A Decade of Hit Books
Discover new books on Goodreads
See if your friends have read any of Octavia E. Butler's books
Octavia E. Butler

Octavia E. Butler’s Followers (23,779)

member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo

Add New
Videos

Celebrating Octavia E. Butler's Dawn
5 comments
Meet Octavia E. Butler
Add a comment

More videos…

Octavia E. Butler


Born
in Pasadena, California, The United States
June 22, 1947

Died
February 24, 2006

Website

Genre
Science Fiction & Fantasy


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.

After her father died, Butler was raised by her widowed mother. Extremely shy as a child, Octavia found an outlet at the library reading fantasy, and in writing. She began writing science fiction as a teenager. She attended community college during the Black Power movement, and while participating in a local writer's workshop was encouraged to attend the Clarion Workshop, which focused on science fiction.

She soon sold her first stories and by the late 1970s had become ...more

Combine Editions

Average rating: 4.21 · 1,045,760 ratings · 117,980 reviews · 88 distinct works • Similar authors
Kindred
4.31 avg rating — 294,149 ratings — published 1979 — 175 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
Parable of the Sower (Earth...
4.18 avg rating — 296,826 ratings — published 1993 — 106 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
Parable of the Talents (Ear...
4.32 avg rating — 93,252 ratings — published 1998 — 4 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
Dawn (Xenogenesis, #1)
4.15 avg rating — 68,208 ratings — published 1987 — 3 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
Wild Seed (Patternist, #1)
4.20 avg rating — 41,769 ratings — published 1980 — 59 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
Fledgling
3.78 avg rating — 41,559 ratings — published 2005 — 49 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
Adulthood Rites (Xenogenesi...
4.19 avg rating — 30,878 ratings — published 1988 — 44 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
Bloodchild and Other Stories
4.34 avg rating — 28,678 ratings — published 1995 — 3 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
Imago (Xenogenesis, #3)
4.19 avg rating — 26,389 ratings — published 1989 — 45 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
Lilith's Brood (Xenogenesis...
4.37 avg rating — 22,673 ratings — published 1987 — 52 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
More books by Octavia E. Butler…

Series by Octavia E. Butler

Parable of the Sower Parable of the Talents
(2 books)
by
4.22 avg rating — 392,194 ratings

Dawn Adulthood Rites Imago
(3 books)
by
4.20 avg rating — 148,115 ratings

Wild Seed Mind of My Mind Clay's Ark Patternmaster
(4 books)
by
4.13 avg rating — 91,274 ratings

Related News

At the beginning of each calendar month, the Goodreads editorial team assembles a list of the hottest and most popular new books hitting...
Read more...
331 likes · 0 comments
Each year, in honor of Women's History Month, we like to pull together some kind of curated collection featuring nonfiction books on women's...
Read more...
883 likes · 0 comments
The bartender says, “We don’t serve time travelers in here!” Two time travelers walk into a bar… It’s an old joke, but a good one, and as...
Read more...
229 likes · 0 comments
Quotes by Octavia E. Butler  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“In order to rise
From its own ashes
A phoenix
First
Must
Burn.”
― Octavia Butler, Parable of the Talents
3107 likes
Like

“When your rage is choking you, it is best to say nothing.”
― Octavia E. Butler, Fledgling
1582 likes
Like

“All that you touch
You Change.

All that you Change
Changes you.

The only lasting truth
is Change.

God
is Change.”
― Octavia E. Butler
tags: change, god
1424 likes
Like

Polls

Which author would you like to invite for a cup of tea? Vote for author and explain why in the comments.

Deborah Harkness
A Discovery of Witches
 
  0 votes, 0.0%

 
  0 votes, 0.0%

 
  0 votes, 0.0%

Laura Esquivel
Like Water for Chocolate
 
  0 votes, 0.0%

Sue Monk Kidd
The Mermaid Chair
 
  0 votes, 0.0%

Randy Pausch
The Last Lecture
 
  0 votes, 0.0%

Philip K Dick
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
 
  0 votes, 0.0%

Patrick Rothfuss
The Name of the Wind
 
  0 votes, 0.0%

Tana French
In the Woods
 
  0 votes, 0.0%

Abraham Verghese
Cutting for Stone
 
  0 votes, 0.0%

Oliver Potzsch
The Hangman's Daughter
 
  0 votes, 0.0%

0 total votes
More...

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics posts views last activity  
Books on the Nigh...: my personal challenge for 2009 28 179 Apr 19, 2009 11:30AM  
Beyond Reality: So who are your favorites? 49 784 May 21, 2009 08:24AM  
The Next Best Boo...: Men vs. Women 228 1098 May 27, 2009 10:15PM  
SciFi and Fantasy...: This topic has been closed to new comments. "Left Hand..." discussion -- My impressions & be careful of the edition you read 47 330 Aug 11, 2009 10:39AM  
Beyond Reality: FemSF 16 224 Aug 17, 2009 02:37PM  
Challenge: 50 Books: Emily agrees with Michelle 2009 30 367 Nov 14, 2009 09:57AM  
Challenge: 50 Books: Barb's 50 books for 2009 80 818 Dec 31, 2009 06:37AM  
Dystopias and Soc...: Plague 12 173 Jan 03, 2010 01:46PM