A solid collection of mostly excellent stories:Bloodchild The first story in this collection is Butler's "Bloodchild", winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards for best novelette in 1985.Humans live in a Preserve provided by the alien Tlic. Tlic have an awful lot of limbs, not to mention a tale with a stinger. That may make them ugly, but they seem quite civilized, and friends of the family. We eventually learn that Tlic use humans in their reproductive cycle; it's the price the humans pay for their Preserve (or "the rent," as Butler puts it): to let their bodies serve as blood hosts for the Grubb-like larva that become Tlic offspring. Eeeeww.I thought the exposition order was interesting. First, I was a little slow in figuring out that Gan was a male. I guess because Butler is female I defaulted to female for the PoV character.More interestingly, we won't find out until well into the story that this is the Tlic's home planet, and the humans arrived voluntarily more or less as refugees. Up until then, this could've been an alien invasion aftermath just as easily. (Does this change our moral perception of the role humans play as servitors?)There's an interesting family dynamic explored in the initial, tranquil scene. The Tlic named T’Gatoi seems to be a guest member of the human family, and in particular has a special relationship with one of the (teenage?) children, Gan. There's a bunch of T’Gatoi & Gan cuddling on the living room sofa. Brother Qui seems disgusted with the scene, and Mom seems only sullenly accepting. The sisters seem jealous of Gan's favored relation to T’Gatoi.Then we get to witness the rather painful side of a Tlic birth as a human, "pregnant" with Tlic grubs, reaches the birth stage, bloody and painful as the larva literally chew their way out of the human host.Gan, having now witnessed the Tlic birth spectacle, knows what's in store for him, and rebels, contemplating murder, suicide, and running away like his older brother, Qui, once did. Gan has his, "Do it to Julia!" moment. But eventually Gan relents and accepts the alien pregnancy/infestation, mostly to spare his sister the fate, but also because T’Gatoi plays the, "won't you think of the children?" card.In the afterword, Butler talks about an awkward romance between Gan and T’Gatoi. I guess I see it more as Gan acknowledging that T’Gatoi is the family's sugar daddy.I noticed Mom refused to consume her share of the egg. Gan observes that she denies herself the "harmless pleasure", apparently a pleasant soporific effect. It could be that Mom just doesn't want the longevity, being tired of life. Or it could be she just is dedicated to her children, And wants them to have her share. Or she might just be feeling guilty that it's some sort of payment for the use of her son as a brood animal.It might be interesting to compare the circumstances of this story with last year's Nebula Award nominated novelette, "A Guide to the Fruits of Hawaii", in which vampires keep humans around in special Preserves as a food source.*****The Evening and the Morning and the Night The second story in this collection is a contemporary SF. It invents a fictional disease, Duryea-Gode disease (DGD) that is hereditary. It's sufferers eventually suffer a loss of control and violent behavior, self-destructive as well as two others. Contemporary treatment is to monitor those who have the gene and at the first sign of loss of control, locking them away in special centers where they can (usually) only harm themselves. There also seem to be some strict dietary requirements.Our first-person narrator, Lynn, the young woman who has the disease, still under control, is facing a bleak future. She's in a house-sharing arrangement with several other DGD, and seems to have evolved as the house mother.She and her fiancé eventually go to visit one of the progressive DGD centers, "Dilg". Dilg seem to have found a way to keep "uncontrolled" DGDs under control. Turns out house mother can be a career choice.Overall, this was a pretty optimistic story. I'm impressed with how interesting the characters became based only on a short story's space. (I also notice that Lynn didn't drop her name until halfway through the story. Before that she's just, "I". The explanation of the disease is rather painlessly spread out in the early going, part of Lynn's natural history, and clearly one of the most important things in her young life. All of her life planning revolves around her gene, to the extent she's already visiting a home for DGDs while still in college.I guess one of the themes here is that our choices in life are controlled by genetics as much as our will; or more accurately, which choices are available to us. Not terribly revelatory. Enjoyable read, though.****Near of KinThere's no law requiring Butler to only write sci-fi, but I don't have to like it. This story in particular feels like listening into some other family's argument. While popular in Literary circles, I've always felt we each have enough interpersonal drama in our own families that there's no sense in importing someone else's.*Speech SoundsMassive, universal, instantly-spreading diseases are a sci-fi author's equivalent of waving a magic wand, wishing to explore some new human condition. (In this case, a society where people have forgotten how to speak.) Similar examples in Day of the Triffids, Night of the Comet. If you're reading urban fantasy, it's literally magic, variously called The Shift, Breakthrough, or Awakening.In a world without speech, Butler imagines jealousy on the part of those who can still speak. Reading also seems to be a lost art. This jealousy often manifests itself violently (thus ensuring even fewer people around who can still speak.) Butler obviously feels humans like to express their jealousy, anger, frustration, etc. with violence.I thought it was a pretty good story, presented an interesting character, really two characters, gave them an interesting almost-relationship. And it threw in a cute twist at the end. Enjoyed reading it.****CrossoverThis one doesn't really work for me. Not fantasy unless you think having the DTs is a fantasy. Really not enough information about the woman. Her ex is in jail? Is that why people look at her weird at work? Or is it because she's tipsy? Didn't have any attachment, everyday setting, dull plot, lack of resolution.**AmnestyI like this story of a woman (Noah) whose job is liaison between aliens and humans. Unlike in "Bloodchild", this time the aliens came to Earth. Like Bloodchild, the aliens clearly have the upper hand. They appropriated large desert areas of the planet and built domes.This story seems to have a lot more exposition than the other Butler stories in this collection. Part of that's because a huge chunk of the story is Noah's history, first being abducted by the aliens as the aliens were experimenting on humans to try to figure out what they were and how to communicate with them, and then after she was released by the aliens, being abducted and tortured by some shadowy human organization, possibly part of the government, in order to extract intelligence about those aliens.It's interesting in the Afterword, Butler relates know what to Wen Ho Lee.One quibble with the story is that a couple of the interviewees didn't really seem to be the kind who would apply for a job with the aliens.I was struck by some similarities to Butler's Xenogenesis. Both are about women who have lengthy exposure to aliens who find it their job to explain/represent the aliens to other humans who are skeptical/hostile.***The Book of MarthaI liked this story, the most I'm using of the collection, which is not to say it isn't serious in its way.God turns over to Martha a decision on how to change the world. Martha wrestles with this for some time, in something similar to the old conundrum of wording a wish to a genie to make sure it comes out the way you want.Interestingly, before Martha goes back to living in the world she has now re-made, she asked God to remove our memory of having had or made that choice, thus relieving herself of the responsibility (at least in her own mind.)***
Bloodchild is a collection of short stories by the famous science-fiction writer Octavia Butler. The problem with most short story collections is that they are usually a mixed bag, populated with mostly mediocre stories speckled with a few stinkers and a few gems. Well, I am happy to report to you that Bloodchild is not like that at all. Every single story in this collection is captivating, intelligent, and written in a style that is clear and accessible without losing any of its sophistication.What really struck me about Bloodchild was the sheer emotional impact of each story. Because each story is such a perfect little world, and because the characters are so well realized, every story really packs a punch. I put down the book between each story, incapable of doing any real thinking because I was so blown away by what I had just read. I think the effectiveness of the stories comes from a mix of excellent writing and characterization and the way Butler uses those characters to explore complex ideas. One of Butler's strengths is in never letting her work become preachy or one-sided. Butler's ideas are as complex as her characters, and that makes her stories resonate in a very real and powerful way.Usually, this would be the part of the review where I would tell you which stories were my favorite and which ones to skip, but I can't really do that with this collection, because they are all absolutely worth reading. I believe that Butler's most famous stories are Bloodchild and Speech Sounds, both of which are in this collection and both of which are absolutely mind-blowing. Bloodchild actually left me speechless and shaking by the time I finished it. Her other stories are more subtle, but are still incredibly well-written. There are also two essays included in the book, my favorite of which was Positive Obsession. Since I bought the updated version of the book, I got an extra two stories on top of the original five stories and two essays. If you are going to get it, I recommend getting the updated version, because the two added stories are both very good, especially Amnesty. In all of the stories Butler's characters are absolutely convincing, and her story-telling is so smooth that you never need time to get adjusted to the story, even when you are dropped right in the middle of the action. That is, to me, a sign of a great writer.I know this review is vague, but that is only because Butler's stories are so good. I don't feel like I need to speak for them, and I'm not sure that I could even if I wanted to. If you want intelligent stories with concise yet vivid writing and realistic characters, then Octavia Butler is absolutely the writer for you.Rating: 5 starsVivid writing, engaging plot, convincing characters, and intelligent world building. Highly recommended.
Do You like book Bloodchild And Other Stories (2005)?
So everyone knows that I love, love, love OEB and that even when I read stories of hers that are less than satisfying (which is rare, I'll agree), I'm still very satisfied. This compilation of short stories and essays is a wonderful insight into OEB's, well, awesomeness.As she says at the beginning, she's not much of a short story writer. That is to say, her short stories, while wonderfully imaginative, provocative and genuine, are these huge, wonderful ideas, with lots of people to love and hate, that aren't given the time they need to reach their full potential. Her short stories are like sketches for her novels. "Bloodchild," "Speech Sounds," and "Crossover" left me dying for more, more, more. Left me almost unsatisfied in their telling. Perhaps that is one of the marks of a good short story - but I think short stories, in short shrift, show beginning of interest and then are able to provide a closing that feels complete. Not "wrapped up," but complete. OEB's, simply because they are short, are short. Not because the story demanded they be short, but because they are short.And that's where my complaints end. So much for complaining, huh?These stories are insightful and contain people and situations that are wholly believable, sometimes horrific, and always fascinating. Also, her essay "Positive Obsession" is one of the better ones I know for advice to aspiring writers. Though how credible am I in the aspiring writers category? Not very, as I linger somewhere between (or before?) the "aspiring" part and somewhere distant from the "writer" part. If you enjoy her work already, you will feel enriched. If you are new to OEB, you might learn to love her after this book. If you don't like OEB, we must stop communicating immediately. I have my boundaries.
—Barrett
What a great book of science fiction stories. I've been wanting to read some of Octavia Butler's works for some time and this was a wonderful introduction for me. Butler's tales have a pessimistic tone while being very imaginative as she plays with our psyche. I found that the stories that stuck with me were: "The Evening and the Morning and the Night" (a couple dealing with a horrible genetic disorder) and "Speech Sounds" (a post-apocalyptic tale in which people lose most of or all their ability to speak). However, I especially enjoyed her award winning "Bloodchild". It is a story that has three layers. "Bloodchild" is very interesting as it combines a love story between a young, male human and an alien, a coming of age theme where, on the cusp of manhood, the human must face some disturbing realities that could affect his entire life and, finally, the subject of male pregnancy. I highly recommend this book if you like to give this author a try. Note: This was a book that I received as a bookring through Bookcrossing.com
—Deb
Octavia Butler's one and only short story collection proves two things: 1) she is terrible at appraising her own skill in short stories, and 2) the woman delivers. Bloodchild is an anthology collection that is primarily dominated by sci-fi stories, but also includes some short fiction, essays, and a short biography of Butler complete with photos. Each item is followed by a brief discussion from Butler regarding the inspiration and meaning behind the piece. I can honestly say there is not a short story in this collection that I did not thoroughly enjoy. Butler remains a---if not THE---master of making alien societies, psychology, and physiology truly feel alien. A race of giant centipedes who have entered a symbiotic relationship with humanity, with us serving as hosts for their eggs and they acting as providers and protectors, is easily the most horrifying and intriguing story available. Another set of aliens, these being fungal or vegetable in nature with a communal structure and the ability to engulf a human being in their amorphous body, are unsettling and fascinating. As someone who aspires to be a writer, I found the essasys to be the perfect blend of practical advice, real-world experience, and encouragement/inspiration. There is little action to these stories. Often the whole story spans a handful of conversations. I found it fluid and fast-paced, smooth. If you are a fan of sweeping space operas or epic laser fights you'll not enjoy this. There's very few negatives I can give for this work. Her themes are oft heavy-handed. Her dialogue can be very stilted. Her world-building can come in large chunks. But these flaws occur rarely at best. TL;DR: I devoured this book. If you dislike this book, you are probably Hitler.
—Kaitlynn
