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A review by whatevanreads
Dawn by Octavia E. Butler
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
To me, it's an undeniable fact that Octavia Butler was a genius and a pioneer in Science Fiction. Her imagination, creativity, and talent for reminding us about the worst parts of humanity were on full display within Dawn - the first book of the Xenogenesis trilogy. However, parts of this became cringe-worthy and disturbing, which I'm sure was her goal but unfortunately took away from my reading experience a bit.
I was enraptured by the first part beginning with our main character, Lilith, as she wakes up in an isolated room with memories of a destroyed Earth. We find out Lilith is one of the humans "rescued" by an alien civilization known as the Oankali who have their own reasons for doing so. The anger, apprehension, and fear she felt coming to terms with her situation was palpable - especially when she saw one of the Oankali for the first time. I loved these interactions and the descriptions of the Oankali were spine-tingling.
Then other humans got involved and things became...creepy to say the least. I won't give away any spoilers but just be warned before going into this that a few scenes will probably make you deeply uncomfortable. Octavia Butler had a way of unapologetically peeling back every layer of humanity until nothing but the most horrific parts were on full display. To this day, I have yet to find another sci-fi author who has been able to do so as effectively.
Overall, I liked this enough to continue with the series mostly just to see what happens next. If you're new to sci-fi, don't start with this! It'll probably turn you off from the genre...
I was enraptured by the first part beginning with our main character, Lilith, as she wakes up in an isolated room with memories of a destroyed Earth. We find out Lilith is one of the humans "rescued" by an alien civilization known as the Oankali who have their own reasons for doing so. The anger, apprehension, and fear she felt coming to terms with her situation was palpable - especially when she saw one of the Oankali for the first time. I loved these interactions and the descriptions of the Oankali were spine-tingling.
Then other humans got involved and things became...creepy to say the least. I won't give away any spoilers but just be warned before going into this that a few scenes will probably make you deeply uncomfortable. Octavia Butler had a way of unapologetically peeling back every layer of humanity until nothing but the most horrific parts were on full display. To this day, I have yet to find another sci-fi author who has been able to do so as effectively.
Overall, I liked this enough to continue with the series mostly just to see what happens next. If you're new to sci-fi, don't start with this! It'll probably turn you off from the genre...