Lilith’s Brood
by Octavia E. Butler · first published 2000
100% recommend
Why HN recommends it
Morally complex first-contact story about humans and an alien species, praised for its emotional weight, unusual perspective, and ideas about gender and coexistence. Suits readers of thought-provoking science fiction.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Lilith Lyapo 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.
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…books to be read. But, that's an incredibly detailed list and more than enough to last. I will highly recommend 2 books though. Anathem, Neil Stephenson. Have read this book at least a dozen times now. Lilith's Brood, Octavia Butler. This is one of only 2-3 books in my life that made me physically uncomfortable at times. It's not a happy story, but very well done. It'll make you think and feel. (3rd book) The Road,…
on “The Amazing Colossal Science Fiction Ketchup” ↗Two titles that I hope everyone reads and are not on the list: * The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson * The Fifth Sacred Thing by Starhawk And a bonus: * Lilith’s Brood by Octavia Butler
on “Science Fiction Books Everyone Should Read” ↗I'm halfway through Lilith's Brood / the Xenogenesis series from Octavia E. Butler, and I'm loving it. Despite the sci-fi angle, it feels like this is how things could play out if we were introduced to a mostly well-intended alien species.…
on “Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?” ↗In today’s times I can not recommend The Fifth Sacred Thing enough. Lilith’s Brood - nothing like it.
on “Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?” ↗Galactic North - Alastair Reynolds House of Suns - Alastair Reynolds Lilith’s Brood - Octavia Butler The Expanse
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?” ↗It's a big category. In the last year, two of my favorite reads were Children Of Time and it's sequels (Adrian Tchaikovsky) and Embassytown (China Mieville). I also really enjoyed reading the Lilith's Brood series (Octavia Butler). All three of these present a more nuanced look at humanity's interaction with alien intelligence
on “Mathematicians Found 12,000 Solutions to the Notoriously Hard Three-Body Problem” ↗If you haven't read it, the Octavia Butler trilogy called Lilith's Brood is a great multi-generational story as well.
on “Arthropod Intelligence? The Case for Portia (2020)” ↗Definitely second the recommendation of Lilith's Brood, I also found it very moving. I bought it based upon the strength of her (much) earlier short story Bloodchild which I found myself thinking about for weeks after I'd read it.
on “The Best Science Fiction Books (According to Reddit)” ↗…nerd from a very young age. I wish I'd discovered her sooner...she's easily in my top five favorite scifi authors, today. Parable of the Sower (and its sequel) is beautiful and thought-provoking; the Lilith's Brood series (starting with Dawn) was way ahead of its time, tackling gender, race, sexuality, and xenophobia, in a really thoughtful and nuanced way (in a genre that is not renowned for nuance on any of these…
on “When Science Fiction Becomes Real: Octavia E. Butler's Legacy” ↗Parable of the Sower is a nice quick novel, a great place to start, and feels very relevant these days. Lilith's Brood is a lot wilder, a very unique experience.
on “A Few Rules for Predicting the Future (2000)” ↗Out of all the scifi I've read over the years, one really stands out to me. Lilith's Brood by Octavia Butler. The reason isn't that I enjoyed it, but rather that by the time I finished it I was inherently disturbed by it. I've often read stories I enjoyed. Sometimes I read some that are boring.…
on “The Best Science Fiction Books (According to Reddit)” ↗…moving, can you describe in what ways? For me, the word "moving" means that I was emotionally tied to the character(s). When they succeed, I succeed. When one dies, its heart breaking. But that's not how Lilith's Brood affected me. At some deep level I was very disturbed by the overtones of rape and subjugation by the aliens, but that at the same time these creatures loved the humans they bonded with in the same deep…
on “The Best Science Fiction Books (According to Reddit)” ↗What’s a good short stories book you’d recommend? So far I’ve read Lilith’s Brood and a post-apocalyptic book about a girl traveling after her town was destroyed, first in a trilogy.
on “The Life of Octavia Butler” ↗