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4.18 AVERAGE
4.18 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
Both genius and extremely uncomfortable to read. I had no clue the book’s major theme was literal eugenics and it was a bit of a shock to say the least !! However it is an extremely good book, I just hate that Doro and Anyanwu end up together despite the CENTURIES? of abuse on his part. She deserves so much better for real.
Also there were a bunch of spelling mistakes in my copy (a used, old one) which made me laugh every time
Also there were a bunch of spelling mistakes in my copy (a used, old one) which made me laugh every time
adventurous
dark
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
adventurous
dark
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:
Complicated
Octavia has an interesting concept that is also terrifying. The superpowers were truly unique. Doro is an icky character that I abhor. I don't think he really is redeemed either at the end.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Incest, Sexual content
Minor: Sexual assault
I knew I had to, at some point, get around to reading a book by Octavia E Butler. I'm not actually super interested in the rest of the Patternist series (I'm sure they're exceptional, just not the vibe of Sci Fi I feel like reading now). But the idea of a sweeping tale moving through history, from Africa to the Americas, tearing through multiple cultures and times, with characters becoming abstracted from their initial humanity, was exactly what I wanted. And it DELIVERED.
It's so hard to comment on Wild Seed coherently, but given my reviews are mostly for myself to remember what the hell I read, I will try...
Heed every trigger warning: this book is not pleasant. It's not happy. It's not really a "romance" despite it being about two characters bound together by fate. It is a complicated exploration of humanity and the ways people harm each other or love each other. Through the transatlantic slave trade, through pure misogyny, through the othering of minorities (for ethnicity, gender, or magic, often reading as neurodivergence), through disgusting acts of sexual harm and incest, dark themes are rife. But they all serve the core purpose of questioning human nature. They are all based on real things people have done to one another throughout history.
Through one main character, we experience pure selfishness. Everything he does is for his own gain. Through the other, we experience the beaten-down desperation to remain good, or to even discover what "good" is. Both fail, and succeed, and compromise their positions throughout their stories.
Doro is the worst. Obviously. He's a demonic body-stealing entity that, by nature, kills people to survive. And, by choice, he breeds people in a creepy human farming system under his absolute control, all to try to build himself better and better bodies. Every relationship he has is coercive at the very least.
He's really interesting as a character though -- with his attachments to certain people, his bafflement when he feels true emotions, and the way he chooses to shut that down any glimpse of a conscience. I was fascinated by his rare moments of humanity. As an ancient creature, he was surprised by his love for his son, Isaac*, and by his need for the other main character, Anyanwu. He feels irredeemable. But because he can never die, the novel must explore the best possible options for his future. And he learned that he needs companionship that is not defined by his control. He learned what an equal relationship might be. Which was a fascinating place to leave him without bringing him to a trite and unrealistic point of absolute change.
Anyanwu is incredible. I love that we start with a version of her that's already well into her immortality, old and weathered and wise. She has used every moment of her life to heal and help people. She builds community, she cares for her family, she clings to every scrap of love, even knowing that generations will live and die around her. She's exceptional without being flawless. She's a matriarch embedded in her own cultural context.
The relationship between Doro and Anyanwu forms the core of this novel. It's horrible. Chilling. Every part of you will root for Anyanwu to disentangle from this evil man and get far, far away. But you also know they are the only two beings who will live forever and return to each other's company over and over again. It's fascinating to follow their journey.
Anyanwu shows strength and compassion and despair in the face of incredible evil. She is definitely on her back foot for most of this novel, and is the least powerful of the two main characters at first, but she picks her fights and refuses to relinquish the last of her integrity. She knows how to entirely cut off her reproduction and refuse Doro his experiments. She also knows how far she's willing to go, to give him what he wants if it will protect her children. She's forced to make difficult choices time and time again.
Anyanwu's shapeshifting means she becomes a lens to explore identity. What does it mean if she changes her appearance to be white so that she has an easier time in enslaved America? What does it mean if she becomes an animal? If she lives with dolphins at sea? She is also a mother who, in some ways, defines herself by the role, but is never restricted by it. She's so interesting!
A final point: I've seen people very angry about the portrayal of gender in this novel. Either it is "too mean" to men by painting them all as evil, or it is "too misogynistic" because of how the female characters suffer. I don't think either point quite applies. There are many good men in this novel that disprove the first. As for the second, there is so much terrible sexist bullshit inflicted on the women, but the narrative never felt like it was endorsing it (to me). Instead, it showed what some women have really faced in life, and the multitude of ways they have to deal with it. Also, the fact that the main characters can change their bodies entirely leads to some really interesting explorations of gender and power. We see what it means to the world when Anyanwu changes her body to be able to "father" her own children, and we see what it means when Doro steps into a "female" body and births a child. I like books where the characters aren't bound by strict gender-essentialist rules.
* How apt that his favourite kid was named after the beloved child Abraham was willing to sacrifice to please his God! Except that Doro's "god" is his own self-interest.
It's so hard to comment on Wild Seed coherently, but given my reviews are mostly for myself to remember what the hell I read, I will try...
Heed every trigger warning: this book is not pleasant. It's not happy. It's not really a "romance" despite it being about two characters bound together by fate. It is a complicated exploration of humanity and the ways people harm each other or love each other. Through the transatlantic slave trade, through pure misogyny, through the othering of minorities (for ethnicity, gender, or magic, often reading as neurodivergence), through disgusting acts of sexual harm and incest, dark themes are rife. But they all serve the core purpose of questioning human nature. They are all based on real things people have done to one another throughout history.
Through one main character, we experience pure selfishness. Everything he does is for his own gain. Through the other, we experience the beaten-down desperation to remain good, or to even discover what "good" is. Both fail, and succeed, and compromise their positions throughout their stories.
Doro is the worst. Obviously. He's a demonic body-stealing entity that, by nature, kills people to survive. And, by choice, he breeds people in a creepy human farming system under his absolute control, all to try to build himself better and better bodies. Every relationship he has is coercive at the very least.
He's really interesting as a character though -- with his attachments to certain people, his bafflement when he feels true emotions, and the way he chooses to shut that down any glimpse of a conscience. I was fascinated by his rare moments of humanity. As an ancient creature, he was surprised by his love for his son, Isaac*, and by his need for the other main character, Anyanwu. He feels irredeemable. But because he can never die, the novel must explore the best possible options for his future. And he learned that he needs companionship that is not defined by his control. He learned what an equal relationship might be. Which was a fascinating place to leave him without bringing him to a trite and unrealistic point of absolute change.
Anyanwu is incredible. I love that we start with a version of her that's already well into her immortality, old and weathered and wise. She has used every moment of her life to heal and help people. She builds community, she cares for her family, she clings to every scrap of love, even knowing that generations will live and die around her. She's exceptional without being flawless. She's a matriarch embedded in her own cultural context.
The relationship between Doro and Anyanwu forms the core of this novel. It's horrible. Chilling. Every part of you will root for Anyanwu to disentangle from this evil man and get far, far away. But you also know they are the only two beings who will live forever and return to each other's company over and over again. It's fascinating to follow their journey.
Anyanwu shows strength and compassion and despair in the face of incredible evil. She is definitely on her back foot for most of this novel, and is the least powerful of the two main characters at first, but she picks her fights and refuses to relinquish the last of her integrity. She knows how to entirely cut off her reproduction and refuse Doro his experiments. She also knows how far she's willing to go, to give him what he wants if it will protect her children. She's forced to make difficult choices time and time again.
Anyanwu's shapeshifting means she becomes a lens to explore identity. What does it mean if she changes her appearance to be white so that she has an easier time in enslaved America? What does it mean if she becomes an animal? If she lives with dolphins at sea? She is also a mother who, in some ways, defines herself by the role, but is never restricted by it. She's so interesting!
A final point: I've seen people very angry about the portrayal of gender in this novel. Either it is "too mean" to men by painting them all as evil, or it is "too misogynistic" because of how the female characters suffer. I don't think either point quite applies. There are many good men in this novel that disprove the first. As for the second, there is so much terrible sexist bullshit inflicted on the women, but the narrative never felt like it was endorsing it (to me). Instead, it showed what some women have really faced in life, and the multitude of ways they have to deal with it. Also, the fact that the main characters can change their bodies entirely leads to some really interesting explorations of gender and power. We see what it means to the world when Anyanwu changes her body to be able to "father" her own children, and we see what it means when Doro steps into a "female" body and births a child. I like books where the characters aren't bound by strict gender-essentialist rules.
* How apt that his favourite kid was named after the beloved child Abraham was willing to sacrifice to please his God! Except that Doro's "god" is his own self-interest.
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
“Wild Seed” is a fantastically engaging book which I could not put down for more than a few hours at a time. I found myself enthralled by the characters, by the story line, and by the narrative of uncertainty and healing about which Octavia Butler wrote.
There is a beautiful ethos to what she has created in this vibrant world she put to paper.
With this introduction to Octavia Butler, I have most definitely found a new favorite author, and someone whose work I long to read more of in the near future. Whether it is the rest of the series belonging to this book, or other stories of hers, I do not think I will be disappointed.
There is a beautiful ethos to what she has created in this vibrant world she put to paper.
With this introduction to Octavia Butler, I have most definitely found a new favorite author, and someone whose work I long to read more of in the near future. Whether it is the rest of the series belonging to this book, or other stories of hers, I do not think I will be disappointed.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-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
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated