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Bloodchild
Set on a distant planet, Bloodchild is Octavia E. Butler’s shattering meditation on symbiosis, love, power and tough choices. It won the Hugo, Locus, Nebula and Science Fiction Chronicle awards and is widely regarded as one of her greatest works.
Years ago, a group known as the Terrans left Earth in search of a life free of persecution. Now they live alongside the Tlic, an alien race who face extinction; their only chance of survival is to plant their larvae inside the bodies of the humans.
When Gan, a young boy, is chosen as a carrier of Tlic eggs, he faces an impossible dilemma: can he really help the species he has grown up with, even if it means sacrificing his own life?
Perfect for fans of the thrilling Arrival and the works of Ursula Le Guin.
Years ago, a group known as the Terrans left Earth in search of a life free of persecution. Now they live alongside the Tlic, an alien race who face extinction; their only chance of survival is to plant their larvae inside the bodies of the humans.
When Gan, a young boy, is chosen as a carrier of Tlic eggs, he faces an impossible dilemma: can he really help the species he has grown up with, even if it means sacrificing his own life?
Perfect for fans of the thrilling Arrival and the works of Ursula Le Guin.
31 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 1984
169 people are currently reading
8280 people want to read
About the author
Octavia E. Butler
103 books22.1k followersOctavia Estelle Butler was an American science fiction writer, one of the best-known among the few African-American women in the field. She won both Hugo and Nebula awards. In 1995, she became the first science fiction writer to receive the MacArthur Foundation "Genius" Grant.
After her father died, Butler was raised by her widowed mother. Extremely shy as a child, Octavia found an outlet at the library reading fantasy, and in writing. She began writing science fiction as a teenager. She attended community college during the Black Power movement, and while participating in a local writer's workshop was encouraged to attend the Clarion Workshop, which focused on science fiction.
She soon sold her first stories and by the late 1970s had become sufficiently successful as an author that she was able to pursue writing full-time. Her books and short stories drew the favorable attention of the public and awards judges. She also taught writer's workshops, and eventually relocated to Washington state. Butler died of a stroke at the age of 58. Her papers are held in the research collection of the Huntington Library.
After her father died, Butler was raised by her widowed mother. Extremely shy as a child, Octavia found an outlet at the library reading fantasy, and in writing. She began writing science fiction as a teenager. She attended community college during the Black Power movement, and while participating in a local writer's workshop was encouraged to attend the Clarion Workshop, which focused on science fiction.
She soon sold her first stories and by the late 1970s had become sufficiently successful as an author that she was able to pursue writing full-time. Her books and short stories drew the favorable attention of the public and awards judges. She also taught writer's workshops, and eventually relocated to Washington state. Butler died of a stroke at the age of 58. Her papers are held in the research collection of the Huntington Library.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,011 reviews
November 13, 2018
Dear Ms. Butler:
I feel the same way about bearing children.
xoxo
carol.
I feel the same way about bearing children.
xoxo
carol.
June 25, 2020
Alien Perversity
A short story that is meant to be maximally disgusting. Humans used as living incubators for 9 foot tall centipedes is only the start. These intelligent insects are part of the human household. They hold and caress adults and infants as they enjoy their warmth. They supply humans with a nourishing, intoxicating food, their own infertile eggs. They choose when and with whom to implant their grubs in the human body. If not handled in exactly the correct manner, birth is lethal for the host who is eaten from the inside out. So a sort of compilation of the most distressing of perversions: paedophilia, beastiality, cannibalism, sadism, and sexual slavery. Sci-fi but more Un Chien Andalou than Star Trek. Most certainly an unforgettable read.
A short story that is meant to be maximally disgusting. Humans used as living incubators for 9 foot tall centipedes is only the start. These intelligent insects are part of the human household. They hold and caress adults and infants as they enjoy their warmth. They supply humans with a nourishing, intoxicating food, their own infertile eggs. They choose when and with whom to implant their grubs in the human body. If not handled in exactly the correct manner, birth is lethal for the host who is eaten from the inside out. So a sort of compilation of the most distressing of perversions: paedophilia, beastiality, cannibalism, sadism, and sexual slavery. Sci-fi but more Un Chien Andalou than Star Trek. Most certainly an unforgettable read.
June 13, 2021
Maria Ferrandez said of Octavia Butler's classic short story "Bloodchild" that it involved “Human subject dismantled and demolished: a human body whose integrity is violated, a human identity whose boundaries are breached.” It is this that I loved so much about this story: The horrific ciclicism, the possession and inevitability to that possession, and a deep-running claustrophobia.
But it is not strictly a horror story, either. Butler said of this story: “It amazes me that some people have seen ‘Bloodchild’ as a story of slavery. It isn’t… On one level, it’s a love story between two very different beings… ‘Bloodchild’ is my pregnant man story.” It’s a strangely romantic, or even erotic, story.
I might come back to this at some point, because there is a lot going on here, but regardless it’s incredible, absolutely deserving of its Hugo and Nebula, and I think you should read it! I also adored this review of the story.
I actually have so many thoughts about this but it’s late so for now I’m just going to leave it at “this is absolutely one of my favorite pieces of short fiction of all time”. There is just so much about this that . Wow. Hello?? This is about to live in my head without paying rent (also a theme in this story). Frankly, my full review is that Jenny Slate meme about having to unfollow NASA because it made me too crazy. I hope you all enjoy this short story just as much!
Blog | Youtube | Twitter | Instagram | Spotify | About |
But it is not strictly a horror story, either. Butler said of this story: “It amazes me that some people have seen ‘Bloodchild’ as a story of slavery. It isn’t… On one level, it’s a love story between two very different beings… ‘Bloodchild’ is my pregnant man story.” It’s a strangely romantic, or even erotic, story.
I might come back to this at some point, because there is a lot going on here, but regardless it’s incredible, absolutely deserving of its Hugo and Nebula, and I think you should read it! I also adored this review of the story.
I actually have so many thoughts about this but it’s late so for now I’m just going to leave it at “this is absolutely one of my favorite pieces of short fiction of all time”. There is just so much about this that . Wow. Hello?? This is about to live in my head without paying rent (also a theme in this story). Frankly, my full review is that Jenny Slate meme about having to unfollow NASA because it made me too crazy. I hope you all enjoy this short story just as much!
Blog | Youtube | Twitter | Instagram | Spotify | About |
October 10, 2023
This short story was bizarre, weird, chilling, creepy, gory - & I absolutely loved it!
Since it's unexpectedness is part of it's charm I'm not going to say any more - except to thank Penk for recommending Ms Butler to me.
I'll become a science fiction convert yet!
Since it's unexpectedness is part of it's charm I'm not going to say any more - except to thank Penk for recommending Ms Butler to me.
I'll become a science fiction convert yet!
https://wordpress.com/view/carolshess...
June 25, 2020
Aman Tripathi’s father in Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan could not stop throwing his stomach’s content up when he found his son kissing another boy, passionately, I must add. On the other hand, even though I did not vomit like the father, I was occasionally turning myself away from Octavia E. Butler’s short story, Bloodchild. It was gory, sometimes really disgusting; I would ask myself repeatedly why am I even reading it but the desire to finish the 31st book of 2020 was strong enough to keep me going. Both the stories move on love, although it is slightly difficult in one to figure out if it is really love or bondage.
The interdependence of two different species in a way that Butler wrote about in Bloodchild is something I had never thought about. The high-headedness through which I deal with situations around me often fools me into thinking that I have understood everything because I am sensitive. Why, then, before I figured out the dispersed love in the narration of Bloodchild, was I cringing with disgust? Why, then, was I thinking how insensitive Aman Tripathi’s father was before he finally sensed his son’s love for the boy? The answer to all my questions lie in reading and finding out. However technologically advanced we can claim to have become, we are still incapable of understanding even ourselves without external help. We are fortunate to be surrounded with so many different mediums through which we can do this: we can talk, we can listen, we can watch and the best of all, we can read and feel what we have never felt before. Not knowing and therefore, not understanding is not the root cause of all problems. Having the ability to know and understand but even then, cringing at the sight of love and turning one’s face away from what one does not understand, is the one root cause of all evils that are lurking around every corner of the world.
The interdependence of two different species in a way that Butler wrote about in Bloodchild is something I had never thought about. The high-headedness through which I deal with situations around me often fools me into thinking that I have understood everything because I am sensitive. Why, then, before I figured out the dispersed love in the narration of Bloodchild, was I cringing with disgust? Why, then, was I thinking how insensitive Aman Tripathi’s father was before he finally sensed his son’s love for the boy? The answer to all my questions lie in reading and finding out. However technologically advanced we can claim to have become, we are still incapable of understanding even ourselves without external help. We are fortunate to be surrounded with so many different mediums through which we can do this: we can talk, we can listen, we can watch and the best of all, we can read and feel what we have never felt before. Not knowing and therefore, not understanding is not the root cause of all problems. Having the ability to know and understand but even then, cringing at the sight of love and turning one’s face away from what one does not understand, is the one root cause of all evils that are lurking around every corner of the world.
July 1, 2022
Butler herself has stated this short is not about slavery, but I find it impossible to read it and not subconsciously draw that parallel. I don’t think it’s a simple allegory for slavery, and in so few pages Butler manages to display a plethora of complex elements, but to me as a reader slavery was definitely one of those elements.
The premise evokes as much, and is deceptively simple: humans, or at least a certain group of them, have been driven off their home planet (by another group of humans) and find sanctuary on a distant planet inhabited by a race known as Tlic. In exchange for these trappings of protection, (usually male) humans use their bodies as hosts for the alien larvae.
Bloodchild evokes complicated questions about love and what we do to protect the ones we care about, whether love can truly exist in a relationship where one party is just bartering something away- and which party/race truly has the disadvantage. Everything is very perspective-oriented, and very cerebral. Butler makes you think, possibly even more than she intended. The afterword indicates that the story had a simpler intention, which would have been to put a male in a universally female situation (pregnancy), to cope with Butler’s own fear (botflies), and to explore a love story between members of alternate species.
The broader and more complex theme of “paying rent” with bodies, though, lends the story deeper parallels to things like slavery, prostitution and colonialism, and as a reader, to me those aspects are what gave the story power.
Regardless of which interpretation you take, the story, much like the larvae depicted therein, burrows under your skin. Butler does a masterful job of implanting an idea that grows under the surface and, in an inexplicably pleasurable way, eats away at your psyche.
The premise evokes as much, and is deceptively simple: humans, or at least a certain group of them, have been driven off their home planet (by another group of humans) and find sanctuary on a distant planet inhabited by a race known as Tlic. In exchange for these trappings of protection, (usually male) humans use their bodies as hosts for the alien larvae.
Bloodchild evokes complicated questions about love and what we do to protect the ones we care about, whether love can truly exist in a relationship where one party is just bartering something away- and which party/race truly has the disadvantage. Everything is very perspective-oriented, and very cerebral. Butler makes you think, possibly even more than she intended. The afterword indicates that the story had a simpler intention, which would have been to put a male in a universally female situation (pregnancy), to cope with Butler’s own fear (botflies), and to explore a love story between members of alternate species.
The broader and more complex theme of “paying rent” with bodies, though, lends the story deeper parallels to things like slavery, prostitution and colonialism, and as a reader, to me those aspects are what gave the story power.
Regardless of which interpretation you take, the story, much like the larvae depicted therein, burrows under your skin. Butler does a masterful job of implanting an idea that grows under the surface and, in an inexplicably pleasurable way, eats away at your psyche.
November 13, 2018
Humanos huyendo de su planeta llegan a uno con una civilización de centipedos gigantes de 3 metros y bueno ... imaginen alien renegociado y con mpreg con niños.
Power imbalance is nasty.
Power imbalance is nasty.
March 29, 2018
Exceptionally weird and quite creepy. It’s really a stellar example of quality short fiction. I have a feeling that this one will stick with me for a long, long time.
October 16, 2018
A strange and alien exploration of what it means for two dying races to flourish once again through a new found and tentative symbiosis.
May 8, 2022
“Yes. Tomorrow you will resume your suffering—if you must. But just now, just for now, lie here and warm me and let me ease your way a little.”
To escape the dark reality of earth, a group of people known as the Terrans made their escape from the planet, venturing into space, in hopes of finding a better planet to live in. Unfortunately, these humans found themselves in a new horrifying reality. They now live on a distant planet, alongside centipede-like creatures called the Tlic who are facing potential extinction. In order to ensure the preservation of their species, these creatures use humans as hosts for their larva, planting them inside human bodies and allowing them to grow inside of them. When the time comes, these humans give birth to the alien creatures, and the process is extremely bloody and painful, that involves their insides being torn apart as the newly hatched aliens exit the human bodies. If not done correctly, this process is fatal to humans.
This short story was the first work I read by Octavia Butler, and it was an excellent introduction to her writing, making me very eager to read her full length novels. The themes explored regarding the interdependence of these two species were done so in a profound manner. There is an unequal power dynamic between these many legged creatures and the humans. The humans are ultimately submissive to these creatures, acting as vassals to their offspring, and in turn, they are taken care of and can live, as long as the process of giving birth doesn't go wrong. This story is oddly romantic at certain places and has erotic undertones, and Octavia Butler herself classified it as a form of an erotic romance. I believe this work also explores the concept of sexual slavery, despite Octavia Butler claiming that is not the theme she intended this story to carry. It is heavy on gore and can get quite disgusting, as the intricate details of how the larva develop into young Tlic and tear the humans inside out are not shied away from by the author. At the same time, there is a dynamic of tenderness and care shown between the Tlic in this story and the family she is living with. We even see a quite graphic scene where this creature gently impregnates a man after choosing him as her children's vassal, and it read like a very twisted alien on human erotica. I found the idea of human males being impregnated by female Tlic bizarrely interesting, and the way Octavia Butler seamlessly merges bizarre erotic relationships with gruesomely harsh consequences made this an unforgettable read. I was pretty disturbed throughout the story since it is a pretty dark one, and even the "tender" scenes have a gruesomeness to them that I literally felt on my skin, which is a testament to her excellent and immersive writing.
I can see why this story won the Hugo, Locus, Nebula and Science Fiction Chronicle awards. I think I would count it as a classic must read for fans of this genre, as long as the reader is okay with the extremely bizarre gruesomeness that is definitely present here!
“I saw them eat a man.” He paused. “It was when I was little. I had been to the Hartmund house and I was on my way home. Halfway here, I saw a man and a Tlic, and the man was N’Tlic. The ground was hilly. I was able to hide from them and watch. The Tlic wouldn’t open the man because she had nothing to feed the grubs. The man couldn’t go any further and there were no houses around. He was in so much pain, he told her to kill him. He begged her to kill him. Finally, she did. She cut his throat. One swipe of one claw. I saw the grubs eat their way out, then burrow in again, still eating.”
February 2, 2022
Bloodchild was a very interesting read, I wish it was longer! This is my second time reading something by Octavia Butler, and I’m definitely seeing recurring themes now.
I can’t wait to read more of her work in the coming months. I recently bought Parable of the Sower, and I’m keen to dive into it!
Octavia Butler described this story as a “love story” in her afterword, but I personally wouldn’t classify it as such. To me, it read more like an allegory of slavery. Reproductive slavery in particular. I know that she plainly stated that that wasn’t her intention, but sometimes stories convey messages and ideas that the author never intended.
Calling this a love story on any level feels wrong because the relationship in this story comes across more as exploitation and coercion rather than love. As Nisi Shawl wrote for Tor: “Relationships between unequals can never be purely consensual; they’re built on imbalance.”
____________________
My review of Kindred — 4 stars
I can’t wait to read more of her work in the coming months. I recently bought Parable of the Sower, and I’m keen to dive into it!
Octavia Butler described this story as a “love story” in her afterword, but I personally wouldn’t classify it as such. To me, it read more like an allegory of slavery. Reproductive slavery in particular. I know that she plainly stated that that wasn’t her intention, but sometimes stories convey messages and ideas that the author never intended.
Calling this a love story on any level feels wrong because the relationship in this story comes across more as exploitation and coercion rather than love. As Nisi Shawl wrote for Tor: “Relationships between unequals can never be purely consensual; they’re built on imbalance.”
❝You started to run away not long after that, didn’t you?❞
❝Yeah. Stupid. Running inside the Preserve. Running in a cage.❞
____________________
My review of Kindred — 4 stars
January 4, 2019
Incredibly weird and creepy as well as gripping and fascinating. This author has got an amazing imagination and this was a fantastic example of compelling short fiction and I now look forward to reading more of this writer's work.
April 28, 2018
just go ahead and fuck me up, Octavia
May 23, 2022
I'm really am not a fan of alien books or movies. And maybe I completely misinterpreted this story, but why did the author describe it as a love story in the afterword??
August 21, 2025
5 Ovipositor Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Drunken Egg Dreams ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Ewwwwwww😲!
Here are eleven earthdwelling insects that will lay their eggs inside you for incubation and hatching of their young: https://www.ranker.com/list/insects-t...
A group of humans, known as Terrans, flee Earth to escape persecution. Having arrived at their off-Earth home, this ingenious short tale is told from the POV of a young male Terran on the cusp of puberty.
Spoiler ahead:
You can listen to this weird 'coming of age' tale, delightfully & disgustingly narrated by Professional Nerd, for free here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxzUr...
It's a fast and freaky listen, highly recommend 💛🧚♀️🙋🏼!
(oh, did i mention that there's ⛎? how could there not be?)
Here are eleven earthdwelling insects that will lay their eggs inside you for incubation and hatching of their young: https://www.ranker.com/list/insects-t...
A group of humans, known as Terrans, flee Earth to escape persecution. Having arrived at their off-Earth home, this ingenious short tale is told from the POV of a young male Terran on the cusp of puberty.
Spoiler ahead:
You can listen to this weird 'coming of age' tale, delightfully & disgustingly narrated by Professional Nerd, for free here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxzUr...
It's a fast and freaky listen, highly recommend 💛🧚♀️🙋🏼!
(oh, did i mention that there's ⛎? how could there not be?)
February 24, 2025
I should have stepped on you when you where small enough
What if we were some kind of hosts to a better race of worms on a distant planet?!
What if the responsibility of bearing children was assigned to men? Let Bloodchild tell you
My 2025 Black History Month list
What if we were some kind of hosts to a better race of worms on a distant planet?!
What if the responsibility of bearing children was assigned to men? Let Bloodchild tell you
My 2025 Black History Month list
January 5, 2017
...I very much liked this story. Although the middle in particular is quite horrific, the story ends on a note of hope for the future. What I also liked about it is that Butler manages to do so much with it in so few words. Any of the themes she uses could have been enough to carry a story. Despite the elements of exploitation and gender relations, the story is not overly political or moralizing. Butler channels it all into the confrontation in a way that makes you feel she needed those elements in her story rather than add them because she felt she had something to say about these issues. Bloodchild is so very well constructed that it is not surprising it has remained her most popular short story. I guess I really should get around to reading one of her novels.
Full Random Comments review
Full Random Comments review
August 16, 2016
Skupina ljudi pobjegne sa Zemlje u potrazi za slobodnijim životom, da bi na nepoznatom planetu postali domaćini parazitskoj rasi. Oh, the irony!
Zanimljivo, Octavia E. Butler u pogovoru piše da je iznenađena što ljudi misle da je ova priča o ropstvu. Pa, meni se također činilo da je to glavna tema - ljudi žive u Rezervatu, podijeljeni su među tim vanzemaljcima i oni ih doslovno uzgajaju samo da bi ih korisitili kao domaćine za svoje larve - a ona kaže da je to priča o ljubavi dva vrlo različita bića! Ovo je njezina priča o muškoj trudnoći, a čini mi se da je u sceni implementacije jaja evocirala i sjećanja na svoje prvo seksualno iskustvo. Priča je to i o odrastanju, donošenju teških odluka, prilagodbi... ma, nevjerovatno je što je sve stalo na tih dvadesetak stranica!
Kad je planirala put u Peru, gdje je istraživala za svoj Xenogenesis serijal čula je da tu između ostalog vreba i "botfly" (po wikipediji kod nas "štrk"), vrsta muhe koja svoje larve nese u rane od uboda drugih kukaca na sisavcima.* Odatle joj osnovna ideja za priču, jer kako sama kaže, kada je nešto uznemiri ona piše o tome.
Nemam veliku odbojnost prema crvima ili insektima, ali moram priznati da sam se par puta naježio dok sam čitao ovu priču. Odlično je napisana, brzo sam se vezao za likove, što samo pojačava nelagodu u nekim dijelovima. Pročita se skoro u jednom dahu, a onda ostavlja u razmišljanju što će kasnije biti s likovima.
* - Ako se larve uoče preporuča se da ih se ostavi ispod kože, jer ih je nemoguće cijele izvući bez kirurške opreme pa je infekcija neizbježna. Najbolje je pričekati do povratka kući pa otići liječniku ili čekati da larva naraste i izađe sama.
Zanimljivo, Octavia E. Butler u pogovoru piše da je iznenađena što ljudi misle da je ova priča o ropstvu. Pa, meni se također činilo da je to glavna tema - ljudi žive u Rezervatu, podijeljeni su među tim vanzemaljcima i oni ih doslovno uzgajaju samo da bi ih korisitili kao domaćine za svoje larve - a ona kaže da je to priča o ljubavi dva vrlo različita bića! Ovo je njezina priča o muškoj trudnoći, a čini mi se da je u sceni implementacije jaja evocirala i sjećanja na svoje prvo seksualno iskustvo. Priča je to i o odrastanju, donošenju teških odluka, prilagodbi... ma, nevjerovatno je što je sve stalo na tih dvadesetak stranica!
Kad je planirala put u Peru, gdje je istraživala za svoj Xenogenesis serijal čula je da tu između ostalog vreba i "botfly" (po wikipediji kod nas "štrk"), vrsta muhe koja svoje larve nese u rane od uboda drugih kukaca na sisavcima.* Odatle joj osnovna ideja za priču, jer kako sama kaže, kada je nešto uznemiri ona piše o tome.
Nemam veliku odbojnost prema crvima ili insektima, ali moram priznati da sam se par puta naježio dok sam čitao ovu priču. Odlično je napisana, brzo sam se vezao za likove, što samo pojačava nelagodu u nekim dijelovima. Pročita se skoro u jednom dahu, a onda ostavlja u razmišljanju što će kasnije biti s likovima.
* - Ako se larve uoče preporuča se da ih se ostavi ispod kože, jer ih je nemoguće cijele izvući bez kirurške opreme pa je infekcija neizbježna. Najbolje je pričekati do povratka kući pa otići liječniku ili čekati da larva naraste i izađe sama.
January 8, 2021
A human colony living as little more than slaves, joined to an insectoid race as Love, possesiveness and self-sacrifice are themes.
Butler voices her surprise in the afterword, that readers see this as a story of slavery. But are we looking at symbiosis or at a parasitic relationship? Is it really consent in a situation, where your personal rights have been curtailed and there are no equal rights? I think not.
Interesting. And worth reading. I will have another look at Dawn, which I have been circling for a while.
Butler voices her surprise in the afterword, that readers see this as a story of slavery. But are we looking at symbiosis or at a parasitic relationship? Is it really consent in a situation, where your personal rights have been curtailed and there are no equal rights? I think not.
Interesting. And worth reading. I will have another look at Dawn, which I have been circling for a while.
October 17, 2021
Me encantan los dilemas malrolleros que planteaba Butler. Es única.
October 31, 2022
I would unread it if I could
February 8, 2025
This short story was a fascinating look at symbiosis, captivity, sacrifice, and making hard choices - it also touched on the horrors of child-birth. There was an aspect of this story that kinda made me feel a bit icky (in regards to the grooming of a minor) and that I wish was addressed to a larger extent, but otherwise, this was good.
I've been wanting to read something by this author for a very long time, and I'm glad I finally read something (even if it was just a short story).
I've been wanting to read something by this author for a very long time, and I'm glad I finally read something (even if it was just a short story).
June 23, 2019
Blood Child is as thrilling and intricate as it was the first time I read it. However, as was the purpose for re-reading it today, I would like to say Happy Birthday Octavia Butler. Her words, ideas and imagination inspired so many of us to feel bold enough to write our own stories, and to believe they were important enough to be told. She has influenced my own world so immensely, both in my personal creative endeavors as well as in my professional teaching career. And I am only one piece of starlight in the universe of people she has transformed. So thank Octavia, for everything. We will always keep your words and memory alive.
May 12, 2021
Eine der beeindruckendsten Kurzgeschichten die ich seit langem gelesen habe. Neben dem spannenden Handlungsbogen und den nicht unbedingt magenfreundlichen Beschreibungen besticht sie vor allem durch viele Interpretationsmöglichkeiten und den Ideenreichtum der Autorin.
April 25, 2020
This short story available for free at amazon kindle is my first reading of Octavia Butler's writings. It is a very nice story, yet it is really weird and sick. It is similar to the stories by H.P Lovecraft and China Miéville. The prescient horror of an alien monster species (the Tlic) with whom one has to strike a deal for mutual welfare is the central plot of the story. The description of hatching the Tlic offspring from the human hosts (the N'Tlic) gave me a stomach-churning. This breeding inside the human body is comparable to what we see in James Cameron's Alien movie series. Nevertheless, the story brings forth notable questions of ethics and social interdependence. Since it is told from the point of view of a kid this is also a 'coming of age' story, or as Butler puts it - last day of childhood.
January 3, 2024
This is a short, weird, graphic, but also thought-provoking sci-fi horror story. It explores a bizarre symbiotic relationship between humans and an alien species on a distant planet.
The body horror is very gory and grotesque, but fascinating.
I will have to re-visit this at some point.
The body horror is very gory and grotesque, but fascinating.
I will have to re-visit this at some point.
April 28, 2021
Was für ein spannendes und vielschichtiges Konzept auf so wenigen Seiten!
Vor allem das Nachwort gefiel mir noch richtig gut, weil ich mich immer für die Ideenfindung von Geschichten interessiere!
Vor allem das Nachwort gefiel mir noch richtig gut, weil ich mich immer für die Ideenfindung von Geschichten interessiere!
May 26, 2020
such an interesting little story!
i love how it mixed so many different topics - male pregnancy, coming of age or life altering choices (depending on how you see such things), owning your own body or owing someone something simply for being born and having nothing to say about it, choosing your own suffering for that or your family and i guess in a sense even touching slavery but not in the typical format.
and all that in about 30 pages!
which is basically the only problem i had with this story.
it’s so short and pushes so many different topics in one little thing that i just found it all a bit rash and too fast moving.
there is an alien world and creatures and i never felt as if we got an actual real description that was really complete. maybe that was on purpose. it’s not necessary for what the story does.
who cares about the planet how everything looks in detail if it actually is about how the human race that found refuge there has to “pay rent”?
i am interested to see what this author does with a bit longer works and will see what she has that might peek my interests because the idea and the writing was fantastic!
i love how it mixed so many different topics - male pregnancy, coming of age or life altering choices (depending on how you see such things), owning your own body or owing someone something simply for being born and having nothing to say about it, choosing your own suffering for that or your family and i guess in a sense even touching slavery but not in the typical format.
and all that in about 30 pages!
which is basically the only problem i had with this story.
it’s so short and pushes so many different topics in one little thing that i just found it all a bit rash and too fast moving.
there is an alien world and creatures and i never felt as if we got an actual real description that was really complete. maybe that was on purpose. it’s not necessary for what the story does.
who cares about the planet how everything looks in detail if it actually is about how the human race that found refuge there has to “pay rent”?
i am interested to see what this author does with a bit longer works and will see what she has that might peek my interests because the idea and the writing was fantastic!
June 4, 2016
Landing on another planet, already inhabited by creatures, often turns ugly in scifi. Bloodchild was a nice compromise between cohabiting and surviving, with touches of fear, love and disgust. As with Kindred, the writing flew easily, the story was interesting and I liked to discover what was happening with the characters, even if I didn't understand everything at the beginning.
July 8, 2020
I have been trying to get hold of a reasonably priced copy of Kindred for ages and Octavia Butler has long been an author I have wanted to investigate. Leafing through my ebook library, I found that I owned this - I had quite forgotten! It's a wonderful little short story and very thought provoking. The author's afterword was also very helpful. Essentially a meditation on what it would be like for a male of a species to experience pregnancy, which is presented in this instance as parasitical. Fascinating, entertaining and furthers my resolve to read more of her work.
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