Butler, Octavia E. - Imago

[oyceter]

I didn't quite like this as much as Dawn or Adulthood Rites, despite being more fascinated by the POV character, who is a Human-Oankali ooloi construct. Also, I giggled a little at the first-person POV, as I'm sure Butler did it to avoid annoying pronoun issues (ooloi are sexless).

Unlike the previous two books in the series, the threat to Jodahs didn't feel particularly urgent to me, especially after being terrified for Akin in Adulthood Rites. I am not quite sure why. Possibly the ending of Adulthood Rites has something to do with it. I suspect my general lack of caring had to do with the human couple Jodahs mates with -- they're not particularly interesting, and I finished the book yesterday night and still can't tell you what kind of people they were.

As such, I didn't care that much about Jodah's struggle to stay with the two. I think I wanted less of an "Oankali and/or constructs interact with Humans" and more of an exploration of the constructs and the ooloi themselves, so ... it's not particularly fair to judge the book on what I wanted it to be, but there it is all the same.

Still, though I've read some Butler before (Wild Seed, Parable of the Sower, Dawn), reading Adulthood Rites and Imago close to each other reinforces what a powerful writer she is, and I hate that I have started to really enjoy her work after she's died, as opposed to appreciating it when she was still writing.

Comments

[myztified.livejournal.com]

Everything I see someone reading her books I just.....*g*

I actually didn't care for Adulthood Rites very much. Akin's turmoil just left me feeling confused.

Have you got around to reading Kindred yet?

[oyceter]

I haven't! I think I will soon, though right now I am not up for something that emotionally tense. But I am planning on going through a spree through Butler's backlist soon, especially the Wild Seed books! I had no idea it was part of a series when I first read it!

[sanguinity]

Kinda part of a series, and kinda not. Except for Wild Seed and Mind of My Mind, they're pretty loosely related. Most wouldn't notice they're part of the same series.

[oyceter]

Hrm, ok. Also, darn, my library did not have a lot of Butler on the shelf. I will hope that someone else checked out a lot, though thankfully Butler should be available when I am in Taiwan...

[thomasyan.livejournal.com]

I read Dawn first, but then Imago before Adulthood Rites. (I forget if that was by mistake or if I had trouble locating the latter.) That order might have turned out to be better for me. But I did quite like Imago. It is true that we don't really get to know the brother and sister Jodahs mates with, but I guess my romantic leanings made me sympathize with J's deep longing.

[oyceter]

Oh, interesting! I think by the end of book 2, I wanted to know more about the Human flaw and how the colony would work and etc., so I didn't enjoy the return to a smaller scope. I wonder if reading it second would have been better for me...