Octavia E. Butler

The futures of both humans and Oankali rest in one young being's successful metamorphosis into adulthood.

Imago

The stunning conclusion to a postapocalyptic trilogy about an alien species merging with humans—from “one of science fiction’s finest writers” (TheNew York Times). Human and Oankali have been mating since the aliens first came to Earth to rescue the few survivors of an annihilating nuclear war. The Oankali began a massive breeding project, guided by the ooloi, a sexless subspecies capable of manipulating DNA, in the hope of eventually creating a perfect starfaring race. Jodahs is supposed to be just another hybrid of human and Oankali, but as he begins his transformation to adulthood he finds himself becoming ooloi—the first ever born to a human mother. As his body changes, Jodahs develops the ability to shapeshift, manipulate matter, and cure or create disease at will. If this frightened young man is able to master his new identity, Jodahs could prove the savior of what’s left of mankind. Or, if he is not careful, he could become a plague that will destroy this new race once and for all. Readers of Ursula K. Le Guin and N. K. Jemisin will be fascinated by bestselling author Octavia Butler’s thought-provoking and compelling vision of humanity. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Octavia E. Butler including rare images from the author’s estate.

Cloudface

This trilogy was one of the best I’ve read in a long time. Each book stands on its own as a complete story while also building upon what the previous books established. The slow shift from human to Oankali perspective across the three books was chilling to read, and I can’t stop replaying certain scenes from this book in my head. Also, I appreciated the way this series addresses gender; it felt ahead of it’s time for a book from the 80s, but I guess that’s because when I think of 80s sci-fi I mostly think of books written by white men. Octavia Butler was truly a genius and I can’t wait to dive into the rest of her backlist - I only fear what will happen when I run out of her books to read.

From the award-winning author of Parable of the Sower: After the near-extinction of humanity, a new kind of alien-human hybrid must come to terms with their identity -- before their powers destroy what is left of humankind. Since a nuclear war decimated the human population, the remaining humans began to rebuild their future by interbreeding with an alien race -- the Oankali -- who saved them from near-certain extinction. The Oankalis' greatest skill lies in the species' ability to constantly adapt and evolve, a process that is guided by their third sex, the ooloi, who are able to read and mutate genetic code. Now, for the first time in the humans' relationship with the Oankali, a human mother has given birth to an ooloi child: Jodah. Throughout his childhood, Jodah seemed to be a male human-alien hybrid. But when he reaches adolescence, Jodah develops the ooloi abilities to shapeshift, manipulate DNA, cure and create disease, and more. Frightened and isolated, Jodah must either come to terms with this new identity, learn to control new powers, and unite what's left of humankind -- or become the biggest threat to their survival.

Midori Kobayashi

weirdest strangest book i read,,, still loved it sm

Xenogenesis

Dweedle 

The xenogenesis series has been one of my favorite sci-fi series to read. The world building is top notch. Butler has a knack for making the alien feel strikingly familiar. My favorite sci-fi leaves me thinking long after I've put the book down. I found myself coming back to the themes in this book many times over the last 6 months. Butler's point of view is also unique amongst sci fi authors I've read recently. Would highly recommend to any fan of the genre.

i found myself absolutely unable to put this down. it seems like the most alien p.o.v. so far was also the most riveting and it felt like questions of consent and the future of humans and what makes us human become even more urgent in this book.

it is bizarre the things we can get accustomed to as, at this point in the series, one barely notices the alien ways of mating or how central sex and sexuality (and the mild gender essentialism) are to the book. it becomes a true exploration of the new species.

i simply cannot recommend this trilogy enough.

i found myself absolutely unable to put this down. it seems like the most alien p.o.v. so far was also the most riveting and it felt like questions of consent and the future of humans and what makes us human become even more urgent in this book.

it is bizarre the things we can get accustomed to as, at this point in the series, one barely notices the alien ways of mating or how central sex and sexuality (and the mild gender essentialism) are to the book. it becomes a true exploration of the new species.

i simply cannot recommend this trilogy enough.

vins

by employing the most alien POV in the trilogy, this book puts a lot of things on 'Dawn' into a perspective (literally). It's fascinating how the last book is, in its essence, a bildungsroman. I did enjoy the novelty, and the build-ups, can't really say the same about the ultimate conflict resolution and the implication of the ending. Though I feel like the readers' interpretation would say a way lot more about themselves than Butler's intent. The heavy emphasis on reproduction still bothers me a lot, but overall Xenogenesis was really a fun and smart series.

Flavia Louise

I've had an full series edition of this series for the majority of the last year and after taking another break between Adulthood Rites and this final installment in the series, I am finally finished and I very much enjoyed this final installment. I was close to giving it a 4.5 which rounds up to a five in Goodreads stars for me but I just felt not quite passionate enough about it. But that mind change depending how much I'll be thinking about it in the next few days or weeks or even months.

Jessica Smith

I enjoyed this book just as much as the second one in the trilogy, Adulthood Rites (which you can read my review of here). Taking place perhaps fifty years later, this book follows another of Lilith Iyapo's children, Jodahs. Like Adulthood Rites, it's basically a coming-of-age story where the protagonist is not fully human, but a “construct”, half human and half Oankali. Not only that, though, but Jodahs is also neither male nor female – he turns out to be the first-ever construct ooloi (the Oankali third sex).

Not only is Jodahs a sympathetic character whose story is pretty interesting, but the book continues to deal with many of the same issues that the trilogy as a whole has. Is humanity doomed to tear itself apart, no matter what “fresh starts” we're given, or can we be better? Are the Oankali doing the right thing by tinkering with our genetics and cross-breeding with us to eliminate those authoritarian, destructive instincts, or is that wrong regardless of the outcomes, like the resisters believe? And also, while it's not quite as explicit about it as a book like The Left Hand of Darkness, there is some discussion of how difficult humans find it to comprehend the concept of ooloi, of someone who's not a he or she but an “it”. (I feel like these days the concept isn't quite so foreign, and singular “they” has entered into wider use, but there are still a lot of people who don't understand, and might even be hostile to, non-binary people.) Of course here there is the whole non-human aspect to it as well, where the hostility stems from a fear of difference.

Overall, this has been such an excellent, thoughtful series, ruminating on humanity's failings as well as presenting a unique and well-developed alien civilisation. The first book was a bit slow and heavy on the exposition, but the second and third have tied it all together well. Highly recommended.

Imago

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