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Patternmaster #1-4
Seed to Harvest
In her classic Patternist series, multiple Hugo and Nebula award winner Octavia E. Butler established themes of identity and transformation that echo throughout her distinguished career. Now collected for the first time in one volume, these four novels take readers on a wondrous odyssey from a mythic, primordial past to a fantastic far future.
In ancient Africa, a female demigod of nurture and fertility mates with a powerful, destructive male entity. Together they birth a race of madmen, visionaries, and psychics who cling to civilization's margins and back alleys for millennia, coming together in a telepathic Pattern just as Earth is consumed by a cosmic invasion. Now these new beings -- no longer merely human -- will battle to rule the transfigured world.
Contents (including original publication dates):
Wild Seed (1980)
Mind of My Mind (1977)
Clay's Ark (1984)
Patternmaster (1976)
[Not included: Survivor (1978)]
In ancient Africa, a female demigod of nurture and fertility mates with a powerful, destructive male entity. Together they birth a race of madmen, visionaries, and psychics who cling to civilization's margins and back alleys for millennia, coming together in a telepathic Pattern just as Earth is consumed by a cosmic invasion. Now these new beings -- no longer merely human -- will battle to rule the transfigured world.
Contents (including original publication dates):
Wild Seed (1980)
Mind of My Mind (1977)
Clay's Ark (1984)
Patternmaster (1976)
[Not included: Survivor (1978)]
767 pages, Paperback
First published January 5, 2007
About the author
Octavia E. Butler
93 books18.4k followersOctavia 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 sufficiently successful as an author that she was able to pursue writing full-time. Her books and short stories drew the favorable attention of the public and awards judges. She also taught writer's workshops, and eventually relocated to Washington state. Butler died of a stroke at the age of 58. Her papers are held in the research collection of the Huntington Library.
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 sufficiently successful as an author that she was able to pursue writing full-time. Her books and short stories drew the favorable attention of the public and awards judges. She also taught writer's workshops, and eventually relocated to Washington state. Butler died of a stroke at the age of 58. Her papers are held in the research collection of the Huntington Library.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 489 reviews
March 7, 2012
A great artist can write subtle and original variations out of the slimmest themes. Butler wrote "Patternmaster" first and this almost modest book contained the Seeds that were Harvested so movingly by Butler in the books to follow. These books explain how the societies that inhabit the Earth of "Patternmaster" came to be. This is a wild journey and I believe the work as a whole ranks up there with (or is better than) the standards of science fiction, from Foundation to Dune.
Wild Seed has a mythical vibe to it. We start out in Africa during the early slave trafficking to America with a wise woman called Anyanwu. She has lived a long time and will live a long time to come. Her ancestor's villages have been destroyed and she is bereft of her kin - until a stranger comes to town...
They say there are only so many plots in literature, but as in anything "'Tain't whatcha say, hit's the way 'atcha say it." The main plots in this one are "A stranger comes to town", "Boy meets girl", "Girl leaves boy" and so on. The main plot however is what horrible thing happen when we misunderstand our own selves, even if we are like gods.
This is subtle science fiction at the start while Butler gets you used to her way of telling a story and her characters. Later on, we get the full science fiction, but there is always a "rational" explanation (I guess that is why it is "science" fiction). In any case, this is SF the way I most prefer it - wrapped into the story rather than sticking out like an interplanetary rocket.
Doro and Anyanwu are wonderfully drawn characters and their bond through the years forms the basis for this incredibly enriching novel. I can't wait to read the next three!
Mind of My Mind takes place in modern day Los Angeles. No date is given but it is pretty obvious since there are no anachronisms or things displaying futuritis. Doro and Anyanmu still preside over their broods which have taken over whole neighborhoods. The breeding program of Dora's has accelerated the quality of telepaths and how to guide them through their "transitions" to their full powers.
The main event of the novel is a depiction of what happens when you can think of killing your Gods or Masters. Butler elides the difference between the two and depicts slavery as both being submissive to either one thought of as a god or one who has ultimate power over you without godlike powers. In both cases you are powerless. Butler also plays around a bit with what is "free will" in a society of telepaths and mind-controllers. Mutes (non-telepaths) are treated as blacks were in the slavery days by the telepaths - and what is scary is how it came naturally.
Clay's Ark is the odd man out after reading the first two books. It is set in the near future after WWIII and a Mad Max-lite (Grumpy Max then? Disgruntled Max? Hey-Look-I've-Got-a-Hangnail Max?) dystopia is upon the world. It's not full blown anarchy in that there are "enclaves" of normalcy where people can pretend that the world ain't going to shit. Kinda like Orange County without the cougars.
But then a stranger comes to town. Or several billion microbe strangers that symbiotically change their host if they don't kill them first. I won't get into the details, but Butler writes a great twist on the whole Aliens-Andromeda Strain-The Stand-Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? genre. As in the previous two books there is a undercurrent of slavery where the slave accepts being the slave, which makes slavery even more pernicious. And also of what is family - there are three quite different concepts of family in the book, the "normal" nuclear family, the tribal outlaw clan family, and the "hive" family.
The novel ends with a cliffhanger that is an obvious To Be Continued wherein one hopes that the mutants in the first two books of the series come back to destroy the Alien Horde! (I can't believe I wrote that last line...)
Patternmaster was the first book of the series to be written (and perhaps Butler's first published novel?). It's scope is small when compared to the amazing trio of novels that lead to this one. Set several hundred years in the future, the telepathic tribal Patternists enslave regular humans (mutes) while they protect their tribes from the Clayarks, the alien/human mutants who came to Earth in the third book. The book is about the struggle of a young Patternist to establish his independence and strength while negotiating the cruel Darwinian environment the Patternists have set up.
Occasionally while reading a book I get splendid moments of serendipity. While the hero of the book, Teray, first experiences the full strength of the Pattern, he describes it in an astronomical and poetic way as a galaxy of bright points connected in a scintillating, pulsing web. Butler really shone in writing this. But while I was reading it, I was also listening to Vivaldi's motet "Clarae Stellae, Scintillate", or "Bright Stars, Scintillate". I got a nice frisson out of that!
Wild Seed has a mythical vibe to it. We start out in Africa during the early slave trafficking to America with a wise woman called Anyanwu. She has lived a long time and will live a long time to come. Her ancestor's villages have been destroyed and she is bereft of her kin - until a stranger comes to town...
They say there are only so many plots in literature, but as in anything "'Tain't whatcha say, hit's the way 'atcha say it." The main plots in this one are "A stranger comes to town", "Boy meets girl", "Girl leaves boy" and so on. The main plot however is what horrible thing happen when we misunderstand our own selves, even if we are like gods.
This is subtle science fiction at the start while Butler gets you used to her way of telling a story and her characters. Later on, we get the full science fiction, but there is always a "rational" explanation (I guess that is why it is "science" fiction). In any case, this is SF the way I most prefer it - wrapped into the story rather than sticking out like an interplanetary rocket.
Doro and Anyanwu are wonderfully drawn characters and their bond through the years forms the basis for this incredibly enriching novel. I can't wait to read the next three!
Mind of My Mind takes place in modern day Los Angeles. No date is given but it is pretty obvious since there are no anachronisms or things displaying futuritis. Doro and Anyanmu still preside over their broods which have taken over whole neighborhoods. The breeding program of Dora's has accelerated the quality of telepaths and how to guide them through their "transitions" to their full powers.
The main event of the novel is a depiction of what happens when you can think of killing your Gods or Masters. Butler elides the difference between the two and depicts slavery as both being submissive to either one thought of as a god or one who has ultimate power over you without godlike powers. In both cases you are powerless. Butler also plays around a bit with what is "free will" in a society of telepaths and mind-controllers. Mutes (non-telepaths) are treated as blacks were in the slavery days by the telepaths - and what is scary is how it came naturally.
Clay's Ark is the odd man out after reading the first two books. It is set in the near future after WWIII and a Mad Max-lite (Grumpy Max then? Disgruntled Max? Hey-Look-I've-Got-a-Hangnail Max?) dystopia is upon the world. It's not full blown anarchy in that there are "enclaves" of normalcy where people can pretend that the world ain't going to shit. Kinda like Orange County without the cougars.
But then a stranger comes to town. Or several billion microbe strangers that symbiotically change their host if they don't kill them first. I won't get into the details, but Butler writes a great twist on the whole Aliens-Andromeda Strain-The Stand-Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? genre. As in the previous two books there is a undercurrent of slavery where the slave accepts being the slave, which makes slavery even more pernicious. And also of what is family - there are three quite different concepts of family in the book, the "normal" nuclear family, the tribal outlaw clan family, and the "hive" family.
The novel ends with a cliffhanger that is an obvious To Be Continued wherein one hopes that the mutants in the first two books of the series come back to destroy the Alien Horde! (I can't believe I wrote that last line...)
Patternmaster was the first book of the series to be written (and perhaps Butler's first published novel?). It's scope is small when compared to the amazing trio of novels that lead to this one. Set several hundred years in the future, the telepathic tribal Patternists enslave regular humans (mutes) while they protect their tribes from the Clayarks, the alien/human mutants who came to Earth in the third book. The book is about the struggle of a young Patternist to establish his independence and strength while negotiating the cruel Darwinian environment the Patternists have set up.
Occasionally while reading a book I get splendid moments of serendipity. While the hero of the book, Teray, first experiences the full strength of the Pattern, he describes it in an astronomical and poetic way as a galaxy of bright points connected in a scintillating, pulsing web. Butler really shone in writing this. But while I was reading it, I was also listening to Vivaldi's motet "Clarae Stellae, Scintillate", or "Bright Stars, Scintillate". I got a nice frisson out of that!
September 8, 2012
I just reread this compilation of 4 of the novels of her Patternist series, as well as the other one, Lilith's Brood, which is a compilation of her 3 novels of the Xenogenesis series. She's one of my favorite writers ever. I had to go just now and bump her up on my list. The themes she gets at are so important.
With the whole relationship between Doro and Anyanwu, I sort of saw my mother and father's connection to each other again. Doro just operates by force to get his needs met and make what he wants happen. Anyanwu builds families, communities around her that are based on give and take, on her caring for her people. Doro loves his people, too, but he can't seem to see their needs as mattering compared to his needs or wants. He has the power to enforce his wishes, and he just does that. Anwanyu tries and tries to explain to him what he's doing wrong, but he can't hear her. Only after centuries when she is about to self-destruct, to leave him in the only way she can, does he realize she really matters enough to him for him to change a small amount, for him to make a few concessions. Butler seems to understand deeply the interaction of power and coercion with love and need in people's connections.
It brings to mind for me the civil rights movement, when one activist said they thought they would be able to shame white people into doing what's right, then later he realized they had to win their rights. It was a contest and white people weren't going to willingly give up their advantages. It makes me hear again my mother saying to my dad, "you can bully people into doing a lot of things, but you can't bully people into loving you."
Butler sees humanity very clearly with all their fear, their irrational anger and hate, and their unwillingness to accept new ideas. But she sees them in a loving way, too. She loves her characters, I think, even the ones like Doro who persist in doing evil stuff. And what I like about her most is how she can take a story that has an ending nobody would call happy, and somehow make a new way of life out of it. Her characters survive. They adapt. They accept a new normal, even if it's a form of slavery or some other lack of freedom and self determination. They change almost beyond recognition if they have to, and they manage to live and find good in living. She's an amazing writer.
With the whole relationship between Doro and Anyanwu, I sort of saw my mother and father's connection to each other again. Doro just operates by force to get his needs met and make what he wants happen. Anyanwu builds families, communities around her that are based on give and take, on her caring for her people. Doro loves his people, too, but he can't seem to see their needs as mattering compared to his needs or wants. He has the power to enforce his wishes, and he just does that. Anwanyu tries and tries to explain to him what he's doing wrong, but he can't hear her. Only after centuries when she is about to self-destruct, to leave him in the only way she can, does he realize she really matters enough to him for him to change a small amount, for him to make a few concessions. Butler seems to understand deeply the interaction of power and coercion with love and need in people's connections.
It brings to mind for me the civil rights movement, when one activist said they thought they would be able to shame white people into doing what's right, then later he realized they had to win their rights. It was a contest and white people weren't going to willingly give up their advantages. It makes me hear again my mother saying to my dad, "you can bully people into doing a lot of things, but you can't bully people into loving you."
Butler sees humanity very clearly with all their fear, their irrational anger and hate, and their unwillingness to accept new ideas. But she sees them in a loving way, too. She loves her characters, I think, even the ones like Doro who persist in doing evil stuff. And what I like about her most is how she can take a story that has an ending nobody would call happy, and somehow make a new way of life out of it. Her characters survive. They adapt. They accept a new normal, even if it's a form of slavery or some other lack of freedom and self determination. They change almost beyond recognition if they have to, and they manage to live and find good in living. She's an amazing writer.
September 19, 2012
Overall impression
:
I think my biggest gripe with this series is the cohesion. Even though all four are arranged in chronological order, the actual publication order is: Patternmaster (1976), Mind Of My Mind (1977), Wild Seed (1980), Clay's Ark (1984) and this discrepancy shows. It shows in the writing, ideas and concepts. Wild Seed (Book 1) and Mind of My Mind (Book 2) are the most connected because of Doro and Anyanwu. Clay's Ark (Book 3) just seems like an afterthought and more to give context as to who/what Clayarks are in preparation for Patternmaster (Book 4) which is a good book in its own right but Butler's writing here is really green which isn't necessarily a bad thing. If I had read Patternmaster independently I may have given it 4 stars but having had the other three to compare it to, it felt more like a 3/3.5.
Overall though, I really enjoyed this series and I'm happy I started with it, albeit inadvertently with Wild Seed back in November 2011, so I can now follow the progression of Butler's career. I can't wait to read her other works *rubs hands in glee*
Wild Seed - 4 stars
Read from November 07 to 16, 2011
I honestly didn't expect to like this book much but surprisingly I did. Once I got over the shape-shifting, gender changes, breeding/constant reproduction, et. al., I discovered it to be a much more complex book that dealt with familiar themes of race, gender, loneliness, healing, nurturing, power, manipulation, immortality...you get the drift. It was also fascinating to follow the journey Anywanwu & Doro had to travel to get to the point they did. This was my first Octavia Butler novel and I'm definitely glad I took the plunge.
Mind of My Mind - 4 stars
Read from December 13 to 15, 2011
This was a continuation of Wild Seed and it takes place a few centuries or so after Doro and Anyanwu have reached a happy co-existence after the power struggle that took place at the end of Wild Seed. Doro is still obsessed with creating his dominant race while Anyanwu is more concerned with creating happy and peaceful communities that are within her purview. In the midst of all of this breeding, a Doro-like clone called Mary comes of age and becomes very powerful - so powerful that Doro starts to consider her a threat. She becomes the epitome of all Doro has been striving to create ever since he started this project. Ordinarily, Doro should be ecstatic. His plan has finally come together no? But there's a huge problem because Mary is as power-hungry as he is and has to constantly add people to the Pattern. So who will win in the end? I guess you'll have to read and find out.
Clay's Ark - 2 stars
Read from August 19 to 24, 2012
This was a strange one. It was clearly taking place in an alternate universe and felt very disconnected from the previous two. The shift in the storyline was a bit odd for me. I found myself not caring about the characters and I read it with a sort of detachment.
Patternmaster - 3 stars
Read from September 11 to 13, 2012
This is the fourth book in the Patternist/Patternmaster series and while short it is still somewhat enjoyable.
This centers around the power play between Teray and Coransee. Both are descendants of the Patternmaster (Rayal) and while Coransee is plotting to take it over, Teray is mainly concerned with surviving and living a life that is free of bondage.
It was easy to side with Teray because Coransee was such an SOB. This is not to say Teray didn't have any arrogance flowing through his veins but he was just more likeable. I attribute this to the fact that he was focused on survival and not being Coransee's slave as opposed to challenging for the Pattern.
Amber turned out to be a surprise. . I also liked the way she was portrayed.
All in all, I'm pretty satisfied with the way the book ends the series.
I think my biggest gripe with this series is the cohesion. Even though all four are arranged in chronological order, the actual publication order is: Patternmaster (1976), Mind Of My Mind (1977), Wild Seed (1980), Clay's Ark (1984) and this discrepancy shows. It shows in the writing, ideas and concepts. Wild Seed (Book 1) and Mind of My Mind (Book 2) are the most connected because of Doro and Anyanwu. Clay's Ark (Book 3) just seems like an afterthought and more to give context as to who/what Clayarks are in preparation for Patternmaster (Book 4) which is a good book in its own right but Butler's writing here is really green which isn't necessarily a bad thing. If I had read Patternmaster independently I may have given it 4 stars but having had the other three to compare it to, it felt more like a 3/3.5.
Overall though, I really enjoyed this series and I'm happy I started with it, albeit inadvertently with Wild Seed back in November 2011, so I can now follow the progression of Butler's career. I can't wait to read her other works *rubs hands in glee*
Wild Seed - 4 stars
Read from November 07 to 16, 2011
I honestly didn't expect to like this book much but surprisingly I did. Once I got over the shape-shifting, gender changes, breeding/constant reproduction, et. al., I discovered it to be a much more complex book that dealt with familiar themes of race, gender, loneliness, healing, nurturing, power, manipulation, immortality...you get the drift. It was also fascinating to follow the journey Anywanwu & Doro had to travel to get to the point they did. This was my first Octavia Butler novel and I'm definitely glad I took the plunge.
Mind of My Mind - 4 stars
Read from December 13 to 15, 2011
This was a continuation of Wild Seed and it takes place a few centuries or so after Doro and Anyanwu have reached a happy co-existence after the power struggle that took place at the end of Wild Seed. Doro is still obsessed with creating his dominant race while Anyanwu is more concerned with creating happy and peaceful communities that are within her purview. In the midst of all of this breeding, a Doro-like clone called Mary comes of age and becomes very powerful - so powerful that Doro starts to consider her a threat. She becomes the epitome of all Doro has been striving to create ever since he started this project. Ordinarily, Doro should be ecstatic. His plan has finally come together no? But there's a huge problem because Mary is as power-hungry as he is and has to constantly add people to the Pattern. So who will win in the end? I guess you'll have to read and find out.
Clay's Ark - 2 stars
Read from August 19 to 24, 2012
This was a strange one. It was clearly taking place in an alternate universe and felt very disconnected from the previous two. The shift in the storyline was a bit odd for me. I found myself not caring about the characters and I read it with a sort of detachment.
Patternmaster - 3 stars
Read from September 11 to 13, 2012
This is the fourth book in the Patternist/Patternmaster series and while short it is still somewhat enjoyable.
This centers around the power play between Teray and Coransee. Both are descendants of the Patternmaster (Rayal) and while Coransee is plotting to take it over, Teray is mainly concerned with surviving and living a life that is free of bondage.
It was easy to side with Teray because Coransee was such an SOB. This is not to say Teray didn't have any arrogance flowing through his veins but he was just more likeable. I attribute this to the fact that he was focused on survival and not being Coransee's slave as opposed to challenging for the Pattern.
Amber turned out to be a surprise. . I also liked the way she was portrayed.
All in all, I'm pretty satisfied with the way the book ends the series.
October 4, 2019
This is the omnibus edition of Octavia Butler's amazing Patternist series about telepaths, an extraterrestrial disease and mutants. Wildly imaginative, fast-paced, and - best of all - compassionate and humane. My review of each volume:
1. Wild Seed
2. Mind of My Mind
3. Clay's Ark
4. Patternmaster
1. Wild Seed
2. Mind of My Mind
3. Clay's Ark
4. Patternmaster
September 9, 2019
This is the omnibus edition of Octavia Butler's wondrous Patternist series (AKA “Patternmaster series”), about telepaths and mutants, set in the past, present and future. If you have any interest in great, beautifully written sci-fi you should not miss this. I have reviewed each volume individually:
• Wild Seed
• Mind of My Mind
• Clay's Ark
• Patternmaster
• Wild Seed
• Mind of My Mind
• Clay's Ark
• Patternmaster
July 30, 2019
Wild Seed - 4 stars
Mind of My Mind- 4 stars
Clay's Ark - 3 Stars
Patternmaster- 4 stars
The last book in the Seed to Harvest series is a whopper of a book. It takes places hundreds of years after Clay's Ark where the world is split into two dominant factions and one minor: Patternist, Clayarks, and mutes (people not connected with the pattern and are not infected with the ClayArks disease). The war between the Patternist and the Clayarks has infected the leader of the Pattern, Rayal and the story is the struggle for power between two of his sons, Teray and Coransee. At first, I wasn't sure what I was getting into when it came to this installment, because of the way I felt after reading Clay's Ark but when looking back over the entire story arc of all the books and the progression of the story, it's brilliant! There was a moment when I wasn't sure of the connection to the previous books, but she throws us a bone about halfway through the book to give us a quick backstory to show us the connection and how this world came to be. And I just couldn't read this book and love it more as an ending to a great series. Seed to Harvest as a whole gets ⭐⭐⭐⭐ from me. Octavia E. Butler is a genius and I love her works. It's sad that we won't get any more from her.
Mind of My Mind- 4 stars
Clay's Ark - 3 Stars
Patternmaster- 4 stars
The last book in the Seed to Harvest series is a whopper of a book. It takes places hundreds of years after Clay's Ark where the world is split into two dominant factions and one minor: Patternist, Clayarks, and mutes (people not connected with the pattern and are not infected with the ClayArks disease). The war between the Patternist and the Clayarks has infected the leader of the Pattern, Rayal and the story is the struggle for power between two of his sons, Teray and Coransee. At first, I wasn't sure what I was getting into when it came to this installment, because of the way I felt after reading Clay's Ark but when looking back over the entire story arc of all the books and the progression of the story, it's brilliant! There was a moment when I wasn't sure of the connection to the previous books, but she throws us a bone about halfway through the book to give us a quick backstory to show us the connection and how this world came to be. And I just couldn't read this book and love it more as an ending to a great series. Seed to Harvest as a whole gets ⭐⭐⭐⭐ from me. Octavia E. Butler is a genius and I love her works. It's sad that we won't get any more from her.
March 3, 2022
3.4⭐
This is the umbrella title for the four major novels in Octavia Butler's 'Patternist' series. As such my rating is, by necessity, blended.
Wild Seed 4⭐
Mind of My Mind 3⭐
Clay's Ark 2.5⭐
Patternmaster 3.5⭐
These are grim, violent, unpleasant stories. One reviewer used the term "difficult" which I think works nicely. They are also thought provoking, compelling and very well written. It took me longer than it should have to get to Butler's work. I'm going to make up for that but I'll also pace myself; reading these four novels at once was a tad depressing, as if the news from the real world wasn't depressing enough. And on that note, Butler's themes speak directly to what's happening in Europe: enslavement vs. liberation/freedom; domination vs. resistance; colonization vs. individual and cultural survival, among others. The author offers a pessimistic view of humanity's fate, running from pre-history to a distant future where ordinary people are either the chattels or prey of evolved or mutated species. No happy endings here.
Her books are an indictment of the tyranny of hierarchies and are allegories for our own society.
Definitely not for everyone but if you're bloody minded enough to slog through them, there's a lot to think about. -30-
This is the umbrella title for the four major novels in Octavia Butler's 'Patternist' series. As such my rating is, by necessity, blended.
Wild Seed 4⭐
Mind of My Mind 3⭐
Clay's Ark 2.5⭐
Patternmaster 3.5⭐
These are grim, violent, unpleasant stories. One reviewer used the term "difficult" which I think works nicely. They are also thought provoking, compelling and very well written. It took me longer than it should have to get to Butler's work. I'm going to make up for that but I'll also pace myself; reading these four novels at once was a tad depressing, as if the news from the real world wasn't depressing enough. And on that note, Butler's themes speak directly to what's happening in Europe: enslavement vs. liberation/freedom; domination vs. resistance; colonization vs. individual and cultural survival, among others. The author offers a pessimistic view of humanity's fate, running from pre-history to a distant future where ordinary people are either the chattels or prey of evolved or mutated species. No happy endings here.
Her books are an indictment of the tyranny of hierarchies and are allegories for our own society.
Definitely not for everyone but if you're bloody minded enough to slog through them, there's a lot to think about. -30-
June 29, 2023
Örüntücüler Dörtlemesi'ni oluşturan 4 kitabın tek ciltte toplandığı Tohumdan Hasada; fantastik, bilimkurgu ve distopya türlerinin özgün bir kurgu çerçevesinde harmanlandığı yapısı, yazarın su gibi akan büyüleyici anlatımı, ırkçılığa, kadının toplumdaki rolüne, insanlığın güç arayışına, şiddet eğilimine, keşfetme ihtiyacına göndermeleri ile çok beğendiğim ve iz bırakan kitaplar arasında yerini aldı. Büyüleyici yeteneklere sahip insanlar, farklı toplumsal yapılardan oluşan medeniyetler, insanlığı tehdit eden organizmalar, güçle belirlenen hiyerarşik yapılanmalar gibi unsurlar; 4 kitabı birbirine bağlayan etkileyici bağlantılar ve yaratıcı fikirler ile birlikte sunuluyor.
Yabani Tohum; 3750 yaşında olan ve dokunduğu insanların bedenlerini ele geçirme yeteneğine sahip Doro ile başlıyor. Doro, özel yeteneklere sahip insanları hissedip, onların yaşadığı yerleşim yerleri oluşturmakta ve soylarının devamını sağlamaktadır. Bir gün biçim değiştirme, vücudunun içsel mekanizmasını güçlendirebilme ve bu sayede şifa verebilme yeteneğine sahip olan Anyanwu ile tanışır. 300 yıldır hayatta olan Anyanwu ile tanışıklığı ve birbirlerine yönelik çatışmalı duyguları, insan yaşamına dair bakış açısını değiştirecektir.
Zihnmin Zihni, Doro'nun çocuklarından Mary'nin gelişen telepatik yeteneklerinin etkisi ile çevresinde inşa ettiği topluluğu ve gelişimlerini işliyor.
Clay's Ark; Proxima Centauri'den gelen ve insan bedenini istila eden yabancı bir organizmanın davranış ve bedeni değiştirerek yayılmasını ve giderek büyüyen salgını konu alıyor.
Örüntübaşı; telepatik güçlere sahip bireylerin kurduğu zihinsel bir ağ olan örüntüyü ve kurulan toplumsal yapıyı işliyor. Dünya artık örüntücüler, onların hakimiyetindeki dilsiz adı verilen telepatik olmayan insanlar ve salgın dolayısı ile değişmiş insanlar olan Clayarklar'dan oluşuyor.
Etkileyici kurgusu, özgün fikirleri, sisteme dair göndermeleri ve zihinde görselleştirmeyi sağlayan yalın ve duru anlatımı ile bu kitabı yazarın zekasına hayran kalarak okudum. Kesinlikle önerimdir.
Yabani Tohum; 3750 yaşında olan ve dokunduğu insanların bedenlerini ele geçirme yeteneğine sahip Doro ile başlıyor. Doro, özel yeteneklere sahip insanları hissedip, onların yaşadığı yerleşim yerleri oluşturmakta ve soylarının devamını sağlamaktadır. Bir gün biçim değiştirme, vücudunun içsel mekanizmasını güçlendirebilme ve bu sayede şifa verebilme yeteneğine sahip olan Anyanwu ile tanışır. 300 yıldır hayatta olan Anyanwu ile tanışıklığı ve birbirlerine yönelik çatışmalı duyguları, insan yaşamına dair bakış açısını değiştirecektir.
Zihnmin Zihni, Doro'nun çocuklarından Mary'nin gelişen telepatik yeteneklerinin etkisi ile çevresinde inşa ettiği topluluğu ve gelişimlerini işliyor.
Clay's Ark; Proxima Centauri'den gelen ve insan bedenini istila eden yabancı bir organizmanın davranış ve bedeni değiştirerek yayılmasını ve giderek büyüyen salgını konu alıyor.
Örüntübaşı; telepatik güçlere sahip bireylerin kurduğu zihinsel bir ağ olan örüntüyü ve kurulan toplumsal yapıyı işliyor. Dünya artık örüntücüler, onların hakimiyetindeki dilsiz adı verilen telepatik olmayan insanlar ve salgın dolayısı ile değişmiş insanlar olan Clayarklar'dan oluşuyor.
Etkileyici kurgusu, özgün fikirleri, sisteme dair göndermeleri ve zihinde görselleştirmeyi sağlayan yalın ve duru anlatımı ile bu kitabı yazarın zekasına hayran kalarak okudum. Kesinlikle önerimdir.
August 30, 2021
2021-06: Wild Seed: 4 stars.
Anyanwu is a being who can shape her body at will, and can also analyse various chemical compounds in toxins or foods. She uses this knowledge to make medicines for her large family in her village, somewhere in Africa. She’s also long lived, and has watched successive generations of her descendants, and is happy.
One day, another shapeshifter arrives, Doro, but he's a very different person, being harsh domineering, which carries through in his method of shapeshifting, which is violent, and involves taking over the body of the other person. He’s been doing this for centuries, since the time of the pharaohs.
Doro sees Anyanwu’s abilities as unusual and marvellous, and blackmails her into travelling with him to a town he founded in America. Doro has been conducting experiments, trying to create and perfect certain extraordinary abilities within his controlled population, and sees Anyanwu’s body and abilities as a “wild seed” that could take his experiments to new places.
What follows is a many years long argument between the two, with many new people created, some failures, and some potential successes.
Anyanwu is fascinating. She incredibly powerful, but compassionate, and does not approve of how Doro casually disposes of people. She’s kind and strong-willed, and though acquiescing to many of Doro’s demands, chooses how to comply and never lets him destroy her caring for others or for herself.
All the body shifting and jumping doesn’t have technological explanations, but that’s not why I read Octavia Butler. Her stories are filled with grand, far-reaching ideas, but these are grounded in things like caring for others and reaching out with generosity, even while terrible things happen to her characters. It’s a wonderful balance of the personal and the epic. No wonder her works are so good.
Anyanwu is a being who can shape her body at will, and can also analyse various chemical compounds in toxins or foods. She uses this knowledge to make medicines for her large family in her village, somewhere in Africa. She’s also long lived, and has watched successive generations of her descendants, and is happy.
One day, another shapeshifter arrives, Doro, but he's a very different person, being harsh domineering, which carries through in his method of shapeshifting, which is violent, and involves taking over the body of the other person. He’s been doing this for centuries, since the time of the pharaohs.
Doro sees Anyanwu’s abilities as unusual and marvellous, and blackmails her into travelling with him to a town he founded in America. Doro has been conducting experiments, trying to create and perfect certain extraordinary abilities within his controlled population, and sees Anyanwu’s body and abilities as a “wild seed” that could take his experiments to new places.
What follows is a many years long argument between the two, with many new people created, some failures, and some potential successes.
Anyanwu is fascinating. She incredibly powerful, but compassionate, and does not approve of how Doro casually disposes of people. She’s kind and strong-willed, and though acquiescing to many of Doro’s demands, chooses how to comply and never lets him destroy her caring for others or for herself.
All the body shifting and jumping doesn’t have technological explanations, but that’s not why I read Octavia Butler. Her stories are filled with grand, far-reaching ideas, but these are grounded in things like caring for others and reaching out with generosity, even while terrible things happen to her characters. It’s a wonderful balance of the personal and the epic. No wonder her works are so good.
July 6, 2015
I liked these. It was recommended to me to read them in the order they were written, and didn't do that and regretted it. After reading them I would have preferred to have read them as she wrote them: Pattern-master, Mind of my Mind, Wild Seed, Clay's Ark. Wild Seed definitely superior to the others stories. There is an eerie creepiness to the stories that I like. I found the series disturbing and brutal.
Themes of identity and transformation propel the stories from run of the mill science fiction into great literature. There is something about human experience here that haunts me, these books were the type of literature that my mind will continue to ponder for years. PS: I prefer the older book covers who clearly show black characters on the cover. The faded out softness of this cover really irritated me.
Themes of identity and transformation propel the stories from run of the mill science fiction into great literature. There is something about human experience here that haunts me, these books were the type of literature that my mind will continue to ponder for years. PS: I prefer the older book covers who clearly show black characters on the cover. The faded out softness of this cover really irritated me.
February 19, 2021
Wild Seed and Mind of My Mind were definitely my favourites. I was invested in the characters, interested in the plot, fascinated by the worldbuilding, and was kept in enjoyable suspense.
I also enjoyed Patternmaster, though I would have appreciated more complexity/development in the relationships between the Patternist/Clayark/mute groups. If there had been another book in the series exploring that, I would not have been complaining!
Then, finally, Clay's Ark, easily my least favourite. Claustrophobic, too brutal for my personal tastes, and the pacing felt off throughout.
I think rounding the omnibus up to 4 stars overall is... fair, given my dislike for Clay's Ark. But without Clay's Ark this would easily have been five stars. I already want to re-read Lilith's Brood to see how the two series compare!
I also enjoyed Patternmaster, though I would have appreciated more complexity/development in the relationships between the Patternist/Clayark/mute groups. If there had been another book in the series exploring that, I would not have been complaining!
Then, finally, Clay's Ark, easily my least favourite. Claustrophobic, too brutal for my personal tastes, and the pacing felt off throughout.
I think rounding the omnibus up to 4 stars overall is... fair, given my dislike for Clay's Ark. But without Clay's Ark this would easily have been five stars. I already want to re-read Lilith's Brood to see how the two series compare!
December 23, 2020
Sadly this volume contains the least compelling Butler novel I've ever encountered, with only two of the four books actually feeling essential to the overall story. (And I bet I'm in disagreement with just about everyone on which book I liked least.)
I deliberated on the order of reading, and I even checked various people's opinions on whether I should read it chronologically (Wild Seed, Mind of My Mind, Clay's Ark, Patternmaster) or in order of publication (PM, MoMM, WS, CA). My opinion probably would have been drastically altered had I read it chronologically, but ultimately it made the most sense to me to read it in the order that Butler wrote it. Perhaps my resulting disappointment is more a criticism of the narrative choices Butler made in deciding how to expand her Patternist universe.
Because I began with Patternmaster, a captivating albeit too-brief story of power politics in a highly intriguing sci-fi dystopia, I was excited to learn more about the background of that world as I moved on with the series. Mind of My Mind was a welcome addition in this sense as it gave us the origins of the very first Patternmaster and her struggles against the godlike creator of their "race." Sure it was replete with the standard Butleristic duo of awkwardness (pace and dialogue), but it was engaging and a satisfying extension of her Patternist universe. It also delved more deeply into the enslavement of humanity in Butler's world, a topic she keeps coming back to (Xenogenesis, Fledgling, Bloodchild) and keeps appearing to endorse (an issue I discuss further in my Lilith's Brood review.)
Wild Seed, which many people claim as the best standalone novel of the series, was for me the single most boring Butler novel I've ever read (I've now read them all). Not only did it exist solely to develop a relationship that was utterly tangential to the first two novels, but it did so in a bloated, tedious way that had me skipping large paragraphs of Anyanwo fretting over her impossible situation. There was no climax and very little action, so it certainly is an extraordinary standalone novel in Butler's canon, but only in the sense that it is the only book of hers that isn't compulsively readable.
A far better narrative choice, IMHO, would have been to greatly condense WS, by half or so, and then add it to the sparse MoMM, either in chronological order as a "Part I", or mixed within Mary's narrative in a sort of "Godfather II" flashback style. Doing so probably would have transformed Mind of My Mind into Butler's best overall novel.
Clay's Ark, the "afterthought" of the series, is as inessential as WS though it at least has compelling action to recommend it -- thin characters and bottomless misanthropy notwithstanding. But if you think about it for more than a few seconds it's actually worse than inessential since it actively highlights a narrative absurdity of the entire series, namely: we are witnessing a world that has not only been colonized by a supernatural breeding program but also by an extraterrestrial invasion of microbes. This coincidence is -- to put it gently -- utterly ludicrous, and if the clayark background had been revealed in the very first novel it would have been a dealbreaker.
It really just feels like poor plotting, and there's ultimately no reason that the clayark creatures from Patternmaster couldn't have been replaced by zombified, "infected" hominids -- they would have fulfilled the same purpose without severely undermining the world's credibility. As written, the book feels like a desperate attempt to connect MoMM with PM. A better use of Butler's time would have been to simply work on a sequel to the original Patternmaster; surely that world was rich enough to mine for another engaging narrative.
As I said above, it's quite likely that I would have enjoyed parts of this series more had I read it in (Butler's chosen) chronological order. WS certainly would have been more interesting and CA would have felt more integrated. I suspect I still would have been left wanting more from the PM world, which is where I am now anyway. So it's probably a wash in the end.
As an aside, it's fascinating to see the type of vulgar content Butler was getting away with in the 70s and 80s. I had seen the pearl-clutching over the "statutory rape" from Fledgling, but some of the stuff in this series is just as bad, especially in Seed and Clay's. The latter was somewhat disturbing even to my typically callous sensibilities. I can imagine the outcry if a middle-aged white man had written the same things. Can a young, black female author be lecherous too? 'Cause this would certainly qualify in a vacuum.
Anyway, thus concludes my great Octavia Butler odyssey. . . my Octavyssey. I've now read every one of her novels and her most famous short story collection. They're all (except Wild Seed) absolutely captivating works of a flawed visionary. Because my society values ranking things I will bow to peer pressure and place them in order of enjoyment:
1. Parable of the Sower
2. Bloodchild and Other Stories
3. Fledgling
4. Lilith's Brood (Xenogenesis 1-3)
5. Kindred
6. Seed to Harvest (Patternist 1, 2 and 4)
7. Parable of the Talents
8. Wild Seed (Patternist 3)
Not Bad Reviews
@pointblaek
I deliberated on the order of reading, and I even checked various people's opinions on whether I should read it chronologically (Wild Seed, Mind of My Mind, Clay's Ark, Patternmaster) or in order of publication (PM, MoMM, WS, CA). My opinion probably would have been drastically altered had I read it chronologically, but ultimately it made the most sense to me to read it in the order that Butler wrote it. Perhaps my resulting disappointment is more a criticism of the narrative choices Butler made in deciding how to expand her Patternist universe.
Because I began with Patternmaster, a captivating albeit too-brief story of power politics in a highly intriguing sci-fi dystopia, I was excited to learn more about the background of that world as I moved on with the series. Mind of My Mind was a welcome addition in this sense as it gave us the origins of the very first Patternmaster and her struggles against the godlike creator of their "race." Sure it was replete with the standard Butleristic duo of awkwardness (pace and dialogue), but it was engaging and a satisfying extension of her Patternist universe. It also delved more deeply into the enslavement of humanity in Butler's world, a topic she keeps coming back to (Xenogenesis, Fledgling, Bloodchild) and keeps appearing to endorse (an issue I discuss further in my Lilith's Brood review.)
Wild Seed, which many people claim as the best standalone novel of the series, was for me the single most boring Butler novel I've ever read (I've now read them all). Not only did it exist solely to develop a relationship that was utterly tangential to the first two novels, but it did so in a bloated, tedious way that had me skipping large paragraphs of Anyanwo fretting over her impossible situation. There was no climax and very little action, so it certainly is an extraordinary standalone novel in Butler's canon, but only in the sense that it is the only book of hers that isn't compulsively readable.
A far better narrative choice, IMHO, would have been to greatly condense WS, by half or so, and then add it to the sparse MoMM, either in chronological order as a "Part I", or mixed within Mary's narrative in a sort of "Godfather II" flashback style. Doing so probably would have transformed Mind of My Mind into Butler's best overall novel.
Clay's Ark, the "afterthought" of the series, is as inessential as WS though it at least has compelling action to recommend it -- thin characters and bottomless misanthropy notwithstanding. But if you think about it for more than a few seconds it's actually worse than inessential since it actively highlights a narrative absurdity of the entire series, namely: we are witnessing a world that has not only been colonized by a supernatural breeding program but also by an extraterrestrial invasion of microbes. This coincidence is -- to put it gently -- utterly ludicrous, and if the clayark background had been revealed in the very first novel it would have been a dealbreaker.
It really just feels like poor plotting, and there's ultimately no reason that the clayark creatures from Patternmaster couldn't have been replaced by zombified, "infected" hominids -- they would have fulfilled the same purpose without severely undermining the world's credibility. As written, the book feels like a desperate attempt to connect MoMM with PM. A better use of Butler's time would have been to simply work on a sequel to the original Patternmaster; surely that world was rich enough to mine for another engaging narrative.
As I said above, it's quite likely that I would have enjoyed parts of this series more had I read it in (Butler's chosen) chronological order. WS certainly would have been more interesting and CA would have felt more integrated. I suspect I still would have been left wanting more from the PM world, which is where I am now anyway. So it's probably a wash in the end.
As an aside, it's fascinating to see the type of vulgar content Butler was getting away with in the 70s and 80s. I had seen the pearl-clutching over the "statutory rape" from Fledgling, but some of the stuff in this series is just as bad, especially in Seed and Clay's. The latter was somewhat disturbing even to my typically callous sensibilities. I can imagine the outcry if a middle-aged white man had written the same things. Can a young, black female author be lecherous too? 'Cause this would certainly qualify in a vacuum.
Anyway, thus concludes my great Octavia Butler odyssey. . . my Octavyssey. I've now read every one of her novels and her most famous short story collection. They're all (except Wild Seed) absolutely captivating works of a flawed visionary. Because my society values ranking things I will bow to peer pressure and place them in order of enjoyment:
1. Parable of the Sower
2. Bloodchild and Other Stories
3. Fledgling
4. Lilith's Brood (Xenogenesis 1-3)
5. Kindred
6. Seed to Harvest (Patternist 1, 2 and 4)
7. Parable of the Talents
8. Wild Seed (Patternist 3)
Not Bad Reviews
@pointblaek
June 8, 2024
Nihayet bitti! Octavia E Butler hala en sevdiğim Bilim Kurgu yazarı , bu kitaba da kesinlikle kötü diyemem ama benim için Lilith’in Dölü ya da Yakın gibi olmadı . Sanırım bunun başlıca sebepleri bu dörtlemedeki karakterlerle çok da empati kuramamam , akla daha uzak olması , uzunluğu ve tatmin edici bir sonu olmaması .Yorumlara baktığımda Clay’s Ark en sevilmeyen bölüm olmuş gibi, benimse favorim oldu; hatta onlara örüntücülerden daha çok sempati duydum. Özetle bu kitabı herkese tavsiye edemiyorum ; türü sevenlerin ilgiyle okuyacağını düşünüyorum,
August 9, 2018
I made the mistake of reading the Patternist books for the first time in this "Seed to Harvest" collection where the books (with the exception of "Survivor") were collected in chronological order rather than publication order, which has coloured my experience more negatively. I reiterate what others have said: "Patternmaster" was the first book she wrote of the series, and it shows. I wish I had read it in publication order, beginning with "Patternmaster" and then moving on to the others. Reading "Patternmaster" last is a weak, and extremely anticlimactic, way to end the Patternist series. In this order, it seems that the three prequels built up to almost nothing and that just when everything the series seemed to be developing should have reached its peak, it fell short. I turned the last page and thought, "That's it? That's literally it? That's how everything wraps up?" Definitely a HUGE disappointment for me.
That being said, my low rating on this is not for Octavia Butler's writing but for how this specific collection was organized, for the reasons stated above. The individual books, I would rate from 4-5 stars. I really appreciated the way she incorporated conversations and observations on race, gender, sexuality, freedom VS slavery, etcetera and how her language was simple but drew me in. In my opinion, if you were to read this in publication order rather than chronological order, the entire series would be so much more enthralling because then the background and history leading up to the present would be slowly revealed, and THOSE are where the magic lies in this series.
"Wild Seed" without a doubt was my favourite and the best in the series, and I almost even think that it would be better as a stand-alone novel, or maybe with just "Mind of My Mind" as a companion book (and the latter only because of the powerful ending; the rest of the book felt flat). "Clay's Ark" was a brutal, amazing read that I would say was my second favourite of the series, but it had no relation at all to the aforementioned two books. Its relevance to "Patternmaster" was only to set up an insignificant enemy as a secondary obstacle to the characters and to create a dichotomy with the Patternists that COULD have been intriguing had it been explored in more depth. On its own, "Clay's Ark" shines, and it would also work in the publication order since the complex humanity of the Clayarks would be revealed only after seeing them in "Patternmaster" as monsters. Part of what I love about Octavia Butler's work is the moral greyness surrounding her characters, how no one is entirely good or bad or clear-cut. Reading "Clay's Ark" and THEN "Patternmaster" felt like a total regression where the Clayarks lost all complexity and became blank-faced enemies. Octavia Butler did occasionally try to touch on deeper subjects by having Teray muse about killing the Clayarks, but that was only a couple pages here and there, and I feel like it would have been more powerful and thought-provoking had she delved deeper into those themes... but, that's just my personal opinion and desire for something I felt was lacking. Perhaps another person would find it to be enough.
Ultimately, I felt that this collection failed to bring together the Patternist series in a way that's fulfilling to the reader.
That being said, my low rating on this is not for Octavia Butler's writing but for how this specific collection was organized, for the reasons stated above. The individual books, I would rate from 4-5 stars. I really appreciated the way she incorporated conversations and observations on race, gender, sexuality, freedom VS slavery, etcetera and how her language was simple but drew me in. In my opinion, if you were to read this in publication order rather than chronological order, the entire series would be so much more enthralling because then the background and history leading up to the present would be slowly revealed, and THOSE are where the magic lies in this series.
"Wild Seed" without a doubt was my favourite and the best in the series, and I almost even think that it would be better as a stand-alone novel, or maybe with just "Mind of My Mind" as a companion book (and the latter only because of the powerful ending; the rest of the book felt flat). "Clay's Ark" was a brutal, amazing read that I would say was my second favourite of the series, but it had no relation at all to the aforementioned two books. Its relevance to "Patternmaster" was only to set up an insignificant enemy as a secondary obstacle to the characters and to create a dichotomy with the Patternists that COULD have been intriguing had it been explored in more depth. On its own, "Clay's Ark" shines, and it would also work in the publication order since the complex humanity of the Clayarks would be revealed only after seeing them in "Patternmaster" as monsters. Part of what I love about Octavia Butler's work is the moral greyness surrounding her characters, how no one is entirely good or bad or clear-cut. Reading "Clay's Ark" and THEN "Patternmaster" felt like a total regression where the Clayarks lost all complexity and became blank-faced enemies. Octavia Butler did occasionally try to touch on deeper subjects by having Teray muse about killing the Clayarks, but that was only a couple pages here and there, and I feel like it would have been more powerful and thought-provoking had she delved deeper into those themes... but, that's just my personal opinion and desire for something I felt was lacking. Perhaps another person would find it to be enough.
Ultimately, I felt that this collection failed to bring together the Patternist series in a way that's fulfilling to the reader.
January 24, 2013
Octavia Butler is easily my favorite author. Sadly, she does not get nearly as much recognition as she deserves. When I discovered her (thanks to great college professors) I found myself constantly asked, "Oh are you in Afr. Amer. Lit. (Women's Lit.)?"
Butler's stories are so much more than the color of the heroine's skin. This collection of the Patternist stories is easily my favorite because of the set up, follow through, and end of the series.
The story begins with the amazingly complex Doro and Anyanwu. The riveting tale of their love/hate spiral, with diametrically opposite views on life, ownership, freedom and immortality is spell-bounding amongst the context of slavery in America.
Anyanwu has to be my favorite character, she is so magnificent and compassionate. Doro is an enigma of power, cruelty and pity.
However, the introduction of Mary and the creation of the Pattern is my favorite tale. Everything has been brought forward to this point, Butler's ideas come together perfectly - despite the staggered publishing dates of the stories - to blend a magnificent tale of rise and fall of power.
As many have commented, Clay's Ark is probably my least favorite story. It is dark, depressing, sickening. But the writing, as usual, is perfect. Blake's turmoil as the plague takes over him and he nearly rapes his daughter hits me in the gut every time I read this series. Rane's final moments, though foreshadowed by Blake, shock me everytime.
Finally, the tale of Teray in the Patternmaster shows a cyclically history. The Planet of the Apes-esque treatment of mutes and the sheer vivid imagery of the Patternist mental struggles make for a compelling read while discussing class, slavery, love and most importantly, privacy.
I recommend this series to everyone everywhere. It is the pinnacle of Octavia Butler's epic career.
Butler's stories are so much more than the color of the heroine's skin. This collection of the Patternist stories is easily my favorite because of the set up, follow through, and end of the series.
The story begins with the amazingly complex Doro and Anyanwu. The riveting tale of their love/hate spiral, with diametrically opposite views on life, ownership, freedom and immortality is spell-bounding amongst the context of slavery in America.
Anyanwu has to be my favorite character, she is so magnificent and compassionate. Doro is an enigma of power, cruelty and pity.
However, the introduction of Mary and the creation of the Pattern is my favorite tale. Everything has been brought forward to this point, Butler's ideas come together perfectly - despite the staggered publishing dates of the stories - to blend a magnificent tale of rise and fall of power.
As many have commented, Clay's Ark is probably my least favorite story. It is dark, depressing, sickening. But the writing, as usual, is perfect. Blake's turmoil as the plague takes over him and he nearly rapes his daughter hits me in the gut every time I read this series. Rane's final moments, though foreshadowed by Blake, shock me everytime.
Finally, the tale of Teray in the Patternmaster shows a cyclically history. The Planet of the Apes-esque treatment of mutes and the sheer vivid imagery of the Patternist mental struggles make for a compelling read while discussing class, slavery, love and most importantly, privacy.
I recommend this series to everyone everywhere. It is the pinnacle of Octavia Butler's epic career.
May 28, 2018
I think I should have read these in publication order rather than chronological order. As I was reading them, the two middle books struck me as existing just to set up the last book, and it turns out they were prequels. So if you haven't read these yet, consider publication order instead.
Patternmaster is the last in the series and the first written. Taken on its own, it's a typical postapocalyptic SF/fanstasy book where (as usual) everything has devolved into a feudal and mostly male-dominated system. Which I guess is Butler fitting into typical SF modes of the time. I don't know how much of the full arc Butler had in mind, so I don't know whether the concept of race being largely absent is just Butler not yet being really comfortable writing about race and still sticking to more traditional SF topics, or the Patternists having finally moved on from caring about such things. This book can work as a standalone and I suppose was originally written as such.
I said above "male-dominated", because for the most part that's how it's portrayed. There are female Housemasters, and they're not presented as exceptional, but not as much is said about how those Houses run. So I don't know whether they're the opposite of the male Houses, in which the Housemaster has multiple wives, and controls apprentices and journeymen and outsiders and their WIVES, and there is reference made to "the outsiders and the women" as if the women don't even rank among the various feudal roles. Not lookin' good, Octavia. It's a let-down from the other books but makes more sense when one considers publication order, where she gets more confident writing feminist stories and not fitting as much into classic SF tropes.
Mind of My Mind is the next book written and the second chronologically. It and Clay's Ark, although not written one after the other, are the prequels that show the origins of the two warring factions in Patternmaster. And sure, reading Patternmaster first sets up a spoiler for the end of Mind of My Mind, but you already know that Mind of My Mind is book two of four, so it's not like you don't really know how it's going to turn out. No one in this book is a particularly sympathetic character. The amazing Anyanwu from Wild Seed is reduced to the insignificant Emma here, which pissed me off, and is one of the main reasons I wish I'd read these books in publication order. It can work as a standalone because, since it was written before Wild Seed, doesn't need Wild Seed to work, and, while Patternmaster shows a later evolution of the Pattern, it doesn't directly continue the Mind of My Mind storyline. It is a more feminist book than Patternmaster, and puts race right out there though it is ultimately shown not to matter in the big picture.
Clay's Ark explains where the Clayarks in Patternmaster come from. Zombie Apocalypse meets Mad Max. Could work as a standalone. Some mention made of race but not central to the story. Fairly egalitarian with regard to sex.
Wild Seed is the first chronologically and next-to-last written (before Clay's Ark). As literature, it's the best of the bunch. Interesting and disturbing exploration of free will vs. physical slavery and mental slavery, and what it means to survive. Points made about race and sex and how little they can matter in certain contexts. By the time the book ended, I was not at all happy, but still felt like I'd read a Good Book. I think it can work as a standalone if you're not super into resolution. I can't say I feel better after having read the rest.
There is another book, Survivor, which Butler didn't like and did not have reprinted. I haven't read it yet. It gives a little more info about the Clayarks but other than that, from what I understand, is tangential to the rest of series.
A recurring theme in these books (including, from what I've read about it, Survivor): a lot of (mostly off-screen) sex. Lots and lots of sex between lots of people, including incest (even if you don't count Doro because he's wearing different bodies). The series has two parallel paths of humans becoming non-human, and both transitions, one because of some kind of biological urge and one because of eugenics, involve lots of sex between lots of people, including incest. This intersects with the overall exploration of free will in the books--if something is making you want to have sex, are you raped? Only Clay's Ark really addresses rape as rape. In the other books it's all mind control, and often control over both parties, not just one controlling the other. And I'm not sure what position the books are taking on that, and I'm not at ease with it.
Patternmaster is the last in the series and the first written. Taken on its own, it's a typical postapocalyptic SF/fanstasy book where (as usual) everything has devolved into a feudal and mostly male-dominated system. Which I guess is Butler fitting into typical SF modes of the time. I don't know how much of the full arc Butler had in mind, so I don't know whether the concept of race being largely absent is just Butler not yet being really comfortable writing about race and still sticking to more traditional SF topics, or the Patternists having finally moved on from caring about such things. This book can work as a standalone and I suppose was originally written as such.
I said above "male-dominated", because for the most part that's how it's portrayed. There are female Housemasters, and they're not presented as exceptional, but not as much is said about how those Houses run. So I don't know whether they're the opposite of the male Houses, in which the Housemaster has multiple wives, and controls apprentices and journeymen and outsiders and their WIVES, and there is reference made to "the outsiders and the women" as if the women don't even rank among the various feudal roles. Not lookin' good, Octavia. It's a let-down from the other books but makes more sense when one considers publication order, where she gets more confident writing feminist stories and not fitting as much into classic SF tropes.
Mind of My Mind is the next book written and the second chronologically. It and Clay's Ark, although not written one after the other, are the prequels that show the origins of the two warring factions in Patternmaster. And sure, reading Patternmaster first sets up a spoiler for the end of Mind of My Mind, but you already know that Mind of My Mind is book two of four, so it's not like you don't really know how it's going to turn out. No one in this book is a particularly sympathetic character. The amazing Anyanwu from Wild Seed is reduced to the insignificant Emma here, which pissed me off, and is one of the main reasons I wish I'd read these books in publication order. It can work as a standalone because, since it was written before Wild Seed, doesn't need Wild Seed to work, and, while Patternmaster shows a later evolution of the Pattern, it doesn't directly continue the Mind of My Mind storyline. It is a more feminist book than Patternmaster, and puts race right out there though it is ultimately shown not to matter in the big picture.
Clay's Ark explains where the Clayarks in Patternmaster come from. Zombie Apocalypse meets Mad Max. Could work as a standalone. Some mention made of race but not central to the story. Fairly egalitarian with regard to sex.
Wild Seed is the first chronologically and next-to-last written (before Clay's Ark). As literature, it's the best of the bunch. Interesting and disturbing exploration of free will vs. physical slavery and mental slavery, and what it means to survive. Points made about race and sex and how little they can matter in certain contexts. By the time the book ended, I was not at all happy, but still felt like I'd read a Good Book. I think it can work as a standalone if you're not super into resolution. I can't say I feel better after having read the rest.
There is another book, Survivor, which Butler didn't like and did not have reprinted. I haven't read it yet. It gives a little more info about the Clayarks but other than that, from what I understand, is tangential to the rest of series.
A recurring theme in these books (including, from what I've read about it, Survivor): a lot of (mostly off-screen) sex. Lots and lots of sex between lots of people, including incest (even if you don't count Doro because he's wearing different bodies). The series has two parallel paths of humans becoming non-human, and both transitions, one because of some kind of biological urge and one because of eugenics, involve lots of sex between lots of people, including incest. This intersects with the overall exploration of free will in the books--if something is making you want to have sex, are you raped? Only Clay's Ark really addresses rape as rape. In the other books it's all mind control, and often control over both parties, not just one controlling the other. And I'm not sure what position the books are taking on that, and I'm not at ease with it.
September 2, 2018
I loved Mind of my Mind and Wild Seed, was only ok with Patternmaster, and don't know what to think about Clays Ark, since it was strong overal before the ending ended up being a mess.
In general, this is a series worth reading. All the books are so different from each other but still manage to build on each other in some way. If you want to experience a whole new dimension of worldbuilding, creating and showing a history of a fascinating society, read this series. If you don't like of of the books, you might still enjoy some of the others, since the characters, setting and periods are totally different each time and I would even put them in different (sub)genres.
Since no one would read an in-depth review of 4 books here, I will leave a link to my blog, where I will discuss them over the next days, if you really care check that out.
https://steemit.com/books/@dedmops/th...
To everyone else: Just get this book, it's mostlly the price of one quality paperback, so you got your moneys worth if you only liked one already. It is more wholesome than other series are able to and it will definetly be interesting at least.
In general, this is a series worth reading. All the books are so different from each other but still manage to build on each other in some way. If you want to experience a whole new dimension of worldbuilding, creating and showing a history of a fascinating society, read this series. If you don't like of of the books, you might still enjoy some of the others, since the characters, setting and periods are totally different each time and I would even put them in different (sub)genres.
Since no one would read an in-depth review of 4 books here, I will leave a link to my blog, where I will discuss them over the next days, if you really care check that out.
https://steemit.com/books/@dedmops/th...
To everyone else: Just get this book, it's mostlly the price of one quality paperback, so you got your moneys worth if you only liked one already. It is more wholesome than other series are able to and it will definetly be interesting at least.
June 16, 2023
Maalesef Lilith'in Dölü'nün aynısının lacivertini okumuş olduk. Orada Oankali vardı burada özel güçlü insanlar, daha sonra da uzaylı organizmalar eklendi. Butler insanoğlunun yenilmesini, aşağılanmasını, yok olmasını neden bu kadar istiyormuş anlayamıyorum. Ensest var, tecavüz var (roman boyunca), sürekli farklı türleri üretme var, kölelik var (romanın ana konusu) ama okuyana kattığı hiçbir şey yok. Kesinlikle ilişki kurulamayan karakterler ve hadi neyse denilip en sonu da "iyiye" kazandırılan güç...Çok klişe ve yazarın kendisinin bir tekrarı olmaktan başka bir şey olmamış bu roman. İlginç bir şekilde epey de övülmüş. Butler'ın ilk siyah kadın bilimkurgu yazarı olması insanlarda bu etkiyi yaratıyor herhalde.
June 3, 2013
Octavia Butler is brilliant, a national treasure. Her renderings of strange worlds and beings are masterfully believable, calmly assured - no overwriting or overdramatization, yet startlingly strange and wonderful. This series blew my mind. It's been some time since I read it, I think it's time to go back, so I won't mention any detail, but I remember deeply how she shifted my sense of what it is to be human, of relationships, of quests for knowledge, of good and evil, of possible futures and paths not taken...the best in speculative sf.
February 4, 2017
I ignored Butler too long. Yes I realized that when I finished Fledgling, but guys this was >700 pages of sci-fi epic running from the seventeenth century through the near future. I was riveted for every page. And I don't use "riveted" lightly.
Want to read
August 6, 2017Currently $1.99
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...
May 16, 2011
This book contains all four of the Patternist book, starting with Wild Seed. The series is fascinating in the way a bird is fascinated by the coiled snake in front of it. I could only read bits of it at a time because it was so intensely written.
The theme throughout is slavery, starting with a mad god (Doro) trying to create, through selective breeding, a race of telepaths. He treats "his people" well, but there is never doubt that he owns them, body and soul. Even the fertility goddess he seduces at the beginning becomes his slave, and she was only able to break his hold on her by threatening suicide. I wished she'd done it.
As often happens with gods, he is eventually killed by one of his own offspring in Mind of My Mind, but Mary begets something else more insidious--a pattern connecting all of Doro's descendants, where she can completely control them if she wishes. Neurotypical people are referred to as "mutes" and are used for child raising (telepaths do not make good parents) and are kept as slaves.
The third book departs from Doro's descendants and deals with slavery to a parasitic virus that came back with a space mission. While not intelligent as today's humans know intelligence, it forces its biological imperative to spread. Its victims try to stay contained, kidnapping people to add to their growing clan only when absolutely necessary. A doctor and his two daughters try for a mad escape and the worst happens.
In the final episode, the world building falls apart a bit. We know it's 200 years in the future since
Clay's Ark and the Patternists control the mutes, but there's never any explanation of the deterioration of technology--cross-country trips are done on horseback, for example. A fabulous life is offered the protagonist of Patternmaster, which is the first of the series to actually be published, but he has to submit to mental controls of the only man who could rival him for control of the Pattern.
At times touching, romantic, horrifying, wistful and inspiring, the series is worth reading, but don't expect the utopia some authors will present of the future. This ain't it.
The theme throughout is slavery, starting with a mad god (Doro) trying to create, through selective breeding, a race of telepaths. He treats "his people" well, but there is never doubt that he owns them, body and soul. Even the fertility goddess he seduces at the beginning becomes his slave, and she was only able to break his hold on her by threatening suicide. I wished she'd done it.
As often happens with gods, he is eventually killed by one of his own offspring in Mind of My Mind, but Mary begets something else more insidious--a pattern connecting all of Doro's descendants, where she can completely control them if she wishes. Neurotypical people are referred to as "mutes" and are used for child raising (telepaths do not make good parents) and are kept as slaves.
The third book departs from Doro's descendants and deals with slavery to a parasitic virus that came back with a space mission. While not intelligent as today's humans know intelligence, it forces its biological imperative to spread. Its victims try to stay contained, kidnapping people to add to their growing clan only when absolutely necessary. A doctor and his two daughters try for a mad escape and the worst happens.
In the final episode, the world building falls apart a bit. We know it's 200 years in the future since
Clay's Ark and the Patternists control the mutes, but there's never any explanation of the deterioration of technology--cross-country trips are done on horseback, for example. A fabulous life is offered the protagonist of Patternmaster, which is the first of the series to actually be published, but he has to submit to mental controls of the only man who could rival him for control of the Pattern.
At times touching, romantic, horrifying, wistful and inspiring, the series is worth reading, but don't expect the utopia some authors will present of the future. This ain't it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 28, 2016
Spent the last two weeks or so with Butler's four-book Patternist series, collected together here. The series as a whole is uneven -- they are some of Butler's earliest works, and the last one in this series was written first. But as with any Butler, the ideas and their execution unfold carefully and with meticulous attention to familiar human power relations (with strong emphasis on racial, gender, and class inequality), while jumping into wildly inventive new terrains. Here we have the origin stories of two different beyond-human races that are, by the last book, at war. One involves its subjects connected through a mental/emotional Pattern. The other emerges after contamination by an alien organism, and develops into cat-human hybrid creatures. Unfortunately the series is pretty hetero-centric. While this isn't my favorite of her worlds, it's astonishingly complex and thought-provoking.
March 25, 2018
Really cool books - after the first two books it became harder to predict what would happen. Octavia’s imagination takes readers from the shores of Africa to the modern industrial city, San Francisco in modern day. Octavia did a really great job of connecting readers to the characters, to the point where I felt personally invested in the success of Anyanwu and her bloodline. The story follows Anyanwu, the black female protagonist who constantly battles the doing what she wants versus what she's being forced to do in order to preserve her lineage. As an immortal, she journeys through generations and finds love, happiness, and havoc. Every twist and turn really exposes how fantastic Octavia’s imagination is - she discussed immortality, superpowers, sacrifice, power, struggle and triumph. This was a true page turner.
March 1, 2009
I miss Octavia Butler. There are so few writers out there with a voice that's anything like hers, and science fiction could definitely use some. This is a collection of four books from her Patternmaster series (presented in order of events rather than order of publication), which starts with an immortal trying to breed psychic humans so he can steal their bodies and follows the story all the way through to his descendants fighting an extraterrestrial virus that mutates their children. Pretty awesome...I enjoyed all of them (but I liked Patternmaster, the last book here but published first, the least). I love the spiritual tone of her books.
I've read almost everything she's written, and how sad that there won't be more once I finish the rest.
I've read almost everything she's written, and how sad that there won't be more once I finish the rest.
April 23, 2012
These books aren’t to be viewed as an epic series, connected through characters and adventures. Instead, it is four different stages in the human evolution Butler has imagined.
Reviews:
Wild Seed 5/5 stars
Mind of my Mind: 3/5 stars
Clay's Ark: 2/5 stars
Patternmaster: 3/5 stars
Reviews:
Wild Seed 5/5 stars
Mind of my Mind: 3/5 stars
Clay's Ark: 2/5 stars
Patternmaster: 3/5 stars
August 12, 2023
Started this series last year. I'd already been in love with the author and had been acquainted with her seminal work,Kindred. So I was looking for a series by her so I could spend more time within her language. The concept for the first in the series was one I'd never encounter before, a tale that spanned the abusive relationship between two African immortals from before colonialism to the present. I'd hoped to read about how experiencing immortality whilst being black in periods of time where that made you sub human could be exlored and I wasn't disappointed. Wildseed, an ambitious origin story does this with a terrifying accuracy that it feels like history rather than science fiction. It tackles how gender and violence can be informed both when confronted by or independent of white supremacy. Wildseed is one of my top5 books EVER. It always impresses me to think about.
After my brilliant experience with "Wildseed " I was eager to devour the next in the series:Mind of my Mind.
I was not disappointed! Although less immediate and ultimately not as life changing it was an exciting thrill that continued the journey tracked in Wildseed through a more modern landscape. One of my favorite uses of P.O.V chapters in a long time. Mary's character will definitely stay with you long after the book ends.
Clay's Ark which ,fun fact was published last despite not being the last in the chronology, is undoubtedly the worst book I've read not only in the series but by Butler in general. It still had some of the hallmarks I look for & relish from a Butler sci-fi BUT it had none of the eloquence and personality. It felt like a means to an end(which tbh given patternmaster,the final book in this series which had been written/published first is a direct result of this books premise it actually was) so it feels less natural but more stiff. I did not enjoy this. Considered dnfing BUT I had committed to the series and had to follow it through. The characterizations of clay arks was unique, I'll give it that,but everything else was a sketch or memory of something more intresting. It's an essential read in the whole scheme of the book as it gives an important historical context to the conclusive novel in the series that fills in gaps.
Patternmaster the last in the series was such a joy. I'm glad I soldiered on because it has the spirit of all the other books I'd fallen in love with before. It's sharp and expansive with complex dynamics and fascinating consequences.
Overall the Seed To Harvest collection which provides the patternmaster novels in their in world chronology rather than publication dates(as it should be)is a worthwhile investment for both casual and avid sci-fi fans. And even for those a bit skeptical of trying the genre I can definitely presume the patternmaster series would work for them.
Ranking:
Wildseed
Mind of my Mind
Patternmaster
Clay's Ark.
After my brilliant experience with "Wildseed " I was eager to devour the next in the series:Mind of my Mind.
I was not disappointed! Although less immediate and ultimately not as life changing it was an exciting thrill that continued the journey tracked in Wildseed through a more modern landscape. One of my favorite uses of P.O.V chapters in a long time. Mary's character will definitely stay with you long after the book ends.
Clay's Ark which ,fun fact was published last despite not being the last in the chronology, is undoubtedly the worst book I've read not only in the series but by Butler in general. It still had some of the hallmarks I look for & relish from a Butler sci-fi BUT it had none of the eloquence and personality. It felt like a means to an end(which tbh given patternmaster,the final book in this series which had been written/published first is a direct result of this books premise it actually was) so it feels less natural but more stiff. I did not enjoy this. Considered dnfing BUT I had committed to the series and had to follow it through. The characterizations of clay arks was unique, I'll give it that,but everything else was a sketch or memory of something more intresting. It's an essential read in the whole scheme of the book as it gives an important historical context to the conclusive novel in the series that fills in gaps.
Patternmaster the last in the series was such a joy. I'm glad I soldiered on because it has the spirit of all the other books I'd fallen in love with before. It's sharp and expansive with complex dynamics and fascinating consequences.
Overall the Seed To Harvest collection which provides the patternmaster novels in their in world chronology rather than publication dates(as it should be)is a worthwhile investment for both casual and avid sci-fi fans. And even for those a bit skeptical of trying the genre I can definitely presume the patternmaster series would work for them.
Ranking:
Wildseed
Mind of my Mind
Patternmaster
Clay's Ark.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 29, 2021
Good speculative fiction does three things: 1.) Leaves you with a sense of wonder/fascination. 2.) Makes you think. 3.) Makes you slightly uncomfortable. These elements are interrelated, but function on their own. Butler is a master of all three, and she is certainly singing her craft in the Patternist series. Along with exploring the themes we know and love in her work: whether family is something created or something born, alternative family structures, what we owe to each other in society, the need for community vs individualism for humankind's survival, the need for intimacy within relationships (both sexual and nonsexual), the history of racism, sexuality, socioeconomic politics, the benefits and risks of technology, what defines us as human, and many, many more.
The beauty in reading Octavia Butler is that all of these lessons are extrapolated without being too heavy handed. You meet the central characters of each novel, feel for each of their unique struggles, follow their stories, all without feeling like a lesson is being shoved down your throat. A lay reader could perfectly enjoy the stories for story's sake, only realizing that there was perhaps some greater depth after seeing my list of themes above. Such is Butler's story telling.
That is not to say this series is perfect. The last novel Patternmaster certainly feels unpolished, having been the first written and one of Butler's earlier works. Clay's Ark also feels out of sync with the other three books (although exploring the symbiotic/ parasitic nature of humans the best). Butler's focus on the notion of breeding is very heavy in Wild Seed, almost to an eye rolling sense by the end. It is a theme that is meant to make you uncomfortable with its blatant discussion and open use. After all, those with privilege on history openly bred other humans for their perceived beneficial" abilities" and desirable "attributes." You should be uncomfortable, Butler knows what she's doing here by forcing us to confront our own uncomfortable history. But the message loses its weight amid the longest of the books. Especially as we finally get to the more mystical ending.
I find myself by the end of the series wanting more, which is always the problem with reading Octavia Butler. Each novel could very well stand on its own, but together they truly complement each other. There just seems some "harvest" that was left to reap in this series. But perhaps that is speculative fiction doing what it does : making us wonder, think, and feel discomforted.
The beauty in reading Octavia Butler is that all of these lessons are extrapolated without being too heavy handed. You meet the central characters of each novel, feel for each of their unique struggles, follow their stories, all without feeling like a lesson is being shoved down your throat. A lay reader could perfectly enjoy the stories for story's sake, only realizing that there was perhaps some greater depth after seeing my list of themes above. Such is Butler's story telling.
That is not to say this series is perfect. The last novel Patternmaster certainly feels unpolished, having been the first written and one of Butler's earlier works. Clay's Ark also feels out of sync with the other three books (although exploring the symbiotic/ parasitic nature of humans the best). Butler's focus on the notion of breeding is very heavy in Wild Seed, almost to an eye rolling sense by the end. It is a theme that is meant to make you uncomfortable with its blatant discussion and open use. After all, those with privilege on history openly bred other humans for their perceived beneficial" abilities" and desirable "attributes." You should be uncomfortable, Butler knows what she's doing here by forcing us to confront our own uncomfortable history. But the message loses its weight amid the longest of the books. Especially as we finally get to the more mystical ending.
I find myself by the end of the series wanting more, which is always the problem with reading Octavia Butler. Each novel could very well stand on its own, but together they truly complement each other. There just seems some "harvest" that was left to reap in this series. But perhaps that is speculative fiction doing what it does : making us wonder, think, and feel discomforted.
March 26, 2019
3.5 stars based on the strength of wild seed and mind of my mind.
I loved Anywanyu in Wild Seed, and loved the book entirely. Real character development happened against the backdrop of a perfect sci-fi plot. In mind of my mind I was less excited by the characters, who were largely new (this series jumps huge swathes of time), but the idea of what was happening was so amazing, I was into the pattern. Clay’s ark just totally takes a new track, the idea was interesting, but the characters were not my jam, and! the story veered sharply away from the seed of an idea that Butler had germinated in the first two books. Then patternmaster. You could see that this was actually one of the first things that Butler ever wrote (the order of the series was not the order in which they were written). This book had almost no character development, and things were happening inside of a larger narrative that hadn’t been adequately built. You got the gist of it, but none of the context. The writing was stark compared to what came before. And it was only resolved in the most basic sense, and didn’t fill in any of the gaps from the previous books, nor did it resolve the larger questions of the series about this new world Butler had created with two warring human species. There was some great stuff in this series, but I feel like the last books needed more exploration and refinement in terms of character development and fleshing out the plot.
I loved Anywanyu in Wild Seed, and loved the book entirely. Real character development happened against the backdrop of a perfect sci-fi plot. In mind of my mind I was less excited by the characters, who were largely new (this series jumps huge swathes of time), but the idea of what was happening was so amazing, I was into the pattern. Clay’s ark just totally takes a new track, the idea was interesting, but the characters were not my jam, and! the story veered sharply away from the seed of an idea that Butler had germinated in the first two books. Then patternmaster. You could see that this was actually one of the first things that Butler ever wrote (the order of the series was not the order in which they were written). This book had almost no character development, and things were happening inside of a larger narrative that hadn’t been adequately built. You got the gist of it, but none of the context. The writing was stark compared to what came before. And it was only resolved in the most basic sense, and didn’t fill in any of the gaps from the previous books, nor did it resolve the larger questions of the series about this new world Butler had created with two warring human species. There was some great stuff in this series, but I feel like the last books needed more exploration and refinement in terms of character development and fleshing out the plot.
January 8, 2021
I enjoyed these books, but not quite as much as some other Octavia Butler work. For anyone new to her stuff, I'd recommend starting with Parable of the Sower. I also thought the Lillith's Brood series was a bit stronger than this one. (I haven't read Kindred yet and can't comment on that as a starting point for reading her.) If you already know and like Butler's stuff, you'll probably also enjoy these books.
I read these books in story-chronological order, as they are arranged in this volume. I think I might actually recommend reading them in publishing order, or at least reading Patternmaster first, or maybe just reading Patternmaster before Clay's Ark, or maybe even reading the whole thing in reverse-chronological order. The problem with chronological order is that Clay's Ark seems to have so little to do with Wild Seed and Mind of My Mind, and then even when Patternmaster brings the two threads together, it doesn't really quite do justice to the major ideas of Clay's Ark. If you start with Patternmaster and then go back, I think you might have more fun discovering the "how did we get here" parts of the story.
I read these books in story-chronological order, as they are arranged in this volume. I think I might actually recommend reading them in publishing order, or at least reading Patternmaster first, or maybe just reading Patternmaster before Clay's Ark, or maybe even reading the whole thing in reverse-chronological order. The problem with chronological order is that Clay's Ark seems to have so little to do with Wild Seed and Mind of My Mind, and then even when Patternmaster brings the two threads together, it doesn't really quite do justice to the major ideas of Clay's Ark. If you start with Patternmaster and then go back, I think you might have more fun discovering the "how did we get here" parts of the story.
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