Author: Octavia Butler (Fledgling, Liliths Brood, Seed to Harvest...)

[serialmahogany]

I am a newbie here but I am currently reading a book by the Author Octavia Butler entitled "Lilith's Brood". I recently have decided to read all of this authors books. She is one of the few African America Science fiction Novelists. The first book I read by her is called the fledgeling, which is a scifi book about vampires with a more scientific fantasy spin then a traditional horror. It was good enough to have me tunnel my vision to set aside time to read her works.

If anyone has read her novels, please chime in I would love to have someone to converse with. I am very attracted to science fiction and culture. In her works, so far, I have noticed that she touches on emotional intelligence, intercultural communication and cultural learning.

The current book I am reading is very good. It centers around a woman who has survived the nuclear holocaust which ends all life on Earth. She as well as others were rescued from Earth after the world decided humans should be wiped out. They are rescued by a alien species from another solar system.

As I read this book, I see similarities between the fledgling and Liliths brood. The two books basically depict humanity and its flaws and complexities. Both books express the flaw of man to exclude each other even when all they have is each other. In The Fledgling, vampires were a group of civilized beings, who decided to tamper with Human and Vampire DNA to evolve the Vampire species to be able to live in daylight as well as other enhancements. In Lilith's Brood, the aliens are able to change Human Makeup to alter both alien and Human to eliminate disease and help regenerate. With Lilith's Brood, the enhancements comes at a price.

[kitzerkief]

I am so happy to see another Butler fan as her books and names have been hard to find in my home state area. I discovered Wild Seed from her Patternist series several years ago in high school and was immediantly captivated. I read them in the order of events rather than the order she wrote. (Purely by accident, however I personally liked it that way.) I am amazed the way she defines and evolves her characters race, sex, religeon and gender over several time periods, making you feel as if you've been right there, aging with her characters. I have yet to read Fledgling, however I have heard about the vampire bit, which is very...different compared to most her books. Genetic mutation however is not. You may also really like her Parable series as well as the Patternist Series. I know that Survivor is a harder one to locate. If fact I believe it's quite pricy when you do find it! As far as I know it was never reprinted, she was not to fond of that particular work as I understand it. But of that series, Patternmaster and Clay's Ark have similar themes as Lilith's Brood. All in all I think your going to fall harder for her wonderful Sci-fi books as you read on. Enjoy ^^

[lilithesque]

I replied to this post a week ago or so but nothing came through. Jeez I really rattled on. Did you get it as a personal response?

Anyway, I read Liliths Brood and all the books in that series. I was blown away and haven't found any other writer who really was as effective in creating alien yet attractive sex and a sense of hopelessness and hope at the same time. The way her world relfects cultural difference and predictive and adjustment and evolution was amazing.


I read this series many years ago so some of the detail escape me but... I was so excited to see it mentioned by someone. Its a shame she has passed away.

Lily

[lilithesque]

The way her world reflects cultural difference and predictive ...

Prejudice was the word I meant in that sentence that didn't make sense.

Whoops

[serialmahogany]

Im so glad to see that there are other people put there who have read her books as well.  Yes, sadly to say I was not happy to hear of her death, there are so few African American Sci-Fi writers, especially women sci-fi writers.  I have approx. 30 pages to go before the end of the series contained in Lilith;s brood.   She has done an excellent job.  Since I digest books very quickly, I have already purchased the compilation book "Seed to Harvest" and should be delivered today.  Hopefully I will finish this book in time to be able to digest the March book of the month here on the Bn bookclub.  This will be my first time actually participating in a BC via online community.

In the book, I didn't like how they ended the second book with the first son, Akin.  I thought that they should have brought him into the third book somewhere, I really was interested in the Mars colony.  I do however like how they introduced Jodahs.  I like how they actually brought out the truth about the colonization, and how he embraced his humanity and fought for their rights to love on as pure human on another planet.  The only thing I thought coudl have been done better is the feelings portrayed as he told humans that they had no choice of where they coudl live, but that the earth would be eventually sucked dray and left as a peach core, which could sustain no life once the aliens where done with it.  It just didnt seem to come off strong enough. 

If anyone knows of any other good minority women authors in the sci-fi genre, please let me know.

[lilithesque]

I am running out to a meeting but thought Id mention LA Banks.  I believe she is a woman of color.  She is in the paranormal category.  I haven't read her yet, she is in my to read list.  I am American Indian and enjoy reading "Ceremony" by Leslie Marmon Silko (Pueblo).  It is magical reality fiction and deeply cultural.  She has a couple other good fiction books in that magical reality fiction category.  A nother favorite of mine from the American Indian authors is 'Grassdancer" .  The authors last name is Powers. 

Have you read That book "Temple of my familiar" by the lady who wrote "Color Purple" Alice Walker.  I love her writing although my favorite book by her is called something like "my mothers garden'  Its not fiction.  I am a feminist and specialized in women of color writings or sometimes called womenism.  I loved "There eyes were watching god" by Zora Neale I believe.  It is a great cultural fiction book.  And "Waterlily" written by an American Indian lady who was a female cultural anthropologist who worked for the same person as Zora Herston Neale.  The guy got the formal publications but both females published their own fiction stories infused with rich cultural stuff from their research and culture.  Sorry I cant think of some of these authors names but that is just how my mind works.  Names don't stick well.  I would go back and rewrite this cause it rambles but I must run.  I hope it makes sense.   The lack of women of color in the scifi fantasy world about makes you think its time to publish Huh!

Lily 

[serialmahogany]

Thanks Lily,

I have read one or two of the wampire huntress books by L.A. Banks.  I really liked her story, It hink I read the first two in the series.  But this must have been when she first started circulation at that particular Borders, because they couldnt get her newest book in as fast as I was reading them, so I sort of strayed away.  This was durign the time when I wasnt familiar with ordering things on line (1999). LOL.

I think I may make a LA Banks Marathon sometime this year.  Thanks for the suggestion!

The books by Alice Walker and Zora Neale, I read in school. I still have them at home on the bookshelf.

I will check out "Ceremony", I like one American Indian writer, who wrote "Yellow raft in blue water" and I loved it.  I was looking for another book focused on your culture, but I didnt know how to research it.  Definatley going to do this one after the March First look book!

[RHWright]

Really love Butler's work.

Remember being quite excited when she was awarded a MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant. The first science fiction writer to do so.

If you're looking for other writers who happen to be African-American, try Steven Barnes, Samuel R. Delany, and Tananarive Due.

For more info, check out:

http://www.blacksciencefictionsociety.com/

http://www.carlbrandon.org/

[BrandieC]

@RHWright:

OT, I know, but did you really have a lot of extra time on your hands today?  It looks like you posted to several 2007 and 2008 threads.  Not a criticism; I was just surprised to see a lot of threads that looked interesting and that I didn't recall seeing before, but I realized why once I saw your new postings had bumped the threads up from wherever they were languishing .

[RHWright]

Actually, I have been rather bored. So rather than come up with new-to-me but possibly duplicate topics, I've been going through much older threads that I haven't read before.

Besides, what's better place for a little necromantic revivification than on the F&SF board?