Bloodchild

I'm very disappointed in myself that it took me till this late in my life to discover Octavia Butler. This collection of short stories was just as captivating as the Xenogenesis trilogy which I so adored. Of them, the title story and “Amnesty” were probably my favorites. Both deal with similar themes as Xenogenesis: the ways in which human beings might coexist with alien life forms. In both stories, there are prices to be paid, some of which really are horrific. Butler focuses on humanity's ability to adapt and creates unique hypotheses on what alien life forms might find valuable. I particularly adore the image of alien life forms watching figure skating. Daisuke Takahashi could indeed be a force for intergalactic peace.

Also included are two of Butler's essays on writing and her own personal heritage. These are must-reads for anyone who believes writers are born and not made as well as anyone who questions the “value” of science fiction and fantasy literature. I hadn't really realized what a gateway Butler opened for writers of speculative fiction with her work and how few writers of color there were in the field as late as the 1980s. In her nonfiction prose, she is just as eloquent and candid as her fictional characters.

The only story I didn't really enjoy was “Near of Kin.” While it's interesting to see Butler explore a straight-up fiction story and her writing style still makes it enjoyable to read, the subject matter is just not something I'm particularly comfortable reading. I get enough sympathetic incest stories in my Japanese manga.

Science fiction fans, especially people who love a unique alien contact story should absolutely pick up this collection.