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Liked It2 of 2 members found this review helpful “Here's what can be said about every one of Octavia Butler's novels: "Octavia Butler immerses her reader into a fully-realized fantasy world where even the most inhuman characters connect to the reader on a basic human level." Here's what can be said about THIS Octavia Butler novel: "_Wild...” see full review » see other reviews » |
Didn’t Like It1 of 1 members found this review helpful “Wild Seed follows Doro, a millennia-old body stealing entity, and Anyanwu, a somewhat younger (but also practically immortal) shapeshifter. Anyanwu is deeply compassionate, a mother of generations and a healer. Doro is a killer by necessity and pleasure, complex and controlling. The main...” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“Anything this women wrote was a gem. I would not even consider reading science fiction before her. Sounds like I am laying it on, but it's the truth. ”
Jennifer G S wrote this review 3 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“One of my all time favorite books. Octavia Butler plays extensively with identity and humanity in incredibly interesting ways. But, cheerful it's just not.”
Phenonemom J wrote this review Thursday, November 12 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Loved it, a classic”
Turiboy wrote this review Sunday, November 8 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I've read it twice and loved it every time”
Soyinka O wrote this review Thursday, September 17 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“#1”
Darling-Diva wrote this review Friday, September 4 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Since Kindred has been one of my all-time favorite books for decades, I wanted to read all of Butler's work. But I didn't like this one as much. It didn't have the same impact as Kindred, either in terms of emotional intensity or in making the reader feel the horror of slavery.
ghost of a rose wrote this review Friday, August 21 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
One reason for the emotional flatness of this book was the constant turnover of characters (except for the two main characters.) The reader doesn't get the chance to really know or care about them, and thus isn't greatly moved by Anwanyu's (the main female character) grief at their loss. However, I think that problem is built into the plot and not due to any fault of the writer's, nor would it be possible to change it. The constant turnover of other characters happens because the two main characters are immortal, the only immortal beings in the world. So of course they go on living while everyone around them dies and new characters constantly come into the picture. This also leads to one of the book's greatest strengths: a realistic exploration of the psychology of immortality including its drawbacks, of which a vast and unending loneliness is predominant.
There is a great in-depth investigation into a relationship in which the couple doesn't really like or approve of each other, but are drawn together by the fact that they are the only two of their kind. Although they do come to love one another, their differences are insurmountable and the relationship remains tense and strained.
Wild Seed is a unique and very creative fantasy that besides immortals, includes shapeshifters, paranormal powers, and historical fiction while completely avoiding the usual stereotypes and formulas of the fantasy genré.
And Anyanwu is surely one of the great strong woman/female role models in literature (although one could consider being gifted with paranormal powers cheating - anyone could be strong under those conditions! - and it's not as if we could emulate her!)
So do I want to read the other books in the series? Ummm, maybe. I'll put the next one on my tbr list, but it won't be a priority. One such book was interesting, but it's hard to imagine how anything more, or really new, could be developed from this theme. I suspect that the sequels would just be more of the same. I'd be interested to hear from people who've read them, what did you think?
(306 pages)”
“So far this is typical Octavia Butler (page 65). I love her work, we lost her too soon. I sincerely hope there is an author out there who will pick up where she left off-- Speculative Fiction with strong, female characters. I still think that Parable of the Sower is my favorite work by Ms. Butler. And Kindred is the best treatment of time travel I have read to date, but I am turning through Wild Seed with an open mind. It will only be a year or so until I have read everything Octavia Butler wrote in her short professional life, and I love her work so much that I am going to take a stab at writing my own speculative fiction serial just to ease the ache of the void. Hope you read her, hope you enjoy her!”
Hollie Golitely wrote this review Monday, August 10 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This is my second reading of Wild Seed. Ms. Butler has taught me a lot about writing speculative fiction. I love her work.”
MinnieEstelle wrote this review Saturday, August 8 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“very creative a touching story universally applicable to race, religion and other major differences between people”
thaddeus c wrote this review Saturday, July 11 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“One of my favorite books. Ms. Butler goes way back in time and invents Doro, a disembodied character who routinely possesses people and uses their bodies like clothes. It's both a curse and a great power, because he can't die and he'll end up in the body of the person closest to him when the body he's in dies. And over time he begins "breeding" people according to his tastes. Usually he just prunes his particular stock, but once in a while he adds "wild seed" to his flock in the form of a rare and talented individual.
swankivy wrote this review Monday, June 29 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Enter Anyanwu, the nigh-immortal shapeshifting medicine woman who can heal people with a kiss. (Okay, it's more complicated and disgusting than that, but hey, it sounds cool.) They kinda make a good team. But she's wild in more than one way. . . .
Really fun, intriguing book about a dark guiding force among humanity . . . and what eventually comes of such "meddling." It's hard science fiction, but like most of her books, Ms. Butler makes it personal, too.”
