Science fiction can benefit from being a genre: writers get an almost guaranteed readership. The downside is that many readers will avoid it. How often do you hear people say they 'don't read science fiction'? If Jane Austen were filed under romance, James Joyce under pornography and William Golding under historical, how many readers would they lose? More pertinently, if Huxley and Orwell were hidden away on the science fiction shelves would they have had the great reputations they deserve? So, what I'm saying is don't let this happen to Octavia E. Butler. She was a magnificent writer and Blood Child is a great example of her work.
The stories deal with prejudice and fear through classic s/f themes of aliens and telepathy but I never felt I was reading something silly or completely unrelated to life.
The prose is fine and the stories are wise and fascinating. Her own reflections on her stories and writing career are honest and revealing.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment