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Fiction. Science Fiction. HTML:The stunning conclusion to a postapocalyptic trilogy about an alien species merging with humans�??from "one of science fiction's finest writers" (TheNew York Times). Human and Oankali have been mating since the aliens first came to Earth to rescue the few survivors of an annihilating nuclear war. The Oankali began a massive breeding project, guided by the ooloi, a sexless subspecies capable of manipulating DNA, in the hope of eventually creating a perfect starfaring race. Jodahs is supposed to be just another hybrid of human and Oankali, but as he begins his transformation to adulthood he finds himself becoming ooloi�??the first ever born to a human mother. As his body changes, Jodahs develops the ability to shapeshift, manipulate matter, and cure or create disease at will. If this frightened young man is able to master his new identity, Jodahs could prove the savior of what's left of mankind. Or, if he is not careful, he could become a plague that will destroy this new race once and for all. Readers of Ursula K. Le Guin and N. K. Jemisin will be fascinated by bestselling author Octavia Butler's thought-provoking and compelling vision of humanity. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Octavia E. Butler including rare images from the author's e… (more)
User reviews
It is kind of strange that she picked new characters as main characters for this book and then just had some cameos of the old characters. It makes it seem much like a classic trilogy and more like a couple stories set in the same world.
Another strange thing about this is that she didn't ever explain again how the very complicated family structures work or how the aliens actually look. I read the first book more than a year ago so I couldn't really remember much of it.
Writing was great, very readable like Stephen King but way more interesting and less gimmicky. Only one more Butler book to read and I will have read her entire catalog. Have to say I don't regret it.
Like the previous books in the series there are questions for the reader to ponder while never taking you out of the story that's being told. Using aliens to look at humanity and some of its traits has been a clever idea and handled very well. Like the other two books in the trilogy this one is easy to read despite some questionable morality on behalf of the main characters who you can still empathise with. Not having read any of her work previously this series has been an excellent place to start and I look forward to sampling some more in the future.
Jodahs was an accident--the first ooloi, a third sex neither male nor female, to be born from a Human mother. It wasn't until Jodahs entered metamorphosis that the mistake was caught. A Human-Oankali ooloi was not planned to appear for several more centuries at least. Jodahs is either a fluke or the unintentional start of a new species, but either way is considered to be a danger to itself and the living things around it. In order to minimize the impact it has on its environment and still maintain some degree of freedom, Jodahs and its family choose exile in the wilds of Earth. There Jodahs must learn to control its abilities of genetic manipulation, both voluntary and involuntary, prepare for its second and final metamorphosis, and prove that it is not a danger. It is a daunting task and even with the support of its family, Jodahs may fail.
Jodahs has a physical need, a hunger, to be with people beyond even the need the Oankali have. Its intense desire for acceptance and understanding make it a very sympathetic character despite its very alien mindset. The pain of being rejected simply for being what it is and what it never wanted to be is heartbreaking. The Oankali have no pretensions--they are not concerned with preserving Humankind, they are preoccupied with protecting Life. The ooloi are not the only thing that make the Oankali totally alien and Butler captures their strangeness marvelously. By telling the story through the eyes of Jodahs, who is different from anyone else, she is also able to explore the inherent strangeness and contradictions of Humans as well. And because the book is written in the first-person, Jodahs' observations and experiences with Humans, Oankali, and fellow constructs are acutely personal.
I had forgotten how amazing Butler's work is. Just like the first two books in Xenogenesis, I absolutely loved Imago--it was sensual, emotionally charged, erotic, and disconcerting. Although Imago is the third book of the trilogy, it actually stands alone quite well. The ending does seem to come a bit suddenly (Imago is the shortest book of the three) but it was a very satisfying conclusion to the series. Understandably, some people are going to be uncomfortable with these books--they do have quite a bit do with interspecies sex and challenging gender conventions, after all. The Oankali are the unarguably the species that holds the power. The Humans can't help that they are physically attracted to the Oankali even while being repulsed by them. This conflict makes them dangerous as the Humans fight against the sense they are betraying themselves and their species. Even I as a reader felt simultaneously drawn to and repelled by the Oankali. Xenogenesis is a compelling and challenging work, a fantastic series, and one that I would highly recommend.
Experiments in Reading
The three books offer a master course in scifi. The author is incredibly creative - not in imagining alien technology, but in imagining the interactions of humans and aliens.
Great reading.