Doro is an entity who changes bodies like clothes, killing his hosts by reflexor design. He fears no one until he meets Anyanwu. Anyanwu is a shape...
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Jan 10, 2012
Apatt
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This book is one of the best stumbled upon moments in years. I was reading a book review by Orson Scott Card and he was waxing lyrical about Octavia Butler in general and this book in particular. Wild Seed is science fantasy as opposed to science fiction as a lot of the fantastical elements are scientifically improbable, though biology plays an important part in the story also. The story is about two immortals, a man and a woman; while they are both immortals the nature of their immortality is v
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4 comments
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(6 people liked it)
Apr 24, 2011
Zen
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8 comments
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(5 people liked it)
Dec 16, 2009
Rona
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This is one of my favorite books ever, for its superb blending of atmosphere/landscape, characterization, politics, history, race/gender/sexuality, politics, and plot. Ms. Butler (may she rest in peace) created some of the most memorable characters in my mind in Doro and, of course, Anyanwu/Emma. I could read this book over and over. Just doing a text analysis of the opening 7 paragraphs is such an education to an aspiring novelist like me. Didn't like 'Mind of My Mind' as much, but wonder if an
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5 comments
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(6 people liked it)
Jan 31, 2012
Julia
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5 comments
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May 01, 2008
Shannon
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My first foray into the unique world of Octavia Butler's imagination does not disappoint. Terrify, yes, and fascinate in an almost grotesque way, but it's oh so worth it. It is also a good example of speculative fiction and what you can do with it.
For over three thousand years Doro has wandered the Earth, gathering together those born special, with latent potential or abilities, usually mental, that can endanger themselves or others. Born human, Doro died during his own "transit More...
For over three thousand years Doro has wandered the Earth, gathering together those born special, with latent potential or abilities, usually mental, that can endanger themselves or others. Born human, Doro died during his own "transit More...
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Sep 16, 2009
BunWat
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This is the second Octavia Butler I have read, the first was Kindred. I am really impressed with the deceptive simplicity of her style. It seems very straightforward but there's a big sting in the tail. I end up thinking for a long time afterward about the stories she tells.
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Nov 20, 2007
Sean
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Even after her death in 2006, Octavia Butler remains one of the foremost voices in science fiction. Wild Seed is wonderful embodiment of her work: in it, she tackles such disparate themes as dominance and submission; race and culture; the morality of genetics; feminism, femininity and femalehood; mortality and immortality; family, loyalty, love, friendship and hatred; and endurance at all costs. On top of this, the book is tensely plotted and full of strong, vibrant characters. Do not let the he
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(3 people liked it)
Dec 17, 2011
Lisa
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My friend gave me this book as a gift. Please keep in mind while you read this that I am not a large fan of sci-fi. It is the only genre I have never liked, I never even had a sci-fi phase.
The only word that comes to mind to describe this book is "insane." Butler's novel is unlike other sci-fi I have experienced. It does not take place in the future, but begins in Africa during slavery times. Insane! The novel also tackles African slavery, which I don't think is addre More...
The only word that comes to mind to describe this book is "insane." Butler's novel is unlike other sci-fi I have experienced. It does not take place in the future, but begins in Africa during slavery times. Insane! The novel also tackles African slavery, which I don't think is addre More...
Dec 01, 2011
Wendyb
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What a fascinating book. I read Mind of My Mind first, where I met the main characters here, but as that was not their story, they did not have much depth. Reading Wild Seed, it made me somewhat disappointed that they did not have as much to do in the sequel, but as the book progressed, I came to appreciate their diminished roles in Mind of My Mind since their story was told so completely here.
The first striking thing about this book is that it takes place during the time of slave ship More...
The first striking thing about this book is that it takes place during the time of slave ship More...
Nov 15, 2011
Wow. What a book. Butler's story about two inhuman humans is told in incredibly vivid, stark prose. Beginning in 1690 and spanning to the early 20th century, it follows the characters of Doro and Anyanwu, humans who cannot die, and whose bodies can change in particular ways. She writes from the third person point of view from either Doro or Anyanwu's perspective, switching back and forth through the ages as they struggle against the influences of the other. By switching point of view back and fo
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Oct 30, 2011
Nelly
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Apr 10, 2011
Angela
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For thirty-seven centuries, Doro roved the world, searching for people who were strangely different--outcasts with special abilities. But of all men, women and children he collected, of all the people he carefully cross-bred, of all the generations of loyal, obedient hybrids he protected, he has never encountered anyone like Anyanwu.
A proud African priestess--and immortal like Doro himself--Anyanwu is a shape-changer, possessed of inhuman strength and the ability to heal herself and ot More...
A proud African priestess--and immortal like Doro himself--Anyanwu is a shape-changer, possessed of inhuman strength and the ability to heal herself and ot More...
Nov 18, 2010
Natanya
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I had only read one story by Octavia Butler prior to this one, but just from that story, I knew I would love her writing. Wild Seed is less science fiction-like than I expected (though when I mentioned that to a scifi fan, she strongly disagreed and called it "biological scifi"), but, given that I don't have any particular interest in hardcore scifi, that was fine for me. I enjoyed the progression of the novel, spanning over hundreds of years, and I enjoyed getting to see the changes f
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Jul 19, 2010
Heather
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Sometimes you find something amazing in the most random ways. I first discovered Octavia Butler while waiting in a mall. I haven't really been a mall person since I was about 17, but it was Christmastime, and I suppose malls are unavoidable. While listening to a band play holiday tunes in the center of the mall, I noticed a small bookstore I had never noticed before. Well, the band was pretty good, but they had nothing on a store full of books. Walking in, right on the first shelf I saw, wa
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Oct 28, 2009
veronica
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Having previously read two of the three Lillith's Brood novels, I must admit I am slightly disappointed in Wild Seed for its conscious effort to maintain a safe distance from the truly strange. This may sound a bit ludicrous, considering the novel's plot: Doro, an immortal spirit originating in Nubian antiquity, is obsessed with genetic engineering of humans, and strives for millenia to "breed" an X-Men type of human society in the hopes of eventually creating other immortals like hims
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Jun 23, 2010
Kristin
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Anyanwu is a healer with the ability to metamorphose herself into any creature that she has tasted or eaten. She can ingest plants and ascertain if they will heal or poison. She can alter her form to be male or female, but in the end, she is always Anyanwu, a healer. Anyanwu knows she cannot easily die and estimates she is over 300 years old.
Doro is neither a ghost or a spirit, but lives off of other bodies. He kills for pleasure, for necessity, to keep on living. Over the eons, he More...
Doro is neither a ghost or a spirit, but lives off of other bodies. He kills for pleasure, for necessity, to keep on living. Over the eons, he More...
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Aug 02, 2011
I have read this book years ago from as a suggtion of a barns and nobles rep. He told me its sort of a young adults series but he enjoyed it so much first time he read it he reads it over and over again.
i took his workd for it, I was def not dissappointed. However, its been almost 12 yrs ago that i read this book and never new that this is actually a series till today. As Im walking through the libray I found a bit of history with the author. im saddened to know she has past sometime ago. More...
i took his workd for it, I was def not dissappointed. However, its been almost 12 yrs ago that i read this book and never new that this is actually a series till today. As Im walking through the libray I found a bit of history with the author. im saddened to know she has past sometime ago. More...
Oct 20, 2010
Paul
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I’ve never read Octavia E. Butler before this book, so I didn’t know what to expect. I am actually reading the collected Patternist series, Seed to Harvest, which has all 4 novels in one volume. Wild Seed is the first of these books. The premise described on the back cover sounded promising if not vague: gods and goddesses breeding generations of weirdoes with strange abilities which are eventually used to protect earth from an invasion.
Wild Seed is the story of Doro, a 3,700 year-ol More...
Wild Seed is the story of Doro, a 3,700 year-ol More...
Feb 16, 2009
Asymmetrical
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This is my favorite kind of fiction, a book that takes the real world and changes it ever so slightly to make everything different. In this case, Butler adds a race of people specially "seeded" to possess special powers to inhabit historical times, both in Africa and America. These mutants are ruled by Doro, a man born unable to die -- but the way he stays alive creates some problems. The main character, Anyanwu, is a "wild seed" in that she has special powers but is outsi
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Jan 14, 2011
Jonathan
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Striking and unique. Where do I begin? Maybe at the beginning. The first few paragraphs of Wild Seed are a lesson on exposition. From a careful reading we get a developing picture of a very odd character. We're encouraged to look further. We're repulsed. We're drawn back. We care.
This is the story of the meeting of two strange beings, Doro and Anyanwu. Both have incredible powers; but use them very differently: one kills coldly and easily and one is a healer. Their evolving and compl More...
This is the story of the meeting of two strange beings, Doro and Anyanwu. Both have incredible powers; but use them very differently: one kills coldly and easily and one is a healer. Their evolving and compl More...
Sep 12, 2009
Ariel
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Dec 02, 2010
Marvin
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Octavia E. Butler's women are incredibly strong characters. One of her themes is that most people are either masters or slaves but occasionally there is a person who refuses to be either and usually becomes persecuted or an outsiderdue to this. The main protagonist of Wild Seed is one of those persons. She is a mutant who has lived 300 years, both feared and respected in her African tribe yet always living on the outside and in secret for her protection. She meets another non-human that is much
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Jan 23, 2011
Duskyliterati
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While Wild Seed was the fourth book published in Butler’s Patternist series, it is the first book chronologically. The story opens on the continent of Africa in the 17th century and travels to the New World (New York and New Orleans) while following the relationship between two immortals. Anyawu is a healer and shapeshifter and Doro is a telepath who transfers his consciousness into different hosts, killing each host in the process. Anyawu and Doro are at odds throughout the story as Anyawu disa
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Jul 09, 2011
Contrarius
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Wild Seed is chronologically the first book in the Patternist series, but it seems to usually be read as a standalone. The book details roughly 200 years in the lives of two nearly immortal beings -- Doro, a 3000 year old spirit who transmigrates to a new human body each time his current body is killed or worn out; and Anyanwu, a 300 year old African woman who can change shape at will and can replicate any life form down to the level of DNA.
The novel starts in the late 1600's during More...
The novel starts in the late 1600's during More...
Feb 05, 2011
Susan
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This book sits uneasily on any of the shelves I've seen used to describe it -- it doesn't seem to me truly science fiction, magical realism, or fantasy, but rather its own marvelous story that defies categorization. There are two main characters, Doro (male) and Anyanwu (female). Both have attributes that make it difficult or impossible for them to die or be killed, so the story spans centuries (1690 - 1840+), and refers to events in the even more distant past. The intricacies of the story revol
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Aug 27, 2010
Davina
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Impressive look at immortality and the effects of power. I love how Octavia Butler handles the different attitudes of each character. The villain was extremely interesting and as complex as our (totally awesome) heroine. The development of each character was incredibly satisfying. If you want to read good quality sci-fi/fantasy that makes you think about societal norms, want a strong female character who is so definitely a woman while at the same time is free of the restrictions of femininity, o
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Jun 14, 2011
Jenn
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Technically book 4 in the Patternist series, it's actually the first in terms of time within the novels. We meet the two major characters, the immortal (male) Doro and the immortal (female) Anayawu. They form a very complex bond, made of love/hate, commonality, and need. They are opposites inmany ways, with Doro being more consistently the 'heavy' (by which I mean he is controlling, murderous if need be, and a user. Anayawu is a healer who can change her shape and and is a mother, showing he
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May 27, 2011
Maureen
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Apparently lots of readers hate Doro with an intense zealousness, but I found him to be gradually more understandable as the book went on. The possibility of living forever obviously is not fathomable to me, and I found that I learned more about why he is the way he is based on his forced immortality.
Aside from that, I also love the alternate world created in the book. Not loved like I wanted to be in it, but it held a fascination for me much like Panem of hunger games. Overall I have to admire More...
Aside from that, I also love the alternate world created in the book. Not loved like I wanted to be in it, but it held a fascination for me much like Panem of hunger games. Overall I have to admire More...
May 19, 2011
Cherese
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This was the most imaginative book I've read in a while. When I was explaining some parts to my sister, I really began to realize the depth of Ms. Butler's world. It was our world, but these character existed on a level that most people would never encounter. The main character Anyanwu is so strong and wise and yet a bit naive when it comes to Doro. Butler balances these two characters against each other so well that you can sense the chemistry between them as you read. I was very impressed with
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Oct 17, 2010
Kae
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Wild Seed is an eccentric, enthralling start to what I assume will be a thrilling speculative fiction series. When I came across it on my reading list for my Fantasy and Horror class, my interest wasn't particularly piqued - but by the time that I was fifty pages in, I couldn't put the book down.
This novel is a perfectly example of a literary fantasy novel, dispersing themes and developing characters with skill that I've rarely seen; an extremely enjoyable read. I thoroughly recommend More...
This novel is a perfectly example of a literary fantasy novel, dispersing themes and developing characters with skill that I've rarely seen; an extremely enjoyable read. I thoroughly recommend More...
