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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The whole series is good. Octavia Butler is a favorite author.
After completing this series, there is no doubt in my mind that Octavia Butler was a gifted writer who knew how to shape a world and all its rules. At the same time, I had a hard time following this book. I think I perhaps should have read this series in the order they were published, rather than chronologically. That might have helped with my comprehension. You can tell that this book was written very early in Butler's career as her writing has not yet developed as strong of a voice. I am glad I took the time to read this series, even if I didn't fully understand everything that was happening.
adventurous
challenging
dark
inspiring
mysterious
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:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Violence, Xenophobia, Vomit, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail
By the time I finished Chapter 1 of this novel, I knew I was hooked bad. I was very impressed at how Butler somehow described telepathy in a way that was tangible and perceptible for the reader. Even the fight scenes were entertaining to read, though they were completely mind controlled.
The timing of the story was the perfect mix of cutting to the chase while also taking time to explain certain plot points, or even leaving breadcrumbs that hint at the climactic moments to come.
I thought there were important life lessons to be learned through the main character about never giving up or giving in, and how all that glitters is not gold.
This story also explored perspectives surrounding feminism, gender roles, and sexuality.
The timing of the story was the perfect mix of cutting to the chase while also taking time to explain certain plot points, or even leaving breadcrumbs that hint at the climactic moments to come.
I thought there were important life lessons to be learned through the main character about never giving up or giving in, and how all that glitters is not gold.
This story also explored perspectives surrounding feminism, gender roles, and sexuality.
It took me a little while to get into this but once it picked up it was really good. Although if anyone is planning on reading this series I would definitely recommend reading them in publishing order. Unfortunately I went with the chronological order listed here on Goodreads by default which puts this book last and is such a shame. I think it really would have made Wild Seed and Mind of My Mind even that much better to have the context for them that came from this book. Also I found Clay's Ark to be totally unreadable when I tried to get through it before this but now I'm planning on going back and picking it up again because this whole book I was like wow how did we get from Mind of My Mind to here and then I was like girl it was in the damn book you skipped lmao. #oops. Really incredible series but cannot stress enough to read them in publishing order and NOT chronological order, although Wild Seed and Mind of My Mind can honestly stand alone in my opinion and are the best parts. But if you want to read all four definitely go for publishing order.
Unknown.jpegWell, this finally makes sense of Clay's Ark. You can definitely read this by itself, but it is far stronger as the culmination of the preceding books. I'm genuinely astonished that this was actually her first published novel and that she then went backwards in the story. What a genius.
That said, this is not the strongest book of the series. The Clayarks are just ciphers, really, an enemy for the sake of an enemy; something for the characters to react against.
That also said, there's definitely some interesting character work here. I especially love Amber, at working with the system but not within in. Teray got a bit wearing after a while.
With the background knowledge of Doro and Mary from previous books, it's intriguing to fill in the gaps to see how the world at the end of Mind of My Mind could turn into the world here: the development of Houses, how people are seconded, and the attitudes towards mutes. Butler could so easily have written many more stories here, filling in those gaps, but it clearly wasn't what she was interested in doing.
I was most sad to see Butler expecting there to be sexism and fear of bisexuality present in this future.
That said, this is not the strongest book of the series. The Clayarks are just ciphers, really, an enemy for the sake of an enemy; something for the characters to react against.
That also said, there's definitely some interesting character work here. I especially love Amber, at working with the system but not within in. Teray got a bit wearing after a while.
With the background knowledge of Doro and Mary from previous books, it's intriguing to fill in the gaps to see how the world at the end of Mind of My Mind could turn into the world here: the development of Houses, how people are seconded, and the attitudes towards mutes. Butler could so easily have written many more stories here, filling in those gaps, but it clearly wasn't what she was interested in doing.
I was most sad to see Butler expecting there to be sexism and fear of bisexuality present in this future.
Enjoying my 1970s sci fi haul from the used bookstore!
The Patternmaster series isn't as immediately gripping to me as some of Butler's other writing (the Parables, etc.), but I'm getting more into it.
The Patternmaster series isn't as immediately gripping to me as some of Butler's other writing (the Parables, etc.), but I'm getting more into it.