Bloodchild: And Other Stories - Hardcover

Octavia E. Butler is the author of eleven novels, including Kindred, Dawn, and Parable of the Sower. Recipient of a MacArthur Foundation "genius" grant, the Nebula Award, the Hugo Award and numerous other literary awards, she has been acclaimed for her lean prose, strong protagonists, and social observations that range from the distant past to the far future.

Collected in this slim volume is the entire output of short fiction from the pen of MacArthur Award winner Butler (Parable of the Sower). "I hate short story writing," Butler admits in her preface; not surprisingly, then, there are only five tales here, ranging in date from 1971 to 1983. Two essays round out the volume: one an inspirational piece about making writing a habit, the other a more personal reminiscence about what it's like to be poor, female, black?and to persist in the writing of SF anyway. "Bloodchild" (which won both a Hugo and a Nebula ) is a compelling and horrifying novella combining a love story between a human and an alien with a coming-of-age tale; it is, as Butler puts it, a "pregnant man" story. "The Evening and the Morning and the Night" concerns genetic disorders, personal responsibility and pheremones; "Near of Kin" takes a sympathetic look at a dysfunctional family; and "Speech Sounds," another Hugo winner, depicts a near-future society in which a virus has nearly destroyed people's ability to communicate. Here, too, is "Crossover," Butler's first published story, which deals with the ghostly by-products of hopelessness and drudgery. Following each entry is an enlightening afterword that provides a refreshing look into Butler's writing process and that helps to clarify what excites and motivates this exceptionally talented writer.
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