Bloodchild and Other Stories

(Seven Stories Press, paperback, January 2003)

A perfect introduction for new readers and a must-have for avid fans, this New York Times Notable Book includes “Bloodchild,” winner of both the Hugo and the Nebula awards and “Speech Sounds,” winner of the Hugo Award. Appearing in print for the first time, “Amnesty” is a story of a woman aptly named Noah who works to negotiate the tense and co-dependent relationship between humans and a species of invaders. Also new to this collection is “The Book of Martha” which asks: What would you do if God granted you the ability—and responsibility—to save humanity from itself? Like all of Octavia Butler’s best writing, these works of the imagination are parables of the contemporary world. She proves constant in her vigil, an unblinking pessimist hoping to be proven wrong, and one of contemporary literature’s strongest voices.

Available from: Seven Stories Press, Amazon, Barnes & Noble,  IndieBound, Powell's Books

(Open Road Media, eBOOK, June 2014)

The novella “A Necessary Being” showcases Octavia E. Butler’s ability to create alien yet fully believable “others.” Tahneh’s father was a Hao, one of a dwindling race whose leadership abilities render them so valuable that their members are captured and forced to govern. When her father dies, Tahneh steps into his place, both chief and prisoner, and for twenty years has ruled without ever meeting another of her kind. She bears her loneliness privately until the day that a Hao youth is spotted wandering into her territory. As her warriors sharpen their weapons, Tahneh must choose between imprisoning the newcomer—and living the rest of her life alone.

The second story in this volume, “Childfinder,” was commissioned by Harlan Ellison for his legendary (and never-published) anthology The Last Dangerous Visions™. A disaffected telepath connects with a young girl in a desperate attempt to help her harness her growing powers. But in the richly evocative fiction of Octavia E. Butler, mentorship is a rocky path, and every lesson comes at a price.

Available from: Amazon

In “The Evening and the Morning and the Night” the introduction of a cancer cure causes the children of its users to develop "Duryea-Gode Disease" (DGD), a genetic disease whose symptoms include dissociative states, obsessive self-mutilation, and violent psychosis. DGD patients can delay the onset of symptoms by means of rigid dietary restrictions. However, the intense social isolation they face, as well as the knowledge that the eventual onset of symptoms is inevitable, makes some of the second-generation patients wonder whether these efforts are worth it.

Lynn, the female protagonist, is a double DGD (she has the disease from both her parents) learns how to deal with the disease and the oppression that she felt since she was growing up. She witnesses what DGDs are more capable of, when she visits the Dilg, a type of retreat center where the out of control DGDs are placed. At the Dilg they are not restrained, but instead are improving themselves by being creative artistically.

Out of Print