16 Wild Seed: Octavia Butler

[alias_sqbr]

I was thinking recently about how immortals always seem to be white men, whose only limitations are the ones they allow themselves to have(*), which misses out on a lot of interesting stories you could tell about life and history. "Wouldn't it be interesting" I thought to myself "To have a story about an immortal who was black or a woman, or both, and despite all their age and wisdom still had to struggle through sexism and slavery and all that crap. How would they see themselves and the world?".

And then I finally got around to reading "Wild Seed" by Octavia Butler, and it is exactly that story (also it's apparently first of a series). Although by the time we meet her she's learned to deal with mortal concerns, but is about to have her life turned upside down by another much older immortal, whose life and extreme age has left him pretty much a sociopath who sees other humans as tools. The main character Anyanwu feels a constant responsibility towards her descendants (not just her immediate children) which keeps her anchored to the world in a way most immortals seem not to be.

As with all her books I've read it deals with the boundaries between slavery, love, and symbiosis, asking a lot of very interesting questions and not leaving any obvious answers (well, beyond "Slavery is generally bad") I love how they're all in a sense in conversation with each other, I wonder what Lilith and Anyanwu would have to say to each other about their choices and for themselves and their children.

Anyway, it was fantastic.

(*)One could write about white male immortals who are still not able to breeze through mortal society, but as a rule people don't.

Comments

[sanguinity]

I love that book.

It's a very loose series; more like a handful of books that are written in the same universe, but with each book set in a different century and continent. Even the presence of those two immortals provides less continuity than you might think.

I'm not complaining much, mind you. Just don't expect any of the books in that particular series to behave as if they are subtitled "The Continuing Adventures of The Heroine from the Last Book!"

[alias_sqbr]

Yeah, I got that feeling, but thanks.

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

This is one of my very favorite books. Unfortunately, the others in the series are only loosely connected, and the others are my least favorites of hers.

Like much of Butler's work, the book presents an insoluble problem - in this case, "What do you do with an immortal enemy?" - and then continues from that point on, because her characters don't have the privelege of being able to walk away, or the despair to give up the struggle.

[alias_sqbr]

Unfortunately, the others in the series are only loosely connected, and the others are my least favorites of hers

Oh :( Oh well.

because her characters don't have the privelege of being able to walk away, or the despair to give up the struggle.

Yes, I really like that about her books. There are no easy solutions, including "And then they all died and it was very tragic but at least it was over". (I hate when authors do that to "solve" a difficult situation)

[oyceter]

What other people said. I also read this one first and then read the rest in the series backwards, which made it super confusing! I think it makes the most sense going by publishing order instead of internal chronological order, otherwise some of the surprises and whatnot are spoiled.

Published, they go: Patternmaster, Mind of My Mind, Wild Seed, Clay's Ark.

[alias_sqbr]

Unfortunately all I have access to are Wild Seed and Clay's Ark, and given how rare her books are in Australia I don't know if or when I'll be able to track down the others.

At least I didn't read Clay's Ark first I guess :) (Having read your review, I'm not sure I will at all, though I think the desire for more Butler will win in the end)

[oyceter]

Oh darn! On the other hand, Clay's Ark is much less depressing if you've read Patternmaster, so there is that. But it's still got the depressing ending that still makes me go: O_O.

[alias_sqbr]

I've just had a pile of books I reserved at the library come in at once, needing to be back Very Soon, so I can put off the decision for a little while :)

[unovis-lj.livejournal.com]

See Highlander for nonwhite and female Immortals.

[alias_sqbr]

That's true. I've only seen the movie and a few episodes of the tv show and am having trouble remembering quite how they dealt with it. Also I'm having trouble articulating my point :)

[http://users.livejournal.com/_swallow/]

that's so interesting! Thank you for the review.

your opening question reminded me of another book I've read, The Gilda Stories (http://www.rambles.net/gomez_gilda.html), that I'd recommend for others interested in the same question.

[alias_sqbr]

Oh hey, wow, thanks, that does sound exactly like what I was interested in! *adds to to-read pile* This comm is so useful :)