Ratings50
Average rating4
A Patternist Novel: a story of love and hate, in which two immortals chase each other across continents and centuries, binding their fates together - and changing the destiny of the human race. Doro knows no higher authority than himself. An ancient spirit with boundless powers, he possesses humans, killing without remorse as he jumps from body to body to sustain his own life. With a lonely eternity ahead of him, Doro breeds supernaturally gifted humans into empires that obey his every desire. He fears no one - until he meets Anyanwu. Anyanwu is an entity like Doro and yet different. She can heal with a bite and transform her own body, mending injuries and reversing ageing. She uses her powers to cure her neighbours and birth entire tribes, surrounding herself with kindred who both fear and respect her. No one poses a true threat to Anyanwu - until she meets Doro. The moment Doro meets Anyanwu, he covets her; and from the villages of 17th-century Nigeria to 19th-century United States, their courtship becomes a power struggle that echoes through generations, irrevocably changing what it means to be human.
Series
4 primary books5 released booksPatternmaster is a 5-book series with 4 primary works first released in 1976 with contributions by Octavia E. Butler.
Reviews with the most likes.
Well, that was somber
breeding your kids like livestock
just faithful meat sacks.
This is definitely a good book with an interesting conceit, just not quite my wheelhouse. I'll probably pick up the next one eventually.
A hard read, not because of the writing style, but the theme and the underlying metaphors: slavery, discrimination, power abuse. It's weird and disturbing, there weren't any lovable characters for me. I wasn't sure if it was sci-fi, magical realism or something in between. I was hoping the main character, Anyanwu, to have more active powers. She was powerful but at the same time powerless to deal with Doro's influence. It was a disturbing read at many moments for me, not really my cup of tea. The writing is excellent, tho.
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