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4.18 AVERAGE
4.18 AVERAGE
Absolutely Amazing. One of my favorite books. The way Butler constructs characters and makes the reader’s perspective of them change through the decades is fascinating and Riveting, and the dialogue and story and general prose is so ahead of its time it reads as if it were written a year ago. I cannot wait to read more Octavia Butler!!
I was thinking of using this book for my PhD but I'm going with a different time period. Also, it wasn’t fun.
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
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
mysterious
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
slow-paced
incredibly weird and had strange pacing, but i couldn't put it down!! it really stuck the landing, and makes me excited to read more octavia e butler.
Technically book 4 in the Patternist series, it's actually the first in terms of time within the novels. We meet the two major characters, the immortal (male) Doro and the immortal (female) Anayawu. They form a very complex bond, made of love/hate, commonality, and need. They are opposites inmany ways, with Doro being more consistently the 'heavy' (by which I mean he is controlling, murderous if need be, and a user. Anayawu is a healer who can change her shape and and is a mother, showing her nurturing tendencies often (but don't be fooled - she can get pretty pissed off herself). It's an intriguing look at emotional and physical slavery, gender roles, and race.
dark
emotional
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
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-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
What a war of wills between two incomprehensibly powerful, morally diametric individuals.
Doro is despicable, a slaver, a breeder, a murderer, yet the only way to survive him, and to allow her descendants the chance to see middle age, is for Anyanwu to change him. This is a fraught task — his need to consume body after body has entombed the supremacy of his maleness in his inhuman heart. For most of the novel it seems impossible. But as in every Butlerian world, there is hope in coming together. When we find our people, when we accept that we need them, then we can change.
Time and time again I was struck by how difficult it would be for me to write from such an outrightly sexist, egomaniacal position. Sheesh it’s fucked up in Doro’s brain
Doro is despicable, a slaver, a breeder, a murderer, yet the only way to survive him, and to allow her descendants the chance to see middle age, is for Anyanwu to change him. This is a fraught task — his need to consume body after body has entombed the supremacy of his maleness in his inhuman heart. For most of the novel it seems impossible. But as in every Butlerian world, there is hope in coming together. When we find our people, when we accept that we need them, then we can change.
Time and time again I was struck by how difficult it would be for me to write from such an outrightly sexist, egomaniacal position. Sheesh it’s fucked up in Doro’s brain
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated