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Imago
Imago | Octavia E. Butler
26 posts | 41 read | 26 to read
Child of two species, but part of neither, a new being must find his wayHuman and Oankali have been mating since the aliens first came to Earth to rescue the few survivors of an annihilating nuclear war. The Oankali began a massive breeding project, guided by the ooloi, a sexless subspecies capable of manipulating DNA, in the hope of eventually creating a perfect starfaring race.Jodahs is supposed to be just another hybrid of human and Oankali, but as he begins his transformation to adulthood he finds himself becoming ooloithe first ever born to a human mother. As his body changes, Jodahs develops the ability to shapeshift, manipulate matter, and cure or create disease at will. If this frightened young man is able to master his new identity, Jodahs could prove the savior of whats left of mankind. Or, if he is not careful, he could become a plague that will destroy this new race once and for all. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Octavia E. Butler including rare images from the authors estate.
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sebrittainclark
Imago | Octavia E. Butler
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4/5

I think I liked the main character of this book the least out of the series, but I really liked the plot and ending. It's not exactly a satisfying ending to the series, but I enjoyed it overall. I'm glad to have finally read some Butler, and will probably attempt Parable of the Sower at some point in the future.

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sebrittainclark
Imago | Octavia E. Butler
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I slipped into my first metamorphosis so quietly that no one noticed.

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

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bookishbitch
Imago | Octavia E. Butler
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I can't help but think of the Oankali species as very parasitic. Their seduction of humans has a huge unfair advantage given that they use the humans biology and chemical reactions against them to produce an addictive reaction instead. The world building is incredible. The 3 genders of the Oankali and their family structure was facinating. The ending wasn't what I expected considering how the story began. I will ponder this for a while.

16 likes1 stack add
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bookwrm526
Imago | Octavia E. Butler
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It took me a while to finish this trilogy, because I had to pause after each book and really reflect on it. I still find myself thinking about them a lot! I‘m kind of mad that I didn‘t know about Butler when I was first starting to read sci-fi.

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Caterina
Imago | Octavia E. Butler
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Working on my #BookSpin in a park in Palo Alto, California! 😊

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Caterina
Imago | Octavia E. Butler
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Let's go!! Excited for September's #BookSpinBingo. I've already started my #BookSpin (tagged) and I'm excited for the prompting to finish it! (Hopefully before classes start next week?) And the #DoubleSpin is good prompting to finish the series and get to talk about Summer with my partner's mom! 😊 @TheAromaofBooks

EvieBee This is adorable! Love it! 3y
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! I love your layout!!! 3y
31 likes3 comments
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TheSpineView
Imago | Octavia E. Butler
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This is the third book in Octavia Butler's Xenogenesis series about an alien race that comes to Earth after a devastating nuclear war. They breed with what is left of the human race in order to advance their race. Love Butler's take on aliens and the idea that humanity will always destroy itself because of hierarchical behavior. She also explores the idea that humanity must be allowed to try again to save itself. Really good story with well ⬇️

TheSpineView Developed characters a characteristic of all her work. 4.5 ⭐ 3y
Ruthiella I loved this trilogy too. Butler always poses difficult questions in her novels and doesn‘t provide any easy answers. They really make me think. 3y
TheSpineView @Ruthiella I love how she presents age old questions in unique ways. 3y
Reggie Yeah, in the first book when one of the first things humans do is build guns I just thought, why bother with us. I also liked this trilogy very much. 3y
TheSpineView @Reggie 👍😊 3y
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Kenyazero
Imago | Octavia E. Butler
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I absolutely love Octavia Butler, and this is such a lovely way to commemorate her work. I'm sure we'll all be chattering excitedly about this throughout the day here on Litsy. (the tagged book is my favorite of her books I've read so far)

Riveted_Reader_Melissa That‘s wonderful!!! 4y
22 likes1 comment
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Kenyazero
Imago | Octavia E. Butler
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1: My husband and I are on a quest to hit all of the natural areas in our town, which has been a huge benefit to our mental health this year; my friends and family are safe
2: an alien child transitions into a third gender against cultural expectations and while their family goes into exile, the new adult seeks love among people who hate it.
#WonderousWednesday @Eggs

Eggs Great summary! Thanks for joining in 👏🏻📚👍🏼 4y
4 likes1 comment
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ErinSBecker
Imago | Octavia E. Butler

On June 10th I made a commitment to myself to read only Black authors until the end of August. Since then, I've read 15 books by Black authors and half of two others by white authors. With new bookstore opening today, and big #bookhaul from that, finding it hard to motivate to stick to pledge, but I really want to. Any words of encouragement would be appreciated! 😁

julesG You can do this! 4y
Reagan That‘s a great goal! What is coming up next? 4y
TheKidUpstairs I'm always pushing myself to read more diverse authors. Here's one strategy I use: if there's a book by a white author that you want to read, ask yourself what it is that draws you to it right now, is it the plot, genre, author, etc. Then you can look for a book by a Black/BIPOC author that fulfills a similar feel. 4y
ErinSBecker Thanks @jules, @Reagan and @TheKidUpstairs! For what's next, definitely Medical Apartheid (just arrived in the mail) and possibly A History of White People. 4y
ErinSBecker And that's amazing advice @TheKidUpstairs. I will definitely be giving that a try. For me right now the challenge is that the books I want to read are super niche linguistics textbooks and I haven't been able to find any Black linguist authors other than John McWhorter - I've already read a lot of his stuff and he's also.... Pretty problematic turns out. Anyone know any Black linguists? I'll reach out on Twitter too! 4y
36 likes5 comments
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Kenyazero
Imago | Octavia E. Butler
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For #pridemonth2020, I'm highlighting 30 openly LGBTQ+ authors, and today I'm talking about a favorite of mine, Octavia Butler. I don't usually enjoy sci-fi, but I love her work. She was an American writer, winner of both the Hugo and Nebula awards, and was the first sci-fi writer to receive a MacArthur Fellowship. #dyslexia #lgbt #lgbtq #lgbtqvoices #pocauthors #blackauthors #lgbtqauthors #scifi #blackvoices

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Kenyazero
Imago (Warner Books) | Octavia E Butler
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I don't usually like sci-fi and I loved this series. I accidentally read the books starting with the third. It made learning the alien lore harder but it was fun. I love the worlds Butler builds here. #lgbt #lgbtq #lgbtliterature #lgbtscifi #genderneutral #genderfluid #thirdgender #alien #scifi

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suzisteffen
Imago (Warner Books) | Octavia E Butler
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Mehso-so

Felt more like book two than book one, but it does seem to conclude with some kind of optimism for the human/alien partnership.

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Reggie
Imago | Octavia E. Butler
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This is the 3rd and final installment of the Xenogenesis series and what a blast. One of Lilith‘s children, Jodahs, half human half oankali, has become the first human ooloi construct and everyone, the humans and the aliens are freaking out about a species that was never supposed to happen. Confused? Lol. This was great world building and storytelling at its best. The connections we all need as humans and other species to survive. Just wonderful.

minkyb Well said...as usual! 6y
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Blair_Reads
Imago | Octavia E. Butler
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Reading for class. 💜

Prairiegirl_reading What class? 7y
Blair_Reads @Prairiegirl_reading It‘s for my Science Fiction Le Guin and Butler class :) 7y
Prairiegirl_reading That sounds awesome! 7y
71 likes2 stack adds3 comments
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Manieschaef
Imago | Octavia E. Butler
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So stoked for my new shirt from @bookriot ! #sffyeah

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TheNextBook
Imago | Octavia E. Butler
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So about this series... I freaking loved it! I'm in awe of Butler and her writing because it is so beyond anything I've seen. I loved this. With that being said if you aren't a big science fiction fan. If you aren't into stories with aliens. If you don't feel like bothering with anything dystopian then walk away. But if you love Butler, science fiction and want a really interesting story with an amazing plot and world building, then go for it.

Liatrek Love all the above ❤️❤️ need to bump this up my TBR list. 7y
TheNextBook @Liatrek Yes! This is such a well written trilogy. 7y
50 likes3 stack adds2 comments
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TheNextBook
Imago | Octavia E. Butler
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I think I am ready. I hope I am ready. I don't know what's about to happen. I'm ready. Because I have to finish! I'll stop procrastinating now and start reading.

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twohectobooks
Imago | Octavia E. Butler
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The end of Butler's Xenogenesis/Lilith's Brood trilogy is as unsettlingly gross and fascinating as the first two books. Hard to believe how we got to this conclusion from the beginning of Dawn. I will say Dawn is the strongest in the trilogy, but the whole thing is wonderfully alien and I will probably be thinking about it for quite a while.

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Iindseyo
Imago | Octavia E. Butler
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Came across this article describing Octavia Butler's amazing notebook of affirmations. She wrote the life she wanted into existence! "So be it! See to it!" ✍???http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_56ab92ffe4b0010e80e9c6fa/amp

TheNextBook I love Octavia!!! 7y
8little_paws This is boss af 7y
Gezemice Awesome! 7y
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rachelm This is sooo cool 7y
elkeOriginal Amazing. 😢👏👏👏💕 7y
Mc_cart_ny I've heard of this, very cool! 7y
27 likes6 comments
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Riveted_Reader_Melissa
Imago | Octavia E. Butler
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Yet another surprising and unexpected twist in this continually insightful, but creepy, alien story. Definitely another angle in the results of this 'trade' that I wasn't expecting to see appear, I was again expecting a continuation from book two and more about those constructs, but instead I got something different and unexpected....something that, even in this world, was completely new and unique, and even scared our too smart aliens a bit.

Gezemice Looks like a great series! 8y
tricours Everyone seems to love these books! Is there any chance of liking books 2&3 if you hated book 1? 8y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa @tricours Probably depends on why you hated book one. If it was the writing, then probably not. If it was the overwhelming creepy vibe you got, it's still there, but less as the series goes one. Book two jumps forward in time, so you get to see how all the groups have made out, and you get to see them through new eyes...the eyes of one of their mixed children. So it's seen from the POV of a character who can relate and is part of both groups.. 8y
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Riveted_Reader_Melissa ... Even with the creepy vibe, I've enjoyed the series. The same way I 'enjoyed' The Handmaid's Tale or Kindred or The Fifth Season...they all make you uncomfortable, but that's because they all explore parts of humanity we are very uncomfortable with and don't like to think about too much. If it helps, I read book one and then took a long break before trying book 2, and was pleasantly surprised by the new POV in it, everyone is on earth by.. 8y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa ...then, so it feels a bit more normal to us. And the humans who left the group early on are revisited, we find out more about how they are doing after they left and an acceptable (to both sides) compromise is finally reached with them. That made me feel a bit better about the story overall too, if that helps. 8y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa @Gezemice It really is, but in the creepy but excellent writing way The Handmaid's Tale is for instance. I think it'd group most of what I've read of Octavia Butler in the same realm as Margaret Atwood. Creepy, but thought provoking, and really good at making you look at the parts of humanity we really dislike looking at. If you haven't read anything by her yet, I'd start with Kindred. 8y
tricours I didn't find it creepy at all, I just found all the humans extremely infuriating and annoying with their sense of entitlement. But if the perspective changes, that could help a lot! 8y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa @tricours Maybe give it a try then. It joins Lilith and family years (probably decades) later. And switches to the POV of her new baby, who looks "mostly" human, but senses and understands the world much more than an average human baby would. "He" spends time with both the alien family grouping and with the human resisters group and finds things to appreciate in both groups over time. So yes, it is a very interesting new perspective. 8y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa @tricours But yes, the purely human groups are still feeling entitled, they were here first, and still what everyone else gone. So if that really bothered you maybe skip this series and try something else of hers...maybe a standalone book like Kindred, which is really good. 8y
Gezemice @Riveted_Reader_Melissa You had me at "Handmaid's Tale" ? 8y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa @Gezemice 👍 Definitely try Kindred then! On its surface it's sci-fi time travel, but it's an African American woman who falls back into pre-Civil War America. It's got that great creepy but poignant vibe going for it too! 8y
Gezemice @Riveted_Reader_Melissa I read Kindred last year and liked it, although it did not remind me of Atwood. The story could be, I guess, but the writing is in a different realm, which is why I did not give Kindred 5 stars. Atwood spoiled it for me, lol. (edited) 8y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa @Gezemice True, they have different writing styles. I just meant the social commentary mixed in with a riveting story, that way the same. 8y
diovival This was the first of her books I ever read. Found it on my parents bookshelf. Didn't realize it was part of a series at the time. 8y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa @diovival I love those stories, those books found on our parents shelf, that you borrow and read...and loved even if they were probably more adult than you were ready for. And then to find out it's just a doorway into a larger world that, that you find out about later, and can read knowing your parents read them too. 8y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa I should have also tagged this book #192019 #1989. I'll try to make a better effort going forward to tag books as I go. This is the last book in this trilogy, and I also used the first two in this challenge Dawn as #1987 and Adulthood Rites as #1988 8y
62 likes3 stack adds16 comments
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khooliha
Imago | Octavia E. Butler
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This book couldn't exist without the two before it, and not just for plot reasons. The books lead you down a path, growing more and more alien, until you're here and everything is strange but you sort of understand it.

PS finishing this book on National Sibling Day... sure is something!

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khooliha
Imago | Octavia E. Butler
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I cannot believe that there's brother sister incest-ish stuff here too. I mean, I can believe it, what with how the Oankali typically fuction, but this trope can stop cropping up any damn time now.

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Riveted_Reader_Melissa
Imago | Octavia E. Butler
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Up next! The (hopefully) thrilling conclusion of this trilogy. So creepy, yet introspective and engrossing!

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AdaChivers
Imago | Octavia E. Butler
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It took me too long to finish, not because it was bad, but because I didn't want to leave the Oankali or Lilith behind...

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AdaChivers
Imago | Octavia E. Butler
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I know it's silly, but I've been waiting for this mark!

OutlandishLit Omg congrats!! 💀💀 8y
LindsayReads 🤘 8y
BookishMarginalia 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 8y
13 likes3 comments