Octavia E. Butler's "Octavia's Brood": Science Fiction Tales of Social Justice Movements

Raphael: This book is a collection of so many fascinating stories. And while many of them are dark or depressing, each one contains some sort of hope for a better future. Even at the darkest of times people can still find community and band together to create something new, and that's really what this whole thing is about

United States on Jul 23, 2023

Mary Ann Thomas: Octavia's Brood is an anthology of speculative fiction, or more specifically, visionary fiction. There are stories that imagine frameworks of human growth and change, others that explore universes that center disability, and some that gave me a really clear idea of the kinds of choices I'll be making ten, twenty years from now. The book neatly segways into my reading of Emergent Strategy and I'm glad to have taken my time with it. Adrienne Maree Brown's work is not meant to be rushed.

United States on Nov 17, 2020

Sally: I loved it. The selection of stories and the intro and epilogue. Can't wait to read more work of these editors.

Spain on Jan 27, 2019

eightbirds: A great, thought-provoking and empowering collectipn.

United Kingdom on Aug 25, 2018

Client d'Amazon: I love the concept behind this book so much!

United Kingdom on Apr 26, 2018

Elisabeth Carey: As the subtitle makes clear, this is an anthology with an agenda, and it's an agenda that will inflame certain parties in recent kerfuffles in the science fiction community.

That said, this is an enjoyable collection. The stories are varied in setting, viewpoint, and kind. There's an incipient uprising against both a hoard of zombies and the politically repressive response to the zombie hoard. There's a gentle story of a woman attempting to reconnect with both her dead grandfather and her very much alive daughter, in an alternate history where the Civil War started in 1859, and the slaves won. A woman has to decide how she's going to react to a government that's finally responding to global warming, in a way that may be both too much, and not enough. One choice will cut her off from her mother and the place she grew up; another will cut her off from her partner and her life now. Is there a third choice, and can she do it? A young man who is the token black superhero opts out of the nonsense--until he finds out how he matters to young people, and a away to make a contribution that matters to him.

The authors include names all sf readers will recognize, like Tananarive...

United States on May 21, 2016

Jayce Koester: I cannot say how much I love this. As an Octavia Bulter fan and an activist this collection of stories is continually inspiring, engaging, and deeply moving. The stories are imaginative, thought provoking and often deeply insightful. If you're a Butler fan and interested in engaging with a world made better by justice, art and activism, and the act of dreaming huge sprawling futures this is perfect. Keep it on your night stand and read a story two a night or devour the whole book at once. So many of the writers are new and many of the stories they tell are so creative and not bound up in this weird racist sexist bs that often circulates around the science fiction world. Be sure to buy a copy and get reading, and keep dreaming!

United States on Jul 22, 2015

Brent LambertBrent Lambert: As a fan of speculative fiction and an aspiring writer in that domain, Octavia Butler has always been my matriarch. She is the writer that may not have been my first inspiration, but she certainly left a deep, lasting impression on my soul. Her work is so seminal and I want to weep every time I encounter a reader or writer unaware of her contributions. Octavia is as important in my mind to the fabric of “blackness” as any Civil Rights activist. Her work empowers and calls us to be great. Octavia’s faith in humanity’s ability to rise above so tremendous.

So imagine my absolute delight when I found out there was going to be a book from social justice movement figures dedicated to Octavia. I was ready to devour the stories and see just what was given birth from the minds of people who were already accustomed to dreaming. Any work where you fight for the marginalized if you’re not careful can make you cynical and cause you to lose sight of those dreams that propelled into doing the work in the first place. I wonder how many of these authors walked away from this collection feeling rejuvenated about their work. Because they certainly made me feel rejuvenated about...

United States on Apr 21, 2015