A review by jersy
Bloodchild and Other Stories by Octavia E. Butler

emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective

• 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

I am in love of the short stories that are emotional, full of themes and meaning, creative and still highly relevant. While most of them are from the 70s and 80s they can compete with, and read like some of the, award winning SF stories of today. They combine world changing events with the consequences for and feelings of individuals, well known SF tropes (e.g. aliens, apocolypses) with highly creative twists to them, and are told so effectively. They are all a bit dark but never hopeless.
The two essays about becoming an author were also really personal and stimulating and the afterword to every piece of writing gave context as well as more food for thought.