Octavia E. Butler

In strange and uncertain times, where better to turn than Octavia E. Butler?Her honest, wise and hopeful words are for anyone who wants to shape our future into something good. They live on this little book, brought to life with beautiful new artwork by Manzel Bowman.'There's no single answer that will solve all our future problems. There's no magic bullet. Instead there are thousands of answers - at least. You can be one of them if you choose to be' A legendary writer and Afrofuturist pioneer, Octavia E. Butler died in 2006. Her advice feels as timely now as it was when she first wrote this essay twenty-five years ago - prescient, grounded and enduring. Praise for A FEW RULES FOR PREDICTING THE FUTURE...'A little gem of wisdom and art''Perfect, hopeful little book with beautiful illustrations''We all need the voice of Butler to give us a moment of clarity and reflection''What everyone needs to hear when they're feeling helpless''The art alongside this essay is stunning''Such an astute understanding of humanity and the world'

På sin 26-års fødselsdag i 1976, bliver Dana, en moderne sort kvinde, revet væk fra sin nye ægtemand, sit hjem i Californien og sit ellers trygge liv. Fra det ene øjeblik til det andet bliver hun bragt tilbage i tiden til en amerikansk sydstat under slavetiden. En plantageejers søn, Rufus, er ved at drukne, og Dana hidkaldes for at redde hans liv. Derpå vender hun tilbage til sit moderne liv, men igen og igen bliver Dana bragt tilbage i tiden til slaverne på plantageejendommen, og for hver gang forlænges og forværres hendes oplevelser. Det bliver mere og mere farligt for Dana, og hun oplever situationer, hvor hendes liv kan slutte, før det er begyndt.Slægtskab er et tankevækkende og skræmmende spekulativt mesterværk fra den prisvindende og anmelderroste forfatter Octavia E. Butler. En roman om slaveriets grusomheder, som udforsker racisme, sexisme og den hvide races historiske herskermagt og dens indvirkning på verden dengang og nu.

The wise words of science fiction icon Octavia E. Butler live on in this beautiful and giftable little volume.There's no single answer that will solve all our future problems. There's no magic bullet. Instead there are thousands of answers-at least. You can be one of them if you choose to be." Originally published in Essence magazine in the year 2000, Octavia E. Butler's essay "A Few Rules for Predicting the Future" offers an honest look into the inspiration behind her science fiction novels and the importance of studying history and taking responsibility for our actions if we are to move forward. Organized into four main rules, this short essay reminds readers to learn from the past, respect the law of consequences, be aware of their perspectives, and count on the surprises. Citing the warning signs of fascism, the illusive effects of fear and wishful thinking, and the unpredictable nature of what is yet to come, Butler shares realistic but hopeful suggestions to shape our future into something good. An inspiring and motivational gift for students and recent graduates, fans of Butler's work, and anyone seeking a brighter day tomorrow, this exquisite gift book includes stunning Afrofuturist artwork by Manzel Bowman alongside the full text of the original essay.LITERARY ICON: Octavia E. Butler was a pioneering science fiction writer whose novels, written decades ago, remain eerily relevant, reflecting on themes of racial injustice, women's rights, environmental collapse, and political corruption. In 1995, she became the first science fiction author to win a MacArthur Genius grant, and her books are taught in over 200 colleges and universities nationwide. This book shares Butler's timely but lesser-known essay and is a must-read for fans of her classic sci-fi works. CELEBRATE BLACK CREATORS: This book spotlights one of the greatest authors of Afrofuturism, a genre and philosophy that explores and reimagines Black culture, creativity, and liberation through fiction, art, music, film, and other media. Octavia E. Butler's forward-thinking essay is paired with contemporary illustrations by Manzel Bowman, whose evocative images are also inspired by Afrofuturist visions. INSPIRING GIFT: A unique gift for students, recent graduates, and anyone celebrating life milestones or looking forward in life, this beautifully designed hardcover book is sure to inspire. Octavia E. Butler's essay is also an important, evergreen reminder for writers, creatives, dreamers, and activists who want to envision and work toward a brighter future.Perfect for:- Fans of Octavia Butler and her novels, including Kindred and Parable of the Sower - People interested in nonfiction and essays by Black women writers - Afrofuturism lovers and social justice-minded sci-fi readers - Literary bibliophiles looking for a stunning new addition to their bookshelf - Gift-giving to graduating high school and college students - Activists and community leaders - Inspirational essay readers - Fans of Manzel Bowman and Afrofuturist art

Octavia E. Butler's ground-breaking masterpiece, with an original foreword by Ayòbámi Adébáyò. Now an acclaimed TV series streaming on Disney +'A marvel of imagination, empathy and detail' NEW YORK TIMES'The marker you should judge all other time-travelling narratives by' GUARDIAN'One of the most significant literary artists of the twentieth century. One cannot exaggerate the impact she has had' JUNOT DIAZIn 1976, Dana dreams of being a writer.In 1815, she is assumed a slave.When Dana first meets Rufus on a Maryland plantation, he's drowning. She saves his life - and it will happen again and again.Neither of them understands his power to summon her whenever his life is threatened, nor the significance of the ties that bind them.But each time Dana is pulled back to the past, she finds herself confronting secrets she never knew ran through her blood. PRAISE FOR OCTAVIA E. BUTLER, THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR'Unnervingly prescient and wise' YAA GYASI'Butler's evocative, often troubling, novels explore far-reaching issues of race, sex, power and, ultimately, what it means to be human' NEW YORK TIMES'Butler's prose, always pared back to the bone, delineates the painful paradoxes of metamorphosis with compelling precision' GUARDIAN'Octavia Butler was a visionary' VIOLA DAVIS'An icon of the Afrofuturism world, envisioning literary realms that placed black characters front and center' VANITY FAIR'Butler writes with such a familiarity that the alien is welcome and intriguing. She really artfully exposes our human impulse to self-destruct' LUPITA NYONG'O

Selected by The Atlantic as one of THE GREAT AMERICAN NOVELS. ("You have to read them.") The New York Times best-selling author's time-travel classic that makes us feel the horrors of American slavery and indicts our country's lack of progress on racial reconciliation "I lost an arm on my last trip home. My left arm." Dana's torment begins when she suddenly vanishes on her 26th birthday from California, 1976, and is dragged through time to antebellum Maryland to rescue a boy named Rufus, heir to a slaveowner's plantation. She soon realizes the purpose of her summons to the past: protect Rufus to ensure his assault of her Black ancestor so that she may one day be born. As she endures the traumas of slavery and the soul-crushing normalization of savagery, Dana fights to keep her autonomy and return to the present. Blazing the trail for neo-slavery narratives like Colson Whitehead's The Underground Railroad and Ta-Nehisi Coates's The Water Dancer, Butler takes one of speculative fiction's oldest tropes and infuses it with lasting depth and power. Dana not only experiences the cruelties of slavery on her skin but also grimly learns to accept it as a condition of her own existence in the present. "Where stories about American slavery are often gratuitous, reducing its horror to explicit violence and brutality, Kindred is controlled and precise" (New York Times).

'Butler writes with such a familiarity that the alien is welcome and intriguing. She really artfully exposes our human impulse to self-destruct' LUPITA NYONG'O'An icon of the Afrofuturism world, envisioning literary realms that placed black characters front and center' VANITY FAIRFrom literary pioneer Octavia E. Butler, the acclaimed Lilith's Brood trilogy concludes with the story of Jodah, child of the Earth and stars, who risks the future of humanity just by growing up.Jodahs is a child of the Earth and stars, born from the union between humans and the Oankali, who saved humanity from destruction centuries before.But Jodahs is approaching adulthood, a metamorphosis that will take him beyond gender and family, and into a great but dangerous unknown.Frightened and alone, Jodahs must come to terms with this new identity, learn to master lifechanging powers and bring together what's left of humankind - or become the biggest threat to their survival.PRAISE FOR OCTAVIA E. BUTLER, THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR'In the ongoing contest over which dystopian classic is most applicable to our time... for sheer peculiar prescience, Butler's novel may be unmatched' NEW YORKER'Octavia Butler was playing out our very real possibilities as humans. I think she can help each of us to do the same' GLORIA STEINEM'Butler's prose, always pared back to the bone, delineates the painful paradoxes of metamorphosis with compelling precision' GUARDIAN'One of the most significant literary artists of the twentieth century' JUNOT DIAZ'Octavia Butler was a visionary' VIOLA DAVIS'Her evocative, often troubling, novels explore far-reaching issues of race, sex, power and, ultimately, what it means to be human' NEW YORK TIMES

From the award-winning author of Parable of the Sower: After the near-extinction of humanity, a new kind of alien-human hybrid must come to terms with their identity -- before their powers destroy what is left of humankind. Since a nuclear war decimated the human population, the remaining humans began to rebuild their future by interbreeding with an alien race -- the Oankali -- who saved them from near-certain extinction. The Oankalis' greatest skill lies in the species' ability to constantly adapt and evolve, a process that is guided by their third sex, the ooloi, who are able to read and mutate genetic code. Now, for the first time in the humans' relationship with the Oankali, a human mother has given birth to an ooloi child: Jodahs. Throughout his childhood, Jodahs seemed to be a male human-alien hybrid. But when he reaches adolescence, Jodahs develops the ooloi abilities to shapeshift, manipulate DNA, cure and create disease, and more. Frightened and isolated, Jodahs must either come to terms with this new identity, learn to control new powers, and unite what's left of humankind -- or become the biggest threat to their survival.

From the award-winning author of Parable of the Sower: After the near-extinction of the human race, one young man with extraordinary gifts will reveal whether the human race can learn from its past and rebuild their future . . . or is doomed to self-destruction. In the future, nuclear war has destroyed nearly all humankind. An alien race intervenes, saving the small group of survivors from certain death. But their salvation comes at a cost. The Oankali are able to read and mutate genetic code, and they use these skills for their own survival, interbreeding with new species to constantly adapt and evolve. They value the intelligence they see in humankind but also know that the species--rigidly bound to destructive social hierarchies--is destined for failure. They are determined that the only way forward is for the two races to produce a new hybrid species--and they will not tolerate rebellion. Akin looks like an ordinary human child. But as the first true human-alien hybrid, he is born understanding language, then starts to form sentences at two months old. He can see at a molecular level and kill with a touch. More powerful than any human or Oankali, he will be the architect of both races' future. But before he can carry this new species into the stars, Akin must reconcile with his own heritage in a world already torn in two.

'A book that shifted my life... Epic, game-changing, moving and brilliant' VIOLA DAVIS on Wild Seed'Butler's evocative, often troubling novels explore far-reaching issues of race, sex, power and, ultimately, what it means to be human' NEW YORK TIMESA PATTERNIST NOVEL: BOOK THREE Blake Maslin is a doctor. In an alternate America marked by volatile class warfare, he and his twin daughters are taken captive by armed men demanding urgent medical care.In an isolated desert compound, the family encounter a collective of people suffering from an unknown and deadly disease. They appear sickly yet possess unnatural strength, torn between the dangerous compulsion to infect others or to hold on to their own humanity.In the following hours, Blake and his daughters each must make a vital choice: risk everything to escape infection and warn the rest of the world, or accept their place in this strange new society.

'A book that shifted my life... Epic, game-changing, moving and brilliant' VIOLA DAVIS on Wild Seed'A literary pioneer' VANITY FAIR on Octavia E. ButlerA PATTERNIST NOVEL: BOOK TWOThe baby's name is Mary, and her father is immortal.For thousands of years, Doro has pursued perfection, experimenting with humanity and seeking out rare - and powerful - talents. His finest creation is Mary, a young black woman who grows up on the rough outskirts of Los Angeles.Doro knows he must handle Mary carefully or risk her ending like his previous experiments - dead, either by her own hand or his.What he doesn't suspect is that Mary is beginning to learn just how much power she wields. As she comes of age, Mary must harness her newfound abilities to challenge the ruthless man who controls her - and fight to free her people once and for all.

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.

En roman om livet på en slaveplantasje i Maryland på begynnelsen av 1800-tallet. Den prisbelønte amerikanske forfatteren Octavia E. Butler formidler et skremmende troverdig bilde av et rått og brutalt samfunn preget av korporlig avstraffelse og psykisk terror. Skyldfolk kom ut første gang i USA i 1976, er trykket i mer enn 250.000 eksemplarer, og benyttes mye i skolen for å gi elevene innsyn i et skjendig kapittel av amerikansk historie. Det er den nygifte svarte forfatteren Dana som på sin 26 årsdag i 1976 på uforklarlig vis blir brakt tilake til 1819, der hun treffer noen av sine forfedre. Hennes tidsreiser ender med forferdelse både for henne og Rufus, gutten hun hver gang å på redde.

The futures of both humans and Oankali rest in one young being's successful metamorphosis into adulthood.