Octavia Butler was a prolific American science fiction author who expanded the genre to explore feminist dystopias. She remains one of the most prolific authors in the genre and blends feminist and racial themes with the speculation of science fiction in poignant, powerful ways. Though we do recommend that people read all of her works, if we had to pick three to start with, this is where we’d start.
Parable of the Sower (Earthseed 1)
Living in one of the last remaining safe neighborhoods on the outskirts of Los Angeles, Lauren Olamina and her family inhabit a world devastated by conflict, disease, and driven to panic by chronic water shortages. Not to mention that Lauren is hyperempathetic, which causes her to be overly in tune to the emotions of others and even feel them as her own.
When her compound is destroyed in a fire and her family perishes, Lauren must venture, with a few others, out into the dangerous world between her charred former safe haven and the next compound. As she journeys to safety, her experiences lead her on a journey of exploration that may become humanity’s salvation.
Kindred
In this complex tale of time travel between 1976 California and 1800s Maryland, Butler tells the story of Dana and her experience as a modern Black woman who is inexplicably transported between the two settings. During her — mostly — involuntary travels through time, Dana finds herself transported in and out of the life of Rufus and his father, Tom Weylin, who are slave owners.
Much time passes throughout the narrative, and Dana witnesses and experiences firsthand the horrors of slavery and its devastating consequences. When she finally returns to her reality for the last time, she is forever changed and brings her experiences with her to unpack in the present.
Dawn (Xenogenesis #1)
Lilith Iyapo awakens hundreds of years after atomic fire has incinerated Earth. Kept asleep for centuries on an alien spacecraft by the Oankali — an alien species who arrived just in time to save humanity from extinction and survives by merging themselves genetically with the civilizations they encounter — Lilith must navigate their return to a world that was technically hers, but is completely foreign to her now.
When the Oankali begin to merge with humanity, they all must deal with the consequences of raising a generation of children who are not quite like either of their parents.
While we think everyone should have Octavia Butler’s entire oeuvre on their TBR, these works are certainly ones we’d recommend to introduce you to the themes Butler explored. From the extravagantly extraterrestrial to the devastatingly accurate, Butler had a well-honed skill for sharing powerful narratives.
Click here to hear more from Octavia Butler through some of her most memorable quotes.
Looking for more reads by Black voices? Click here to browse the Bookstr team’s bookshelf!
