Adulthood Rites

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.