If you are not a fan of short stories but want to give them a try and don’t mind ones that sometimes have alien life forms or other science fiction scenarios in them, then allow me to suggest Octavia E. Butler’s collection, Blood Child.
The first story, “Blood Child,” is definitely the best one and I have written about it before in conjunction with a Virginia Woolf story. Because it is so good and comes first it kind of overshadows the other stories in the book which are also quite good, just not as good. A couple of the stories I found most interesting in the collection are grounded in the premise of a disease that has struck the entire human population. In “The Evening and the Morning and the Night” it is a disease visited upon the children of parents who took a great new drug that cured cancer and several viral diseases. The children of one or both of the parents would eventually “drift,” and be seized with an uncontrolled desire to hurt themselves and others. The story deals with the rights of parents who have taken the drug to reproduce and the rights of the children to live free, normal lives.
The other disease story is “Speech Sounds.” In this one civilization has pretty much fallen apart after an infectious disease has robbed everyone to varying degrees of their language skills, particularly the ability to speak. Some can still speak and these people are hated and often killed by those who can’t talk. But even if a person can talk, she may no longer be able to read or write. The main character in the story is a woman who was a history teacher at UCLA and a writer. She can talk but doesn’t dare. And her house full of books, some of them she wrote, are now incomprehensible to her.
After each of the stories Butler has a short note in which she talks about why she wrote the story and what she thought the story was about. There are also two short essays at the end of the book, one autobiographical about how she came to be a writer. The other is addressed to those who would like to be writers and Butler offers sound advice like “Read,” and “Write.” But over and over the thing she stresses most is persistence. She is one who knows about this as she was (she died in early 2006) one of the few Black science fiction writers and as far as I know, the only Black woman science fiction writer. Blood Child is a good book. Butler is down to earth, modest and matter-of-fact about herself and her writing, and is always a pleasure to read.
Thanks for the suggestion. I don’t usually cre for short stories; they always seem to me to be too short. I’m just beginning to get interested in the characters or the plot, and the story’s over. Maybe I’ll try this collection.
Please accept my invitation to add a link to this review to my Saturday Review of Books on Saturday.
I am hoping to read more short stories this year–I will have to make note of this collection. I remember you mentioning “Blood Child” before. I really like the idea of the author writing something about the story–I find that sort of thing really helpful. I wish I could find a poetry anthology with an explanation following each poem!
I recall being interested in Butler’s stories when the tributes came out after her death. She seemed like a remarkable writer, thoughtful,intelligence, working with from a strong sense of social consciousness.
But oddly I can’t seem to find her books from the local library.
Do give Butler a try Sherry if you are so inclined. I used to not like short stories, felt the same way as you, but last year I tried a variety and have come a long way in learning to appreciate them and how different they are from novels. I always see your Saturday Reviews but never think to leave a link of my own. I will have to do that, thanks!
Danielle, the notes after the stories are really short but interesting for what they reveal about the story and also what they reveal about the author’s writing process. I can’t think of a poetry anthology like you mention, but if I come across one I will let you know!
She does have a very strong sense of social consciousness Dark Orpheus which makes her science fiction very interesting and different from the run of the mill scifi story. That is unfortunate you can’t find her books at your local library. Does your library offer interlibrary loans? Maybe they could get them from another library for you.
This sounds interesting — science fiction has not been my thing, really, but I do like the idea of trying new things and this would be a good place to start, wouldn’t it?
I look at the typos and grammatical mistakes in my last comment and I cringe. Have to type more mindfully.
Thanks for the advice, Stefanie. Instead of the library I’m going to try alternative sources for the Butler’s Blood Child. Maybe secondhand bookstores. Odd, even the local Borders don’t seem to have her fiction.
I can’t find James Tiptree Jr either.
This sounds like an interesting collection of short stories, something that I never seem to get around to reading.
Love short stories, love sci fi (well,duh!) so this sounds right up my alley. I always enjoy it when an author writes a short blurb about why they wrote a story so this is a plus for this book as well. I’ll be adding it to my wishlist!
Butler would be a great place to start with science fiction Dorothy. She is very feminist and doesn’t write pulp.
Dark Orpheus, No Tiptree either? I just realized you are in the UK, maybe Butler and Tiptree aren’t very popular there? Good luck in your search.
Heather, I am finding the more short stories I read, the more likely I am to read short stories. It’s really weird.
Carl, have you ever read Butler? If you haven’t she is fantastic and someone I think you would definitely enjoy.
I love to read short stories by authors I’m not familiar with. It gives me the chance to taste their work, without the commitment of a novel. I had read the Parable of the Sower years ago. I need to re-read it again. It looks like Blood Child is a TBR pile addition.
Thanks for the intriguing and thoughtful blog. Its wonderful to see.
That is a great way of looking at short stories Geekgirl that I never considered before! Parable of the Sower was a wonderful book. There is a sequel called Parable of the Talents, alsoo very good. Thanks for stopping by!
No I haven’t. I looked for this book over the weekend and didn’t find it in the 2 stores I hit. I’ll be keeping my eye out for it though.
I hope you find her Carl, she really is wonderful.
Pingback: Semicolon
Dark Orpheus,
I noticed that Amazon has many copies of Octavia Butler’s ‘Sower of the Parable’, maybe they also have ‘Blood Child’?
(From what I saw a bargain as well – from $1.99!)
Good Luck