Lilith's Brood

I have not read these since I was a teenager, back when they were released ("Lilith's Brood, formerly-known as the Xenogenesis trilogy, refers to a collection of three novels"). I cannot say how wonderful these were to me then, and I am surprised that now that I have re-read them in middle age (all 3 novels in 4 days! yes, they are still un-put-downable) how much these stories had become a part of me, a part of my imagination and how I parsed the world and fiction.There are a few things that I noticed now as an adult that I had not noticed when young (no longer being a "subadult" myself, I get things more as a fully fledged grown up would, things that didn't overly interest me when young -- which is good. The novels are deep and textured). And there are a couple of historical tidbits in the first novel that momentarily make you realise what century this was written in (i.e., a Russia vs USA, cold war reference) but they are not integral to the storylines and they slip by very quickly. These novels are as easily read now, as a reflection on the human condition, as they were back then. They have not aged in that way and don't read like 'historical and good for you literature' but like great contemporary, engaging literature that you can't put down until you finish and when you finish you want more.I am so happy I read them when I was young. I am thrilled that I read them again now. And I cannot wait until my own children are old enough to read them.

I bought this after thoroughly enjoying the collection of short stories that includes Bloodchild..The first book in this Lillith's Brood trilogy was extremely good, with the one caveat that it didn't have much of an ending, obviously intended to carry on to the sequel. That she managed to write with such foresight about genetic engineering, at a time when that technology was in its infancy, is amazing. As with the short story Bloodchild, there is a unique dichotomy - mankind is enslaved, oppressed, but also cherished.Unfortunately, the second and third books didn't really have any new ideas, and by the third book she was repeating similar situations, and there was some sloppy editing. All of this was very disappointing, after the true brilliance of Bloodchild.

I stumbled upon this book while looking for new biopunk novels to read after finishing "The Windup Girl" (another great read) and was intrigued by the consistent 5-star rating. The synopsis gives the idea of the story, but there is so much more to it than "all of humanity must share the world with uncanny, unimaginable alien creatures after war destroys Earth" - at the same time, to say more would do a disservice to the complexity of the characters and their development. Each novel in the trilogy is told from the point of view of a different character, but this is done smoothly and with connections to the other characters the reader is already familiar with. Many issues are covered ranging from genetics to human nature to the importance and definition of family. I couldn't put this book down and wish there was more of it to read!

One of my favourite books! Octavia Butler was a truly great mind and all her works are engaging and engrossing. Lilith's Brood takes us through a deeply human experience in the framework of an alien world, helping to question and define what is really human at all.

This was recommended to me by someone I met on holiday and I am so grateful.I loved this book (or books) for its exploration of the human mind and the effects of controlled breeding on evolution. The concept was brilliant and the book very well written with convincing characters and as a result totally gripping. I could not put it down and want to read everything she has written.I put it up there with Enders Game as the best scifi I have read.

I am absolutely enjoying the series and will purchase other books this author has written. Really excellent value. This book was inspirational in terms of trying to understand how she planned the topic, decided on her characters, and delivered the writing.

I read the first book in the trilogy and it was interesting, imaginative, but I never became really gripped by the story, it was quite predictable for me, but that may be personal preference.

This hooked me from the beginning, so well written and engaging. The story was very well though out with deep themes running throughout.