Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
73rd out of 784 books
—
613 voters
Imago (Xenogenesis #3)
The futures of both humans and Oankali rest in one young being's successful metamorphosis into adulthood.
Paperback, 224 pages
Published
April 1st 1997
by Aspect
(first published 1989)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
More lists with this book...
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
3,000)
So after reading this series, I've gotten to thinking, What Would Jillian Do?
Given the choice between (1) shunning the aliens and living in an all-Human colony which is doomed to fail or (2) mating with said aliens, which would result in mixed-species children, with some remnants of human genetics but are not recognizable as such... which would I choose?
The difference between this book and reality (besides the aliens I guess) is that in the book it's more or less certain that humans are doomed t...more
Given the choice between (1) shunning the aliens and living in an all-Human colony which is doomed to fail or (2) mating with said aliens, which would result in mixed-species children, with some remnants of human genetics but are not recognizable as such... which would I choose?
The difference between this book and reality (besides the aliens I guess) is that in the book it's more or less certain that humans are doomed t...more
This is the last in the trilogy and I have to say I'm a bit disappointed it didn't have a more 'definite' ending. I was really hoping for a epilogue, a kind of and then they left earth and sailed off into the wild blue yonder but instead it ended as if there could be another book written very similar to this one (and the 2nd book).
It is kind of strange that she picked new characters as main characters for this book and then just had some cameos of the old characters. It makes it seem much like a...more
It is kind of strange that she picked new characters as main characters for this book and then just had some cameos of the old characters. It makes it seem much like a...more
In this final book of the Xenogenesis trilogy, the focus shifts again, this time to another of Lilith's sons, Jodahs, who turns out to be the first human-born ooloi (the third Oankali gender). He is considered a mistake by the Oankali and must struggle to find mates and carve a place for himself in the world.
This is the only book told in first person which makes it more intimate but I never connected with Jodahs as I did with Akin in Adulthood Rites. I was also disappointed that we see nothing o...more
This is the only book told in first person which makes it more intimate but I never connected with Jodahs as I did with Akin in Adulthood Rites. I was also disappointed that we see nothing o...more
2 likes · like · see review
This is the final book in Octavia Butler's Xenogenesis trilogy. As with the other works in this series, it could in theory stand alone, but there is so much explanation and background given in the earlier works that I would strongly advise against trying this.
In this volume, the author continues to explore the complex issues facing humans in a post-nuclear winter world. The aliens (Oankali) who have rescued the few remaining humans in hopes of blending with them genetically have now had about a...more
In this volume, the author continues to explore the complex issues facing humans in a post-nuclear winter world. The aliens (Oankali) who have rescued the few remaining humans in hopes of blending with them genetically have now had about a...more
A rather disappointing ending to the series, but Imago is interesting enough up to its convenient happy ending.
The highlight of this book are the contruct ooloi. I won't spoil what goes on with them but as you might expect, it's weird, fascinating and drives the plot (up to the ending).
Other than that, the alien rationalizations for coercing humans are more explicit than in the previous books which is interesting.
Predicatably, we are also treated with more repelling discussion of rape and slaver...more
The highlight of this book are the contruct ooloi. I won't spoil what goes on with them but as you might expect, it's weird, fascinating and drives the plot (up to the ending).
Other than that, the alien rationalizations for coercing humans are more explicit than in the previous books which is interesting.
Predicatably, we are also treated with more repelling discussion of rape and slaver...more
Once again, the tagline manages to irritate. No, this book does not deal with any fate of the universe type questions. Rather this may be the most personal of the three Xenogenesis narratives. It is from the first person after all.
Do you remember the suicides that happened after the Avatar movie was released? People killing themselves because they realized how bound and disturbed a world we had? Well, Butler's series starts to instigate those feelings. While reading, I no longer felt connected...more
Do you remember the suicides that happened after the Avatar movie was released? People killing themselves because they realized how bound and disturbed a world we had? Well, Butler's series starts to instigate those feelings. While reading, I no longer felt connected...more
**Semi Spoiler Alert**
This was the third in a trilogy. The 4-stars are for the trilogy as a whole. I think this particular book probably warrants three or four stars, but it irritated me in certain respects. I began to think that the "genetic contradiction" that humans are supposed to possess -- namely, intelligent but hierarchical thinking -- is a bit overdone and does not adequately distinguish human from Oankali (the alien species). I began to see instances of Oankali and construct thinking (...more
This was the third in a trilogy. The 4-stars are for the trilogy as a whole. I think this particular book probably warrants three or four stars, but it irritated me in certain respects. I began to think that the "genetic contradiction" that humans are supposed to possess -- namely, intelligent but hierarchical thinking -- is a bit overdone and does not adequately distinguish human from Oankali (the alien species). I began to see instances of Oankali and construct thinking (...more
I didn't like this one quite as much as the other two but I still enjoyed it. I did like the first person narrative and I empathized with the main character.
I once saw an interview with Octavia Butler where she said readers bring their own issues to her stories (which are about HER issues) and those perceptions are just as important to her as the stories themselves. My issues when reading the book had to do with free will and the idea of biology as destiny as illustrated by the Oankali/human re...more
I once saw an interview with Octavia Butler where she said readers bring their own issues to her stories (which are about HER issues) and those perceptions are just as important to her as the stories themselves. My issues when reading the book had to do with free will and the idea of biology as destiny as illustrated by the Oankali/human re...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Octavia E. Butler is an amazing writer. It doesn't matter whether or not I like the story she has written, when I'm reading it I'm not reading a book, I'm there in her world, totally transported. Imago is no exception. This is the third and final book in the Xenogenesis series (a.k.a. Lilith's Brood). There are a lot of very complicated relationships in this which are explained fully in previous books. I have to admit that I got a bit bogged down in them as they were re-explained at the beginnin...more
Feb 13, 2013
Debbie
added it
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Written from the point of view of a construct (half-human, half-alien) who is neither male nor female but of a third gender. Finally we get to hear about how life started out in the universe long ago, and the most sympathetic to the aliens' point of view. I didn't know whether to be disturbed by how sympathetic I became to the alien's cause, which is, I guess, what some of the humans in the trilogy go through themselves. Completely absorbing.
The only reason I didn't give it five stars was becau...more
The only reason I didn't give it five stars was becau...more
Okay, let me try and review this without giving everything away.
The entire trilogy - good or bad - really had me sucked in. I was dreaming about Oankali, when I was awake, I was thinking about them. Wishing I knew someone equally strange enough to talk to about these books and the many layered themes.
It always amazes me when such a book is written. When someone (Butler), takes themes central to humanity and manages to turn it into science fiction. In one respect, we can choose to dismiss her ent...more
The entire trilogy - good or bad - really had me sucked in. I was dreaming about Oankali, when I was awake, I was thinking about them. Wishing I knew someone equally strange enough to talk to about these books and the many layered themes.
It always amazes me when such a book is written. When someone (Butler), takes themes central to humanity and manages to turn it into science fiction. In one respect, we can choose to dismiss her ent...more
SF. The third, and final, book in the Xenogenesis series. This one follows Jodahs, another of Lilith's children, a human-born ooloi. The first of its kind, Jodahs is seen as a threat by many and must learn to control its ability to genetically manipulate its environment or it could poison the very ground it walks on.
This is a great conclusion to this series. These three books cover a lot of ground over a long period of time, so the ending feels earned. It shows the trajectory of this new society...more
This is a great conclusion to this series. These three books cover a lot of ground over a long period of time, so the ending feels earned. It shows the trajectory of this new society...more
The grande finale in the series does not disappoint in terms of the writing, the characters or the story. Where it fails, is in not being able to deliver a fitting enough ending for a beautifully thought out series.
All you puny, sick humans of the mountains; Meet Johdas, he and his kind will be your gods. They will heal you and they will need you, they will love you and they will smother you. They are (view spoiler).
No matter how obscure your personal peeves with huma...more
All you puny, sick humans of the mountains; Meet Johdas, he and his kind will be your gods. They will heal you and they will need you, they will love you and they will smother you. They are (view spoiler).
No matter how obscure your personal peeves with huma...more
The one where Jodahs, the first ooloi born of both human and oankali genes, achieves adulthood and finds a family.
This is the most optimistic of the three books, though pointed references to the effects of ooloi scent on human reason make it clear that the author doesn't want us to be able to rest comfortably with the idea that these relationships are entirely consensual.
It would have been interesting to read books that revolved around breaking taboos that had more visceral meaning to me; sibli...more
This is the most optimistic of the three books, though pointed references to the effects of ooloi scent on human reason make it clear that the author doesn't want us to be able to rest comfortably with the idea that these relationships are entirely consensual.
It would have been interesting to read books that revolved around breaking taboos that had more visceral meaning to me; sibli...more
Jan 06, 2013
Stephanie
added it
Recommended to Stephanie by:
Bloodchild
Shelves:
colonialism,
science-fiction
I was disappointed with Fledgling, but after a friend tried Bloodchild and Other Stories at my recommendation and came back with rave reviews, I remembered to give Butler another try. Her work is uneven, but sometimes she is genius. I was hoping to run into Kindred or Parable of the Sower, but it was Imago that I found in a used bookstore. I didn't realize it was part of a series, or I might have held off for Lilith's Brood. Imago had points of interest, but I think it would have held more power...more
Lilith is still in this book but much, much older although she looks the same age. One of her children has discovered he's an ooloi even though they were prohibited from having ooloi because of the potential for unintentional changes. Instead of sending their child to the ship to probably live a very lonely life, they take off to seclude it and find out all kinds of new and exciting stuff. I liked Jodahs and his mates especially Tomas who loved Jodahs almost as intensely as Jodahs loved him. Als...more
I liked this book least of the three in the series and found myself skimming through many parts. Although Jodahs, is another interesting character, I did not care for him as I did Akin and Lilith. I felt that these three books left too much unsaid, the stories incomplete, and the plot lines a bit unresolved. This is a deep and thought provoking series that should be read by all fiction readers as so much of its themes are applicable in today's society. I wanted this third book to move me the way...more
Enjoyable conclusion to the Xenogenesis trilogy in which another of Lilith's children, Jodahs, is followed. The story mainly concerns the final metamorphosis of Jodahs, and his sibling, Aaor, into, surprisingly, and frighteningly to Oankali, the first Human-Oankali ooli. Frighteningly because of their greater range of abilities and their lower ability to control their own inadvertant perverted use of those abilities - almost literally like bad dreams becoming real simply because they were dreame...more
Dec 29, 2012
Elizabeth
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
novels,
the-exiles
Many of the themes and ideas that Butler presents in Fledgeling are used here as well: families built around multiple parents, a more egalitarian approach to sex, children who arenaive, strong and one-of-a-kind. These consistent themes make me want to read more of Butler's work. But, I'm also frustrated with how she presents conflict in her stories. Any high stakes are presented matter-of-factually with little visceral reaction. Tensions are usually resolved or dissipated in a simple, straight-f...more
My favorite author ever. She died just a couple years ago. I'm heartbroken because i wanted to meet her, shake her hand, tell her how much I identify with her work, how much she infuses me with a desire to write. i want to recollect all of her work and read it sequencially, I keep loaning it out. i didn't realize when I read it, that i was reading about polyamory. i didn't know the word yet. she writes about xenophobia and alternative morals amoung other things, the bleak future, warnign us to c...more
I can't believe 100 yrs had passed since they had awakened the humans. The stories flowed ->Dawn-> Adulthood rites-> Imago seamlessly woven together. And ofcourse Lilith and Nkanj still being important factors in the each generation.
In a way i felt like the mountain resisters, the construct Ooloi's abilities made you like them more than say an ooloi like Nkanj. BUtler's none endings, which made you feel like she was turning off the tv, sucked cause I wanted more!! The whole time i was r...more
In a way i felt like the mountain resisters, the construct Ooloi's abilities made you like them more than say an ooloi like Nkanj. BUtler's none endings, which made you feel like she was turning off the tv, sucked cause I wanted more!! The whole time i was r...more
In Dawn, Butler patiently planted the seeds of this work, and it's wonderful to watch them grow to fruition. The ooloi, no longer a mystifying presence lurking in the background, take center stage in this work. The kind of interactions that were puzzling and not quite convincing when they occurred in Dawn are breathtaking to read of in this book. Most of all, the sense of unpredictability and newness that pervades the events of the book make it a fun, unpredictable read. I felt totally satisfied...more
The powerful conclusion to the Xenogenesis Trilogy. Like most of Octavia Butler's work, it revolves around stark choices regarding the nature of humanity when survival is at stake; like most of her other work, it ultimately ends on a note of hope despite the compromises.
Unlike the first two books in the series, this one is told in the first person. I don't know if that's part of the reason I found it so compelling. All I know is that the first thing I did upon finishing it was to flip back to th...more
Unlike the first two books in the series, this one is told in the first person. I don't know if that's part of the reason I found it so compelling. All I know is that the first thing I did upon finishing it was to flip back to th...more
I understand why the author felt the need to write this book. It really flushed out the ideas the author introduced in the first two books. It also gave us three gender points of view. The first book was Lilith, the second was Akin the first male construct, and the third the first construct ooloi.
All this aside I found this book wanting in every way. It was not as engaging as the first two and it felt very forced. I was bored. the clarification this book gave was valuable to the series but coul...more
All this aside I found this book wanting in every way. It was not as engaging as the first two and it felt very forced. I was bored. the clarification this book gave was valuable to the series but coul...more
Imago, the third part of the Lilith's Brood Xenogenesis trilogy, includes really good environmental imagery, but getting there was a slog. By environmental imagery, I mean ecological ("green") reinventions, new legends, really, which worked well with the themes of gender and sexuality in the universe crafted here. Butler is brilliant, but I felt that the machinery of this particular story was a little bulky.
This was the last book that I needed to read to complete the Octavia Butler corpus. While it's not my favorite Butler novel (that honor goes to Fledgling), it's still quite a read, and more than deserving of the five-stars.
The book is a very cerebral sci-fi experience set in a post-apocalypse worldview. As with most of Butler's books, it's ultimately about undesirable choices in the face of disaster and the compromises that people make when presented with such choices. Her writing style is simpl...more
The book is a very cerebral sci-fi experience set in a post-apocalypse worldview. As with most of Butler's books, it's ultimately about undesirable choices in the face of disaster and the compromises that people make when presented with such choices. Her writing style is simpl...more
In a lot of ways, the slightest of the series. Certainly physically it's the shortest. And the plot feels like it retreads territory from previous books. But thematically (and for what it reveals about the oankali), I think it's necessary to close the series.
Harking back to Lilith early in the first book, it's interesting here that the humans with no exposure to ooloi--the young fertiles that Jodahs finds--have no interest in having kids (until they're exposed to Jodahs, of course). They're bein...more
Harking back to Lilith early in the first book, it's interesting here that the humans with no exposure to ooloi--the young fertiles that Jodahs finds--have no interest in having kids (until they're exposed to Jodahs, of course). They're bein...more
I’m surprised an alien race with three genders can have such heteronormative families. Even with the presence of the ooloi – who are neither man nor woman – the Oankali’s family system is geared towards reproduction. The family consists of one Oankali man, one Oankali woman, and one Oankali ooloi to mediate between the two. When humans are included into the system, they must come in a pair: male and female. I understand the reasoning: two same-sex humans can’t produce offspring on their own, eve...more
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Octavia Estelle Butler was an American science fiction writer, one of the best-known among the few African-American women in the field. She won both Hugo and Nebula awards. In 1995, she became the first science fiction writer to receive the MacArthur Foundation "Genius" Grant.
More about Octavia E. Butler...
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“Listen, no part of me is more definitive of who I am than my brain.”
—
2 people liked it
More quotes…
Jan 15, 2008 02:20pm
Jun 02, 2009 11:00am