Tag: Octavia Butler

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Rule 34 and Imago

Rule 34 is an interesting Charles Stross book set in a downward sliding Scotland, and a whole host of disinvestment and rot in public institutions after the great recession.

We’re guided though the worlds (physical and internet) with a few viewpoint characters. Liz is a cop, who mostly reviews the net side of crimes… with a slowly revealed backstory explaining how she got derailed from promotions and into her current role. The other half is anchored by Anwar, a scammer out on parole, trying to make some money and support his family in a very challenging world.

There are some interesting detours into pseudo-states and international crime, some characters from the main characters’ pasts come back to complicate their lives, and AI runs amuck. Solid, but not my favorite of his.

Imago was a good conclusion to the Xenogenesis trilogy. It doesn’t include the rough toddler POV that made the middle book harder to love. Jodhas is a very interesting adaptation to Earth; very human looking and male to begin, but with a fascinating development path.

We get to see the threads begun by Akin in the previous book flourish, though it’s not directly addressed or a main focus. The huge slide of the human settlements that we saw last book has slowed, but there are new settlements to find.

All in all, a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy… though Dawn is enough stronger than the other two that I’d recommend it as a stand alone to most… and just let them know that the other books exist if they want to see the whole sequence together.

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Adulthood Rites and Picnic on Paradise

Octavia Butler’s Adulthood Rites is a sequel to Dawn. It’s a rough start, following a super baby – it definitely sets Akin apart from the children of our world, though it’s all weirdly plausible and consistent.

After the time jump forward, into adolescence, Akin feels less weird (though still intentionally very weird). There are interesting meditations and debates about what is inherent, genetically preloaded, and what things can and should be changed and cherished. The slow slide of Phoenix is fascinating and sad.

Adulthood Rites was a reread – probably my second read, and a couple of decades apart.

Picnic on Paradise was new to me. It’s a weird, stylish future, quickly reduced to a lengthy trek and squabbling through hardship. A few quirky and interesting characters, several that never really develop depth.

It’s well written, but not one I’m likely to read again.

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Softwire and Dawn

The Softwire: Virus on Orbis 1 by P. J. Haarsma was hanging out in our library; I don’t think I’ve ever read it, so it likely came from Jax’s library. It’s compellingly written, and moves at a quick pace. It’s a well written exploration of a truly alien environment – without the separation and control that adults visiting in a ship would have.

It feels like good YA, but is willing to include a lot of subtler elements in the world building that don’t make it feel so straightforward that it’s just for kids. By the end, there was a foe and a straightforward conflict – but it took an intriguing path to get there. I started looking for the next book, but since it was published in 2006, it’s not actively stocked. I’ll have to keep it in mind when combing bookshops.

Dawn by Octavia Butler was a reread. It’s a fascinating study – the Oankali feel intriguingly different and alien, and the initial setup of Lilith as a rat in a maze, being examined and tested, is hard to take… it’s a rough setup, which primes her for the role that she’s reviled for.

The Oankali concept of trade being off kilter, and the anxieties of humans at being pieced together from isolation and forged into small bands feel all too authentic. We’re all mutts that would bite the hand that feeds us, if that hand was so alien.

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Fledgling by Octavia Butler

This is an interesting science fictional take on the Ina, Butler’s vampires. We learn about the Ina and their society from the viewpoint of Shori. The Ina are a fascinating group, with a culture and history that we learn alongside Shori.

Rather than the comfortable norm for vampires, Shori looks very young (which brings up Lolita like concerns), is small, and black. Her control of her victims is due to a venom which has several interesting side effects. It’s interesting looking at these near traditional vampires through a more scientific lense. Similarly, the social groups they build feel realistic, and in context their withdrawal from society makes perfect sense.

Interestingly, as the book goes on, we begin to transition from traditional vampire (and sympathetic vampire) books and start getting involved in genetic engineering ethics and race. It makes sense in the book, despite the shaking your head you’re probably doing.

In the end, it’s an interesting and fun book with deeper overtones, if you’re looking for them.