Shaykitteh's World of Books

After reading a portion of "Bloodchild" in a Hugo Award "snippet" book earlier this year, I picked up Octavia E. Butler's Bloodchild: And Other Stories. For an author who claimed to hate writing short stories, her talent at sharing glimpses into a possible future shine through in this collection.

From stories about a post-alien landing on Earth to humans who have traveled to other universes themselves, we see the desperation and drive that is ever-present in history and will continue into the future. This collection of short stories really drives home the fact that humans will always BE human and will always shine through no matter how difficult or dark the circumstances are. Our compassion may be hidden in some, but there will always be someone caring. One of my favorites stories is "Speech Sounds," where we see a woman struggling to hide a secret while protecting herself from the world surrounding her. "The Book of Martha" is the last tale told, highlighting how impossible it is to make a Utopia that everyone will be happy with... and a unique solution discovered along that way.

About halfway through the collection, we take a look into the past as we see a young Octavia struggling to make her way as an author... not only a science-fiction author, but a black female science-fiction author. As a young girl born black, in the south, poor, and in the 1940s, we see the determination of a woman who wouldn't take NO for an answer. She should be an inspiration to all aspiring authors.

Overall, I was very happy with this collection. It was great to view the world through Octavia E. Butler's eyes, and I can see why she won both Hugo and Nebula Awards. When she passed away in 2006, the science-fiction community lost a wonderful and talented storyteller, though her dreams will follow us into the future.