From /tmp/sf.18320 Wed May 12 14:26:42 1993 Xref: lysator.liu.se rec.arts.sf.written:11432 alt.books.reviews:408 Path: lysator.liu.se!isy!liuida!sunic!pipex!bnr.co.uk!bnrgate!nott!torn!utnut!cs.utexas.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!darwin.sura.net!haven.umd.edu!cville-srv.wam.umd.edu!cbaker From: cbaker@wam.umd.edu (C. Douglas Baker) Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written,alt.books.reviews Subject: __Dawn__by Octavia E. Butler Book Review Followup-To: rec.arts.sf.written Date: 11 May 1993 23:25:23 GMT Organization: University of Maryland, College Park Lines: 89 Distribution: world Message-ID: <1spcl4$pfr@cville-srv.wam.umd.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: rac1.wam.umd.edu Keywords: Butler DAWN by Octavia E. Butler Book Review by C. Douglas Baker [Minor Spoilers] _Dawn_ introduces the reader to a fascinating alien race that intends to save a post-nuclear holocaust earth by re- populating it with half-human, half-alien beings. The concept of cross-breeding through genetic engineering with an alien race to create a new species is a truly innovative storyline. The Oankali intend to take a number of humans they saved from a nucleated earth, cross-breed with them, and re-introduce them and their alien offspring to the earth. The highly negative reactions of the humans to this idea is very realistic and their interactions with the aliens are conceivable. The main character, Lilith Iyapo, is a strong willed African-American woman who learns to accept the aliens for what they are but never fully comes to accept their plans for the human race. The Oankali are an imaginative race with three genders, the third being a necessary intermediary between the male and female Oankali during intercourse and for procreation. Therefore it is not surprising that the "third" gender (it is not really neuter) is the dominant gender of the race. They travel in an interstellar ship that is entirely made of living tissue and the Oankali physically interact with the ship to produce food, dispose of waste, and reproduce other needs. The Oankali travel about the universe and cross-breed with other sapient beings out of necessity. Humans are just another of their "victims" or "beneficiaries", depending on one's point of view. The new species is ostensibly better than its parent species. Despite it's promising premise, __Dawn__ is disappointing. First, we never learn why the Oankali must cross-breed with other races. The only time the issue is directly addressed the author suggests it is the Oankali raison d'etre to cross-breed and create new life forms to "survive as an evolving species instead of specializing ourselves into extinction or stagnation" (p. 39). The Oankali maintain their need to do so is genetic. To avoid fully explaining this need, the author has Lilith respond "I understand your words. Your meaning though...it's as alien to me as you are". The Oankali also claim that human beings are genetically inclined toward hierarchy and that this is an inherently negative and self-destructive trait. Butler does not, however, demonstrate why hierarchial arrangement of human affairs is intrinsically negative. The Oankali (Butler) make the statement without support or introducing alternatives. These are unacceptable circumventions to the discerning reader. The character building in the book is also poor. We never learn what the Oankali really think of humans and how their world is organized or functions. The reader gets only snippets and implications, not direct explanations. This device works here though because the humans themselves never really understand the alien creatures. Too bad the human characters, other than Lilith, are equally undeveloped. The human characters are almost caricatures or stereotypes. The relationship between Lilith and her human lover, indeed all the relationships between human characters, seem stilted. Especially their sexual relationships. While graphic depiction of sex is unneeded the relationships seem wooden and sanitized. Another small quibble is the use of a cliche--that of a nuclear disaster destroying the earth--to introduce a new alien race. While it is certainly possible for a nuclear disaster to occur, it seems the novel would have been more interesting if the human race could have interacted with the Oankali from a position of strength. There is nothing to suggest that the Oankali only cross-bred with aliens near extinction. __Dawn__ is a frustrating novel. While the unique plot and interesting aliens are fascinating, the story itself is awkward and unfulfilling. The reader never gets a chance to fully understand the aliens or the humans. %T Dawn %A Octavia E. Butler %C New York %D 1987 %I Popular Library %G ISBN 0-445-20779-5 (paperback) %P 248 C. Douglas Baker cbaker@wam.umd.edu cb52@umail.umd.edu From /tmp/sf.17355 Thu Jun 3 23:59:22 1993 Xref: lysator.liu.se rec.arts.sf.written:11619 alt.books.reviews:411 Path: lysator.liu.se!isy!liuida!sunic!uunet!haven.umd.edu!cville-srv.wam.umd.edu!cbaker From: cbaker@wam.umd.edu (C. Douglas Baker) Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written,alt.books.reviews Subject: ADULTHOOD RITES by Octavia E. Bulter Book Review Followup-To: rec.arts.sf.written Date: 14 May 1993 15:18:41 GMT Organization: University of Maryland, College Park Lines: 77 Distribution: world Message-ID: <1t0d8h$kos@cville-srv.wam.umd.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: rac1.wam.umd.edu Keywords: Butler ADULTHOOD RITES by Octavia E. Butler Book Review by C. Douglas Baker Part two of Octavia E. Bulter's Xenogenesis Trilogy, _Adulthood Rites_ is much more engaging and well thought out than its precursor, _Dawn_. The first half-human, half-Oankali male becomes the focal point for the Oankali attempt to cross-breed with humans. According to the Oankali, the human male is very dangerous and prone to violence. Indeed, the human male is the embodiment of the so called human contradiction that leads to self destruction. If this human/Oankali "construct" is flawed and prone to destructive tendencies, the whole genetic "trade" or cross-breeding would be jeopardized. Indeed, the Oankali themselves would be jeopardized. Akin, the half-human, half-Oankali male child is kidnapped by human "resisters" who have refused to mate with the aliens at the price of their own fertility. The Oankali, while lengthening the life and health of these human survivors of nuclear holocaust, plan to allow them eventually to become extinct. The best human genetic traits would then be carried by the new species of Oankali whose genes were mixed. The aliens decide to allow the kidnapped child to remain with the resisters for some time so he can learn about his human side. The novel centers around Akin's rectifying his conflicting loyalties to his human and alien selves. _Adulthood Rites_ expands on the alien Oankali and leads the reader to an understanding of why they must cross-breed with other races. Their raison d'etre is to collect and expand upon all life forms and become a better race through adapting the better traits of races they come into contact with. They view life in a more holistic fashion, as consisting of the cells and even sub-atomic particles of living matter. Every being is genetically engineered to function for a purpose. The purpose of the Oankali is to collect and expand upon life forms, including their own. We can surmise that at their origin, the Oankali looked nothing like they are currently described as they have continued to metamorphosis genetically over the ages. Bulter does an excellent job of portraying human reaction to the aliens who want to cross-breed with them but allow the human race as they know it to become extinct. We can both empathize with Lilith who has, more or less, accepted the fate of the human race and has born human/Oankali children and become a member of an alien community. While she does not fully accept the fate of her species she is resigned to it and does what she thinks best to preserve what is left of humanity. Conversely, we also empathize with Tate, who would rather die than be disloyal to the human race by giving in to the alien predators. The Oankali are a truly fascinating and ingenious creation. The most dismaying aspect of the book is the big "contradiction" in human genes the Oankali keep proclaiming is the reason humans should be allowed to become extinct. This contradiction is "intelligence and hierarchial" behavior. It seems that males are particularly prone to this trait (p. 198- 200). There is no explication as to why this is such a contradiction or why hierarchial behavior necessarily leads to self-destruction in the human race. This was a very unsophisticated attempt to explain human tendency toward violence and destruction. It greatly detracted from an otherwise excellent novel. %T Adulthood Rites %A Octavia E. Butler %C New York %D 1988 %I Popular Library %G ISBN 0-445-20903-8 (paperback) %P 277 Doug Baker cbaker@wam.umd.edu cb52@umail.umd.edu From /tmp/sf.17355 Fri Jun 4 00:00:52 1993 Path: lysator.liu.se!isy!liuida!sunic!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!wupost!udel!news.intercon.com!psinntp!dg-rtp!sheol!dont-reply-to-paths From: dg-rtp!umail.umd.edu!C_Douglas_BAKER (cb52) Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.reviews Followup-To: rec.arts.sf.written Subject: Dawn by Octavia Butler Book Review by C. Douglas Baker Approved: sfr%sheol@concert.net (rec.arts.sf.reviews moderator) Message-ID: <8278@sheol.UUCP> Date: 15 May 93 14:17:15 GMT Lines: 87 DAWN by Octavia E. Butler Book Review by C. Douglas Baker [Minor Spoilers] _Dawn_ introduces the reader to a fascinating alien race that intends to save a post-nuclear holocaust earth by re- populating it with half-human, half-alien beings. The concept of cross-breeding through genetic engineering with an alien race to create a new species is a truly innovative storyline. The Oankali intend to take a number of humans they saved from a nucleated earth, cross-breed with them, and re-introduce them and their alien offspring to the earth. The highly negative reactions of the humans to this idea is very realistic and their interactions with the aliens are conceivable. The main character, Lilith Iyapo, is a strong willed African-American woman who learns to accept the aliens for what they are but never fully comes to accept their plans for the human race. The Oankali are an imaginative race with three genders, the third being a necessary intermediary between the male and female Oankali during intercourse and for procreation. Therefore it is not surprising that the "third" gender (it is not really neuter) is the dominant gender of the race. They travel in an interstellar ship that is entirely made of living tissue and the Oankali physically interact with the ship to produce food, dispose of waste, and reproduce other needs. The Oankali travel about the universe and cross-breed with other sapient beings out of necessity. Humans are just another of their "victims" or "beneficiaries", depending on one's point of view. The new species is ostensibly better than its parent species. Despite it's promising premise, __Dawn__ is disappointing. First, we never learn why the Oankali must cross-breed with other races. The only time the issue is directly addressed the author suggests it is the Oankali raison d'etre to cross-breed and create new life forms to "survive as an evolving species instead of specializing ourselves into extinction or stagnation" (p. 39). The Oankali maintain their need to do so is genetic. To avoid fully explaining this need, the author has Lilith respond "I understand your words. Your meaning though...it's as alien to me as you are". The Oankali also claim that human beings are genetically inclined toward hierarchy and that this is an inherently negative and self-destructive trait. Butler does not, however, demonstrate why hierarchial arrangement of human affairs is intrinsically negative. The Oankali (Butler) make the statement without support or introducing alternatives. These are unacceptable circumventions to the discerning reader. The character building in the book is also poor. We never learn what the Oankali really think of humans and how their world is organized or functions. The reader gets only snippets and implications, not direct explanations. This device works here though because the humans themselves never really understand the alien creatures. Too bad the human characters, other than Lilith, are equally undeveloped. The human characters are almost caricatures or stereotypes. The relationship between Lilith and her human lover, indeed all the relationships between human characters, seem stilted. Especially their sexual relationships. While graphic depiction of sex is unneeded the relationships seem wooden and sanitized. Another small quibble is the use of a cliche--that of a nuclear disaster destroying the earth--to introduce a new alien race. While it is certainly possible for a nuclear disaster to occur, it seems the novel would have been more interesting if the human race could have interacted with the Oankali from a position of strength. There is nothing to suggest that the Oankali only cross-bred with aliens near extinction. __Dawn__ is a frustrating novel. While the unique plot and interesting aliens are fascinating, the story itself is awkward and unfulfilling. The reader never gets a chance to fully understand the aliens or the humans. %T Dawn %A Octavia E. Butler %C New York %D 1987 %I Popular Library %G ISBN 0-445-20779-5 (paperback) %P 248 C. DOUGLAS BAKER Email: cb52@umail.umd.edu (Doug Baker) From /tmp/sf.17355 Fri Jun 4 00:02:28 1993 Path: lysator.liu.se!isy!liuida!sunic!uunet!gatech!udel!news.intercon.com!psinntp!dg-rtp!sheol!dont-reply-to-paths From: C_Douglas_BAKER@umail.umd.edu (cb52) Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.reviews Followup-To: rec.arts.sf.written Subject: __Adulthood Rites__ by Octavia E. Bulter Book Review Approved: sfr%sheol@concert.net (rec.arts.sf.reviews moderator) Message-ID: <9305132347.AA07132@umailsrv0.UMD.EDU> Date: 15 May 93 17:02:02 GMT Lines: 76 ADULTHOOD RITES by Octavia E. Butler Book Review by C. Douglas Baker [Minor Spoilers] Part two of Octavia E. Bulter's Xenogenesis Trilogy, _Adulthood Rites_ is much more engaging and well thought out than its precursor, _Dawn_. The first half-human, half-Oankali male becomes the focal point for the Oankali attempt to cross-breed with humans. According to the Oankali, the human male is very dangerous and prone to violence. Indeed, the human male is the embodiment of the so called human contradiction that leads to self destruction. If this human/Oankali "construct" is flawed and prone to destructive tendencies, the whole genetic "trade" or cross-breeding would be jeopardized. Indeed, the Oankali themselves would be jeopardized. Akin, the half-human, half-Oankali male child is kidnapped by human "resisters" who have refused to mate with the aliens at the price of their own fertility. The Oankali, while lengthening the life and health of these human survivors of nuclear holocaust, plan to allow them eventually to become extinct. The best human genetic traits would then be carried by the new species of Oankali whose genes were mixed. The aliens decide to allow the kidnapped child to remain with the resisters for some time so he can learn about his human side. The novel centers around Akin's rectifying his conflicting loyalties to his human and alien selves. _Adulthood Rites_ expands on the alien Oankali and leads the reader to an understanding of why they must cross-breed with other races. Their raison d'etre is to collect and expand upon all life forms and become a better race through adapting the better traits of races they come into contact with. They view life in a more holistic fashion, as consisting of the cells and even sub-atomic particles of living matter. Every being is genetically engineered to function for a purpose. The purpose of the Oankali is to collect and expand upon life forms, including their own. We can surmise that at their origin, the Oankali looked nothing like they are currently described as they have continued to metamorphosis genetically over the ages. Bulter does an excellent job of portraying human reaction to the aliens who want to cross-breed with them but allow the human race as they know it to become extinct. We can both empathize with Lilith who has, more or less, accepted the fate of the human race and has born human/Oankali children and become a member of an alien community. While she does not fully accept the fate of her species she is resigned to it and does what she thinks best to preserve what is left of humanity. Conversely, we also empathize with Tate, who would rather die than be disloyal to the human race by giving in to the alien predators. The Oankali are a truly fascinating and ingenious creation. The most dismaying aspect of the book is the big "contradiction" in human genes the Oankali keep proclaiming is the reason humans should be allowed to become extinct. This contradiction is "intelligence and hierarchial" behavior. It seems that males are particularly prone to this trait (p. 198- 200). There is no explication as to why this is such a contradiction or why hierarchial behavior necessarily leads to self-destruction in the human race. This was a very unsophisticated attempt to explain human tendency toward violence and destruction. It greatly detracted from an otherwise excellent novel. %T Adulthood Rites %A Octavia E. Butler %C New York %D 1988 %I Popular Library %G ISBN 0-445-20903-8 (paperback) %P 277 C. DOUGLAS BAKER Email: cb52@umail.umd.edu (Doug Baker) From /tmp/sf.17355 Fri Jun 4 00:05:45 1993 Xref: lysator.liu.se rec.arts.sf.written:11947 alt.books.reviews:424 Path: lysator.liu.se!isy!liuida!sunic!pipex!zaphod.crihan.fr!univ-lyon1.fr!ghost.dsi.unimi.it!batcomputer!caen!malgudi.oar.net!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!darwin.sura.net!haven.umd.edu!cville-srv.wam.umd.edu!cbaker From: cbaker@wam.umd.edu (C. Douglas Baker) Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written,alt.books.reviews Subject: __Imago__ by Octavia E. Bulter Book Review Followup-To: rec.arts.sf.written Date: 20 May 1993 20:00:59 GMT Organization: University of Maryland, College Park Lines: 59 Distribution: world Message-ID: <1tgo1r$dkp@cville-srv.wam.umd.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: rac1.wam.umd.edu Keywords: Butler IMAGO by Octavia E. Butler Book Review by C. Douglas Baker [Mild Spoilers] Part three of Octavia E. Bulter's Xenogenesis Trilogy, _Imago_ completes the creation of a new species via Oankali and human cross-breeding. _Imago_ deals with the creation of the first "construct" (half-human, half-Oankali) ooloi, the third Oankali gender. Ooloi are necessary for reproduction and the creation of construct ooloi represent the ability of the new species to procreate and become independent of its parent species. The ooloi are explained in fuller detail in _Imago_ than in the previous novels. Here the reader more fully understands the healing and manipulative abilities of the ooloi. The ooloi bind their mates to them through a chemical and psychological process and are equally bonded to their mates. The major difference in the new ooloi species is their ability to metamorphosis or shape-change which they derive from their human genes' ability to regenerate new types of cells. The construct ooloi tend to take on the shape of their mates, thus the title _Imago_. Jodahs, the first construct ooloi, is ostensibly a mistake made by its ooloi parent Nikanj. Jodahs must learn to control its ability to change the genetic structure of living things to become accepted as part of the Oankali community. The Oankali consensus had been that any construct ooloi created by mistake would be confined to the ship where it would not do any physical damage to the other earthbound Oankali, humans or constructs. Since Jodahs can change genetic make-up unintentionally with a touch, it has the potential to create mutations or diseases that would be dangerous to the community. Jodahs' family, however, chooses exile in the forest instead. There Jodahs encounters human resisters who are still able to reproduce and befriends them. _Imago_ is about Jodahs' struggle to gain acceptance into both the human and Oankali community. _Imago_ completes the Xenogenesis Trilogy by introducing the last stage of the new species' development--the ability to procreate. The new half-human, half-Oankali species, through Jodahs and its sibling Ahajas, can now fully regenerate on its own. Readers interested in the trilogy should read the series in order: (1) _Dawn_, (2) _Adulthood Rites_, and (3) _Imago_. _Imago_ is incomplete without its predecessors; much about the Oankali and human reaction to them is explained in the previous novels. %T Imago %A Octavia E. Butler %C New York %D 1989 %I Popular Library %G ISBN 0-445-20977-1 (paperback) %P 220 Doug Baker cbaker@wam.umd.edu cb52@umail.umd.edu From /tmp/sf.17355 Fri Jun 4 00:05:50 1993 Xref: lysator.liu.se rec.arts.sf.written:11948 alt.books.reviews:425 Path: lysator.liu.se!isy!liuida!sunic!mcsun!uknet!pipex!zaphod.crihan.fr!univ-lyon1.fr!ghost.dsi.unimi.it!batcomputer!caen!nigel.msen.com!sdd.hp.com!cs.utexas.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!darwin.sura.net!haven.umd.edu!cville-srv.wam.umd.edu!cbaker From: cbaker@wam.umd.edu (C. Douglas Baker) Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written,alt.books.reviews Subject: __Xenogenesis Trilogy__ by Octavia E. Butler Review Followup-To: rec.arts.sf.written Date: 20 May 1993 20:05:19 GMT Organization: University of Maryland, College Park Lines: 194 Distribution: world Message-ID: <1tgo9v$dtg@cville-srv.wam.umd.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: rac1.wam.umd.edu Keywords: Butler The Xenogenesis Trilogy: DAWN, ADULTHOOD RITES, IMAGO by Octavia E. Butler [Spoilers] Review by C. Douglas Baker The most striking aspect of Butler's Xenogenesis Trilogy is the highly imaginative and unique character of the aliens she introduces to the reader. The Oankali are a powerful race whose overriding drive is to collect, acquire and combine with other life forms. The Oankali literally absorb other life forms, assimilating it to serve their purposes. This never ending acquisition and absorption of life implicitly should lead to a near-perfect being. The Oankali are a study in contrasts. While they do not kill or destroy life and are physically passive they are highly coercive and catastrophic to other life forms. For example, they force the human population to choose between sterilization and extinction or "gene trading" (i.e. cross-breeding) and becoming part of the Oankali community. The price for the first option is total extinction, eventually. The price of the second is the same, with the caveat that the individuals who accept the Oankali will live a long and more comfortable life and part of their genetic make-up will live on, just not in a completely human form. Another example of the coercive nature of the Oankali is the ooloi ability to chemically and psychologically bind their mates and humans to them. While this process also binds the ooloi to their mates, the mates are not always given a choice in the matter. That Jodahs' mates in _Imago_ seem to happily accept their fate (eventually) makes it no less coercive. The Oankali also intend to leave Earth a lifeless void after their living ships have absorbed and digested the useful resources of the planet. Effectively, the Oankali have expropriated Earth for their own benefit. Does human destruction of the earth through nuclear devices give the Oankali the moral legitimacy to take the planet and the survival of the species from them? As with situations where humans interact with one another--"might makes right". The dichotomy of the human reaction to the Oankali is also intriguing (most fully explored in _Adulthood Rites_). Individual humans must make a choice between two unattractive alternatives. They can either fight the Oankali and be made sterile and become extinct or cross-breed with the Oankali and still become extinct but allow the human gene to perpetuate itself through half-Oankali, half-human "constructs". Neither option seems particularly appealing to any of the characters. Those humans who chose to live and trade with the Oankali, like Tino, do so resignedly. They realize that there is nothing they can do to stop the Oankali from eliminating the human species and creating a new one, so they acquiesce. These humans, like Lilith, help shape this new species and provide it some human qualities. Other humans will fight, die and become extinct before allowing these alien predators to eradicate what is left of humanity. The reader feels empathetic to both points of view. It is not till the end of _Adulthood Rites_ that humans are allowed the more promising, if not ideal choice of colonizing and reproducing the human species on Mars. By then it is too late for humans who have chosen Oankali mates to join them. The most tragic character and personification of the contrasts enumerated above is Lilith. She is looked upon with venom and hatred by the "resisters" or humans who have refused the Oankali trade because she seems, to them, to be a traitor to the human race. She had little choice in the role she eventually played in preparing them to depart the Oankali ship and survive on earth. It was Lilith who accepted her role of training humans so she could prepare them to fight and resist the Oankali once on earth. Lilith was not even given a choice, as were others, in participation in the gene trade with Oankali. Nikanj impregnated her without her knowledge and she chose the life of her child over rejection of the Oankali. As a result of this decision, Lilith gives the human species another chance. Her son, Akin, was responsible for securing the right of humans to relocate to Mars to begin anew and have a second chance. He convinces the Oankali to allow humans to colonize Mars and perpetuate their species despite the Oankali reluctance and disagreement with the premise of this decision. Further, had it not been for Lilith's humanizing influence on him this may have never occurred. It also becomes clear that Lilith never fully comes to accept what the Oankali have wrought. Tragically, she laments her lost opportunity to be part of the human colony on Mars, which would have been most suited to her personality and abilities. Lilith is forcibly detached from the human race, permanently. The most irritating aspect of the trilogy is the Oankali contention that the key genetic conflict of humans is "intelligence at the service of hierarchial behavior" (p. 225 ar). The Oankali maintain the following traits are a result of this conflict: 1. Competition for mates and property (p. 73, _Imago_). 2. Intolerance of difference in others of their species (p. 186, _Imago). 3. Inclination towards violence. 4. Domination. 5. Competition with and killing of other life (p. 42 _Imago_). 6. Eventual self-destruction. Nowhere does Butler explain how "hierarchy" produces such results. Hierarchy is defined by Webster's Dictionary as "a graded or ranked series". In social arrangements, hierarchy simply means that one person or group have greater decision making ability over another. While this certainly includes situations where coercion, violence, discrimination, or domination of one group over another exits, it does not necessarily follow that a hierarchial arrangement contains these elements. Does a "graded or ranked series" or an hierarchial social arrangement inherently contain the elements enumerated above? Of course not. What Butler does not seem to recognize is that the Oankali themselves have a hierarchial arrangement. It is made very clear, especially in _Imago_, that the ooloi or third Oankali gender are the dominant group in Oankali society. They are able to use their abilities to psychologically and chemically manipulate males and females. Even though the results may (or may not) be benign, the manner in which Jodahs attains human mates in _Imago_ is through coercion. They are not given a choice. Another example is Nikanj's impregnation of Lilith without her knowledge. Additionally, the ooloi also clearly have a greater influence on the so called Oankali "consensus" or decision making process because their capabilities give them special insights that the other sexes do not have. All these abilities make the ooloi dominant over others. Ergo, the Oankali are hierarchial. While this may be pretentious, I feel Butler has used the wrong word for her "conflict". She could have used the word domination. To dominate means "to exert the supreme determining or guiding influence on; control". "Intelligence at the service of domination [of others, including other life forms]" would have made Butler's argument more cogent. The human drive to dominate others does seem to lead to the above results. The key here is that domination of one group over others is inherently hierarchial. Whereas hierarchy does not inherently imply domination. Any group or species could, given the ability to communicate like the Oankali, come to a consensus that hierarchial arrangements in decision making or social structure are best for the whole. But even using the term "domination" in place of "hierarchy" would ignore the fact the Oankali dominate and expropriate other life forms, including humans, for their own benefit. While the Oankali through their consensual decision making are unlikely to destroy themselves as a species, they clearly have the potential, ability, and willingness, to eradicate other species. Which leads to one final contrast presented in the trilogy. The Oankali view life at its most basic level. They do not view the extinction of the human species negatively because they have taken what is best in human genetic structure and combined it with theirs to maximize and perpetuate what is good in human genes. Therefore, the good aspects of the human species will live on in perpetuity. No real destruction of life forms has taken place. They have just been absorbed into something new. Humans, by contrast, destroy life and each other. Humans kill-- the Oankali do not. Humans drive other species to extinction with nothing new to replace or perpetuate its inherently good qualities. And in Xenogenesis, humans have already attempted to destroy themselves. Maybe they do not deserve a second chance. %T Dawn %A Octavia E. Butler %C New York %D 1987 %I Popular Library %G ISBN 0-445-20779-5 (paperback) %P 248 %T Adulthood Rites %A Octavia E. Butler %C New York %D 1988 %I Popular Library %G ISBN 0-445-20903-8 (paperback) %P 277 %T Imago %A Octavia E. Butler %C New York %D 1989 %I Popular Library %G ISBN 0-445-20977-1 (paperback) %P 220 Doug Baker cbaker@wam.umd.edu cb52@umail.umd.edu From /tmp/sf.6244 Tue Jun 8 18:07:14 1993 Path: lysator.liu.se!isy!liuida!sunic!news.funet.fi!news.tele.fi!uunet!newsflash.concordia.ca!nstn.ns.ca!psinntp!psinntp!dg-rtp!sheol!dont-reply-to-paths From: C_Douglas_BAKER@umail.umd.edu (cb52) Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.reviews Followup-To: rec.arts.sf.written Subject: __Xenogenesis Trilogy__ by Octavia E. Butler Review Approved: sfr%sheol@concert.net (rec.arts.sf.reviews moderator) Message-ID: <9305201952.AA03757@umailsrv0.UMD.EDU> Date: 21 May 93 02:10:12 GMT Lines: 193 The Xenogenesis Trilogy: DAWN, ADULTHOOD RITES, IMAGO by Octavia E. Butler [Spoilers] Review by C. Douglas Baker The most striking aspect of Butler's Xenogenesis Trilogy is the highly imaginative and unique character of the aliens she introduces to the reader. The Oankali are a powerful race whose overriding drive is to collect, acquire and combine with other life forms. The Oankali literally absorb other life forms, assimilating it to serve their purposes. This never ending acquisition and absorption of life implicitly should lead to a near-perfect being. The Oankali are a study in contrasts. While they do not kill or destroy life and are physically passive they are highly coercive and catastrophic to other life forms. For example, they force the human population to choose between sterilization and extinction or "gene trading" (i.e. cross-breeding) and becoming part of the Oankali community. The price for the first option is total extinction, eventually. The price of the second is the same, with the caveat that the individuals who accept the Oankali will live a long and more comfortable life and part of their genetic make-up will live on, just not in a completely human form. Another example of the coercive nature of the Oankali is the ooloi ability to chemically and psychologically bind their mates and humans to them. While this process also binds the ooloi to their mates, the mates are not always given a choice in the matter. That Jodahs' mates in _Imago_ seem to happily accept their fate (eventually) makes it no less coercive. The Oankali also intend to leave Earth a lifeless void after their living ships have absorbed and digested the useful resources of the planet. Effectively, the Oankali have expropriated Earth for their own benefit. Does human destruction of the earth through nuclear devices give the Oankali the moral legitimacy to take the planet and the survival of the species from them? As with situations where humans interact with one another--"might makes right". The dichotomy of the human reaction to the Oankali is also intriguing (most fully explored in _Adulthood Rites_). Individual humans must make a choice between two unattractive alternatives. They can either fight the Oankali and be made sterile and become extinct or cross-breed with the Oankali and still become extinct but allow the human gene to perpetuate itself through half-Oankali, half-human "constructs". Neither option seems particularly appealing to any of the characters. Those humans who chose to live and trade with the Oankali, like Tino, do so resignedly. They realize that there is nothing they can do to stop the Oankali from eliminating the human species and creating a new one, so they acquiesce. These humans, like Lilith, help shape this new species and provide it some human qualities. Other humans will fight, die and become extinct before allowing these alien predators to eradicate what is left of humanity. The reader feels empathetic to both points of view. It is not till the end of _Adulthood Rites_ that humans are allowed the more promising, if not ideal choice of colonizing and reproducing the human species on Mars. By then it is too late for humans who have chosen Oankali mates to join them. The most tragic character and personification of the contrasts enumerated above is Lilith. She is looked upon with venom and hatred by the "resisters" or humans who have refused the Oankali trade because she seems, to them, to be a traitor to the human race. She had little choice in the role she eventually played in preparing them to depart the Oankali ship and survive on earth. It was Lilith who accepted her role of training humans so she could prepare them to fight and resist the Oankali once on earth. Lilith was not even given a choice, as were others, in participation in the gene trade with Oankali. Nikanj impregnated her without her knowledge and she chose the life of her child over rejection of the Oankali. As a result of this decision, Lilith gives the human species another chance. Her son, Akin, was responsible for securing the right of humans to relocate to Mars to begin anew and have a second chance. He convinces the Oankali to allow humans to colonize Mars and perpetuate their species despite the Oankali reluctance and disagreement with the premise of this decision. Further, had it not been for Lilith's humanizing influence on him this may have never occurred. It also becomes clear that Lilith never fully comes to accept what the Oankali have wrought. Tragically, she laments her lost opportunity to be part of the human colony on Mars, which would have been most suited to her personality and abilities. Lilith is forcibly detached from the human race, permanently. The most irritating aspect of the trilogy is the Oankali contention that the key genetic conflict of humans is "intelligence at the service of hierarchial behavior" (p. 225 ar). The Oankali maintain the following traits are a result of this conflict: 1. Competition for mates and property (p. 73, _Imago_). 2. Intolerance of difference in others of their species (p. 186, _Imago). 3. Inclination towards violence. 4. Domination. 5. Competition with and killing of other life (p. 42 _Imago_). 6. Eventual self-destruction. Nowhere does Butler explain how "hierarchy" produces such results. Hierarchy is defined by Webster's Dictionary as "a graded or ranked series". In social arrangements, hierarchy simply means that one person or group have greater decision making ability over another. While this certainly includes situations where coercion, violence, discrimination, or domination of one group over another exits, it does not necessarily follow that a hierarchial arrangement contains these elements. Does a "graded or ranked series" or an hierarchial social arrangement inherently contain the elements enumerated above? Of course not. What Butler does not seem to recognize is that the Oankali themselves have a hierarchial arrangement. It is made very clear, especially in _Imago_, that the ooloi or third Oankali gender are the dominant group in Oankali society. They are able to use their abilities to psychologically and chemically manipulate males and females. Even though the results may (or may not) be benign, the manner in which Jodahs attains human mates in _Imago_ is through coercion. They are not given a choice. Another example is Nikanj's impregnation of Lilith without her knowledge. Additionally, the ooloi also clearly have a greater influence on the so called Oankali "consensus" or decision making process because their capabilities give them special insights that the other sexes do not have. All these abilities make the ooloi dominant over others. Ergo, the Oankali are hierarchial. While this may be pretentious, I feel Butler has used the wrong word for her "conflict". She could have used the word domination. To dominate means "to exert the supreme determining or guiding influence on; control". "Intelligence at the service of domination [of others, including other life forms]" would have made Butler's argument more cogent. The human drive to dominate others does seem to lead to the above results. The key here is that domination of one group over others is inherently hierarchial. Whereas hierarchy does not inherently imply domination. Any group or species could, given the ability to communicate like the Oankali, come to a consensus that hierarchial arrangements in decision making or social structure are best for the whole. But even using the term "domination" in place of "hierarchy" would ignore the fact the Oankali dominate and expropriate other life forms, including humans, for their own benefit. While the Oankali through their consensual decision making are unlikely to destroy themselves as a species, they clearly have the potential, ability, and willingness, to eradicate other species. Which leads to one final contrast presented in the trilogy. The Oankali view life at its most basic level. They do not view the extinction of the human species negatively because they have taken what is best in human genetic structure and combined it with theirs to maximize and perpetuate what is good in human genes. Therefore, the good aspects of the human species will live on in perpetuity. No real destruction of life forms has taken place. They have just been absorbed into something new. Humans, by contrast, destroy life and each other. Humans kill-- the Oankali do not. Humans drive other species to extinction with nothing new to replace or perpetuate its inherently good qualities. And in Xenogenesis, humans have already attempted to destroy themselves. Maybe they do not deserve a second chance. %T Dawn %A Octavia E. Butler %C New York %D 1987 %I Popular Library %G ISBN 0-445-20779-5 (paperback) %P 248 %T Adulthood Rites %A Octavia E. Butler %C New York %D 1988 %I Popular Library %G ISBN 0-445-20903-8 (paperback) %P 277 %T Imago %A Octavia E. Butler %C New York %D 1989 %I Popular Library %G ISBN 0-445-20977-1 (paperback) %P 220 C. DOUGLAS BAKER Email: cb52@umail.umd.edu From /tmp/sf.4258 Tue Feb 1 03:36:00 1994 Path: liuida!sunic!mcsun!Germany.EU.net!netmbx.de!zrz.TU-Berlin.DE!mailgzrz.TU-Berlin.DE!math.fu-berlin.de!xlink.net!howland.reston.ans.net!pipex!uunet!news.sprintlink.net!dg-rtp!sheol!dont-reply-to-paths From: C_Douglas_BAKER@umail.umd.edu (cb52) Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.reviews Followup-To: rec.arts.sf.written Subject: KINDRED by Octavia E. Butler Book Review by C. Douglas Baker Approved: sfr%sheol@concert.net (rec.arts.sf.reviews moderator) Message-ID: <9311110027.AA16849@umailsrv0.UMD.EDU> Date: 11 Nov 93 02:26:27 GMT Lines: 116 KINDRED by Octavia E. Butler Book Review by C. Douglas Baker [Spoiler] KINDRED is one of those rare novels that grabs you by the throat and doesn't let you go till the very end. From the first sentence, Butler's simple, straightforward prose moves the story quickly making it nearly impossible for the reader to put down. Dana, a black woman living in Los Angeles in 1976, is inexplicably transported to 1815 to save the life of a small, red-haired boy on Maryland's Eastern Shore. It turns out this small boy, Rufus, is one of her slaveowning white ancestors, who she knows very little about. Dana continues to be called to save Rufus, and frequently stays long periods of time in the slaveowning South. The only way she can get back to 1976 is to be in a life threatening situation. During her stays in the past she is forced to assume the role of a slave to survive. She is whipped. She is beaten. She is nearly raped, twice. She is forced to watch whippings and families being broken up. She learns to enjoy hard work as an escape from the other horrors of slave life. And she watches as a fairly unassuming small son of a plantation owner grows up to a be a cruel, capricious, hot- tempered slave owner in his own right. And to be her great- grandfather many generations removed. KINDRED is about slavery and the scars it has inflicted on American society. There are really three key factors Butler focuses on that reveal the ability of the South to institutionalize slavery. First there is the physical abuse. The constant work, especially the physically exhausting work of a field hand, kept slaves too tired to run or become insolent. Being ever on the verge of a lash or two for minor offenses kept slaves working to avoid punishment. Being beaten nearly to death after escape attempts made a slave reluctant to try again; especially if this is coupled with the abuse of the slave's family. Then there is the psychological abuse. The continual threat of being beaten or watching others be beaten broke the spirits of those in bondage. The worst punishment was sometimes having to watch a family member abused for your transgression. Encouraging slaves to marry and have children also deadened their desire to escape. Families made the slave settle down, gave him or her something to protect and care for. The selling off of a few family members had a damping effect on a slave's spirit. A most poignant example is the slave Sarah, the primary house slave; "Weylin had sold only three of her children--left her one to live for and protect". She rarely questioned slavery, thought little of freedom, because "she had lost all she could stand to lose". The risk of losing the one daughter she had left was too great. Slaves that escaped had to be willing to risk not only their own life but possibly the lives of their family. The physical and psychological abuse imposed on the slave made it so much easier to accept one's lot in life and avoid the unpleasantries that recalcitrance entailed. The ease with which Dana falls into the routines of everyday life as a slave shocks her. Work is a refuge from the other toils of slave life and the patterns become the norm. There is even an ambiguous feeling toward the slaveowner. The slaveowner is hated for the physical and psychological abuse imposed on the slave. But at the same time the slave loved the owner in a familial sense, even though the slaveowner was seldom worthy of this. Thus slavery became for many the accepted norm of life, even if this acceptance was a tenuous and unhappy one at best. This acceptance was generational. Dana at one point espies children playing at selling each other on the auction block and haggling over price. Many times throughout history sheer terror has been used to subdue a population and sap it of its strength. One only has to look at the Tsar's of Russia like Ivan the Terrible, Peter the Great, and Stalin to realize the extent to which terror can be used to subjugate a people. The Southern aristocracy of the United States practiced a similar terror till 1864 and beyond. There is much historical evidence for the Butler's depiction of slavery and its effects. KINDRED is patterned after the slave narratives becoming more widely read today. These include Frederick Douglass' NARRATIVE OF THE LIFE OF FREDERICK DOUGLASS, AN AMERICAN SLAVE and Harriet A. Jacobs INCIDENTS IN THE LIFE OF A SLAVE GIRL. Butler could have depicted the beatings and physical abuse in more graphic detail to have a greater impact on the reader. Slavery even has its effects in 1976. The scars Dana brings back to 1976 are symbolic of the scars slavery has left on contemporary society. Some will heal with time. Some can never heal. Others will scab over and be just below the surface. But they are all there. But in another sense healing has taken place. Dana is married to a white man, Kevin, who is transported to 1815 with her once. While there they both fall easily into the pattern or act of slaveowner and slave concubine, roles they must assume to survive. The ease with which they fall into these roles brings about a greater consciousness of their ethnicity. But through this relationship Butler leaves the reader with hope. Dana's love for Kevin is what really pulls her through the most harrowing terrors she faces and in the end gives her the strength to survive this horrible test. KINDRED is written at the young adult level and moves along at a brisk pace. I highly recommend it for teenagers and adults. %T Kindred %A Octavia E. Butler %C Boston %D 1979 %I Beacon Press %G ISBN 0-8070-8305-4 (pbk) %P 264 C. DOUGLAS BAKER Email: cb52@umail.umd.edu From new Thu Jun 16 18:53:07 1994 Xref: liuida rec.arts.sf.written:52808 rec.arts.books:79497 alt.books.reviews:2798 Path: liuida!sunic!pipex!howland.reston.ans.net!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!news.umbc.edu!haven.umd.edu!cville-srv.wam.umd.edu!cbaker From: cbaker@wam.umd.edu (C. Douglas Baker) Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.books,alt.books.reviews Subject: PARABLE OF THE SOWER by Octavia E. Butler Book Review by C. Douglas Baker Followup-To: rec.arts.sf.written Date: 15 Mar 1994 20:48:17 GMT Organization: University of Maryland, College Park Lines: 58 Message-ID: <2m56uh$fpq@cville-srv.wam.umd.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: rac6.wam.umd.edu PARABLE OF THE SOWER by Octavia E. Butler Book Review by C. Douglas Baker Robert A. Heinlein once stated that in writing speculative fiction the author takes a current cultural or societal trend and follows that trend to its logical, if sometimes extreme, conclusion. Butler has taken the anomie of today's central cities in the United States, with the attendant violence, drug abuse, and general disregard for community and painted a frightening and stark world in PARABLE OF THE SOWER. Butler introduces us to an America thirty years hence where to survive communities must be armed, walled, and prepared to take human life to defend themselves; an America where drug abuse has taken a radically violent turn in which a new drug "Pyro" induces the user to burn items, be they animate or inanimate, for a sexual high; an America where life expectancy is short; an America where violence is the norm instead of the exception. In this stark, surreal world is Lauren Oya Olamina, an eighteen year old girl with a vision. Olamina lives in a walled community that has protected itself by keeping quiet, inconspicuous, well armed, and prepared to defend itself. This all changes when Lauren's brother, Keith, enters the nefarious world beyond the walls and implicitly brings attention to this previously secluded community. Lauren finds she and her community must confront the ugly world outside the walls. Most of Butler's works have a strong, empathetic female character that seem to carry and unfair burden in life. Lauren Olamina is no exception. Lauren has a condition called "hyperempathy" meaning that she feels the physical pain of others (including animals). Yet, she is willing to kill to defend herself and her family, despite the psychological costs to herself. She remarks that if everyone had her disability, violence would greatly diminish. Unfortunately for Lauren, the world she lives in is not only full of violence but inherently forces a person to eventually commit acts of violence in self- defense. Lauren also has a gradual and evolving "philosophy" called "Earthseed" that takes on quasi-religious status as the novel unfolds. This "Earthseed" is the thread that binds the narrative and makes the conclusion innovative and hopeful. Butler's work is intricate and impressive in its description of a future America. There are many sophisticated parallels between the ugly future Butler paints and today's society. I really cannot do her work justice by a simple and brief description. I highly recommend PARABLE OF THE SOWER. %T Parable of the Sower %A Octavia E. Butler %C New York %D 1993 %I Four Walls Eight Windows $19.95 (hbk) %G ISBN 0-941423-99-9 (hbk) %P 299 From /tmp/sf.4146 Tue Aug 9 01:49:43 1994 Path: liuida!sunic!EU.net!howland.reston.ans.net!cs.utexas.edu!convex!news.utdallas.edu!rdxsunhost.aud.alcatel.com!aur.alcatel.com!sheol!dont-reply-to-paths From: dg-rtp!umail.umd.edu!C_Douglas_BAKER (cb52) Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: PARABLE OF THE SOWER by Octavia E. Butler Followup-To: rec.arts.sf.written Date: Wed, 16 Mar 1994 20:38:52 GMT Organization: not specified Lines: 56 Approved: sfr%sheol@concert.net (rec.arts.sf.reviews moderator) Message-ID: <9403152041.AA09287@umailsrv1.UMD.EDU> NNTP-Posting-Host: aursag.aur.alcatel.com PARABLE OF THE SOWER by Octavia E. Butler Book Review by C. Douglas Baker Robert A. Heinlein once stated that in writing speculative fiction the author takes a current cultural or societal trend and follows that trend to its logical, if sometimes extreme, conclusion. Butler has taken the anomie of today's central cities in the United States, with the attendant violence, drug abuse, and general disregard for community and painted a frightening and stark world in PARABLE OF THE SOWER. Butler introduces us to an America thirty years hence where to survive communities must be armed, walled, and prepared to take human life to defend themselves; an America where drug abuse has taken a radically violent turn in which a new drug "Pyro" induces the user to burn items, be they animate or inanimate, for a sexual high; an America where life expectancy is short; an America where violence is the norm instead of the exception. In this stark, surreal world is Lauren Oya Olamina, an eighteen year old girl with a vision. Olamina lives in a walled community that has protected itself by keeping quiet, inconspicuous, well armed, and prepared to defend itself. This all changes when Lauren's brother, Keith, enters the nefarious world beyond the walls and implicitly brings attention to this previously secluded community. Lauren finds she and her community must confront the ugly world outside the walls. Most of Butler's works have a strong, empathetic female character that seem to carry and unfair burden in life. Lauren Olamina is no exception. Lauren has a condition called "hyperempathy" meaning that she feels the physical pain of others (including animals). Yet, she is willing to kill to defend herself and her family, despite the psychological costs to herself. She remarks that if everyone had her disability, violence would greatly diminish. Unfortunately for Lauren, the world she lives in is not only full of violence but inherently forces a person to eventually commit acts of violence in self- defense. Lauren also has a gradual and evolving "philosophy" called "Earthseed" that takes on quasi-religious status as the novel unfolds. This "Earthseed" is the thread that binds the narrative and makes the conclusion innovative and hopeful. Butler's work is intricate and impressive in its description of a future America. There are many sophisticated parallels between the ugly future Butler paints and today's society. I really cannot do her work justice by a simple and brief description. I highly recommend PARABLE OF THE SOWER. %T Parable of the Sower %A Octavia E. Butler %C New York %D 1993 %I Four Walls Eight Windows $19.95 (hbk) %G ISBN 0-941423-99-9 (hbk) %P 299 From /tmp/sf.4146 Tue Aug 9 01:49:58 1994 Path: liuida!sunic!EU.net!howland.reston.ans.net!cs.utexas.edu!convex!news.utdallas.edu!rdxsunhost.aud.alcatel.com!aur.alcatel.com!sheol!dont-reply-to-paths From: dg-rtp!umail.umd.edu!C_Douglas_BAKER (cb52) Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: PARABLE OF THE SOWER by Octavia E. Butler Followup-To: rec.arts.sf.written Date: Wed, 16 Mar 1994 20:38:52 GMT Organization: not specified Lines: 56 Approved: sfr%sheol@concert.net (rec.arts.sf.reviews moderator) Message-ID: <9403152041.AA09287@umailsrv1.UMD.EDU> NNTP-Posting-Host: aursag.aur.alcatel.com PARABLE OF THE SOWER by Octavia E. Butler Book Review by C. Douglas Baker Robert A. Heinlein once stated that in writing speculative fiction the author takes a current cultural or societal trend and follows that trend to its logical, if sometimes extreme, conclusion. Butler has taken the anomie of today's central cities in the United States, with the attendant violence, drug abuse, and general disregard for community and painted a frightening and stark world in PARABLE OF THE SOWER. Butler introduces us to an America thirty years hence where to survive communities must be armed, walled, and prepared to take human life to defend themselves; an America where drug abuse has taken a radically violent turn in which a new drug "Pyro" induces the user to burn items, be they animate or inanimate, for a sexual high; an America where life expectancy is short; an America where violence is the norm instead of the exception. In this stark, surreal world is Lauren Oya Olamina, an eighteen year old girl with a vision. Olamina lives in a walled community that has protected itself by keeping quiet, inconspicuous, well armed, and prepared to defend itself. This all changes when Lauren's brother, Keith, enters the nefarious world beyond the walls and implicitly brings attention to this previously secluded community. Lauren finds she and her community must confront the ugly world outside the walls. Most of Butler's works have a strong, empathetic female character that seem to carry and unfair burden in life. Lauren Olamina is no exception. Lauren has a condition called "hyperempathy" meaning that she feels the physical pain of others (including animals). Yet, she is willing to kill to defend herself and her family, despite the psychological costs to herself. She remarks that if everyone had her disability, violence would greatly diminish. Unfortunately for Lauren, the world she lives in is not only full of violence but inherently forces a person to eventually commit acts of violence in self- defense. Lauren also has a gradual and evolving "philosophy" called "Earthseed" that takes on quasi-religious status as the novel unfolds. This "Earthseed" is the thread that binds the narrative and makes the conclusion innovative and hopeful. Butler's work is intricate and impressive in its description of a future America. There are many sophisticated parallels between the ugly future Butler paints and today's society. I really cannot do her work justice by a simple and brief description. I highly recommend PARABLE OF THE SOWER. %T Parable of the Sower %A Octavia E. Butler %C New York %D 1993 %I Four Walls Eight Windows $19.95 (hbk) %G ISBN 0-941423-99-9 (hbk) %P 299