Adulthood Rites (Xenogenesis, Book Two) (Mass Market Paperback)

~ Octavia E. Butler (Author) "He remembered much of his stay in the womb..." (more)
Key Phrases: ooloi child, resister villages, sensory tentacles, Gilbert Senn, Macy Wilton, Wray Ordway (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In this sequel to Dawn, Lilith Iyapo has given birth to what looks like a normal human boy named Akin. But Akin actually has five parents: a male and female human, a male and female Oankali, and a sexless Ooloi. The Oankali and Ooloi are part of an alien race that rescued humanity from a devastating nuclear war, but the price they exact is a high one--the aliens are compelled to genetically merge their species with other races, drastically altering both in the process. On a rehabilitated Earth, this "new" race is emerging through human/Oankali/Ooloi mating, but there are also "pure" humans who choose to resist the aliens and the salvation they offer. These resisters are sterilized by the Ooloi so that they cannot reproduce the genetic defect that drives humanity to destroy itself, but otherwise they are left alone (unless they become violent). When the resisters kidnap young Akin, the Oankali choose to leave the child with his captors, for he--the most "human" of the Oankali children--will decide whether the resisters should be given back their fertility and freedom, even though they will only destroy themselves again. This is the second volume in Octavia Butler's Xenogenesis series, a powerful tale of alien existence.

Product Description

The second in a critically acclaimed trilogy follows the life of Akin, the son of the heroine of Dawn, who struggles to cope with the isolation of being neither human nor alien. Reissue.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Warner Aspect Books (April 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446603783
• ISBN-13: 978-0446603782
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #170,390 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The second in a series, which should be preceded by Dawn, December 7, 1999

By	Robert H. Nunnally Jr. "gurdonark" (Allen, TX United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This science fiction work follows up on Ms. Butler's earlier work, Dawn. The book stands alone fairly well, but the story will seem tremendously better placed into context if the reader has read the earlier book, Dawn. Ms. Butler creates yet another of her dystopian earths, but its final crisis is ameliorated by the intervention of an alien species, the oankali. The book tells a crackling good story, but also addresses a key theme--what does it mean to be human? I recommend this book, as it has the old-fashioned virtues of a golden age work, but is told in the fine, well-written style that characterizes Octavia Butler's work. Reading a Butler, one gets the impression that one is watching a grandmaster writing in her prime--and yet, the nice thing about reading her is the sense that the best is yet to come. If you have not read Butler, but you are afraid that sci fi has lost its zing, then read Dawn and this one.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a brilliant sequel, April 12, 2001

By	Robert J. Crawford (Balmette Talloires, France) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This book is far better than the first in the series. I was completely sucked into the characters, concept, and plot. The device of the alien child - a hybrid that is different from humans in obvious but also extremely subtle ways - is a unique creation in sci fi. His journey is fascinating and cruel, which makes a dark philospical statement on human nature. The dialogue is as excellent as you would expect from any fine novelist.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Engaging Sequel, September 13, 2008

By	Open-Minded Reader (Pittsburg, CA) - See all my reviews

The second installation in the Xenogenesis series introduces Akin, Lilith's son and a human-born male construct (Oankali-Human mix). In this book Butler takes readers back to the new Earth and shows the changes made, and provides a glimpse into how the Oankali-Human union fares. There are now three groups on Earth: Oankali (consisting of the aliens and their human mates), Constructs (the Oankali-Human children), and Resisters (sterile humans that have refused the Oankali gene trade). Butler takes the time to reveal more information about the Human-Oankali bond and the readers are shown what happens to humans that refuse the trade. Gabe and Tate reappear in this novel and we get a peek into the lives of resister humans.

Through the eyes of Akin, Butler shares the emotional upheaval experienced by the resisters as a result of their circumstances. Being a sympathetic construct (the reasons for Akin's sympathetic viewpoint cannot be revealed without spoilers), Akin tries to give humans another option besides sterility and Oankali mates even though they are continuing to self-destruct.

Butler still gives a lot of attention to sexuality in this novel and many unanswered questions about Lilith are finally answered. This is an excellent sequel, but the few issues I had were:

1. Many of the resisters were too simple-minded. Humans are complex creatures, but many characters, such as Neci and her crew, Akin's abductors, etc., were so simple that they often ignored the obvious. This is particularly evident in Neci's dealins with the two Oankali girls.
2. Typos and editing issues.
3. I felt that this book left a lot of questions about Akin unanswered. Did he find mates? Who went with him to help with the solution he found for mankind? How does it work out? What happened when everyone returned to Lo?
4. The Oankali are thorough but not infallible, it seems like they could/should have missed sterilizing a couple of humans somewhere.

These and many other questions were not answered, but overall it is a good book. Akin is a wonderful character and I hope to learn more about him within this series.