Dawn (A Lilith’s Brood Novel book 1) by Octavia E. Butler (book review)
I’ve liked Octavia Butler (1947-2006) books ever since her ‘Patternist’ stories with the incredible body-swopping deadly Doro. I just needed to find time to read her ‘Lilith’s Brood’ trilogy. I’m just walking on eggshells as to how much to say without going spoiler.
With the first book, Lilith Iyapo wakes periodically on board a spacecraft alone, except for one time when she finds the boy Sharad in her care and teaches him English as she tries to learn his language. Much later, she meets one of her hosts, Kaalteddiinjdahya lel Kahguyaht aj Dinso, who fortunately abbreviates his name to Jdahya for her and us. This humanoid species, the Oankali, is covered in sensory tentacles which kind of scares her but are also benevolent. They had rescued the remains of the human race after a terrestrial nuclear war and studying them for the last 254 years, bringing them out of hibernation from time to time. They even resolved her own cancer, promising her an extended life with the other surviving humans. The only time things go seriously wrong is when she is introduced to a male, Paul Titus, who attempts to rape her and he is promptly put back into suspended animation.
However, the Oankali entrusts Lilith with resurrecting 39 more humans and files on them so she can decide who gets revived from suspended animation first. What could have been a boring section of the book actually becomes problematic as many of them don’t understand what is going on, let alone trust her as a leader, let alone being on an alien organic spaceship. Moreso, as she has been enhanced by the Oankali and aware they are being watched,
The third part has the Oankali set up an Amazon-like environment in the spaceship to allow this batch of humans familiarise themselves with and assessing them before they are returned to Earth. Most of them still don’t think they are on a spaceship let alone that the Oankali can do such a thing. Lilith still isn’t trusted, more so the plans for the Oankali to create hybrids between the two species. Beyond that is spoiler.
A common theme with Butler’s novels is the ascension of characters during their development so it’s hardly surprising that is also happening here only with aliens this time. In many respects, I don’t envy Lilith’s task, especially as she thinks she’s failing. How that will turn out depends on the next novel in the sequence, ‘Adulthood Rites’.
GF Willmetts
July 2025
(pub: Headline, 2021 of a 1987 novel. 283 page small enlarged paperback. Price: varies. ISBN: 978-1-4722-8108-7)
check out website: www.headline.co.uk
