Status
Checked out
Publication
Seven Stories Press (2005), Edition: 2, 224 pages
Description
Fiction. Science Fiction. Short Stories. HTML:Six extraordinary stories from the author of Kindred, a master of modern science fiction�??including a Hugo and Nebula award�??winning novella. Octavia E. Butler's classic "Bloodchild," winner of both the Nebula and Hugo awards, anchors this collection of incomparable stories and essays. "Bloodchild" is set on a distant planet where human children spend their lives preparing to become hosts for the offspring of the alien Tlic. Sometimes the procedure is harmless, but often it is not. Also included is the Hugo Award�??winning "Speech Sounds," about a near future in which humans must adapt after an apocalyptic event robs them of their ability to speak. "The Evening and the Morning and the Night," another esteemed title in this collection, is a Nebula Award finalist. In these pages, Butler shows us life on Earth and amongst the stars, telling her tales with characteristic imagination and clarity. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Octavia E. Butler including rare images from the author's est… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member tootstorm
Bloodchild and Other Stories was my introduction to Butler’s writing, and it reflects a masterful (and masterfully-thoughtful) writer. This collection features every short story — and two essays — that Octavia Butler wrote between 1971 and 2003. At just over 200 pages, that’s not many, and
### ‘Bloodchild’ (1984)
I should find the title story, ‘Bloodchild,’ cheesy, with its insect-like aliens and technological magic: It’s steeped in old-fashioned sci-fi cheese without ever getting drowned in the magic and wonder writers like Bradbury relied on.
[N.B. This review features images and formatting specific to my book site, dendrobibliography: Check it out here.]
‘Bloodchild’ is about a future where humanity has come under the control and protection of a space-faring species most akin to preying mantises and spiders. They’re benevolent, but still very clearly in charge. Humanity is, coincidentally, an ideal host species for the Tilc’s larva; human families live on vast preserves, and are free to live as long as they supply one child per family as an N’Tilc — a host of Tilc larvae.
This is an uncomfortable story, and infinitely imaginative. Humanity is conflicted about this — it is a sort of slavery, after all. The hosts form close bonds with their Tilc partners, but the host process is violent, painful, gory, and can easily lead to the host’s death if they’re not careful.
‘Bloodchild’ never quite focuses on that, however. This story is all about the bond of human boy and his Tilc partner; in forming a loving relationship despite the requisite pain and suffering.
### ‘The Evening and the Morning and the Night’ (1987)
‘The Evening and the Morning and the Night’ continues the first story’s excellence, introducing a genetic disorder that causes unpredictably violent and suicidal behavior in those affected by it. Society, being how it is, punishes those born with this genetic disorder, pushing them to the outskirts of society much as our culture silently does with special needs individuals (which, of course, exacerbates their condition, turning the violence into a cycle). Like ‘Bloodchild,’ this story is required reading.
### ‘Near of Kin’ (1979), ‘Speech Sounds’ (1983), and ‘Crossover’ (1971)
The original edition of Bloodchild and Other Stories only had three more stories, all shorter and less consistent. ‘Near of Kin’ and ‘Crossover’ aren’t sci-fi, and are brief moments in the lives of fragmenting families: In ‘Near of Kin,’ a young woman goes through her mother’s belongings after she passes away. She reflects on her poor relationship with her mom, and of her better, if timid, relationship with her living uncle — who, it’s suggested, is her dad. ‘Crossover,’ Butler’s first-published story (1971), follows a young, miserable woman struggling with an abusive boyfriend, a miserable job, and thoughts of suicide. These two aren’t bad, but didn’t leave much of an impression.
‘Speech Sounds’ is a fairly standard mid-’80s post-apocalyptic story. The world’s social order has broken down after a virus causes every living person to either lose their ability to speak or read/write. Each group — speakers and readers — is led by jealousy and trouble communicating, leading to a plot straight out of the Road Warrior. This story, about a young woman who makes a fleeting acquaintance with someone not awful, is exciting, yes, but the apocalypse was never believable, and, like the page-count, the characters are in and out of the story too quickly to be memorable.
It’s rare that I can get into short stories as it is, and these three, while good, remind me more of every other short story writer I’ve had trouble getting into despite accolades (Ray Bradbury, Amy Hempel).
### ‘Positive Obsession’ (1989) and ‘Furor Scribendi’ (1993)
The two essays that closed the original ’95 publication of Bloodchild, ‘Positive Obsession’ and ‘Furor Scribendi,’ include stories from Butler’s life as well as advice to aspiring writers. Her writing background is fascinating, publishing sci-fi at a time when Samuel Delany was the only accepted black sci-fi writer. Octavia didn’t have much in the way of role models or family encouragement: Black women shouldn’t write, especially genre fiction.
Her writing advice that accompanies her flash-biography is simple: Keep writing, keep trying — become obsessed. Butler intentionally shuns the garbage of the self-help industry to get her message across: There’s no talent — nothing innate in respected writers — there’s only their obsessions that drive them to try and try again.
These two short essays may be far more valuable than any self-help book or guide for writers.
### ‘Amnesty’ (2003)
Butler’s return to short stories is stunning, with both ‘Amnesty’ and ‘the Book of Martha’ being some of the most intellectually- and emotionally-demanding work in the collection. ‘Amnesty’ is a marriage of classic sci-fi tropes, careful characterization, and damning social commentary.
An alien civilization has landed. Like in Ted Chiang’s ‘Story of Your Life,’ the Communities landed quietly in the world’s deserts, barely interacting with us as we’re studied from a distance. People have been abducted — never with any nefarious intent, though some have suffered simply due to communication issues — and slab cities have been erected around the Communities. The Communities are peaceful, each individual actually a population in itself of plant-like entities, minds working as one.
The story revolves around a former abductee interviewing candidates from outside the Communities to work for the Communities. As the interviewer, she gets a number of questions about why she is working for the species, and her reasoning is the meat of this story, relevant particularly to political events in 2017:
After her abduction, Noah was kidnapped by her own government and tortured for years. They didn’t understand the Communities — rather feared them — and wouldn’t believe that she wasn’t an agent working on the aliens’ behalf to harm mankind. Mankind, embroiled in heated competition with itself, is hardly prepared to handle an alien species which, they assume, must be after the same thing. It’s a cycle of fear and hatred, and Noah felt no choice in escaping persecution. What the Communities offer her is a home: She’s no longer welcome among mankind, tainted by this alien experience.
Octavia Butler’s gleamed more truths about humanity than most of us ever could.
### ‘The Book of Martha’ (2005)
The final story Butler ever wrote, ‘the Book of Martha’ is another bombshell on the reader’s feelings. The idea is simple (and even cliche): God meets with Martha in her dreams. Martha’s an everywoman figure, rising from nothing to moderate success. S/he asks for her help in shaping humanity’s future, in helping dilute anger and hatred and religious persecution in favor of a paradise.
The rest of this story is their conversation, their debates on how her varying ideas would help or harm the vision of an earthly paradise: Who would benefit, who would suffer. The only way to benefit everyone — hopefully — they realize, is through that individual’s dreams.
‘The Book of Martha’ offers an interesting thought experiment, and it’s surprising that a philosophical conversation with the self makes for as entertaining a story as this is.
---
Short stories rarely appeal to me the way novels do, but Bloodchild and Other Stories is an excellent introduction to Butler’s writing. Her ideas are brilliantly creative, her social commentary sharp, the empathy of her characters deep — I can’t wait to move on to her other work.
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she herself admits to not being a writer or fan of short stories in her comments.### ‘Bloodchild’ (1984)
I should find the title story, ‘Bloodchild,’ cheesy, with its insect-like aliens and technological magic: It’s steeped in old-fashioned sci-fi cheese without ever getting drowned in the magic and wonder writers like Bradbury relied on.
[N.B. This review features images and formatting specific to my book site, dendrobibliography: Check it out here.]
‘Bloodchild’ is about a future where humanity has come under the control and protection of a space-faring species most akin to preying mantises and spiders. They’re benevolent, but still very clearly in charge. Humanity is, coincidentally, an ideal host species for the Tilc’s larva; human families live on vast preserves, and are free to live as long as they supply one child per family as an N’Tilc — a host of Tilc larvae.
This is an uncomfortable story, and infinitely imaginative. Humanity is conflicted about this — it is a sort of slavery, after all. The hosts form close bonds with their Tilc partners, but the host process is violent, painful, gory, and can easily lead to the host’s death if they’re not careful.
‘Bloodchild’ never quite focuses on that, however. This story is all about the bond of human boy and his Tilc partner; in forming a loving relationship despite the requisite pain and suffering.
### ‘The Evening and the Morning and the Night’ (1987)
‘The Evening and the Morning and the Night’ continues the first story’s excellence, introducing a genetic disorder that causes unpredictably violent and suicidal behavior in those affected by it. Society, being how it is, punishes those born with this genetic disorder, pushing them to the outskirts of society much as our culture silently does with special needs individuals (which, of course, exacerbates their condition, turning the violence into a cycle). Like ‘Bloodchild,’ this story is required reading.
### ‘Near of Kin’ (1979), ‘Speech Sounds’ (1983), and ‘Crossover’ (1971)
The original edition of Bloodchild and Other Stories only had three more stories, all shorter and less consistent. ‘Near of Kin’ and ‘Crossover’ aren’t sci-fi, and are brief moments in the lives of fragmenting families: In ‘Near of Kin,’ a young woman goes through her mother’s belongings after she passes away. She reflects on her poor relationship with her mom, and of her better, if timid, relationship with her living uncle — who, it’s suggested, is her dad. ‘Crossover,’ Butler’s first-published story (1971), follows a young, miserable woman struggling with an abusive boyfriend, a miserable job, and thoughts of suicide. These two aren’t bad, but didn’t leave much of an impression.
‘Speech Sounds’ is a fairly standard mid-’80s post-apocalyptic story. The world’s social order has broken down after a virus causes every living person to either lose their ability to speak or read/write. Each group — speakers and readers — is led by jealousy and trouble communicating, leading to a plot straight out of the Road Warrior. This story, about a young woman who makes a fleeting acquaintance with someone not awful, is exciting, yes, but the apocalypse was never believable, and, like the page-count, the characters are in and out of the story too quickly to be memorable.
It’s rare that I can get into short stories as it is, and these three, while good, remind me more of every other short story writer I’ve had trouble getting into despite accolades (Ray Bradbury, Amy Hempel).
### ‘Positive Obsession’ (1989) and ‘Furor Scribendi’ (1993)
The two essays that closed the original ’95 publication of Bloodchild, ‘Positive Obsession’ and ‘Furor Scribendi,’ include stories from Butler’s life as well as advice to aspiring writers. Her writing background is fascinating, publishing sci-fi at a time when Samuel Delany was the only accepted black sci-fi writer. Octavia didn’t have much in the way of role models or family encouragement: Black women shouldn’t write, especially genre fiction.
Her writing advice that accompanies her flash-biography is simple: Keep writing, keep trying — become obsessed. Butler intentionally shuns the garbage of the self-help industry to get her message across: There’s no talent — nothing innate in respected writers — there’s only their obsessions that drive them to try and try again.
These two short essays may be far more valuable than any self-help book or guide for writers.
### ‘Amnesty’ (2003)
Butler’s return to short stories is stunning, with both ‘Amnesty’ and ‘the Book of Martha’ being some of the most intellectually- and emotionally-demanding work in the collection. ‘Amnesty’ is a marriage of classic sci-fi tropes, careful characterization, and damning social commentary.
An alien civilization has landed. Like in Ted Chiang’s ‘Story of Your Life,’ the Communities landed quietly in the world’s deserts, barely interacting with us as we’re studied from a distance. People have been abducted — never with any nefarious intent, though some have suffered simply due to communication issues — and slab cities have been erected around the Communities. The Communities are peaceful, each individual actually a population in itself of plant-like entities, minds working as one.
The story revolves around a former abductee interviewing candidates from outside the Communities to work for the Communities. As the interviewer, she gets a number of questions about why she is working for the species, and her reasoning is the meat of this story, relevant particularly to political events in 2017:
After her abduction, Noah was kidnapped by her own government and tortured for years. They didn’t understand the Communities — rather feared them — and wouldn’t believe that she wasn’t an agent working on the aliens’ behalf to harm mankind. Mankind, embroiled in heated competition with itself, is hardly prepared to handle an alien species which, they assume, must be after the same thing. It’s a cycle of fear and hatred, and Noah felt no choice in escaping persecution. What the Communities offer her is a home: She’s no longer welcome among mankind, tainted by this alien experience.
Octavia Butler’s gleamed more truths about humanity than most of us ever could.
### ‘The Book of Martha’ (2005)
The final story Butler ever wrote, ‘the Book of Martha’ is another bombshell on the reader’s feelings. The idea is simple (and even cliche): God meets with Martha in her dreams. Martha’s an everywoman figure, rising from nothing to moderate success. S/he asks for her help in shaping humanity’s future, in helping dilute anger and hatred and religious persecution in favor of a paradise.
The rest of this story is their conversation, their debates on how her varying ideas would help or harm the vision of an earthly paradise: Who would benefit, who would suffer. The only way to benefit everyone — hopefully — they realize, is through that individual’s dreams.
‘The Book of Martha’ offers an interesting thought experiment, and it’s surprising that a philosophical conversation with the self makes for as entertaining a story as this is.
---
Short stories rarely appeal to me the way novels do, but Bloodchild and Other Stories is an excellent introduction to Butler’s writing. Her ideas are brilliantly creative, her social commentary sharp, the empathy of her characters deep — I can’t wait to move on to her other work.
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LibraryThing member whitewavedarling
A friend gave me this collection, and I have to say, it's wonderful, and a particular find for someone like me who spends so much time writing and teaching writing. Butler's prose is fluid and engaging--not a word too many or too little. Each story grabs you from the first page (as alien as it may
These are primarily science fiction and fantasy, but they're also literary. The three listed above and "Near of Kin" are probably the closest to standing outside of the sci-fi genre, but even "Amnesty" is clearly sci-fi if you must label it. If you're curious about branching out, I'd recommend these.
What makes this book even more of a find is that after each story, Butler has written a brief and telling afterword to discuss her thoughts on the story--where it came from, her feelings on it or responses, etc. These are, without doubt, perfect for a creative writing class, where the group can experience the story, and later be given the afterward (assuming the instructor is copying and the students don't have the full book in front of them). Also, there are two short essays on writing, both of which are worth passing on to young writers and reading yourself.
As a whole, this was a wonderful read---entertaining, smart, and gracefully written. I recommend it highly to writers and readers of science fiction or short fiction alike.
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be to what you've experienced before) and moves you through to the end, surprising you with the combination of grace and darkness that each story brings up. Some of these are darker than others, and it's a fair warning to say that the very first story in the collection is by far the most graphic, and probably the darkest of them all. Butler's newer stories (the two at the end) are as striking as the early ones, but my favorites are probably "Speech Sounds", "Amnesty", and "The Evening and the Morning and the Night". These are primarily science fiction and fantasy, but they're also literary. The three listed above and "Near of Kin" are probably the closest to standing outside of the sci-fi genre, but even "Amnesty" is clearly sci-fi if you must label it. If you're curious about branching out, I'd recommend these.
What makes this book even more of a find is that after each story, Butler has written a brief and telling afterword to discuss her thoughts on the story--where it came from, her feelings on it or responses, etc. These are, without doubt, perfect for a creative writing class, where the group can experience the story, and later be given the afterward (assuming the instructor is copying and the students don't have the full book in front of them). Also, there are two short essays on writing, both of which are worth passing on to young writers and reading yourself.
As a whole, this was a wonderful read---entertaining, smart, and gracefully written. I recommend it highly to writers and readers of science fiction or short fiction alike.
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LibraryThing member bohemiangirl35
Octavia Butler is one of my favorite sci-fi authors. Her short stories are a good way to ease into her novels if you've never been exposed to her. Literal thinkers might take a minute to get used to the way her mind works.
Some of the subject matter in this collection is disturbing, but her writing
Some of the subject matter in this collection is disturbing, but her writing
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and unconventional stories are amazing. Show Less
LibraryThing member CurrerBell
In all respect to Octavia Butler, whom I hold in the highest admiration, I can only rate this anthology 3½***. It includes "Blood Child" (one of my favorite stories PERIOD, not just a favorite sci-fi story), and it also includes the very fine "Speech Sounds," but too much else is filler, including
By her own admission, Butler much preferred writing novels over shorter writings. Absolutely get this anthology for "Blood Child" and "Speech Sounds" but don't expect all that much else from it.
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some non-fiction essays. By her own admission, Butler much preferred writing novels over shorter writings. Absolutely get this anthology for "Blood Child" and "Speech Sounds" but don't expect all that much else from it.
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LibraryThing member ValerieAndBooks
I am not much of a science-fiction fan. I chose to read Bloodchild and Other Stories because I had read somewhere that there was a short story in it, Speech Sounds, that imagines a society (due to a virulent disease) that has lost the ability for speech comprehension, along with losing the ability
Being Deaf myself, I was curious how the late author Butler would have her characters communicate. Would they learn to communicate in Sign Language? Would Deaf people from all over be seen as wise people who could teach Sign Language?
The answers to my questions: No. Instead, these people are reduced to gestures and making incomprehensible sounds.
But, still, an intriguing premise. I was especially struck by how the MC in the story once had a library of books that she could no longer read. That would devastate me.
The other stories here (and there are also a couple personal essays) were mostly good. I especially liked The Book of Martha, in which God chooses an African-American woman (Martha) to take over his duties by coming up with a way to save the world from destroying itself by the people.
Would I read more by Butler? Perhaps I'll pick up Kindred at some point. I'm intrigued by the time-travel angle of that novel. Beyond that, I don't know. I do know that Butler is highly regarded in her genre.
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to read.Being Deaf myself, I was curious how the late author Butler would have her characters communicate. Would they learn to communicate in Sign Language? Would Deaf people from all over be seen as wise people who could teach Sign Language?
The answers to my questions: No. Instead, these people are reduced to gestures and making incomprehensible sounds.
But, still, an intriguing premise. I was especially struck by how the MC in the story once had a library of books that she could no longer read. That would devastate me.
The other stories here (and there are also a couple personal essays) were mostly good. I especially liked The Book of Martha, in which God chooses an African-American woman (Martha) to take over his duties by coming up with a way to save the world from destroying itself by the people.
Would I read more by Butler? Perhaps I'll pick up Kindred at some point. I'm intrigued by the time-travel angle of that novel. Beyond that, I don't know. I do know that Butler is highly regarded in her genre.
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LibraryThing member bell7
In her introduction to the second edition of this book (which includes two new stories not in the 1995 edition), Octavia E. Butler admits that she is not great at writing short stories: most of them turn out to be part of a novel, and the ideas she wants to explore in her books don't fit the length
What follows in the seven short stories and two essays that comprise the collection, however, are excellent works - mainly of science fiction - that explore all manner of life, whether it be human interaction with alien species or the results of a terrible genetic disease that causes people to mutilate themselves. The two essays delve into Butler's thoughts on writing, one autobiographical one that describes how she became a writer and the other her advice on writing. The pieces included span her writing from 1971 to 2003 and her afterwords sometimes explain the origin of the story or her unvarnished opinion of it. I haven't read enough of Butler's work to be able to say with any authority if this is a good starting point, but it does give you a flavor for the breadth of topics and genres she'll use to explore topics that interest her and inform her writing.
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of a short story.What follows in the seven short stories and two essays that comprise the collection, however, are excellent works - mainly of science fiction - that explore all manner of life, whether it be human interaction with alien species or the results of a terrible genetic disease that causes people to mutilate themselves. The two essays delve into Butler's thoughts on writing, one autobiographical one that describes how she became a writer and the other her advice on writing. The pieces included span her writing from 1971 to 2003 and her afterwords sometimes explain the origin of the story or her unvarnished opinion of it. I haven't read enough of Butler's work to be able to say with any authority if this is a good starting point, but it does give you a flavor for the breadth of topics and genres she'll use to explore topics that interest her and inform her writing.
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LibraryThing member krisiti
Sat and read it through in the basement of Princeton Public Library, while avoiding a too-loud war tv broadcast upstairs. I think the tv was turned down eventually, but I was to engrossed to notice.Very gripping little stories. I didn't quite like the one about incest. And the title one - it _was_
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about slavery, or something close to. And the illness ones ... didn't quite buy the pheremones. Show Less
LibraryThing member satyridae
Edgy, taut prose from one of my favorite Sci Fi writers. Butler says she hates writing short stories, but this collection shows that she's mastered it. Five stories, two essays, each with an afterword. Two of the stories won Hugos, and one also won the Nebula. My favorite of the stories won
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neither. It's called "The Evening and the Morning and the Night" and it's about genes and strength and love and steely will. Butler's characters are often all about the steely will. This is a nice taste of her style, and I recommend it as a jumping off place. Show Less
LibraryThing member AltheaAnn
I think that everything Butler ever wrote deserves 5 stars.
This book is much too short (as was Butler's time on this earth).
It includes five previously published stories, an autobiographical essay, an essay on writing, and two new-to-this book stories.
As well, it includes brief 'afterwords' by
Everything in the book is superb, thought-provoking and fascinating.
This book is much too short (as was Butler's time on this earth).
It includes five previously published stories, an autobiographical essay, an essay on writing, and two new-to-this book stories.
As well, it includes brief 'afterwords' by
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Butler about each piece.Everything in the book is superb, thought-provoking and fascinating.
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LibraryThing member greeniezona
I frequently reference Butler as an influential and beloved author, but have still read such a small fragment of her work! It was high time to work on that. That I ended up giving a collection of short stories (by far not my favorite format) five stars was only a slight surprise.
In addition to the
These stories are just so recognizably and uniquely Butler. The way many of them get you so twisted up you want to scream and rage at the injustice -- even as the protagonist is taking some resolute turn toward compassion. I feel like I would be a bette person if I understood them better. I'd better make sure to keep more Butler books on my shelves.
In addition to the
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stories themselves, this collection includes a brief commentary from Butler on each -- inspirations for the story, comments on how others have interpreted it, etc. I loved these insights -- especially her recommended reading list after "The Evening and the Morning and the Night" -- one of my favorite stories in the collection.These stories are just so recognizably and uniquely Butler. The way many of them get you so twisted up you want to scream and rage at the injustice -- even as the protagonist is taking some resolute turn toward compassion. I feel like I would be a bette person if I understood them better. I'd better make sure to keep more Butler books on my shelves.
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LibraryThing member roniweb
Octavia Butler was a genius. This collection of short stories is a great and quick example of her ability to imagine new worlds. I read this in about 3 days. The stories are rather disturbing, especially the title story, "Bloodchild." But there is an excellent personal essay on her life as a writer
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than was inspiring, yet still written on her honest manner. An excellent book for a winter day where you can curl up with a mug of something warm. Underneath it all, Butler is struggling with why humans treat each other so badly, why do we have wars, but instead of exploring those questions as a pundit, she explores them through fiction. This is why I love scifi/fantasy...it makes us imagine how our world could/should be. Even if there's not always a happy ending. Show Less
LibraryThing member donp
The essay "Furor Scribendi" alone is worth the cover price.
LibraryThing member steve02476
Thoughtful, humane, earnest. The first Butler I ever read. I loved SciFi so much as a teenager but I have really lost my taste for it. I’m not against it, it just isn’t my thing anymore. But if I ever do read more, I’ll consider picking up one of her novels.
LibraryThing member underpope
"Bloodchild" was recommended to me since it is a story which is deeply immersed in its own theme, if that makes any sense, and because I am in the process of writing a story which itself is deeply immersed in a theme of its own. I tracked down this collection, and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was my
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first exposure to Butler's work, and I highly recommend it. Show Less
LibraryThing member devilwrites
The premise: ganked from BN.com: A perfect introduction for new readers and a must-have for avid fans, this New York Times Notable Book includes "Bloodchild," winner of both the Hugo and the Nebula awards and "Speech Sounds," winner of the Hugo Award.
Appearing in print for the first time,
Like all of Octavia Butler’s best writing, these works of the imagination are parables of the contemporary world. She proves constant in her vigil, an unblinking pessimist hoping to be proven wrong, and one of contemporary literature’s strongest voices.
My Rating: Couldn't Put It Down
Seriously. I read the first story in the collection before bed. Then I read nearly ALL OF THE REST OF THE STORIES in one sitting the next day, and finished the last story before bed that day. Butler is insanely readable, and it doesn't hurt in the slightest that her short stories are utterly and completely and totally fascinating.
One of the perks about this collection were Butler's afterwords. I liked reading a story, kind of gathering a sense of it for myself, and then seeing what Butler had to say afterword. Sometimes, I was on the same page as the author. Often, she pointed to something I completely missed, which excites me because whenever I re-read this collection (and I will), I'll have that added layer to look for in the story.
The weaker part of the collection was, unfortunately, the two essays on writing (which were interesting only because Butler wrote them, the content didn't change my life nor outlook, but they may have had a more profound effect on me had I read them earlier in my writing career) and the two original short stories, which seemed less polished than the others. That said, maybe I was more aware of the state of those particular stories just because I knew ahead of time they'd not been previously published?
Whatever the case, this collection is sheer gold. Even the above-mentioned "weaker" installments were utterly strong in comparison to other short story collections by other authors, so if you're a fan of Octavia Butler's work, don't let this collection slip through your fingers. If you haven't tried Butler's fiction yet, I'm not sure this is the best place to start UNLESS you prefer the short form over the long form, in which case, knock yourself out. But Octavia E. Butler is an author not to be missed, so if you haven't read her yet, please do.
Spoilers, yay or nay?: Nay. As with all short story collections, I don't believe in spoiling the reader, so feel free to read the full review for my thoughts on each story/essay. The full review may be found at my blog, which is linked below, and as always, comments and discussion are most welcome.
REVIEW: Octavia E. Butler's BLOODCHILD AND OTHER STORIES
Happy Reading!
Appearing in print for the first time,
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"Amnesty" is a story of a woman named Noah who works to negotiate the tense and co-dependent relationship between humans and a species of invaders. Also new to this collection is "The Book of Martha" which asks: What would you do if God granted you the ability—and responsibility—to save humanity from itself?Like all of Octavia Butler’s best writing, these works of the imagination are parables of the contemporary world. She proves constant in her vigil, an unblinking pessimist hoping to be proven wrong, and one of contemporary literature’s strongest voices.
My Rating: Couldn't Put It Down
Seriously. I read the first story in the collection before bed. Then I read nearly ALL OF THE REST OF THE STORIES in one sitting the next day, and finished the last story before bed that day. Butler is insanely readable, and it doesn't hurt in the slightest that her short stories are utterly and completely and totally fascinating.
One of the perks about this collection were Butler's afterwords. I liked reading a story, kind of gathering a sense of it for myself, and then seeing what Butler had to say afterword. Sometimes, I was on the same page as the author. Often, she pointed to something I completely missed, which excites me because whenever I re-read this collection (and I will), I'll have that added layer to look for in the story.
The weaker part of the collection was, unfortunately, the two essays on writing (which were interesting only because Butler wrote them, the content didn't change my life nor outlook, but they may have had a more profound effect on me had I read them earlier in my writing career) and the two original short stories, which seemed less polished than the others. That said, maybe I was more aware of the state of those particular stories just because I knew ahead of time they'd not been previously published?
Whatever the case, this collection is sheer gold. Even the above-mentioned "weaker" installments were utterly strong in comparison to other short story collections by other authors, so if you're a fan of Octavia Butler's work, don't let this collection slip through your fingers. If you haven't tried Butler's fiction yet, I'm not sure this is the best place to start UNLESS you prefer the short form over the long form, in which case, knock yourself out. But Octavia E. Butler is an author not to be missed, so if you haven't read her yet, please do.
Spoilers, yay or nay?: Nay. As with all short story collections, I don't believe in spoiling the reader, so feel free to read the full review for my thoughts on each story/essay. The full review may be found at my blog, which is linked below, and as always, comments and discussion are most welcome.
REVIEW: Octavia E. Butler's BLOODCHILD AND OTHER STORIES
Happy Reading!
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LibraryThing member TiffanyCutshall
Yeah. Um so where do I even start? I know I will probably catch flack for my review but at least I’m being honest and this is MY opinion.
I like sci-fi but I don’t have a single damned clue what this was. Maybe it wanted to be sci-fi when it grew up? I only read this…whatever it was for the 52
I’m all for trying new authors and such but she’s one I won’t be reading again. Her afterwards was a joke. She may have said she didn’t intend for the story to be one of slavery but it was. Humans were slaves no matter how you spin it. Which for sci-fi has been overdone in books and movies. Soooo glad this was a short one. Would not recommend.
I like sci-fi but I don’t have a single damned clue what this was. Maybe it wanted to be sci-fi when it grew up? I only read this…whatever it was for the 52
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Books in 52 Weeks challenge as it was a prompt. #48 A Book By Octavia E. Butler.I’m all for trying new authors and such but she’s one I won’t be reading again. Her afterwards was a joke. She may have said she didn’t intend for the story to be one of slavery but it was. Humans were slaves no matter how you spin it. Which for sci-fi has been overdone in books and movies. Soooo glad this was a short one. Would not recommend.
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LibraryThing member caedocyon
Not all of the stories were absolutely brilliant (I didn't have that much use for the writing advice), but the ones that stuck with me REALLY stuck with me. Engaging, enjoyable, interesting, intelligent, and very thoughtful = excellent science fiction. I was also intrigued by the range of sci-fi
To sum it up, I'm planning to hunt down the rest of her novels and read them ASAP.
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here, from plausible diseases and decisions in a reality much like our own, to alien invasions and to alien worlds.To sum it up, I'm planning to hunt down the rest of her novels and read them ASAP.
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LibraryThing member Koralis
A short story that gave me hope that your dreams can come true.
That's the simple way for me to summarize this in one sentence. This short story shows how Octavia kept her dream alive while people looked down on her and lied to her. She became the first black female sci fi writer by not giving up
That's the simple way for me to summarize this in one sentence. This short story shows how Octavia kept her dream alive while people looked down on her and lied to her. She became the first black female sci fi writer by not giving up
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and continuing to perfect her craft of writing. I am not going to lie, I don't think I would continue writing if I received rejection slip after rejection slip. I look forward to reading her other work. Show Less
LibraryThing member zjakkelien
I love Octavia Butler's writing. I am in general not a short-story fan, but in this case, I thought they were interesting and thought provoking.
LibraryThing member waldhaus1
The collection seems to be an introduction to the author in the sense of really getting to know and value her. They are all speculative fiction examining interesting aspects of people and the human condition. Not the first Octavia Butler i have read but it seems the most personal.
LibraryThing member clong
I was very impressed by this dark and intriguing collection from Octavia Estelle Butler. These stories are well written, thought provoking, and challenging. Butler establishes character quickly and sets up some very imaginative settings.
The title story has several layers of symbolism, offering a
It’s not a book to read if you are depressed and looking for a lift. Except for the male who would be mom from Bloodchild, the other protagonists are all female. The characters are in some cases explicitly, and in other cases, implicitly black, but I wouldn’t categorize these as African American fiction. It is more fiction that offers insight into what it is to be human, viewed through the lens of the African American experience.
The title story has several layers of symbolism, offering a
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vision of Male as Mother, and a vision of a human/alien society which is both parasitic and symbiotic. “The Morning and the Evening and the Night,” a powerful story about two young people struggling with the knowledge that they are fated to develop a disease that brings self-loathing, self-mutilation and ultimately suicide, was my favorite in the collection. “Speech Talk,” a story about a survivor of a plague that has destroyed mankind’s ability to use language, was also thought provoking, and offered interesting parallels to Robert Matheson’s I Am Legend (which like “Speech Talk” is also set in Los Angeles). It’s not a book to read if you are depressed and looking for a lift. Except for the male who would be mom from Bloodchild, the other protagonists are all female. The characters are in some cases explicitly, and in other cases, implicitly black, but I wouldn’t categorize these as African American fiction. It is more fiction that offers insight into what it is to be human, viewed through the lens of the African American experience.
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LibraryThing member BarnesBookshelf
I love Butler's works. They show such a different perspective than the usual. Her essays also speak so well to aspiring writers.
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2005
Physical description
224 p.; 4.99 inches
ISBN
1583226982 / 9781583226988
Local notes
fiction