An alien race calls on one woman to revive mankind after Earth’s apocalypse in this science fiction classic from the award-winning author of Parable of the Sower. Lilith Iyapo has just lost her husband and son when atomic fire consumes Earth—the last stage of the planet’s final war. Hundreds of years later Lilith awakes, deep in the hold of a massive alien spacecraft piloted by the Oankali—who … by the Oankali—who arrived just in time to save humanity from extinction. They have kept Lilith and other survivors asleep for centuries, as they learned whatever they could about Earth. Now it is time for Lilith to lead them back to her home world, but life among the Oankali on the newly resettled planet will be nothing like it was before. The Oankali survive by genetically merging with primitive civilizations—whether their new hosts like it or not. For the first time since the nuclear holocaust, Earth will be inhabited. Grass will grow, animals will run, and people will learn to survive the planet’s untamed wilderness. But their children will not be human. Not exactly.
Featuring strong and compelling characters and exploring complex themes of gender and species, Octavia E. Butler presents a powerful, postapocalyptic interplanetary epic, as well as a ray of hope for humanity. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Octavia E. Butler including rare images from the author’s estate.
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I can see why Octavia Butler won so many awards. This was my first read by her, but it won’t be my last. I was so enthralled by the uniqueness of this story that I plan to read the next book in the sequel right away. It’s rare for any writer to successfully juggle a large cast of characters, but Butler makes it look easy. Human or alien, no creature is good or bad. They’re a far more complicated and realistic in-between. Readers searching for a fresh female lead will quickly fall under Lilith’s spell. I know I did.
This is by far the most explicitly sci-fi novel I have ever read – and I was impressed. Butler effectively builds the world of the Oankali and inserts the reader in it. I had a difficult time “seeing” the alien characters effectively, but her extraterrestrials seem to be less human-like than in other books I have read, which makes it more difficult from the start.
I was intrigued by the character of Lilith, but she definitely is not fully developed in Dawn. If you’re looking to dip your toe into the genre or the author’s work like I was, I would not suggest this book due to its massive cliffhanger of an ending, but great writing and the beginning of a great story all the same.
I couldn’t put it down. It’s eerily beautiful descriptions and heart-breaking characters are hard to forget. If you are sensitive to immersive stories don’t read it before bed or you’ll be dreaming about it when you close your eyes. The immersive quality of Octavia Butler’s writing is so inspiring I can’t wait to read more.
I decided I wanted to read a classic scifi, something I hadn’t read before and I chose DAWN by Octavia Butler. Holy crap, people. This novel is not for the faint of heart, but I LOVED IT SO MUCH. The basic premise is that humanity just tried to kill itself in a nuclear war and only a few humans are left. An alien race comes and saves those humans and fixes the Earth while they are all in stasis. The aliens wake up Lilith and recruit her to be their emissary, but they have a price for all their help and cooperation. They will change humanity forever by cross-breeding and evolving humans beyond what they are now. While the “sex” in the book is not graphic at all, it is disturbing to think of how the aliens will mate and bond with humans. I was totally fascinated with the whole thing, and I couldn’t stop reading.
Butler’s writing was both beautiful and sparse, and there were times I was very frustrated with Lilith and her distrust, but ultimately I loved seeing her character grow and change. This is the scifi that I love, the kind that focuses on humanity and human emotions. This book comes with a HIGHLY RECOMMEND stamp.
Wonderfully inventive story by a skilled writer. As with all good science fiction, the story explores complex questions, This books dives into the issues gender and the response to the other.
Octavia Butler creates fascinating worlds that teach us about our own.
One of the most unusual books I have ever read. It is scary to think of this kind of thing happening to our earth and to the entire earth population. The soul (or lack of it) is made very apparent in this story. Somehow…..I also believe there is a message to all of us. Read it and see if you agree.
I have read most of Octavia Butler’s book. She is truly one of my favorite authors.
Octavia Butler was a remarkable, prescient writer. At the start of the pandemic I reread her books and they scared the spit out of me. And yet, even in the terror of it all, her character persisted and that gives me hope.
Great character development couched inside a post-apocalyptic scifi story of space travel and hope.
“Dawn” is a wonderfully layered masterpiece that I discovered much too late in life, though I don’t know if a younger me would have been able to process the subtext underneath the page-turning narrative. Read it when you’re young and come back to it later, there’s a lot going on and I love it. Ordered the subsequent novels in the trilogy before I finished this one.
Lilith awakes in a sterile room with no way out. She remembers waking up on several occasions and interacting with a voice but never seeing her captors’ faces, until the day they reveal themselves. I read this book in two days. It is engaging and suspenseful, pulling me in instantly. I had to know what would happen next. This is a wonderful story and my only regret is that I didn’t read it sooner. On to book 2.
Holy cow!
This is the first book that I’ve read by the the author and I am speechless. This sci-fi novel is beyond anything I’ve ever read. It is so crazy. I could not have put myself into the main character Lilith’s place because she is in an impossible situation. I was so intrigued by this story, the characters, and the Oankali. I can’t imagine waking up and realizing your living on an alien ship and not knowing if you can trust what they say while wanting nothing more than to return to Earth.
Lilith must toe a dangerous line. She has to make some hard decisions in this book and the Oankali put her in an impossible situation that makes her an outcast. I’m sure how I feel about her relationship with some of the Oankali. It is so complex and hard to understand at times. You never know whether to consider them good or bad, or if their motivations are pure or not. By the time this book is over I’m still questioning why they did the things they did and if Lilith was nothing more than a pawn they used to move across the chess board to their ultimate goal.
I will say that book was very good. Octavia Butler is an excellent writer and I can’t believe someone thought something up like this. I still can’t even process half of what I read in this book. Its truly unique.
Excellent!!
This is one of those books where I kicked myself for not reading it earlier. Butler is an amazing author and this is easily my favorite trilogy. So worth the time.
Are the humans captors? Have they been saved from extinction and should be grateful to their rescuers? Are they willing participants in a mutual trade? These questions are at the source of turmoil, anger and anguish experienced by the main character and the other humans who find themselves at the mercy of a seemingly benevolent race of aliens who insist they mean no harm. Octavia Butler skillfully captures these emotions and conveys them powerfully through her writing. The humans desire to retain their humanity and to have control over their future makes for an emotional and gut-wrenching reading experience. Combined with the creative science fiction elements of the story make for a highly intelligent, captivating and suspenseful story. Octavia Butler has a new fan!
Miss Octavia Butler, you’ve done it again! The imagination in this book series is truly unforgettable. I was drawn in immediately. With such wonderful detailed creatures that you can only imagine how they look and move about. The world in which this is in could only be plucked from someone with a mind of one of the few greatest science fiction writers ever!