You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
I did not know this was part of a series when I first read it. I wanted to read it just because it was Butler's first published book. Finished it a few days ago and I'm still trying to wrap my mind around it. The telepathic society aspect was really intriguing. I felt that there was more that could be done with it. The book is short and there is a lot left to the imagination.
All of the lead characters could have been fleshed out more. The hero had few redeeming qualities and I didn't particularly like him at first. If it wasn't for the second woman he ends up with, who is extremely likeable and sassy and a true badass, I wouldn't have cheered for the hero at all. The villain is a jerk from the very beginning and a lot of the other secondary males are weak or jerk-like, too, making it that much harder to find a single character that you can root for.
Overall, it was a good read. Not the best Butler book. Her usual themes of hierarchy, otherness, power, racism, etc. was there and I always enjoy that. But I was uncomfortable with the incest, rape, cruelty, humiliation and abuse the characters endure. It's a lot of darkness for a little 200 page sci-fi fantasy.
All of the lead characters could have been fleshed out more. The hero had few redeeming qualities and I didn't particularly like him at first. If it wasn't for the second woman he ends up with, who is extremely likeable and sassy and a true badass, I wouldn't have cheered for the hero at all. The villain is a jerk from the very beginning and a lot of the other secondary males are weak or jerk-like, too, making it that much harder to find a single character that you can root for.
Overall, it was a good read. Not the best Butler book. Her usual themes of hierarchy, otherness, power, racism, etc. was there and I always enjoy that. But I was uncomfortable with the incest, rape, cruelty, humiliation and abuse the characters endure. It's a lot of darkness for a little 200 page sci-fi fantasy.
medium-paced
This is a hard one to rate. In all honesty I didn't love this book.. at all. BUT it's hard to ignore the fact that although this is the last book in the series, it was written first. And that really shows. I think if I had read these in the 'published' order I would not have made it past this book. So due to such mixed feelings I'm still grateful to have finished the series and know how it all ends. Butler's writing is still incredible and she was WAY ahead of her time, covering deep social issues throughout the series in a very imaginative and unique way. I can't wait to read more of her books!
Best science fiction book I've read in a long time, absolutely loved it :)
dark
emotional
tense
Well written but kinda boring and a less satisfying end than octavia butler usually has
Short but it packed more action and drama in than most 400+ page books I've read. Psychic fights in books are way beyond what a movie could ever hope to reproduce. I always hate it when 2 psychics fight, usually staring each other down with some physical plasma of some sort coming out of their hands or heads. The end fight between Teray and Coransee was epic and worth it. I'm sad that I'm finished with the series. I still miss Anyanwu and even miss Doro. This world shes built has so much potential. If I recall correctly the Clay Ark was powered by psyonic power, but this book said it was only mutes aboard the ship. So many questions. I guess I'm going to have to start looking for some answers.
This was my last novel I had left to read by Queen Octavia.
adventurous
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed the first 3 books of the series. This one just wasn't as good.
This feels like far and away the least unique book in the series. It is definitely the one that most could have been written by .
The plot is not particularly interesting - while it touches upon a little bit of the slave/control elements found also in Wildseed, for example, mostly it's just about some silly power grabby stuff.
I don't think there's anything really to care about in this book. The Clayarks are a terrible and underdeveloped foil, and that is no different here. But really the faults with this one are that the political structure is just really underdeveloped and doesn't really seem to work. If this were in the hands of someone like Ursula LeGuin, whose strength is in those big structures, I feel like it would work better. Butler's strength is definitely not the hard sci-fi -- her voice is evocative, and the more she leans into the internal struggles of her characters, the stronger the books are, IMO. This is just not one of those.
Funnily, despite kicking off a series, it doesn't really feel like it should. While this is a fizzle of a chronological ending, it also doesn't feel like it needs to go on, so it makes sense that the later books went to the before-times.
Anyway, this is a first book, and the world is much better for this somehow giving Octavia Butler the space to write. But Wildseed is the only must-read in this series, and I'd personally recommend stopping after that and Mind of My Mind if you want another, since those stand relatively alone and are the only ones that for me really got into the characters' heads and explored interesting social themes.
The plot is not particularly interesting - while it touches upon a little bit of the slave/control elements found also in Wildseed, for example, mostly it's just about some silly power grabby stuff.
I don't think there's anything really to care about in this book. The Clayarks are a terrible and underdeveloped foil, and that is no different here. But really the faults with this one are that the political structure is just really underdeveloped and doesn't really seem to work. If this were in the hands of someone like Ursula LeGuin, whose strength is in those big structures, I feel like it would work better. Butler's strength is definitely not the hard sci-fi -- her voice is evocative, and the more she leans into the internal struggles of her characters, the stronger the books are, IMO. This is just not one of those.
Funnily, despite kicking off a series, it doesn't really feel like it should. While this is a fizzle of a chronological ending, it also doesn't feel like it needs to go on, so it makes sense that the later books went to the before-times.
Anyway, this is a first book, and the world is much better for this somehow giving Octavia Butler the space to write. But Wildseed is the only must-read in this series, and I'd personally recommend stopping after that and Mind of My Mind if you want another, since those stand relatively alone and are the only ones that for me really got into the characters' heads and explored interesting social themes.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated