged through the preceeding convoluted bore that was "Clay's Ark" I was delightfully suprised by the quality of this debut. For a book written a year before my mom would even be conceived it's an unabashedly feminist a queer piece of black fiction. Butler crafts worlds with the ease of a God, embuing them with problems, few solutions and a myriad of compelling relationships. As with most of Butlers works it is deeply concerned with the consequence of power: having it,losing it,be hurt by it and liberation through it. An engrossing fact for me given my love for feminist and gender theory (sociology slut I am)but even more for how well written it is into her high concepts. How it never feels didactic or technical but like an immersion. Truly enjoyed every moment of this read . Definitely recommend this series.
Pretty good read, surprised that she wrote this book before the others in the series, because without the background info of the prequels, I wouldn't know what a Patternist or a Clayark was.
Overall this series was decent but not great. there didn't seem to be much cohesive flow between all the books, probably because the release of each book didn't match up with the chronology of the series. I've now read all of Butler's works, and my three favorite are Kindred and the Parable books.
Overall this series was decent but not great. there didn't seem to be much cohesive flow between all the books, probably because the release of each book didn't match up with the chronology of the series. I've now read all of Butler's works, and my three favorite are Kindred and the Parable books.
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Good end to the series but wow that ending was a letdown. Reads like a book written early in her career.
challenging
emotional
reflective
fast-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
tore through this book it sat me down on my a$$ octavia butler ur mind is unmatched
I had read Wild Seed eleven years ago, thinking it was a standalone. Shortly after finishing it, I realized it was part of The Patternist Series but only now have had the time to finish the entire series. I am a firm believer in reading series in the order they were written/published, so I started with Patternmaster this time around. The writing is very plain and straightforward, and after a few small stumbles with some of the roles different titles play in the society (mute, outsider, etc.) it's easy for the reader to just jump into the novel and plow to the end. I am not a big sci-fi fan, but this is the only one I know that involves a future society that relies on mental powers being so prevalent.
Read as a first book in the series, my rating is definitely higher compared to if it were supposed to be read as the last (which, again, I very much don't believe it should be). This is definitely supposed to be an introduction to a world, not a further expansion or tie-up-the-loose-ends conclusion to anything brought up in the other novels.
Read as a first book in the series, my rating is definitely higher compared to if it were supposed to be read as the last (which, again, I very much don't believe it should be). This is definitely supposed to be an introduction to a world, not a further expansion or tie-up-the-loose-ends conclusion to anything brought up in the other novels.
I read this series in chronological order of the universe. I wish I could redo that and read them in publication order: Patternmaster, Mind of my Mind, Clay’s Ark, Wild Seed. There’s apparently one more (Survivor) that was removed from publication(?). Curious about that but also understand that life is complicated and sometimes something gets released into the world that you’d rather claw back.
The stories and writing become much richer over time.
In some ways this is a simpler books than the others. It’s mostly one man’s story. The bigger societal questions get touched on but are left hanging.
The stories and writing become much richer over time.
In some ways this is a simpler books than the others. It’s mostly one man’s story. The bigger societal questions get touched on but are left hanging.