Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Wild Seed (Patternist, 1)

Top positive review

Deep,Engrossing

Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2020

I really don’t know how to express what I feel about this book. The premise is very “out there” in a weird down to earth way. The book is very well written and very engrossing, but is also very uncomfortable - almost disturbing with its “genetic experimentation” overlay. The book is deep and compelling, but I do not know if I have the fortitude to go on with this series. Ms Butler is surely one of the more profound writers in this genre so I do encourage readers to decide for themselves and not rely on reviews.

24 people found this helpful

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nanette

Just Crap

Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2021

Just somebody’s nightmare (Butler's). Largely about rape, incest, murder, promiscuity, etc. I had to read this for a grad course on Afrofuturism. I am a scifi fan & have read lots of it that is spectacular. I am also not a prude. This is my 2nd Butler book, after reading Kindred last year. I see no improvement in either the plot or writing between the two books. I had hoped Butler's writing would have improved over time. Both books are about women’s empathic and sexual exploitation and thrive on the prevailing sexual tensions. There's a tad of race-relation exploration in Wild Seed, but nothing really of note. Neither book is enjoyable—just salacious and anxiety-propelled. Not insightful, beautiful, inspiring, or really worth pondering. The emperor has no clothes.

44 people found this helpful

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From the United States

Maria Haskins

Compelling, unique science fiction

Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2015

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‘Wild Seed’ is the first book in the famous ‘Patternist’ series (though it was not written first). It is also the first book by Butler that I’ve read but will definitely not be the last: this was a book that kept me reading far too late into the night because I just could not put it down.

The book starts off in 1690, in Africa, and ends in 1840s in the United States. It follows the immortal man/spirit Doro – born in Africa in the days of ancient Egypt, and Anyanwu, an African woman with astonishing powers that set her apart from everyone around her. Doro brings Anyanwu to America, and she becomes part of his “people”: an extensive group of individuals who are ruled by, and selectively bred by Doro to enhance their various special abilities.

With that as its starting point, ‘Wild Seed’ becomes a haunting, rich, and compelling story of Anyanwu’s struggle to survive in the new world under Doro’s rule, exploring themes like good and evil, slavery and oppression, race and eugenics, family and friendship, love and the essence of life itself: what makes life worth living? what is a good life? what is worth living for? what is worth dying for?

Butler’s cast of characters add to the richness of the book: they are all complex and conflicted, and even characters that pass by only briefly in the story are so well-written that they stay with you afterwards. And Anyanwu is one of the most interesting and likable literary characters I’ve encountered. She is a good, but flawed, person, fighting tooth and nail to stay true to herself and her own convictions, and to keep her freedom and self-determination – even under excruciatingly difficult circumstances.

‘Wild Seed’ is compelling, unique science fiction, and it’s a book that lingers in the mind long after you finish reading it.

96 people found this helpful

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WOW

Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2020

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One of the best books I’ve read in a while. Butler’s use of originality is enough to pull you into the story immediately and once you are in, you won’t want to put it down. Doro, our main male character somehow entices both hatred as well as extreme awe and curiosity from the reader. Anyanwu, our protagonist, is an instant intrigue who was surprisingly relatable despite her non human abilities. The same level of intrigue goes for nearly every other character in this novel. This is a book I easily found myself falling in love with and wondering how it was possible that I had never heard of it before now! It’s unique and EXCITING, an incredibly detailed and wonderful adventure story that surprises at every turn. Keep an open mind and strap in tight!

11 people found this helpful

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Bryan Borich

A different take on the usual Vampire story

Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2018

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I only ran into this writer within the past year. I'm sorry I didn't do so earlier, because I'd recommend everything of hers I've read so far (this series and the Seed series, or whatever it's called).

The series is about a person who accidently finds out he is immortal, not in the normal sense, but in the fact he can displace himself into another body. Over time he finds other 'mutants' with other powers that he ends up trying to breed over centuries of time.

16 people found this helpful

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Jessica L

Riveting

Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2020

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It has been a long time since I've read a science-fiction story that so thoroughly kept me hooked. So many details interwoven to make such a good story through generations.

10 people found this helpful

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Vandy Jackson

A Tough Read

Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2021

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Although this book was surprisingly short.
It was a tough read for me to experience how callus both slavery and doro was/is.
I wonder after the ending of this book, what would be the conflict of the next book.
It is a good read. A certain truth behind a certain history, with a realistic twist to "witchcraft", sorcery, and Spirits. I found myself very irritated by doro's unflinching character. His arc is a slow one, but it tells me his struggle with changing his ways will probably be in the next book. or at least I hope it is.

On To The Next Adventure.

2 people found this helpful

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M. Costley

A good Read

Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2020

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A great book that flowed really well from time period to time period. I didn’t have to guess how much time passed and the character development worked really well! She even made us feel sad for a soulless demon like Doro in the end! Brilliant!!!

3 people found this helpful

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Heidi_g

a paranormal story with roots in Africa

Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2013

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This is the first book I have read by Octavia Butler and I really enjoyed reading it. I will definitely be reading more of her books. The main characters in the book are Anyanwu and Doro. I really loved Anyanwu. She was a wise, loving female, as well as a strong and interesting individual.

This is a paranormal story with its roots in Africa, which gave it a refreshing and unique spin, even though it is not a new book! The story's main plot revolves around the enduring relationship between Anyanwu and Doro, but the story touches on the themes of family, belonging, and the experience of those who are a little bit different. Additionally, I think anyone who loves animals and feels a connection with them will enjoy Anyanwu's story.

I really don't know what else to say, except that Ms. Butler created a fascinating world unto itself, and the best way to experience it for yourself is read the book! Ms. Butler has a very smooth writing style. Nothing is ever overdone, and everything is deep.

7 people found this helpful

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Fernando Goulart

A treatise of power and submission

Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2020

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Great book, my first from Ms Butler, and I was suprised to see the layers of complexity the main characters Anyanwu and Doro showed, and the depiction of their strange relationship, often filled with abuse and submission. Ms Butler writes with clarity and nuance, even though her subjects are complicated. Recomended!

2 people found this helpful

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JR Pinto

Fantasy at its best...

Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2003

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It is always a delight, when reading science fiction, to come across a writer who can actually WRITE. As soon as you begin Wild Seed, you know that you are in the hands of someone who knows what she is doing. I was turned onto Octavia Butler by reading Orson Scott Card - who cites her in his book on Writing Science Fiction. The book is, in the best sense, literary.
The story reads like a version of the X-Men set in the past. Imagine Dr. X forced to marry Magneto. Doro and Anyanwu are both immortals. Anyanwu can die, but she goes on living indefinitely. Doro dies quite frequently - merely inhabiting a new body the moment he does. Therefore Doro cannot die. He finds the shape-shifting woman Anyanwu in Africa in the seventeenth century and brings her to one of his "seed villages" in America. There, he has gathered other mutants with special abilities for the purposes of breeding them in the hope that he may, one day, produce another mortal like himself.
Butler avoids many of the clichés which science fiction and fantasy are prone to. The resultant novel is a thoroughly enjoyable read with memorable characters. Things are not resolved by a tidy little shoot-out at the end.
My problem with the mass-market paperback is that, in several places, there are glaring errors: lines are repeated, etc. Wild Seed deserves a better edition.

9 people found this helpful

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S.H.E.

Deeply imaginative novel, beautifully interpreted

Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2021

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I am astounded by the imagination of Octavia Butler and the depth of her knowledge, breadth of her reach in writing. I am about half way through listening. The narrator is probably the best reader I've experienced so far on Audible. She makes the Audible version of this book come alive in ways that I'm not sure it would if I were reading it silently to myself. Magnificent.

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