Adulthood Rites

In conclusion, Octavia Butler is amazing.I'm not even sure where to begin. The Xenogenesis trilogy is completely unlike anything I've ever read before. The closest I can come in comparison is to [b:The Left Hand of Darkness 18423 The Left Hand of Darkness (Hainish Cycle, #4) Ursula K. Le Guin https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388229638s/18423.jpg 817527]: this is a book with rich, thorough world/species building, compelling characters, a solid plot and more theme than you can shake a stick at. Butler understands that meaningful speculative fiction asks “what if” questions to cause readers to reflect on the world as it is. And here, she does that artfully, weaving in questions about whether human nature is intrinsically violent, how different we are able to tolerate our children being from us and still perceive them as “ours,” whether it is better to die sticking with the familiar, or be irrevocably mutated and survive. In there are implications about environmentalism, gender relations, racial relations, consent, and warfare.But all of this lies under an intricate plot, and beautifully devised characters: the bitter, resigned, maternal Lillith; the optimistic, daring Akin; sweet Tino and others. The Oankali as an alien species feel so real: Butler has developed for them a physicality, a culture, a morality, subdivisions, etc. such that it is as easy to predict how an Oankali will feel as a human character, and yet they feel so alien that it's easy to feel that undercurrent of revulsion towards them that is felt by the characters.

Fun Fact: LeVar Burton says Octavia Butler is his favorite author.

That man has been telling me what book I should read next for 20 years. He has never been wrong.

Adulthood Rites didn't grab me as immediately as Dawn, probably because it was a lot harder for me to relate to Akin than to Lilith. However, the story is thicker and even more layered than its predecessor. It has themes of puberty, kinship, and the (in this case literal) story of the Phoenix, but it never oversteps itself. I read an interview where Octavia Butler said she specifically chose science fiction because it allowed her to write about serious issues that people needed to talk about under a cloak that allowed people to talk about them.

A big point is made about the Human Contradiction, our intelligence paired with a hierarchical drive. This message is as relevant today as when the book was first published. Yet, she avoids denigrating humanity by making the species so incredibly valuable to the Oankali and having Akin learn to treasure his Humanity. This makes the overall message one of hope rather than cynicism.

After reading a pretty bad book, Butler's writing is a beautiful treat. Visualizing is an enjoyable challenge, and I have to fight against what my natural instinct is to build her brilliantly alien concepts. The book isn't even 300 pages, but it packs more punch than the 1600 page epics of the modern era. Every word has purpose and deserves to be savored.

I'm definitely moving into the third book immediately. This is a series every Human should read. Thanks, LeVar... again.