Awards
Winner of the 1999 Nebula Award for Best Novel.
Selected as One of the Best Books of the Year by Publishers Weekly
Synopses & Reviews
Lauren Olamina's love is divided among her young daughter, her community, and the revelation that led Lauren to found a new faith that teaches "God Is Change." But in the wake of environmental and economic chaos, the U.S. government turns a blind eye to violent bigots who consider the mere existence of a black female leader a threat. And soon Lauren must either sacrifice her child and her followers or forsake the religion that can transform human destiny.
Review
"Octavia E. Butler is one of the finest voices in fiction period....A master storyteller, Butler casts an unflinching eye on racism, sexism, poverty, and ignorance and lets the reader see the terror and beauty of human nature." Washington Post Book World
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"Impressive." New York Times Book Review
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"Splendid...immensely interesting...provocative, intelligent writing....A parable that deserves to be pondered." Cleveland Plain Dealer
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"Enthralling...compelling and truly original." Denver Post
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"The story of three generations of Olamina women....Most touching in the novel are the friction between generations, the kinds of faith each generation indulges in, and the new families that form when traditional ones are splintered." Los Angeles Times
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"Impassioned...stands out as a testament to the author's enormous talent." Publishers Weekly (starred review)
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"Intricate and intense...a voice that cradles and captivates." Washington Post Book World
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"Brilliant...powerful, moving, and beautifully written." Library Journal (starred review)
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"[She creates] some of the most fascinating female characters in the genre...real women caught in impossible situations." Village Voice
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"What 'cyberpunk' author William Gibson does for young, disaffected white fans...Octavia Estelle Butler does for people of color. She gives us a future." Vibe
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"A new Octavia Butler novel is an exciting event....She is one of those rare authors who pay serious attention to the way human beings actually work together and against each other, and she does so with extraordinary plausibility." Locus
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"Butler sets the imagination free, blending the real and the possible." United Press International
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"Like William Gibson, author of Neuromancer, and other "cyberpunk" writers, she uses disciplined extrapolation to explore the dark possibilities of the near future....Butler simply takes existing helter-skelter and turns up the volume a few notches....Since the 1992 riots, premonitions of Butler's low-rise dystopia, with urban decay metastasizing in the heart of suburbia, have become commonplace." from Ecology of Fear, by Mike Davis
Synopsis
"Enthralling...compelling and truly original." - Denver Post Lauren Olamina's love is divided among her young daughter, her community, and the revelation that led Lauren to found a new faith that teaches "God Is Change." But in the wake of environmental and economic chaos, the U.S. government turns a blind eye to violent bigots who consider the mere existence of a black female leader a threat. And soon Lauren must either sacrifice her child and her followers -- or forsake the religion that can transform human destiny.
About the Author
Octavia E. Butler is the author of many novels, including Dawn, Wild Seed, and Parable of the Sower. She is the recipient of a MacArthur Award and a Nebula Award, and she has twice won the Hugo Award. She passed away on February 24, 2006, at the age of 58.