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peachtealeaves 's review for:
Adulthood Rites
by Octavia E. Butler
I mean like…how do you write a review for a book like this?
Everything Butler did well in Dawn is amped up to eleven here. The story alone, I mean my god. I was not expecting her to go in this direction and was actually a little worried I wouldn’t love it as much as the first book, but it completely blew me away. It was engaging from start to finish and makes me anxious to read Imago.
The writing, of course, is amazing. The way Butler is able to situate the reader into Akin’s mind is so incredible. This character belongs to a new type of human-Oankali species and yet he feels so grounded and realistic; in terms of both his personality and biology. I loved watching how he struggled with his identity and the resolution of that conflict was very satisfying.
I really loved the topics being explored as well. The way Butler interweaves discussions of humanity and identity and gender and race and genetics and more and more and more—I mean come on! She was truly a one-of-a-kind writer.
Another thing that I love about Butler’s work is just how gripping it is. This kind of conceptual science fiction can easily be written in a more meditative, philosophical tone. I like (and even love) those kinds of books, but let’s be honest they can get a little preachy. Butler, however, manages to tackle so many distinct concepts and themes without ever losing the story at hand. These books are page-turners!! They have action, intrigue, thrills, romance, AND complex meditations on the essential nature and future of humanity. There’s really something for everybody here.
So, yeah. I loved this so much I can’t even really articulate it. Reading this just made me even more sad that we lost Butler so young, we really will never see another writer like her.
Everything Butler did well in Dawn is amped up to eleven here. The story alone, I mean my god. I was not expecting her to go in this direction and was actually a little worried I wouldn’t love it as much as the first book, but it completely blew me away. It was engaging from start to finish and makes me anxious to read Imago.
The writing, of course, is amazing. The way Butler is able to situate the reader into Akin’s mind is so incredible. This character belongs to a new type of human-Oankali species and yet he feels so grounded and realistic; in terms of both his personality and biology. I loved watching how he struggled with his identity and the resolution of that conflict was very satisfying.
I really loved the topics being explored as well. The way Butler interweaves discussions of humanity and identity and gender and race and genetics and more and more and more—I mean come on! She was truly a one-of-a-kind writer.
Another thing that I love about Butler’s work is just how gripping it is. This kind of conceptual science fiction can easily be written in a more meditative, philosophical tone. I like (and even love) those kinds of books, but let’s be honest they can get a little preachy. Butler, however, manages to tackle so many distinct concepts and themes without ever losing the story at hand. These books are page-turners!! They have action, intrigue, thrills, romance, AND complex meditations on the essential nature and future of humanity. There’s really something for everybody here.
So, yeah. I loved this so much I can’t even really articulate it. Reading this just made me even more sad that we lost Butler so young, we really will never see another writer like her.