Bloodchild and Other Stories
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- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Octavia E. Butler
- ISBN：1583226982
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Summary
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， "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。
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。
Reviews
Nicholas Kinney
，
I Love Octavia Butler。 Almost all of these were amazing， and all were well written—the only one I was lukewarm to was Crossover。 Bloodchild， The Evening The Morning and the Night， and Speech Sounds were my favorites， and Amnesty was great too。 The two essays were brilliant and deliciously short。
Kathryn Haydon
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Why does the library only have the first edition？ 😭 Withholding a full review until I can read the other two stories。 I read Bloodchild right before going to bed and that was a mistake。
Carly Isaacson
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The queen of science fiction。
Alison
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I liked this collection。 It was thought provoking and the afterwords from the author were great insights。 It was hard work to read these sometimes。 A year into the pandemic， I’m craving easy reads that are not dystopian or reflective。 Butler’s ability to hold up a mirror to human kind using speculative fiction is stunning。
Vee
，
I really enjoyed the short stories in the book， I also liked the afterwards section where she goes on to explain what lead her to write each story。 Of all my favorite was Speech Sounds。 Her writing is so creative， I wish I discovered it when I was younger。
Jimmy Dean
，
Genius。 Octavia E。 Butler is a marvellous writer and trailblazer。 Really lovely to see an author do an 'afterward' for each short story so that they can talk about and interpret their own work。 Made the experience of reading these short stories even more personal。 Genius。 Octavia E。 Butler is a marvellous writer and trailblazer。 Really lovely to see an author do an 'afterward' for each short story so that they can talk about and interpret their own work。 Made the experience of reading these short stories even more personal。 。。。more
Joshua Lawson
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I should probably be reading more short stories。 I should probably be reading more Octavia Butler。
Mia
，
This anthology has some of the best stories I have ever read。 They were all incredibly harsh， intimate， and organic。 Additionally， Butler's two personal essays at the end were incredibly inspiring for any writer。 This anthology has some of the best stories I have ever read。 They were all incredibly harsh， intimate， and organic。 Additionally， Butler's two personal essays at the end were incredibly inspiring for any writer。 。。。more
Mariana
，
El libro de Martha fue mi favorito <3
Jessica Blanton
，
Loved it！ There's a great mix of really-out-there sci-fi and just-outside-of-reality fiction， which made for an excellent introduction to this author。 I also loved the author's afterword to each story。 Loved it！ There's a great mix of really-out-there sci-fi and just-outside-of-reality fiction， which made for an excellent introduction to this author。 I also loved the author's afterword to each story。 。。。more
Sara Goldstein
，
Butler is so good。 I wish she had developed Bloodchild into a full fledged novel。 Kinda reminded me of Xenogenisis but somehow more disturbing and gross which I loved！
Sean
，
When reading each short story it was kind of funny to try and decide "will this one get science-fiction-y， or just be normal fiction。"Liked Bloodchild， Speech Sounds， and Amnesty the most。 When reading each short story it was kind of funny to try and decide "will this one get science-fiction-y， or just be normal fiction。"Liked Bloodchild， Speech Sounds， and Amnesty the most。 。。。more
Marian García
，
💖 Una de mis nuevas escritoras favoritas。 Blood child: de las cosas más perturbadoras que haya leído。No siento que haya nada nuevo en cuanto a temas u originalidad de las historias， pero la manera de escribir es tan vívida！ Y de alguna manera lo interesante es que al final de cada cuento deja pensando más en el trasfondo de la situación o en las implicaciones de lo que ocurre que en lo que ocurre en sí。 Y sí me quedé pensando en cada historia hasta unos días después de haberla leído。
Roberto Fideli
，
Octavia Butler deve ser uma das minhas escritoras favoritas （e embora eu esteja empregando o pronome feminino， quando digo "favorita"， digo independentemente de gênero， ou de cor， ou de qualquer coisa - ela está logo ali com Ursula K。 LeGuin e Ernest Hemingway， Neil Gaiman e Cormac McCarthy， Robin Hobb e Stephen King， outros escritores pelos quais sou apaixonado）。 Adoro como a ficção dela é perturbadora， e como essa perturbação pode ter causas muito diferentes dependendo de qual história ela est Octavia Butler deve ser uma das minhas escritoras favoritas （e embora eu esteja empregando o pronome feminino， quando digo "favorita"， digo independentemente de gênero， ou de cor， ou de qualquer coisa - ela está logo ali com Ursula K。 LeGuin e Ernest Hemingway， Neil Gaiman e Cormac McCarthy， Robin Hobb e Stephen King， outros escritores pelos quais sou apaixonado）。 Adoro como a ficção dela é perturbadora， e como essa perturbação pode ter causas muito diferentes dependendo de qual história ela está contando。 São histórias que， por mais bizarras ou inventivas， são profundamente humanas e não-condescendentes。 Ela soca a sua cara e pisa em você e não está nem aí， e essa honestidade brutal é fundamental para mim， por mais doloroso que seja。 Neste livro não há uma história ruim。 Que consistência assombrosa。 Mesmo assim， elegi duas favoritas: "Sons de Fala" e "Anistia"。 Ambos são brutais， honestos e， cada um à sua maneira， profundamente perturbadores。 Ainda bem。 A gente precisa ser perturbado de vez em quando。 Faz bem para a alma。 。。。more
Rebecca Fields
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Love Octavia and her perspective in the science fiction world
Emma Petersen
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Favorite story was Amnesty
leynes
，
HOLY FUCKING COW！ I rarely read sci-fi but Butler has the potential to become an author for me。 I love her writing style and her ideas are really clever and engrossing！ I usually struggle with sci-fi because I have a hard time understanding what's going on and how the world is shaped etc。 but Butler's world building is so vivid and clear， it was confusingly easy to get lost in her writing。 :D Also， reading the foreword and all the afterwords for every single story has me convinced that the two o HOLY FUCKING COW！ I rarely read sci-fi but Butler has the potential to become an author for me。 I love her writing style and her ideas are really clever and engrossing！ I usually struggle with sci-fi because I have a hard time understanding what's going on and how the world is shaped etc。 but Butler's world building is so vivid and clear， it was confusingly easy to get lost in her writing。 :D Also， reading the foreword and all the afterwords for every single story has me convinced that the two of us would've been great friends。 She truly had a killer sense of humor。 The truth is， I hate short story writing。 Trying to do it has taught me much more about frustration and despair than I ever wanted to know。 Bloodchild and Other Stories is a collection of seven short stories and two essays on writing that was published in 2005。 The first five short stories， written between 1971 and 1984， had been published as a collection before。I was surprised that two stories， "Near of Kin" and "Crossover"， weren't in the sci-fi genre; the first is a haunting contemporary tale whereas the latter does have a twinge of magical realism or surrealism to it。 Funnily enough， those were the stories， alongside "The Book of Martha"， that I enjoyed the least。 I wouldn't have expected that。 I really loathe sci-fi （if I'm very honest） and the fact that Butler could make it work for me was a huge relief and has me excited to check out more of her work 。。。 even though I don't really know what to read next because her sci-fi series sound soo intimidating （and I'm not in the mood for series atm） and the topic of Kindred makes my skin crawl。 So， it'll probably be a while until I read my next Butler but I'm keeping my eyes open！What I found fascinating （and funny） about the foreword is that Butler comes clean with her hatred for short story writing。 I found that very relatable。 Even though I'm not a writer， as a reader I have similar issues with short stories as Butler: most of them doesn't make sense， and therefore， they're hella frustrating。 You either feel they would've been better of as novels or ask yourself why they were written in the first place。 After a long struggle， I made some of them work as novels。 Which is what they should have been all along。 I am essentially a novelist。 [。。。] And yet， every now and then one of my short stories really is a short story。 The five stories in this collection really are short stories。 I've never been tempted to turn them into novels。 And， with the exception of "Bloodchild"， I really agree with her。 Butler managed to write perfectly fine， self-contained short stories。 Sure， sometimes you're left wanting more because the world she created is so fascinating， but almost all of the stories of the collection make perfect sense within themselves and don't leave the reader frustrated。 For me， "Bloodchild" is a bit of a different case because even though I loved the story for its themes （LOVED IT， LOVED IT A LOT）， I still feel like it should've at least been a novella。 Apart from that， we have the usual of some stories being stronger than others， but overall， Bloodchild and Other Stories is a wonderful short story collection that I would recommend to everyone who wants to dip their toe into the sci-fi genre or who just really wants to read some clever stories that also challenge you as a reader and make you think！ Another reviewer summed it up perfectly: "Excellent。 Disturbing。 Distressing。 Hopeful。" （view spoiler）[#1 – Bloodchild （1984） - 5 stars"Bloodchild" describes the unusual bond between a race of insect-like lifeforms called the Tlic and a colony of humans who have escaped Earth and settled on the Tlic planet。 When the Tlic realize that humans make excellent hosts for Tlic eggs， they establish the Preserve to protect the humans， and in return require that every family choose a child for implantation。 A human thus implanted is called N'Tlic。The story is narrated by Gan， a young boy chosen before birth to carry the eggs of a female Tlic named T’Gatoi。 Gan and his sisters perceive being a host as a privilege; however， their elder brother Qui disagrees， having witnessed an N’Tlic birth when he was young。 Gan's own opinion changes when he is forced to help T'Gatoi perform an emergency cesarean section on a pregnant male N'Tlic named Bram Lomas， who， abandoned by his Tlic， is being eaten alive by his hatched larvae。 Gan uses an illegal rifle to kill an Achti， a large animal kept on the Preserve， to provide nonhuman sustenance for the larvae。After witnessing the graphic surgery， Gan has second thoughts about being a host and entertains suicide rather than impregnation。 He questions T’Gatoi about the relationship between humans and the Tlic。 T'Gatoi， who must begin to lay her first eggs that night， asks （or threatens， depending on how you read the story） Gan if she should impregnate Gan's sister instead。 However， Gan consents to impregnation on the condition that T'Gatoi allows the family to keep the illegal gun。 As T'Gatoi impregnates Gan， she lovingly promises him that she will take care of him and will never abandon him。Butler explained that she wanted to write about a human male becoming pregnant; about the risks to his body as well as what it would take for him to have maternal feelings towards his alien brood， and so she ended crafting a story about a symbiotic， loving relationship between two very different species。 Interestingly enough， critics often argued that "Bloodchild" is a story about slavery， and that Gan is forced （or coerced） into a relationship with T'Gatoi because he literally has no other choice （other than surrender his sister）。 What I found most interesting about the story was the question of "paying the rent"—of how a realistic depiction of human immigration into space would not just repeat the colonialist tropes of traditional science fiction but rather require some kind of quid pro quo or "accommodation" from the part of humanity。#2 – The Evening and the Morning and the Night （1987） - 5 starsThis story explores a world where a genetic disease has caused the appearance of a new social caste。 Decades after the introduction of a successful cancer cure， it is revealed that the children of its users develop "Duryea-Gode Disease"， a dangerous genetic disorder that causes "drift"， a dissociative state characterized by violent psychosis and self-harm。 The onset of symptoms is inevitable but can be delayed by restricting one's self to a minimal diet。 The incredible violence caused by DGD patients experiencing drift has caused people with this disease to be shunned by society。In the story， we follow Lynn， a second generation DGD patient as she visits Dilg， a retreat specifically designed to safely house DGD patients experiencing drift and bring them under control by encouraging creative behavior and artistic expression。#3 – Near of Kin （1979） - 3 stars "Near of Kin" relates a discussion between a girl and her uncle。 Having recently lost her mother， the girl confides in her uncle about the lack of relationship that she had with her mother， as she was left to be raised by her grandmother。 The girl and her uncle talk around a family secret that the girl felt was the justification of her abandonment。 She compares her looks and personality with that of her uncle， seeking confirmation that she was his child。 What’s “funny” about this story is that I didn’t get it the first time around。 I thought that the uncle of the girl was adopted and therefore not blood-related to her mother。 So I only understood that it was a story of true incest when reading the afterword。 Incest is definitely an unsettling topic but I don’t think that Butler handled it in any new or thought-provoking way。 It was a very run-of-the-mill story that would’ve needed a true purpose for it to leave any impact on me。 #4 – Speech Sounds （1983） - 4 stars"Speech Sounds" explores a universe where a virus has eradicated speech。 A mysterious pandemic has left civilization in ruins and severely limited humankind's ability to communicate。 Some are deprived of their ability to read or write， while others have lost the ability to speak。 The story centres around Rye who， after the death of her husband and children， decides to seek out her brother and his family in nearby Pasadena。 When a fight breaks out on a bus， Rye is forced to consider walking the rest of the twenty miles through dangerous territory。 She then meets Obsidian， a man dressed in an LAPD uniform， an oddity in a society in which all governmental organizations have disintegrated。 The two of them hit it off but when Obsidian tries to protect another woman from her attacker， he is shot in the head and dies。 Rye takes in the children of the nameless woman as she realises that both go them speak in coherent English。 This is the first coherent speech that Rye has heard in many years， and she realizes that her choice to adopt the children is the right one。The story was definitely a bit rushed but overall， I found the idea of human beings no longer being able to communicate with each other fascinating。 It had very Tower of Babel vibes。 At first， I thought that deaf people would really have an advantage in this world （because they communicate through sign language and gestures anyways） but then I understood that the crux of the story was that communication （of any form） was no longer able between human beings。 It’s clear that in a world like that chaos would ensue。 I loved the hopeful note of the ending of Rye adopting the two children。 That， paired with the fact that it’s a thrilling tale where the loss of certain senses is at its heart， made me draw the connection to movies like Bird Box or The Quiet Place。 #5 – Crossover （1971） - 4 stars"Crossover" is a story about a lonely woman who works a lousy factory job she hates and struggles with alcoholism。 During the three months that her boyfriend was in jail she contemplated suicide but never went through with it。 Her actions and behavior become more self-destructive， constantly visiting the liquor store and turning to alcohol to forget about life。She had lived around drunks most of her life。 She knew that if she could get enough down， nothing would matter。In the afterword， Butler explains how the characters in "Crossover" were influenced by her old， dull jobs and the strange people she met while doing them， as well as her own fears of failing as a writer。The story didn’t do much for me because， apart from being kinda bleak， it didn’t do anything new。 #6 – Amnesty （2003） - 5 stars Noah， the protagonist of the story， meets with prospective human employees for the Communities， an alien species that has taken over Earth's desert areas。 Noah， who was abducted by the Communities when she was a child， attempts to convince the humans to overcome their fear of the aliens so they can prosper alongside them。 During her pitch， Noah compares her experiences with both the Communities and the humans。 Despite being treated as a lab experiment by the aliens， Noah stated that she never once faced as much cruelty as she did once her own government captured her after being released by the Communities。 As a result of her experiences with both aliens and humans， Noah has become one of thirty "translators" to participate in the enfolding process which allows communication with the Communities and also enforces a bond between humans and aliens。One of the main themes of "Amnesty" is fear， mostly the fear the humans have of the alien Communities。 "Amnesty" explores the idea that people are so afraid of the Communities simply because humans know nothing of who the aliens are， how they function， or what their intentions are。 It is because of fear that humans turn to destruction rather than collaboration。#7 – The Book of Martha （2003） - 3 stars In this story， God gives a woman named Martha the task of helping humans become less destructive。 Although afraid of making mistakes and resentful of god for the way he had designed the world， Martha eventually starts to create ways that she can help humanity。 God shoots down some of her early ideas， explaining the unintended consequences， but Martha ultimately resolves to give people vivid， life-like dreams every night， for a more fulfilling life。 She later adds that once the people wake up from these dreams， they become aware of their potential。 This is bittersweet for Martha because as a novelist， she knows that people will no longer read books for pleasure， since they will be seeking pleasure in their dreams。 She is willing to risk her career， and the life that she has made for herself from writing novels， just so that everyone in the world can have some sort of fantasy that would make them better people。In the afterword to "The Book of Martha"， Butler realizes that everyone has a different idea of perfection， making the task from God seemingly impossible。 Each person's utopia would be another person's hell due to the different wants and desires。 Butler wrote "The Book of Martha" to express her belief that utopias can only exist in our individual dreams。#8 – Positive Obsession （1989） - 4 stars This is an autobiographical essay structured as a series of memories and reflections。 In it， Butler describes how she became a successful science fiction and fantasy writer against many odds and in great part due to her mother's encouragement。 Butler concludes the piece by explaining the usefulness of her writing for Black people: science fiction allows us to imagine ourselves as other than we have been defined by （American） society and history。 #9 – Furor Scribendi （1993） - 5 stars"Furor Scribendi" is written as practical advice to new writers on the habits that lead to publication。 As Butler comments on how solitary and frustrating writing for publication is， she suggests developing a set of specific writing practices: 1。 Read every day; 2。 Take writing classes and workshops; 3。 Write every day; 4。 Revise thoroughly; 5。 Submit your work for publication even if you get rejected often; 6。 Persist。Persistence is essential to any writer—the persistence to finish your work， to keep writing in spite of rejection， to keep reading， studying， submitting work for sale。 But stubbornness， the refusal to change unproductive behavior or to revise unsalable work can be lethal to your writing hopes。This last habit， Butler contends， is more important to a writer than talent， inspiration， or even imagination。 I really liked that sentiment – “Forget inspiration。 Habit is more dependable” – because it’s so true！ （hide spoiler）] 。。。more
Maggie Loomis
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Bloodchild takes place on a planet far from earth， where there are Terrans and Tlics。 Terrans are humanlike beings that landed on the Terran’s planet long ago。 Terrans are large alien， grasshopper like creatures。 At the time， Terrans were facing extinction due to the animals they were fertilizing rejecting their eggs。 As the Terrans landed， the Tlics learned that they are able-bodied to carry Terran eggs。 This finding leads to the beginning of arranged deals， similar to an arranged marriage， bet Bloodchild takes place on a planet far from earth， where there are Terrans and Tlics。 Terrans are humanlike beings that landed on the Terran’s planet long ago。 Terrans are large alien， grasshopper like creatures。 At the time， Terrans were facing extinction due to the animals they were fertilizing rejecting their eggs。 As the Terrans landed， the Tlics learned that they are able-bodied to carry Terran eggs。 This finding leads to the beginning of arranged deals， similar to an arranged marriage， between Terrans and Tlics， where Terran children would be matched with a Tlic that would one day impregnate them with their eggs。 Bloodchild follows a Terran， Gan and his Tlic， T’Gatoi。 Gan questions his commitment to hosting T’Gatoi due to watching another man go into labor。 He witnessed the man basically be eaten alive by a Tlic， which caused Gan stress and fear。 He was afraid of the process， not of T’Gatoi。 There was then a genuine and caring moment in between Gan and T’Gatoi which reaffirmed Gan’s commitment and reassured him of what he is doing。 In the end， T’Gatoi implants her eggs into Gan and reassures him that she will never leave him。 This story was very difficult to make a theological connection to。 The main theme that I see is our belief and relation to God compared to the relation of Gan and the arranged deal with T’Gatoi。 In our relationship with God， we have our moments of doubt and we might need reassurance in our relationship that he will always be here for us。 This is present in Bloodchild in Gan’s doubt and need of reassurance with T’Gatoi。 God will never leave or harm us， no matter the situation we find ourselves in。 Similarly， to how T’Gatoi reassured Gan that she will never leave him or harm him， no matter what happens。 We can turn to God when we are struggling and fear what is happening or might happen in the future。 This is similar to the way Gan turned to T’Gatoi when he was in fear and struggling with the realization of what he will be going through。 Overall， we can relate our relationship with God as a companion and one we can turn to when we are living in uncertainty with the relationship between Gan and T’Gatoi。 This story is very unique to all of the other stories we have read so far and from the ones I have personally read。 The theme that I have seen throughout reading Science Fiction that is present in Bloodchild is the pattern of the characters having a strong believe in something。 I often see that there is a strong faith among characters to a mission， person， or belief。 This is especially present in Bloodchild between Gan and T’Gatoi。 Personally， I was somewhat indifferent with my feelings about this story。 The concept of this story being the alien and humanlike being relation was definitely something that I’ve never encountered before。 That was the thing that I think turned me away from the story。 However， I did enjoy the plot in regard to the relationship and emotions that were between Gan and T’Gatoi。 This story is definitely different from the norm but is very interesting and easy to get pulled into。 。。。more
oliver
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Oh。 My。 God。 I am so glad I stumbled across this book and as far as sci-fi short stories go I cannot recommend this enough。
Vivielar
，
La selección de textos es una buena forma de conocer a Octavia Butler。 La verdad es que su imaginación y sensibilidad son muy sugerentes。Pero debo decir que me ha costado mucho leer con calma este libro。 Aunque disfrutaba del contenido， la edición tiene tantas erratas y fallos que dificulta la lectura。 Ojalá una reedición para hacer que sea la obra maestra que se merece。
Hayden Kesterson
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Finished this book in like 2 sittings。 The title story was off-putting and fascinating to me in a way that I thought I was immune to， and the rest of them proved similarly tugging。 Really loved the format of having short afterwords after each story/essay。 It showed an incredible contrast between my overly abstract thoughts and Butler just being like "yeah。 I wrote this story about a thing I was interested in。 I just thought it was neat！" I feel like it's easy to forget that stories should be the Finished this book in like 2 sittings。 The title story was off-putting and fascinating to me in a way that I thought I was immune to， and the rest of them proved similarly tugging。 Really loved the format of having short afterwords after each story/essay。 It showed an incredible contrast between my overly abstract thoughts and Butler just being like "yeah。 I wrote this story about a thing I was interested in。 I just thought it was neat！" I feel like it's easy to forget that stories should be the latter even as we make them into the former。 。。。more
Howard Cincotta
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Bodies are to Octavia Butler what outer space is to other science fiction writers。 In virtually all these stories， human bodies — with their frailties， diseases， and relationships to alien bodies — are the arena for myth and storytelling。 Butler depicts human protagonists who live perilous lives， dealing with terrible pandemics （“Evening and Morning and Night，” and “Speech Sounds） or negotiating a complex alien relationship that can be alternately comforting and terrifying （“Blood Child” and “Am Bodies are to Octavia Butler what outer space is to other science fiction writers。 In virtually all these stories， human bodies — with their frailties， diseases， and relationships to alien bodies — are the arena for myth and storytelling。 Butler depicts human protagonists who live perilous lives， dealing with terrible pandemics （“Evening and Morning and Night，” and “Speech Sounds） or negotiating a complex alien relationship that can be alternately comforting and terrifying （“Blood Child” and “Amnesty”）。 In encounters with other intelligent species， Butler suggests， humans may well be neither superior conquerors nor heroic rebels， but a subordinate species that must accommodate demands that violate their traditional senses of self。The title story is justly celebrated for its moral and psychological complexity; it’s also visceral and bloody。 Humans live in a symbiotic relationship with the insect-like Tlic， who impregnate humans with their eggs。 Birth is by cesarean section。 The relationship is coercive， yet the Tlic are generally loving and kind in their interactions with their human brood， who live in a special preserve on the Tlic planet。 Human freedom is circumscribed by accommodating the will of the dominant species。 In an afterword， Butler insists that “Bloodchild” is not a parable of slavery， but the elements of exploitation and manipulation are unmistakable。“Amnesty” involves an even more complicated interspecies relationship in which alien “Communities，” resembling dense interactive trees， inhabit desert areas of the Earth and employ humans for their research。 Once again， the power differential means that the human encounter can be both painful and comforting。 Noah， one of the human “translators，” tries to explain this pleasure-pain equation to a new crop of recruits。 She also reveals that， while the Communities unknowingly hurt humans in their early encounters， she herself was intentionally tortured by government authorities when the Communities first released her。 In both stories， Butler employs the remarkable image of aliens “enfolding” humans and giving them comfort。 Whether a segmented insectoid or an electrified bush， the seductive erotic element of both kinds of enfoldings is palpable。Two stories — “Next of Kin” and “Crossover” — aren’t science fiction at all， but sad tales of the search for love in a bleak world。 “Speech Sounds” is a more fully realized dystopian vision of a world， specifically Butler’s home turf of Southern California， where an epidemic has robbed people of speech and often the ability to recognize language at all。The final story， “The Book of Martha，” plays with ideas of utopianism when God — first visualized in the bearded robed Michelangelo version — offers Martha， a black woman novelist， the opportunity to reform the world。 Speaking of his work with Jonah， Job， and Noah， saving some and not others， God shrugs， “I don’t do that any longer。” Martha， rightly skeptical， tests out several ideas for transforming the world， from limiting families to two children to giving people more vivid and satisfying dreams。 The story becomes an amusing exercise in trying to cope with the law of unintended consequences， and that avoiding the law is more or less impossible。Butler writes clear powerful prose， without any particular efforts at word play or metaphor。 But the ideas she poses are difficult and knotty tales of alien encounters that are all too human in their meaning。A short biographical essay reminds us of Butler’s lonely struggle to achieve her goal of becoming an accomplished and highly honored science fiction writer。 。。。more
Katie Thielke Gustafson
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Really thought provoking stuff， first time reading the author， dipped my toe in with her short story collection， but she covered deep topics， from male pregnancy to utopia planning， throughly enjoyed the escape， hope to read her novels next， not sure how I missed her， but glad I found her， great sci-fi writing
Angelica
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“Bloodchild”， the titular short story， was honestly pretty creepy。 It strongly reminded me of Butler’s Xenogenesis trilogy。I liked “The Evening and the Morning and the Night” quite a bit。 But I think my favorites in this collection were “Amnesty” and “The Book of Martha”。 In Amnesty， I really liked how she explored alien abduction and trying to learn to communicate with beings so vastly different。 Was Noah suffering from a form of Stockholm Syndrome？
BagelBitch 69
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my first butler！ so good！
Steve
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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。
Nenad Š
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Even though I’m not a huge fan of sci-fi I can still appreciate this collection。 Octavia E。 Butler was a very talented and clever storyteller。 In the afterword of each story， you can see the humble side of her which I greatly respect。 I am also very thankful that this collection has two essays about writing with words of encouragement for future writers。 The only thing I wished is that Octavia E。 Butler wrote more short fiction， but I understand what she meant by saying that she is more of a nov Even though I’m not a huge fan of sci-fi I can still appreciate this collection。 Octavia E。 Butler was a very talented and clever storyteller。 In the afterword of each story， you can see the humble side of her which I greatly respect。 I am also very thankful that this collection has two essays about writing with words of encouragement for future writers。 The only thing I wished is that Octavia E。 Butler wrote more short fiction， but I understand what she meant by saying that she is more of a novelist rather than a short story writer。1。 Bloodchild - novelette by Octavia E。 Butler （First published in Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine， 1984） 4* Human race has escaped the Earth and established a colony on a planet that is populated by a race of insect creatures called Tlic。 When the Tlic realized that humans are great hosts for their eggs they established the Preserve to help humans， but in return they require a child from every to be chosen for implantation。 Once you become a host you are then called N'Tlic。 It is later implied that they pick men because they need women to create more humans so they could have more hosts。 The story follows a human boy named Gan who is chosen to be a host。 Throughout the story he goes from loving the fact that he will carry eggs of Tlic called T’Gatoi to being suicidal after his older brother tells him about the births he saw when he was a child。 A very interesting story of an impregnation from a male POV， but also is a love story。 2。 The Evening and the Morning and the Night - novelette by Octavia E。 Butler （First published in Omni， May 1987） 4* In this story after finding the cure for cancer it is revealed that the children of its users now have a genetic disease called DGD （Duryea-Gode Disease）。 Some of the symptoms include dissociative states， obsessive self-mutilation， violent psychosis and many more side effects。 The company that made the cure deny this and give subject special dietary restrictions to keep the disease at bay， but eventually it kicks in and once that happens the patients don’t live long after。 This story follows Lynn Mortimer whose both parents had DGD。 One day after returning from school she found that her father killed her mother by skinning her and killed himself later by digging into his flesh reaching his heart before dying。 Lynn majors in biology and starts working with DGD pacients。 She has a fiancé Alan Chi who also has both parents with DGD。 Alan’s mother Naomi is at the Dilg which is a center for patients who are out of control and the two go to visit where they meet doctor Beatrice Alcantara。 Apparently in the Dilg patients are super innovative and creative and not self-destructive like in other hospitals。 I liked most of the reveals， but the ending still made me want more。 3。 Near of Kin - short story by Octavia E。 Butler （First published in Chrysalis 4， 1979） 3* Girl’s mother has passed away， but they were not close as she was raised mostly by her grandma。 The entire story is a conversation about that situation between the girl and her uncle。 Not for me， even with the explanation in the afterword。 4。 Speech Sounds - short story by Octavia E。 Butler （First published Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine， 1983） 5* In this post-apocalyptic story a pandemic has hit the planet rendering people’s ability to communicate。 You either lose ability to speak or ability to read and write。 This makes communication horrible and there are nonstop fights between people。 We follow Valerie Rye， a history teacher that has lost the ability to read and write and has lost the majority of her closest family including husband with kids， sister and parents， except her brother who lives in Pasadena。 On the road to there she is forced out of the bus after a brawl starts and then meets Obsidian who is in LAPD uniform acting as the law in this chaos。 He has the ability to read and write which angers Rye at first， but realizes that he has a car and most importantly can read a map。 They strike a romance and I won’t spoil the ending， but damn that escalated quickly。 5。 Crossover - short story by Octavia E。 Butler （First published in Clarion， 1971） 4* A hard working woman has a dead-end job in a factory。 Her boyfriend is out of the can after 90 days and during that time she became depressed， suicidal and she even starts to hallucinate。 6。 Positive Obsession - essay by Octavia E。 Butler （Original title: "Birth of a Writer" first published in Essence magazine， 1989） 5* Octavia E。 Butler talks about how she became a writer with sharing memories through the years。 7。 Furor Scribendi - essay by Octavia E。 Butler （First published in L。 Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future， Vol。 IX。 Los Angeles: Bridge Publications， 1993） 5* Octavia E。 Butler gives advice for new writers and shares her habits and writing practices。 8。 Amnesty - novelette by Octavia E。 Butler （First published in SciFi。com， 2003） 4* The Stranger-Communities are an alien race that hires Noah Cannon as a translator with the help of the subcontractor humans。 The Community are moss/weed/plant looking and like to watch humans dance and do gymnastics。 Oh， and in a way， they control the Earth's desert areas and the economy of Earth。 Noah was abducted as a child by the Communities， but doesn’t hate them unlike some humans do。 Her goal is to unite the two， but finds it hard to explain to others that she suffered more cruelty by her own human government upon being released by the Communities。 Noah also tries to explain that the Communities are here to stay and just want to learn to communicate with the humans。 The biggest obstacle is that Communities can’t hear any sound so they must communicate with signs。 The other human characters just need the money and view this job as a necessary evil。 The story is an interesting debate of who is the bigger evil， all while the characters are waiting to see if they got the job。 9。 The Book of Martha - short story by Octavia E。 Butler （First published in SciFi。com， 2003） 3* Martha Bes is a writer that gets a visit from God who gives her a task to help him make humans less destructive。 He will give her some of his power and they have a discussion of possible scenarios。 Basically， God wants from her to create a perfect utopian world。 Martha decides that the best way is to give people vivid dreams every night so they could have a better life， but at the same time thinks by doing this nobody will read her novels and books in general。 The idea is to give pleasure in dreams so they will not read for pleasure， but rather will always look to dream again or something like that。 While an intriguing concept it just didn’t work for me。 After reading the afterword I sympathize more with it， but like Octavia E。 Butler herself I’m just not a fan of utopia stories。 。。。more
Nick
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 The Bloodchild is a short story about Gan， who grows up in a family that is not your typical loving family。 The preserve is made out to be some inescapable place that humans are kept in。 For this alien species to stay alive， a host must bear their children。 Gan is much more naive than his brother， Qui。 Qui has experienced some horrific things in his life， but Gan has been kept tucked away， which is why he's so innocent。 T' Gatoi is the ruler of the preserve， a powerful politician， and seems to The Bloodchild is a short story about Gan， who grows up in a family that is not your typical loving family。 The preserve is made out to be some inescapable place that humans are kept in。 For this alien species to stay alive， a host must bear their children。 Gan is much more naive than his brother， Qui。 Qui has experienced some horrific things in his life， but Gan has been kept tucked away， which is why he's so innocent。 T' Gatoi is the ruler of the preserve， a powerful politician， and seems to be Gans soul mate in an odd way。 Gan also has a sister named Xuan Hoa， who is also a Terran as well。 To clarify， a Terran is a human。 Qui， Gan， Lien， and Xuan Hoa are all owned by T' Gatoi。 Gans innocence is deemed broken when he is forced to watch a ritual done by his soul mate， T' Gatoi。 The Tlic race seems to have access to eggs， which prolong life。 These eggs also seem to make the participant drunk or something other than sober。 The theological takeaway from reading this story is that anyone should love who they want to， but this might be a stretch considering it seems to be about forced love。 T' Gatoi is a Tlic species of an alien not even close to a human。 She has claws， she's three meters tall， and she also has a stinger。 Her body and movements are described as having" bones， ribs， along the spine， a skull， four sets of limb bones per segment。 But when she moved that way， twisting， hurling herself into controlled falls， landing running， she seemed not only boneless but aquatic， something swimming through the air as though it were water。 I loved watching her move。" This description gave me a horrific picture in my head， I imagine this creature in a horror movie of some sort， but regardless she is not human， not even close。 I do feel as if this story is twisted， as in messed up。 It almost seems like the Terran race is slaves to the Tlics， used and disposed of if they don't die from the birth process。 Because the Tlics use male humans to give birth， it seems like there slaves。 When Gans dad is described in the first couple pages， my first thought was he was a slave。 He was only kept alive to bear more children， and the odd thing is he seemed not to mind it。 Gan， along with his dad， seems to be on board with the idea， but when he decides that he might not want to be a part of it， T' Gatoi gives him the option of using his sister， Xuan Hoa， instead。 This makes me pretty uncomfortable， considering it seems like he's forced into bearing her children。 I have never read a story or book about something like this， but I can connect the Tlic race to a parasite。 Personally， I thought this short story was interesting at the very least。 While I was reading， I was intrigued to see where the story was going， but I was completely lost when the story first started。 I feel like the author plops you right in the story without any knowledge of anything going on。 I didn't really know what was going on until halfway through， and then I went back and re-read to the beginning for it to make more sense。 I'm not too fond of this story because I feel as if it is trying to put a male in a woman's position in the sense of giving birth。 Sure， birthing a child is probably the most painful experience any human could go through， but this is just extreme。 When Lomas is torn open， I feel like he's getting dissected， and even more disturbing， T' Gatoi is compelled to do it because there are children of her kind inside of him。 I also feel that the men in this book have no choice whatsoever， which I'm sure is the case in some scenarios in our world today， but definitely not the only choice。 Just based on my perception at the end of the story， I wasn't a fan。 Maybe I took things the wrong way， but it just seems very gruesome。 I feel like a point is trying to be proven， but the references in this story are too extreme。 I know it's a Science fiction short story， so what could you expect？ But if the author was trying to convey a message based on our real world， it was too much， for me at least。 Another thing I didn't like about this story was how the reader is dropped into it。 I don't particularly appreciate reading stories that start， and I have no idea what's going on。 Yes， the pdf is short， twenty-one pages。 However， if I didn't have to read this story， I wouldn't have kept going after the second page。 I only say that because I began to lose interest as soon as I began reading。 The characters' names were random， and again I just felt like so much information wasn't said when I felt like it should've been。 These are my fresh thoughts right after reading， so maybe my perception will change after we go over it in class。 。。。more
Emily Migliazzo
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Reading Butler is always formative in some way。 I want to call her view of humanity "highly forgiving" even though she doesn't hold back censure。 Reading Butler is always formative in some way。 I want to call her view of humanity "highly forgiving" even though she doesn't hold back censure。 。。。more
Sunny
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