Wild Seed - Octavia Butler

⭐ 8.0/10

(Originally written by KathleenQ)

As a self-proclaimed science fiction fan, I thought I owed it to myself to read a prominent book in the genre written by someone other than a white man. This 1980 classic was written by a black woman, and I feel her identity really gives the story a unique perspective. It's hard to categorize under a single genre, though -- this book is a more a combination of science fiction, horror, historical fiction and fantasy.

The story centers on two main characters who were born with special abilities: Anyanwu is a 300-year-old African woman with such perfect control over her body she can constantly heal and rejuvenate. She can even transform her shape any way she chooses,to look like any kind of human or animal. Doro is a 4000-year-old being whose essence/soul/consciousness wears the bodies of other people, moving from one body to another. Through the centuries he has become obsessed with finding other people with special abilities and gathering them together to breed, trying to create a superhuman race. He finds Anyanwu and takes her to one of his colonies in America, and their intertwined fates span centuries.

So, did I enjoy this book? Mmmm, not particularly. It's fascinating and original and beautifully written, but it's very bleak. There is lots of lust and sex and death. The ending is rather bleak as well.

But am I glad I read it? Yes. And now that I'm aware that this book is the first (chronologically) in a series, I'm interested in the rest.