Bloodchild and other Stories (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Collection of SF stories about gender and race.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

YA?Collected together for the first time are the complete shorter works of the Hugo and Nebula award-winning author. "Blood Child," her "pregnant man story," both a coming-of-age and a love story, revolves around a young man and an alien. In "The Evening and the Morning and the Night," two lovers faced with the stark reality of their deadly genetic inheritance have tough choices to make. The three other selections deal with incest and a dysfunctional family, alcoholism, and a disease that destroys humankind's ability to communicate through speech. The author leaves readers with a glimmer of hope in otherwise bleak situations. Each of the selections has an insightful afterword about Butler's inspiration for writing it and her own thoughts and comments about each one. Two very literate and readable essays about persistence in writing and growing up as a black, female science-fiction writer round out the collection. The youthfulness of some of the protagonists and the contemporary tone of the themes, viewed through a glass darkly, should appeal to YAs. Five intense, thought-provoking tales of people caught up in extraordinary situations.?John Lawson, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 145 pages
• Publisher: Seven Stories Press (July 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1888363363
• ISBN-13: 978-1888363364
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,085,082 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful short stories, July 21, 2002

By	Glen Engel Cox "www.engel-cox.org" (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This contains most of Octavia Butler's published short work, and it's a small book. But that does not mean that you should pass it up. At least two of the stories, I believe, are must-reads for anyone interested in science fiction.

* "Bloodchild" -- This is likely my favorite SF story. The situation is horrifying, yet believable, and, within context, entirely rational. Humans on a far away planet are forced to enter into a relationship with the native alien race that is strangely reminiscent of both slavery and concubinage, yet Butler actually was working from insect natural history. This is a powerful story, one that wakes up your mind.

* "The Evening and the Morning and the Night" -- This is the other fabulous story in this collection, another case of believable SF that comes near to horror. A disease that incites people to unthinkable crimes and the solution to the disease--as well as a close study on the type of people who administer the solution. You really can't do much better than this in SF.

* "Near of Kin" -- Not SF, and not a fantasy, yet not horror either. The subject matter is taboo in most fiction, so maybe that's how it ended up in an SF anthology. Well done. Enjoyable.

* "Speech Sounds" -- Really good story about a plague that affects the speech centers of the brain. Fast, but compelling, with an economy of plot--just enough to present the worse and the best of the situation.

* "Crossover" -- Boring, although not bad for a first published story. You can see how her background infused her stories early on.

* "Positive Obsession" and "Furor Scribendi" -- Reprinted essays on writing that should provide quite inspiring for burgeoning writers. Economical and smart.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the great voices in contemporary science fiction, September 9, 2001

By	Michael J. Mazza (Pittsburgh, PA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

There are good science fiction writers. There are great science fiction writers. And then there are those extraordinary science fiction writers whose work both transcends and ennobles the genre. Such a writer is Octavia E. Butler, and "Bloodchild and Other Stories" is a stunning testament of her talent and vision. The pieces in this book have garnered two Hugo Awards and one Nebula (very distinguished honors in the SF world).

"Bloodchild" contains 5 stories (2 of them on the longer side) as well as two illuminating essays. In addition, Butler provides an afterword for each piece. The best of these stories are true masterpieces. "Bloodchild" is about the strange symbiotic relationship between a colony of humans and a very different alien species. In "The Evening and the Morning and the Night" the author creates a haunting portrait of a human subculture that has evolved as the result of a terrifying new disease. Also outstanding is "Speech Sounds," about what happens after a mysterious force impairs humanity's ability to communicate with written and spoken language.

Butler's essay "Positive Obsession" is an illuminating exploration of her distinctive life as a African-American woman who is also a successful SF writer.

Butler's writing style has a stark, painful clarity to it. She writes scenes of horror and despair, but also includes moments of tenderness and hope. Through it all, her stories are rich with insights into the universal human condition. If you are interested in science fiction, in African-American literature, in women's writing, or in the art of the short story, read this book.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended, June 11, 1997

By A Customer

Octavia E. Butler is a novelist, and her short fiction is sparse in quantity but incredibly generous in it's quality. As in her novels, she has this ability to take you deep down into the dark depths of the soul, and show you things both strange and fantastic. Concepts and torments of everyday existence wrench your emotions and make you think, then re-examine, then ponder the very substance of what makes one human.... The eerie novella "Bloodchild" was first published in Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine in 1984, and it grips you with fascination whether this is the first time you have read it, or the fifth. Butler has described this as her "pregnant man story", but it is far more than that. Exceptionally well wrought and filled with wonder and amazement, it won her the Nebula and Hugo Awards for the stark portrayal of what it is like to be a human valued chiefly for your reproductive capacity. Only this time, the child is not human, and the "parent" keeps mankind as a much beloved but still unequal partner..... The rest of the fiction in this collection is of the same superb quality and each piece has an afterword that brings into perspective Butler's thoughts and inspirations. There is a bonus in two autobiographical pieces at the end of the collection on what she calls "the art, the craft, and the business of writing." Whether you are a reader, or a writer, these pieces should not be missed.... The stories are as revealing about the reader as they are about the writer; they expose your own prejudices, emotions and motivations-as those of the protagonist are revealed in the writing on the page