Octavia E. Butler’s Dawn (1987), the beginning of the Xenogenesis trilogy, is awesome in every way. (I hate using that word again, but I really do feel awed by every aspect of the book.) Reading this on top of Mara and Dann has restored my belief in science fiction’s potential to be great literature.
Dawn presents one of the finest descriptions of truly alien extraterrestrials and their culture. The story is absorbing, but not an easy read because of its gnawing atmosphere of justified paranoia, manipulation, and enslavement. Two of its violent moments are so emotionally powerful that I had to set the book aside for a day each time to avoid being overwhelmed.
Nevertheless, what I like most about Dawn is its quietness. It has only a few very brief episodes of violence, and nothing in it aims at sensationalistic thrills. In its quiet way, it profoundly probes two familiar themes (among others): Do the ends justify the means, and what does it mean to be human?
The story leaves behind a haunting aftertaste. What a colossal tragedy that Butler died so young!
Next up is the sequel to Mara and Dann, The Story of General Dann and Mara’s Daughter, Griot and the Snow Dog, which I want to read while M&D is still fresh in my mind. After that, I must follow up with the rest of the Xenogenesis trilogy.