Bloodchild and Other Stories in The Evolution of Science Fiction

Apr 03, 2017 Jim rated it liked it

Shelves: 3short-stories, 1ebook, 2fiction, scifi

Interesting idea. Sad & kind of weird. The end leaves you wondering. It's free & short. Worth reading.
http://boblyman.net/englt392/texts/sp...
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Oct 31, 2018 Tomislav rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, collection, read-2-times, utopian-dystopian-great-course

second read – 14 August 2021 **** - Butler’s story "Bloodchild" is discussed in Lecture 18 “Octavia Butler and the Utopian Alien” of Great Utopian and Dystopian Works of Literature (The Great Courses #2341). second read – 14 August 2021 **** - Butler’s story Bloodchild is discussed in Lecture 18 “Octavia Butler and the Utopian Alien” of Great Utopian and Dystopian Works of Literature (The Great Courses #2341). As long as I was at it, I re-read the entire collection it's in. It’s only been about second read – 14 August 2021 **** - Butler’s story "Bloodchild" is discussed in Lecture 18 “Octavia Butler and the Utopian Alien” of Great Utopian and Dystopian Works of Literature (The Great Courses #2341). second read – 14 August 2021 **** - Butler’s story Bloodchild is discussed in Lecture 18 “Octavia Butler and the Utopian Alien” of Great Utopian and Dystopian Works of Literature (The Great Courses #2341). As long as I was at it, I re-read the entire collection it's in. It’s only been about three years, and my thoughts about the stories haven’t changed much. I’ve integrated my comments from both reads into the summaries below.It’s only been about three years, and my feelings about the stories haven’t changed much. I’ve integrated my comments from both reads into the summaries below.

first read - 31 October 2018 **** - Octavia Butler was the first, and for a long time, the only professional female African-American science fiction writer. Her novels were published in the 1980s through the time of her death in 2006. Her best-known novels are Kindred, Parable of the Sower, and Parable of the Talents – all of which I highly recommend. She wrote very few short stories. This collection contains five short works, each with a short afterword, as well as a couple of her essays. I read a First Edition paperback; apparently the Second Edition added a few more stories.

“Bloodchild” - ***** This novelette was originally published in Asimov’s in 1984, and won the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Awards in 1985. It’s the story of a young boy growing up in an alien/human symbiotic family, who learns what his role will be. It believably presents the simultaneous emotions of a Tiptree-style reproductive biological horror, but also the bonding and love in the family’s relationships. That contrast makes this an original and powerful story, probably the centerpiece of the collection.

Utopianism does not seem to be the main point of the story. But... (view spoiler)

“The Evening and The Morning and the Night” - **** This novelette was originally published in Omni in 1987, and was nominated for 1988 Nebula. It is a story of a young woman seeking meaning of her life, while suffering from a fictional genetic disorder that combines the symptoms of Huntington’s, Phenylketonuria, and Lesch-Nyhan Diseases. For family reasons, I know a little about Huntington’s, and the emotion in the story feels authentic. (I myself am genetically clear of HD). But Butler’s invented disease seems contrived for maximum suffering rather than realism.

“Near of Kin” – *** This non-SFnal short story was originally published in the 1979 Chrysalis 4 anthology. It sympathetically describes a taboo relationship, something that Butler does in other works as well. Butler says it was inspired by Bible stories from her youth.

"Speech Sounds" - **** This short story was originally published in Asimov’s in 1983, and won the Hugo Award in 1984. A woman surviving in a diseased dystopic Los Angeles seeks hope and unimpaired human company. The disease itself doesn’t make much sense, but the story is still effective.

"Crossover" - ** This non-SFnal short story was originally written at Clarion in 1971, apparently the first piece of writing Butler ever sold. It’s about a woman living in hallucinatory depression, doing things she regrets. Some good paragraphs, but not much else. ...more

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