Sunday, May 22, 2011

It's Not the End of the World....

Well, if you were hoping to be taken up in the Rapture this weekend, sorry you were disappointed. If you were hoping that the Rapture would take place this weekend, but that you'd be left behind because it sounded more fun, sorry too. I can't say that I was surprised though. It was still fun to talk and joke about leading up to the non-event!

I love me a good post-apocalyptic or dystopian novel. I was debating whether to share all of my favorite novels of that sort, or just stick to the ones with a paranormal bent, given the topic of this blog.  I decided to stay on topic and started to put together a list, but then I realized that almost all of them were by the same author, so just decided to feature that author. It turns out no one, at least in my mind, does a better dystopian novel than Octavia E. Butler.

I could say a lot of things about Octavia E. Butler.  I could talk about her unique writing voice, stemming in part from the fact that she was an African-American woman writing something primarily considered science-fiction, a field no one would argue is strongly predominated by white men.  I could talk about the awards she won, Hugo and Nebula awards amongst many others.  I could talk about the positive influences her writing had on my life or how I wept when she died before her time.  But all of that would make a really, really long post.  Instead, I let her speak for herself and tell her own stories through her brilliantly crafted novels.  She wrote other books, not on topic for today's post, and I recommend them as well, but in keeping with the world not ending over the weekend, here are her post apocalyptic novels (I posted omnibus editions when available, since you'll want them all and it would save you a ton of money to get them that way!):


Lilith's BroodLilith's Brood:  The acclaimed trilogy that comprises LILITH'S BROOD is multiple Hugo and Nebula award-winner Octavia E. Butler at her best. Presented for the first time in one volume, with an introduction by Joan Slonczewski, Ph.D., LILITH'S BROOD is a profoundly evocative, sensual -- and disturbing -- epic of human transformation.

Lilith Iyapo is in the Andes, mourning the death of her family, when war destroys Earth. Centuries later, she is resurrected -- by miraculously powerful unearthly beings, the Oankali. Driven by an irresistible need to heal others, the Oankali are rescuing our dying planet by merging genetically with mankind. But Lilith and all humanity must now share the world with uncanny, unimaginably alien creatures: their own children. This is their story...

Seed to HarvestSeed to Harvest:  omnibus of the Patternist Novels:

Wild Seed:  Doro is an entity who changes bodies like clothes, killing his hosts by reflex -- or design. He fears no one -- until he meets Anyanwu. Anyanwu is a shapeshifter who can absorb bullets and heal with a kiss...and savage anyone who threatens those she loves. She fears no one -- until she meets Doro. From African jungles to the colonies of America, Doro and Anyanwu weave together a pattern of destiny that not even immortals can imagine.

Mind of My Mind:  For 4,000 years, an immortal has spread the seeds of a master race, using the downtrodden as his private breeding stock. But now a young ghetto telepath has found a way to awaken--and rule--her superhuman kind, igniting a psychic battle as she challenges her creator for her right to free her people.

Clay's Ark:  Asa Elias Doyle and her companions encounter an alien life form so destructive that they exile themselves to the desert to avoid contaminating others, but their compulsion to infect others is overwhelming and, in a desperate plea for help, kidnap a doctor and his two daughters.

Patternmaster: A telepathic race is ruled by the strong mind of the Patternmaster, but his ruthless son craves the ultimate power of the position and has murdered everyone who stands in his way except a final victim--his younger brother.

Parable of the SowerParable of the SowerParable of the Sower is a hopeful tale set in a dystopian future United States of walled cities, disease, fires, and madness. Lauren Olamina is an 18-year-old woman with hyperempathy syndrome--if she sees another in pain, she feels their pain as acutely as if it were real. When her relatively safe neighborhood enclave is inevitably destroyed, along with her family and dreams for the future, Lauren grabs a backpack full of supplies and begins a journey north. Along the way, she recruits fellow refugees to her embryonic faith, Earthseed, the prime tenet of which is that "God is change." This is a great book--simple and elegant, with enough message to make you think, but not so much that you feel preached to.

Parable of the TalentsParable of the Talents:  Lauren Olamina's love is divided among her young daughter, her community, and the revelation that led Lauren to found a new faith that teaches "God Is Change". But in the wake of environmental and economic chaos, the U.S. government turns a blind eye to violent bigots who consider the mere existence of a black female leader a threat. And soon Lauren must either sacrifice her child and her followers -- or forsake the religion that can transform human destiny.

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