These stories highlight how much secrecy and the unknown contribute to the fear of each other and how important communication-and developing new systems of communication where existing systems fail-are to the continued survival of all.Access-restricted-item true Addeddate 05:01:02 Boxid IA40203823 Camera USB PTP Class Camera Collection_set printdisabled External-identifier The humans who cooperate with the alien beings are treated as poorly or even worse by their fellow humans-even when those fellow humans can no longer resist or fight back against the alien beings. She shows the ways that two seemingly unified communities fracture when they collide. Using the freedom of science fiction to put the examples of her imagined alien visitors alongside humankind, some of Butler’s most interesting characters (to me, at least) are those humans who end up serving as ambassadors between the alien beings and their fellow humans. The first story in the collection, “Bloodchild,” and one of the later stories, “Amnesty,” both reminded me strongly of Butler’s Xenogenesis trilogy in the approaches they take to exploring what happens when an established community comes into contact with a new community that is Other.
The essays and afterwords included in the collection provided incredible insight into Butler’s process and the experiences that shaped her career and the way she told her stories.
Bloodchild and Other Stories is the first collection of short stories I’ve read by Butler and, as I expected, each one left me wishing there was more, that it was just the intro to a full-fledged novel. I’ve reached a point where there are fewer of her books and stories left that haven’t read (though I do have the entirety of her Patternist series saved for an upcoming work trip), so I almost feel like I’m hoarding the remaining stories and essays, pacing myself so I don’t lose the amazement of those first few pages. I’m always consciously aware that I really enjoy Octavia Butler’s work, but as soon as I start reading something by her that I haven’t read before, I’m reminded of just how deep that enjoyment actually goes.
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