Adulthood Rites

A very interesting and engaging book. I don't think that humans can overcome the Contradiction (intelligence + hierarchy), but I appreciate how Butler captures the nuances of the question.

I'm really enjoying this series and Butler's usual talent for character development, relationship building, and saying so much between the lines. I'm a sucker for a book whose characters face difficult moral choices and also for characters who pull it together in whatever ways they can to make meaning after apocalypse.

Gets a little dense towards the end but if you can still enjoy it it adds to the world building and sets up an intriguing conclusion.

“Parte de lo que somos continuará existiendo. Y, algún día, parte de lo que somos irá a las estrellas. Esto nos parece mejor que quedarnos aquí sentados, pudriéndonos en vida, para luego morirnos y no dejar nada tras nosotros. ¿Cómo puede ser un pecado el que la gente tenga descendencia?”

Brillante y maravillosamente escrita. Hasta ahora no creo haber leído nada mejor que esto sobre contacto alienígena, aunque, claro, yo no soy de fiar ;-)

¡A terminar la saga!

This is good but the entire time I was reading it I just felt tense and sad.

Also I like Akin much less than Lilith. I know he's supposed to be alien and unrelatable, but his character just didn't seem as nuanced as Lilith's.

Short Review: I think this was a much better book than the first. Or at least less painful to read. The issues here were not as much about emotional and sexual manipulation (although there was some of that still present) but more about the human propensity toward violence and independence. I liked the character of Lilith from the first book, but she is really a side character with her son Akin taking the primary lead. Akin is the first human/alien male construct and not fully a part of either group. Because of his outsider status, he learns to love and appreciate both sides. This book sets up the third in the series, so I will have to pick that one up now.

My full review is on my blot at http://bookwi.se/adulthood-rites-by-octavia-butler/

I hate writing up the plot of books on goodreads (if you want to know the plot just look at the many other reviews)so I will skip that step....

I really enjoyed Akin's journey through the book - the child of two species trying to negotiate them. The main theme: Are humans a violent group of people bent on destroying themselves or can they somehow become enlightened? Butler is an great writer. She really was one of a kind. I can't say that I ‘ve come across any other writers like her. It makes me sad that there aren't more novels out there like this. Deep thoughts with a totally readable, interesting plot and characters.

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.