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4.18 AVERAGE
4.18 AVERAGE
honestly one of the best books I've read. wildseed is a unique tale of love, abuse and power set through the dawn of civilization to the beginning of slavery. although in terms of publication it is the fourth wildseed is the narrative origin of the patternist series. its a vivid charaterisation of two powerful immortals with waring ideologies that are joined in a parasitic relaionship that is meant to propegate the inhumane Doro's plan for a master race.
. Anyanwu is a healer and a shape shifter and seems to remain at about 20 years of age though she can take the shape (and apparently the DNA makeup) of other people and even animals. Doro, on the other hand, turns out to be much older and is a kind of spiritual vampire, taking the bodies of his victims and “wearing” them for a while.
The central conflict of the story is the dynamic opposition between Anyanwu and Doro in regard to Doro’s millennia project of breeding a super race. Doro, who is more spirit than man, has been gathering people with unusual talents and getting them together so that their talents may be made more usable and more apparent in the offspring. Anyanwu vehemently opposes his methods and his dehumanization of the subjects.
As interesting as this story is, and it is quintessential Butler, the magnetic tension between Doro and Anyanwu is the gripping central focus of the book. Butler’s Doro is a fascinatingly complex and intriguing antagonist who displays both god-like power and transcendent ennui. Anyanwu’s humanism, and her female relational practicality and leadership offer a vital juxtaposition to Doro’s attentive but disassociated deity.
. Anyanwu is a healer and a shape shifter and seems to remain at about 20 years of age though she can take the shape (and apparently the DNA makeup) of other people and even animals. Doro, on the other hand, turns out to be much older and is a kind of spiritual vampire, taking the bodies of his victims and “wearing” them for a while.
The central conflict of the story is the dynamic opposition between Anyanwu and Doro in regard to Doro’s millennia project of breeding a super race. Doro, who is more spirit than man, has been gathering people with unusual talents and getting them together so that their talents may be made more usable and more apparent in the offspring. Anyanwu vehemently opposes his methods and his dehumanization of the subjects.
As interesting as this story is, and it is quintessential Butler, the magnetic tension between Doro and Anyanwu is the gripping central focus of the book. Butler’s Doro is a fascinatingly complex and intriguing antagonist who displays both god-like power and transcendent ennui. Anyanwu’s humanism, and her female relational practicality and leadership offer a vital juxtaposition to Doro’s attentive but disassociated deity.
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Well-written, but a bit slow and too much on the fantasy end of the sci-fi spectrum for me. However, Octavia Butler gets the benefit of the doubt and I believe I will enjoy the later books in the series more.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
sad
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
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
Wild Seed was the last book written in the Patternmaster series, but the first book chronologically, and has prequel problems in that it exists to set up plot, rather than have one of its own.
Anyanwu is a 300 year old shapeshifting Igbo witch. Her happy life at the center of a cluster of villages which understand the proper deference due to her is interrupted by the arrival of Doro. Doro is 3700 years old, a body hopping immortal with even more uncanny powers than Anyanwu. Doro collects her for part of his breeding program. Bodies with psychic abilities taste better, and Doro has collected villages of witches in the New World.
Doro and Anyanwu could be worthy partners for each other, two immortals together forever, but the basic problem is that she's still a person and he's an abusive asshole obsessed with his breeding program. The two of them bounce between partnership and hatred, Anyanwu unable to kill Doro and Doro unwilling to kill her until he's wrung the last bit of potential out of her genes.
The story ambles through the centuries, from 1640 to 1840, against the backdrop of slavery and colonialism without seriously engaging with it. These superhumans are as far beyond imperial politics as imperialism is beyond traditional societies.
As always, Butler is a solid prose stylist, but this book is weaker than its pieces.
Anyanwu is a 300 year old shapeshifting Igbo witch. Her happy life at the center of a cluster of villages which understand the proper deference due to her is interrupted by the arrival of Doro. Doro is 3700 years old, a body hopping immortal with even more uncanny powers than Anyanwu. Doro collects her for part of his breeding program. Bodies with psychic abilities taste better, and Doro has collected villages of witches in the New World.
Doro and Anyanwu could be worthy partners for each other, two immortals together forever, but the basic problem is that she's still a person and he's an abusive asshole obsessed with his breeding program. The two of them bounce between partnership and hatred, Anyanwu unable to kill Doro and Doro unwilling to kill her until he's wrung the last bit of potential out of her genes.
The story ambles through the centuries, from 1640 to 1840, against the backdrop of slavery and colonialism without seriously engaging with it. These superhumans are as far beyond imperial politics as imperialism is beyond traditional societies.
As always, Butler is a solid prose stylist, but this book is weaker than its pieces.
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book is unlike anything I have ever read before. As best as I can remember, I have never hated a MMC so much and yet wanted them to be better and do better. I also don’t know how I feel about the FMC. So much power and yet…and yet…This is a love hate feeling……similar to how I feel about the main characters. I need time to review my feelings. I don’t know how to review this book other than to confuse you more with my words and say read it. 🥴🫠
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
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