A review by isabelreads
Wild Seed by Octavia E. Butler

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Octavia Butler never fails to deliver for me, especially when she combines speculative fiction and fantasy. Both Anyanwu and Doro are complex characters with myriad experience to help explain their choices, even as we don't always agree with or understand them. Butler deals with dark themes with her typical deft hand. Depictions of sexual assault and slavery are never used to titillate, and though sex often drives the story given it's focus on eugenics, breeding, and immortality, it's used with a sharp eye towards its purpose in driving home the complex layers at work as the two leads encounter one another across early American history. Another personal fave from an author who consistently impresses!