Adulthood Rites (A Lilith’s Brood Novel book 2) by Octavia E. Butler (book review).
It is now sometime later on Earth and in the village of Lo. Lilith Iyapo is fifty-five with a hybrid baby son, Akin. He’s been mentally aware since pre-birth and adapting to the outside world and relatives. Things are shaken up when a male nomad, Augustino Leal, shortened to Tino, is encountered and welcomed to the village, despite his own misgivings. Nikanj sees him as potential breeding stock for Lilith. This gets cut short when four men encounter Tino with Akin. Tino is nearly killed and Akin kidnapped by the four resisters.
During his three years away, Akin eventually finds himself traded to the people of Phoenix, who are looking for children because they can’t breed. He learns caution as to who knows how well he can learn and speak and meets two other older construct children, Amma and Shkaht, with budding tentacles. The girls flee when they learn some of the adults want to amputate their tentacles, effectively robbing them of their senses. A lot in this section of the book is a spoiler, and I was surprised it covered three years, but considering this is the Amazon, I doubt if there was any change in the seasons to note.
The next section deals with Akin seventeen years later but considered twelve by the Oankali age measurement and still on the short side. They also feel he’s close to the transformation and want him back on their mothership. Akin is also spending a lot of time with the resisters, which gives the Oankali some concern because of the occasional fights he gets in and fearing he would get hurt.
The last section has Akin returning to Phoenix and finding himself healing Tate Rinaldi, who had fallen ill three months ago. He also persuades her and her husband, Gabe, that once transformed into his final state, he intends to terraform Mars and move the resisters there with a return of their fertility. Considering these humans will have trebled their current lifespan, it might well be in their life term.
I know the book trilogy is ‘Lilith’s Brood’, but Lilith barely appears in this second book, so we don’t really see her influence on her son or any of her other family. There are a few spoilers that I’ve avoided giving. The Oankali are truly alien with their looks and sensory apparatus. I am concerned that the patterns (sic) of family are a common theme across all her books, but she writes so effectively.
GF Willmetts
July 2025
(pub: Headline, 2021 of a 1988 novel. 302 page small enlarged paperback. Price: varies. ISBN: 978-1-4722-8107-4).
check out website: www.headline.co.uk
