A perfect introduction for new readers and a must-have for avid fans, this New York Times Notable Book includes "Bloodchild," winner of both the Hugo and the Nebula awards and "Speech Sounds," winner of the Hugo Award. Appearing in print for the first time, "Amnesty" is a story of a woman named Noah who works to negotiate the tense and co-dependent relationship between humans and a species of invaders. Also new to this collection is "The Book of Martha" which asks: What would you do if God granted you the ability—and responsibility—to save humanity from itself?Like all of Octavia Butler’s best writing, these works of the imagination are parables of the contemporary world. She proves constant in her vigil, an unblinking pessimist hoping to be proven wrong, and one of contemporary literature’s strongest voices.

This acclaimed post-apocalyptic novel of hope and terror from an award-winning author "pairs well with 1984 or The Handmaid's Tale" and includes a foreword by N. K. Jemisin (John Green, New York Times).When global climate change and economic crises lead to social chaos in the early 2020s, California becomes full of dangers, from pervasive water shortage to masses of vagabonds who will do anything to live to see another day. Fifteen-year-old Lauren Olamina lives inside a gated community with her preacher father, family, and neighbors, sheltered from the surrounding anarchy. In a society where any vulnerability is a risk, she suffers from hyperempathy, a debilitating sensitivity to others' emotions.Precocious and clear-eyed, Lauren must make her voice heard in order to protect her loved ones from the imminent disasters her small community stubbornly ignores. But what begins as a fight for survival soon leads to something much more: the birth of a new faith . . . and a startling vision of human destiny.

In An Epic, Game-changing, Moving And Brilliant Story Of Love And Hate, Two Immortals Chase Each Other Across Continents And Centuries, Binding Their Fates Together -- And Changing The Destiny Of The Human Race (viola Davis). Doro Knows No Higher Authority Than Himself. An Ancient Spirit With Boundless Powers, He Possesses Humans, Killing Without Remorse As He Jumps From Body To Body To Sustain His Own Life. With A Lonely Eternity Ahead Of Him, Doro Breeds Supernaturally Gifted Humans Into Empires That Obey His Every Desire. He Fears No One -- Until He Meets Anyanwu. Anyanwu Is An Entity Like Doro And Yet Different. She Can Heal With A Bite And Transform Her Own Body, Mending Injuries And Reversing Aging. She Uses Her Powers To Cure Her Neighbors And Birth Entire Tribes, Surrounding Herself With Kindred Who Both Fear And Respect Her. No One Poses A True Threat To Anyanwu -- Until She Meets Doro. The Moment Doro Meets Anyanwu, He Covets Her; And From The Villages Of 17th-century Nigeria To 19th-century United States, Their Courtship Becomes A Power Struggle That Echoes Through Generations, Irrevocably Changing What It Means To Be Human.

"A master storyteller, Butler casts an unflinching eye on racism, sexism, poverty, and ignorance and lets the reader see the terror and beauty of human nature." -- The Washington PostThis is the story of an apparently young, amnesiac girl whose alarmingly unhuman needs and abilities lead her to a startling conclusion: She is in fact a genetically modified, 53-year-old vampire. Forced to discover what she can about her stolen former life, she must at the same time learn who wanted-and still wants-to destroy her and those she cares for and how she can save herself.

One woman is called upon to rebuild the future of humankind after a nuclear war, in this revelatory post-apocalyptic tale from the award-winning author of Parable of the Sower. \\nWhen Lilith lyapo wakes from a centuries-long sleep, she finds herself aboard the vast spaceship of the Oankali. She discovers that the Oankali—a seemingly benevolent alien race—intervened in the fate of the humanity hundreds of years ago, saving everyone who survived a nuclear war from a dying, ruined Earth and then putting them into a deep sleep. After learning all they could about Earth and its beings, the Oankali healed the planet, cured cancer, increased human strength, and they now want Lilith to lead her people back to Earth—but salvation comes at a price.\\nHopeful and thought-provoking, this post-apocalyptic narrative deftly explores gender and race through the eyes of characters struggling to adapt during a pivotal time of crisis and change.

Fledgling, Octavia Butler’s last novel, is the story of an apparently young, amnesiac girl whose alarmingly un-human needs and abilities lead her to a startling conclusion: she is in fact a genetically modified, 53-year-old vampire. Forced to discover what she can about her stolen former life, she must at the same time learn who wanted—and still wants—to destroy her and those she cares for, and how she can save herself. Fledgling is a captivating novel that tests the limits of "otherness" and questions what it means to be truly human.

Lilith lyapo awoke from a centuries-long sleep to find herself aboard the vast spaceship of the Oankali. Creatures covered in writhing tentacles, the Oankali had saved every surviving human from a dying, ruined Earth. They healed the planet, cured cancer, increased strength, and were now ready to help Lilith lead her people back to Earth--but for a price.

Told in the haunting voice of Lilith, the heroine of "Dawn", this book is thestory of Lilith's only son, Akin. Though he resembles a normal human, Akin isthe first "construct"--part man/part alien.

Octavia E. Butler.

"Enthralling...compelling and truly original." - Denver PostLauren Olamina's love is divided among her young daughter, her community, and the revelation that led Lauren to found a new faith that teaches "God Is Change". But in the wake of environmental and economic chaos, the U.S. government turns a blind eye to violent bigots who consider the mere existence of a black female leader a threat. And soon Lauren must either sacrifice her child and her followers -- or forsake the religion that can transform human destiny.

The acclaimed trilogy that comprises Lilith's Brood is Hugo and Nebula award-winner Octavia E. Butler at her best.Presented for the first time in one volume with an introduction by Joan Slonczewski, Ph.D., Lilith's Brood is a profoundly evocative, sensual -- and disturbing -- epic of human transformation.Lilith Iyapo is in the Andes, mourning the death of her family, when war destroys Earth. Centuries later, she is resurrected -- by miraculously powerful unearthly beings, the Oankali. Driven by an irresistible need to heal others, the Oankali are rescuing our dying planet by merging genetically with mankind. But Lilith and all humanity must now share the world with uncanny, unimaginably alien creatures: their own children. This is their story...

The Patternist Series, Originally Published From 1977-1984, Details A Secret History Continuing Into From The Ancient Egyptian Period To The Far Future That Involves Telepathic Mind Control And An Extraterrestrial Plague. A Profile Of Butler In Black Women In America Notes That The Themes Of The Series Include Racial And Gender-based Animosity, The Ethical Implications Of Biological Engineering, The Question Of What It Means To Be Human, Ethical And Unethical Uses Of Power, And How The Assumption Of Power Changes People.--wikipedia. Wild Seed: Doro Is An Entity Who Changes Bodies Like Clothes, Killing His Hosts By Reflex -- Or Design. He Fears No One -- Until He Meets Anyanwu. Anyanwu Is A Shapeshifter Who Can Absorb Bullets And Heal With A Kiss ... And Savage Anyone Who Threatens Those She Loves. She Fears No One -- Until She Meets Doro. From African Jungles To The Colonies Of America, Doro And Anyanwu Weave Together A Pattern Of Destiny That Not Even Immortals Can Imagine. Mind Of My Mind: A Young Ghetto Telepath Launches A Psychic Struggle Against The Four-thousand-year-old Immortal Who Has Been Her Father, Lover, Master, And Creator To Free Her Fellow Telepaths. Clay's Ark: Asa Elias Doyle And Her Companions Encounter An Alien Life Form So Destructive That They Exile Themselves To The Desert To Avoid Contaminating Others, But Their Compulsion To Infect Others Is Overwhelming And, In A Desperate Plea For Help, Kidnap A Doctor And His Two Daughters. Patternmaster: A Telepathic Race Is Ruled By The Strong Mind Of The Patternmaster, But His Ruthless Son Craves The Ultimate Power Of The Position And Has Murdered Everyone Who Stands In His Way Except A Final Victim--his Younger Brother. Wild Seed -- Mind Of My Mind -- Clay's Ark -- Patternmaster. Octavia E. Butler. Four Novels In One Volume.