Where to start with Octavia Butler || Octavia Butler Reading Guide

Xenogenesis Series Review - • Should you read Xenoge...
Patternmaster Series Review - • How to read this class...
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[@Samuel-b]

I listened to Butler's short story "Speech Sounds" on a podcast a few months ago and I'm currently working my way through "Bloodchild & Other Stories". I'm loving her work so far for how intellectually stimulating it is, but she's definitely not a writer I can binge read. I had to stop reading the title story for minutes on end just to regain my composure before finishing it. I can think of few to no other written works of fiction that have made me feel that way.

[@wallacejames221]

Dawn is my favourite Butler tbh. It was also my first. Picked it up. Went "holy shit this is incredible" and couldn't stop reading. edit: also I too love dark and twisted and disturbing books! not as my only reads but as part of my reading.

[@bjenksful]

I'm working through the collection. Started with the Parable series (in 2018 I believe). Then Kindred (my least favorite so far). Then Liliths Brood, which I love for the questions it raises about humanity. Started Bloodchild last night and looking forward to moving onto Fledgling and the Patternist series.

[@GriffReads]

Octavia Butler is becoming one of my favourite authors, so far I've read Kindred, Parable of the Talents and Parable of the Sower and they were all 5-stars. I've been struggling to decide which of her works to pick up next so this video was super helpful, thank you!

[@mayasup3rn0va]

I honestly LOVE The Patternist Series and Xenogenesis by Butler. I love all of her works but those are some of my favorites! I would also recommend Bloodchild and Other Stories. Butler said herself that she hated writing short stories, but her short stories are amazing!

[@mayasup3rn0va]

I started reading Butler in 2020 and I fell in love with her and her work!~ The first video that I found from booktube about Butler was your video and that's how I discovered you! Your video helped me choose where to start reading The Patternist series. I love Wild Seed, it might currently be my favorite Butler book, it was also my first recommendation given by YOU and your Patternist video! I knew I wanted to start at the beginning of The Patternists chronologically, so I started with Wild Seed. I have read every Butler book three times now and I'm on my fourth read of her catalogue. I'm so thankful that I found your videos through her work :) I love when you talk about Butler and these are easily my favorite videos, because I'm biased haha Anyways! Thank you! I'm 13 mins in your video! If I have more comments I'll just leave them in addition to this !

[@esmayrosalyne]

This was way more in-depth than I was expecting and I love you for it!! I have only read Kindred and Parable of the Sower, but I am definitely intrigued to read more. Clay's Ark sounds wild, I will have to mentally prepare for that lol. Thanks for sharing!!

[@bentheoverlord]

Fantastic video :) Really looking forward to continuing Butler, think Bloodchild and Parable of The Sower are next on my list. Ah yeah Interview with The Vampire, Lestat and Louis' daughter Claudia is a 10 year old girl stuck in a 10 year olds body but as she grows up she begins to have more complicated thoughts and feelings, however her body kinda has her stuck in a limbo, and it deals with the pain and suffering that might cause.

[@ReadingIDEAS.-uz9xk]

Here's to a great reading summer. Best wishes.

[@lauras9071]

I was excited for the release of this video, and it does a good job at accurately marketing Butler. And helps encourage me to read Clay's Ark sooner (especially after the short story collection success). I love your method of ranking these - especially bc i feel like we land similarly on ick factor. Also lol at "nudging people into doing things i want" - which isnt a bad trait for a lecturer

[@MultiWar22]

Ooh, I like that. I've been wanting to get into Butler for a bit now, and I only knew what Kindred was about and had heard about the Parables and Xenogenesis (but with no knowledge of what they are). I'm more intrigued, now, and I'll for sure look forward to seeing how she explores these different kinds of themes and settings

[@anne-marie339]

👽👽 I've yet to read any Butler because to be honest, she intimidates me. But I absolutely loved how you discussed each book/series (in this video and your other ones) and how you broke down your suggested reading order. I feel a lot more prepared on what to read and what to expect whenever I do try her works!

[@eliseelliot]

Really appreciate this overview! I read Dawn last year and was so disturbed that I haven't picked up more Butler yet, while knowing that she's brilliant and that I really want to read more. This gives me a sense of where I might ease myself back into the disturbing stuff. Thank you for sharing!

[@LiteratureScienceAlliance]

Dawn and its following books are for sure on the darker end of the spectrum (for me) hope you are able to ease yourself back in sometime soon!

[@ruplayinggame3080]

I ADORE Butler, she is my absoute fave and I love what her books do to my brain! Haven't read The Patternist yet and also just finished Dawn this week (it officially became my fave), but I fully agree that Kindred is the most 'accessible', followed by the Parables and Bloodchild. There hasn't been a book of hers that I haven't loved. I am very ride-or-die for Fledgling, I adore that book. I love that there isn't one reading for her books, but that you can interpret thing in myriad ways - and that's a favorite pasttime of mine... With Dawn, I know I'll be thinking about what it all means for years to come... And was talking to a friend about it yesterday and he had felt disgust at the Oankali, but I like... never felt that? I was thinking about how disgust plays a part in all of the phobias - xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia plus sexism and racism. I think I was just reading about the Oankali with curiosity. Anyway, yeah, I could write up whole books about Octavia's work :P really enjoyed your video :)

[@GwenCooper-l1b]

Great video, I love Butler, the parable books are amazing! I am slowly working my way through her books too. 💖

[@LiteratureScienceAlliance]

Which ones do you have left??

[@manolitita_gafotas]

I absolutely love Octavia E. Butler. I started with Kindred which is fenomenal, continued with Parable of the Sower and Parable of Talents which I appreciated but didn't love and last year I read the whole Xenogenesis series which is incredible and unputdownable. This year I'm planning on reading Wild Seed. I thought Fledgeling was not for me, but after hearing your opinion I'm almost curious: a kind of hopeful book by Octavia E. Butler?

[@alexiasp]

👽here’s the confirmation that i needed to start with Kindred😂 Also I’d be curious if you’d make a similar video for Leguin 👀 tho I know she has sooo many books.

[@LiteratureScienceAlliance]

I have only read one LeGuin so it would not be for a LONG time 😅

[@imaginarycosmetics]

So far I've only read Xenogenesis and Kindred. I think I'll read the Parable books next. My first Butler was Dawn and I read the entire series back to back and loved it. For me the Xenogenesis Trilogy was easier to stomach than Kindred. But I generally prefer exploring dark themes and uncomfortable power dynamics in sff works instead of exploring them in contemporary or historical settings. The sci-fi or fantasy elements add a layer of abstraction that make it easier for me to engage in these topics.

[@rosas7245]

I reread Parable of the Sower last month and finished Parable of the Talents earlier this month and 😬 I thought those were dark enough! I do wanna read more of her books tho so maybe I’ll read Kindred & Bloodchild, and then decide on the rest. Are you familiar with adrienne maree brown? She LOVES Octavia Butler and co-edited/wrote a story for a collection called Octavia’s Brood. And I love adrienne maree brown so I want to at least make it through Butler’s books at least once lol 👽

[@mattkean1128]

Awesome video 👽 i need to pick up xenogenesis

[@kitty4407]

I started with Dawn and have yet to read another Butler. It was fantastic but I feel the same way: so very uncomfortable throughout the entire book. Skin crawling. Just constant reminder of the lack of bodily autonomy and consent in every aspect of the writing and plot. 🥴 It definitely made me want to read more by her but I needed a long break. 😅 blew my mind but it was such an intense read.

[@LiteratureScienceAlliance]

Yea its a very dark time, I think as a whole that series was hardest for me but it didn’t have the darkest book for me

[@LeeReads]

I've only read parable of the sower and I'm trying to prepare myself to read more! But it's pretty intense.

[@LiteratureScienceAlliance]

Partially why it took me 6 years to read all her works 😅

[@Lekktu]

👽👽 Never read Butler, other than a short story many years ago. I'm very curious now. Also, talking about uncomfortable readings and bleak situations brought to mind my favorite author, Alice Sheldon (James Tiptree, Jr.)

[@LiteratureScienceAlliance]

Yea I feel like all her works focus on bleak and discomfort but they get much weirder than people know if they only read Kindred and Parable

[@bjenksful]

I would have been impressed by how bad Madame Web is, if I wasn't so pissed at how bad it is.

[@MLLatUtube]

👽👽👽 I will give Blood Child a chance. Thanks for the descriptions.

[@LiteratureScienceAlliance]

Glad it was helpful!

[@margaretparker5450]

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[@Octobig]

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[@PrettyClearCrystals]

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[@amyschmelzer6445]

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[@RodgersReads]

Not you exposing your beige...or maybe pale red?...flag that you like tricking people into wanting to do what you want them to...🤣🤣🤣 her books don't totally sound like they are for me. Definitely think I should begin my sci fi journey elsewhere but now at least I know thanks to this video

[@LiteratureScienceAlliance]

Have you ever tried herding cats?? Its the only way 😂 I like to think its better than the “must have the last word”/“always be right” traits but still not ideal 😅

[@RodgersReads]

@@LiteratureScienceAlliance 🤣🤣 fair point. Getting cats to do anything requires a combination of bribery and trickery

[@jess.janisse]

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[@sgaston3969]

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[@BriMiKie]

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[@amandaluceroserenity4804]

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[@ferachol]

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[@chrisalluna6733]

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