Adulthood Rites, Octavia E Butler, Warner Books, 1988, 268 pp
This is the second book in Butler's Lilith's Brood series, aka The Xenogenesis series. It follows Dawn. The story opens with the birth of Akin, born of Lilith. He is a "construct" male, meaning he is part human, part Oankali, who are the aliens who captured humans in the first book.
Lilith and her family are back on Earth, living in an uneasy peace with humans who refused to be subject to the Oankali and call themselves resistors. The neutral gender Oankali, called Ooloi, rendered all humans infertile unless they have children with Ooloi genetic "help." The resistors sometimes steal a human-looking construct child in their desperation to have one of their own.
Akin was stolen when he was only an infant, though he has advanced abilities. Adulthood Rites follows Akin's growth to young manhood. After he escapes the resistor village, he struggles to reconcile his dual nature and to understand humans. He becomes a mediator between the two species and brings about a compromise so that the resistors can reproduce.
Akin pays dearly for his efforts and much of that is tough to read about. Octavia Butler is exploring what she calls a "self-destructive contradiction" in humans between high intelligence and a hierarchical nature. The Oankali believe this contradiction dooms humans to war and other catastrophes that threaten to wipe out the human race.
She makes you think about Africans brought to America and other colonized countries resulting in their subsequent struggles to integrate into White society. She makes you ponder the outcomes of colonization around the world. These subjects become real in the context of her characters who are caught in such struggles. That is the brilliance of the books in this series. In her own way, she is as eloquent as James Baldwin was.
for no reason at all, this seems a bit like "left hand of darkness" to me, even tho the premise is entirely different... OB is tackling some serious questions, here, it seems...
ReplyDeleteOctavia Butler grew up reading Le Guin. So I am not surprised you would think that.
DeleteYou have such an eclectic literary life, Judy. I really must make an effort to get away from biology and natural history, which seems to be what I read all the time. I always have two books on the go - my "downstairs" book - which right now is "Watchers at the Pond" by Franklin Russell, and my "upstairs" book which I read in bed - presently that is "Song for a Blue Ocean" by Carl Safina, a very important book, in the same vein as "Silent Spring." Recently I reread for the third time all the works of Charles Darwin. I am quite sure that my wife and daughter think I am mildly demented! Last year though, I revisited Hemingway and Steinbeck quite a bit, and even got in a couple of new novels. Your reviews continue to provide pleasure even I never get to the book.
ReplyDeleteDavid, I do like to get around in my reading. I like hearing about what you read. Song for a Blue Ocean sounds like something I would enjoy. I have read Silent Spring and The Sea Around Us, both of which I admire a great deal. Thank you for enjoying my reviews.
DeleteThis one will be coming up soon on my reading list, after I just finished Dawn.
ReplyDeleteNice review. Yeah the contradictions of the species can bum me out too! It is too bad the author passed away relatively young ... she had a lot she was thinking about.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Susan. She did think about a lot.
DeleteThe author seems to have a real talent with her messages.
ReplyDeleteThat is a good way of putting it, Carrie.
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