Jonah’s Reviews > Dawn > Status Update

Over and over again, Octavia Butler is mean to her protagonist simply because the aliens and environment don't bend to her will. They exist and she has to try to adapt (arguably related to the black experience in America). It's a great reminder that you can be mean to your protagonist without death or violence.

This is just amazing. Every scene and chapter is a kick in the face. Like Cold Equations, there's a sense of inexorable tragedy (where CE relied on physical laws and so is to some extent the tragedy of not planning a margin, Dawn relies on distant and powerful aliens, leading paradoxically to a more realistic inevitability to tragedy). Looking forward to continuing.