Bk. 1), Dawn (Xenogenesis

Easy to see why this is a classic - Octavia Butler creates a world (dystopian, if you consider the self-destruction of humanity a bad thing), and writes an engaging story. The characters (many of them alien) are a bit flat and, among the humans, stereotypical or hard to relate to, but this is to be expected in a novel so ambitious in terms of its philosophical questions, e.g., "what is human? what is alien? what values define us? what values threaten to destroy us?". The first part of a trilogy.

The story's protagonist, Lilith, is impossible not to admire. A strong and capable survivor of the world-destroying wars, she must now adjust to the very different species which now holds the few remaining humans, and indeed the very future of humanity in its control. The aliens who have saved and healed the humans from extinction have plans for the repopulation of earth which terrify and appal the survivors. Dawn is the first in a trilogy exploring the myriad themes which come into play as humans awake from over two centuries to find themselves needing to learn to rebuild their lives and their world. While I often found myself liking the aliens a good deal more than many of the human characters, I loved the book and found it thoroughly engrossing, staying with me long after I finished it. I look forward to the next two parts of the series very much.

Here, Octavia Butler utilizes her brilliantly melancholy and creepy atmospheres to explore the relations between humans and future alien visitors. That works brilliantly in this book, but things falter a bit when Butler starts exploring the relationships between the humans of the story. After a nuclear war, the lead character Lilith awakens from suspended animation to find that she was one of the few human survivors to be rounded up by an alien race, and who want her to be a leader of a scraggly group of people who will re-colonize the wasted Earth. The aliens also wish to exchange genetic material and create a hybrid race for their own barely comprehensible purposes. Butler has created eerily weird and fascinatingly inhuman aliens with the Oankali, who are so different from humans that the first half of the book, in which Lilith tries to communicate and understand such fundamentally different creatures, has all the earmarks of profound and visionary speculative fiction. Unfortunately, most of the second half of the book becomes a pretty typical "Lord of the Flies" scenario, as Lilith tries to lead a group of human characters who are mostly constructed poorly, and exist only to give rather unsatisfying and predictable illustrations of human nature. This book’s non-ending is also a bit of a let-down, as the story here is reasonably self-contained but so obviously leads into a sequel that many loose ends are left behind. But still, Octavia Butler’s supreme imagination and emotionally effective writing put her in the elite of modern fiction writers, of any genre. [~doomsdayer520~]

Lilith discovers that the beings holding her hostages are aliens--come to couple themselves with humans permanently, whether humans desire it or not. I regret that it's taken me so long to pick up Butler. She has an easy readability--an adequate voice, and an intriguing concept coupled with strong pacing. But Dawn is discomforting, intentionally so: a pointed study of survival, adaptation, and consent--of living a full life within the confines of dehumanization. This is the apex of what speculative fiction can be: compelling in concept, incisive in metaphor. Dawn ends abruptly, so this volume doesn't stand alone--but I look forward to continuing the series.

I originally read this book when it was called "Liliths Brood". Each book was 5 start fantastic. When I saw the new marketing I got excited thinking that there was a new addition to the series. lol Anyway, Lilith wakes up to find herself among an alien race. This race, the name eludes me- ogalis? - something like that; are repulsive to us and have an organic technology that is far advanced than our own was. The aliens need the earth and also the humans in order to progress as a species on both sides of the coin. They call themselves traders. For regenerating the earth after "armageddon" they want our species to interbreed but even their idea of breeding is totally different than ours and also totally more enjoyable once one has given it a chance. This book, and the other two of the series are so detailed and involved. I turned right back to the first page once I reached the end and read it all again. Please give at least the 1st book a chance, you won't be dissapointed.

It's rare that I find an author whose prose just grabs me from the get go. There is so much scifi out there that is trashy or boring and cliched, Octavia Butler was one of a kind. A black female writer in a field dominated by white men. The stereotype of the geeky white dude in his basement writing scifi doesn't apply here. Not just because she was female or black but because she has such a distinctive human and honest voice. The writing isn't filled with the usual cliches and she cares more about making you feel what the character does then bombard you with world building.

The book is broken into four parts, but could be summed up in two: "Lilith not getting along with aliens"; and "Lilith not getting along with Humans."

I am torn finding more than few fleeting instances of Lilith being happy with the state of anything. She's a generally miserable person, but for some reason the aliens decide she will awaken a cohort of humans in suspended animation and lead them in repopulating a broken Earth. It's really no surprise when this falls into absolute disarray, outright revolution and murder. The aliens said they spent several centuries studying Earth culture and history but apparently failed to read Lord of the Flies.

There is a lot of melodrama in here between...well, everyone. Lilith eventually takes on a lover who we are assured she actually loves, but there is effectively little in this book to suggest the two even like each other that much. Joseph is there primarily as a foil to contrast Lilith's mood of the moment. Likewise her relationships with any other person, human or alien.

The fun part is following the not-so-subtle references to the wonders of Socialism. We discover that humans have two conflicting traits: we are intelligent and "capable of so much", but also "hierarchical". This causes our ultimate destruction because we are physiologically incapable of being both smart and capitalist (though the word is not said) at the same time.

No problem, Comrade! Humans really are a perfectible and correctable lot - just like Marx said we could be. All it takes is an extra-terrestrial species willing to genetically modify humans to remove our pesky "hierarchical" trait, along with any desire to defend ourselves ("your children will never have the desire to fight again."). Now we are truly as equal as the aliens...

Except, the ever-equal aliens have a pretty stolid pecking order. Apparently not all animals are created equal in their society. There is a clear hierarchy - some are members of an upper caste of intellectual leaders (genetically blessed, even better) who happen to live in every household. These central characters control everything - sex, food, health and even the ability to be near anyone else. They can effectively tap into the nervous system and make you so dependent upon them that you will literally feel ill if you contact anyone but them.

The talk of equality through "perfecting humanity", the elimination of greed, and centralized control by a collection of your betters is straight out of Marx and Lenin. I don't know the author well enough, but I hope this is all being set up as a lesson in the abject futility of the system. Because at least in human history, socialism always ends badly. Every. Single. Time.

To another point: I've read some other reviews and don't get the concerns over sex. It's mostly described by reference ("it happened") and allusion. True, it's always a threesome with an alien in the (literal) middle but you don't get much detail as to where the tentacles go. (Eww.)

In summary, we're looking at a fairly one-dimensional story that plods along pretty slowly. To the extent it tries to make you think of the human condition, it's because the aliens tell us our desire to get ahead of any other human is bad-think, but that they can fix us. Then we'll all be equal, so long as we do everything exactly as told, never try to take charge of our own destiny and never, ever stray from the party line. Happy, happy...

This book started very lacking to me.It's was very hard trying to get through the start of the book.It remind me of the movie were aliens took over people's body's.Other than that I really give up on it.I could not go on reading this book ,It was very predictable ,not my cup of tea . .

The late 80s edition that I have is one of those with a white Lilith on the cover. That's kind of freaky, you know.
Octavia Butler's story is an interesting variant on a couple of cheesy SF tropes -- Aliens have come to save us from our own destructiveness. But wait, they've kidnapped us and performed bizarre biological experiments on us, and they need us for our reproductive capacity (Mars needs women!). Tentacled alien weirdoes are manipulating us for their own nefarious purposes.
Butler makes all these ideas fresh, well except for maybe the tentacles part. She clearly thought a great deal about the repercussions of the various plot elements, while creating a sincere survivor of a heroine, Lilith Iyapo. There are essays on the web that show how Butler was way ahead of her time in her speculations on the possibilities of genetic research and manipulation.
While slightly faulting her for never adequately explaining what made the visage of the aliens so horrendous for her characters, Butler's scenario is a refreshing antidote to the "Survivor" phenomenom plaguing our airwaves right now -- Lilith must select from amongst a human population in suspended animation to build a cohort that will help her escape her island. The tension increases as disparate personalities and other would-be leaders are added to the group. I think it is a testament to Butler's ability (or my lack of imagination) that I didn't expect the ending at all.

How could I have missed reading this book until now? I started reading this hoping to be entertained. I finished the book feeling grateful for far more satisfying. Like all great fiction, Butler's subject is what it means to be human, and to that end, she uses the freedoms of science fiction to achieve something that transcends its genre. The closest comparisons would be the science fiction of Ursula Leguin and Doris Lessing. But her talents and insights stand by themselves as major contributions to American literature. Had I not read this book, I would have missed something deeply special. Don't make that mistake.

I just read one of the best sci-fi trilogies! Octavia E. Butler's Exogenisis Trilogy just floored me. I rank it up there with Dune and Foundation. The world Butler builds is one of the most detailed and imaginative and convincing worlds filled with amazing characters. After each book, I couldn't click "buy" on the next one fast enough! If you're into sci-fi, you have to check this out. I can't believe this escaped my attention for so long!

Outstanding, intelligent writing exploring deep themes while remaining compelling. The characters are clearly revealed, and the story is unique. This book is great on many levels. It is a pleasure reading such smart writing that digs into important themes and entertains at the same time. I look forward to reading many more of Butler's books. Why isn't she more well known? She should be.

This book is an extraordinary accomplishment, combining mind-blowing science fiction concepts with a very personal perspective.
It's several hundred years in the future. Human civilization has been all but destroyed through vaguely described but clearly self-inflicted wounds. Aliens have arrived with the goal of restoring human civilization as part of their drive to trade genetic and other information with other species. They've snatched a bunch of humans and effectively put them in storage until they can figure out what to do with them. Our main character, Lilith, is one of the first to be awakened as the aliens start to put their scheme into place. She must deal with the (initially terrifying) aliens at first, then, as she's selected as one of the leaders of the restoration, deal with her fellow revived humans as they are awakened as part of what's to be the first colony on the restored earth.
Though the initial conceit is remarkable, Butler focuses on Lilith's reactions to her situation, giving the story a remarkably personal, down-to-home feel despite the extraordinary occurrences. And there are no simple solutions. The aliens are doing good in restoring humanity but also have their own agenda, involving significant genetic manipulations of the restored humans. Lilith has misgivings about this which she much try to conceal while she awaits an opportunity to escape from their control. She must also deal with the similar concerns of her fellow humans without giving too much away.
All that being said, despite my admiration I somehow didn't find the book as gripping a read as one might think from the description. I'm definitely interested in reading the rest of the books in the series, but without the sort of urgency a devoted reader comes to expect when he or she makes a new "find." Still, I am impressed by the book and perhaps the series will grow on me.

I read this book a couple years ago. It was called Lilliths Brood.
In case you didn't know Lillith is thought to be the first wife of Adam, before Eve. She saw herself as his equal and was cast out for it. She was roaming the land and saved by a demon, had his children. I assume she took this myth and generated her own fantasy. She is a fantastic author.

For me, this was the book that introduced me to the world of Octavia Butler. It was given to me by a friend who said I would enjoy it; primarily because of the Sci-fi nature. But once I began reading it I felt my mind just suck in the words. I finished the book so fast I began thursting for more (and eventually found the rest of her books).
Today, I own all of Butler's books and recommend that everyone read them. Dawn is as thought provoking and challenging as the rest of her books. It's an introduction to "human-extraterrestrial" relationships that should be explored. How would you feel locked in a room and only being exposed to a being who will not communicate with you?
For me, Dawn helped expose me to the realities that humans are more vulnerable than we want to believe. We live in our "perfect" lil' world, with our "perfect" lil' lives and we think it all "honky-dory."
I suggest buying this book and exposing yourself to some ideas that may be based in truth, or if nothing else, test your belief in humankind.

Wow.. this book was bizarre, weird, interesting, disturbing, sad, and engaging all at the same time (plus, 3 way alien mind sex). Despite really disliking some of the Oankali's actions, I still think I liked them - from their perspective they were doing the right thing - what they needed to survive.

I have the trilogy as one e-book, so I'm not sure how many pages the books are, but it was a fast read. I can't wait to start on the next one. I can see why the series has a 4+ star average review.

Original storyline for me. If, as one of the reviewers wrote, the rest of the series was better than book 1, then I can't wait to start reading the rest of the series. I've enjoyed learning about the characters, and found myself liking the aliens as much as the humans. Thank you, Octavia Butler, for quality writing...and to the good editing.

Genre: science fiction, alien encounters, post-apocalyptic dystopia
The writing style is somewhat dull: not much tension throughout the story; no cliffhangers at the end of sections or chapters.
The story is enjoyable in spite of the writing style, the grotesque aliens, and their sexual practices.

A good sci fi book can be hard to find, so I was very happy to discover Dawn. The story is interesting: humans basically destroyed their world so aliens decided to step in to save the few survivors. There's a catch to the aliens saving the humans though, which the main character, Lilith, isn't too happy about. As the reader it was hard to decide whether to root for the help of the aliens or to wish the aliens away. There's nothing sappy here or too cliched, which was very refreshing. Just a good idea written well. Overall it was an engrossing read, and I'm looking forward to the next book.

Don't bother to waste time reading the rest of this review (or any of the others). Just immediately buy/order/borrow all three books in this trilogy. They were fabulous!
I'm normally a fantasy reader and find sci-fi a bit dry. But Butler's characters are so real, so compelling and beautifully realized that they painlessly bring you to a contemplation of what it means to be human in all our beauty and painful inadequacy.
I gobbled these books down one after the other in two days; they're just wonderful.
It's nice if the fact that the protagonist is African-American is affirming for some folks, but I do have to say that to classify this as "African-American" writing is to limit it. Octavia Butler is a fabulous, interesting, insightful writer about the human (ok...and the alien) condition, and she and her heroine could be green with yellow polka dots. The fact that the books offer some racial insight was just a bonus for me.

Her bold, deep exploration of human kind forces the reader to examine their own humanity. This story is not only entertaining and enticing, but it puts into perspective human kind's need for survival and the sacrifices our species may, or may not, be willing to make.

This 3 book series is a fascinating take on aliens taking over the earth. If it offends you that humans are not the top of the food chain, then this series will offend you. It made me wonder how I would react to such a thing. Ms. Butler has incorporated some wild and different ideas in these books....some that may shock you. Well written!

I started this book and eventually it seemed like humanity would be able to coexist with another species. But humans are naturally aggressive, the alien species is secretive, and overall, although I guess realistic, it was highly disappointing...

A brilliant book with a bit of a bummer ending, Dawn grasps the reader's attention and interest immediately. Dark, sexy, foreign, creepy, it is easy to be transported to Lilith's new world as she discovers it. It would have had four stars, if I hadn't felt like Butler skimmed over important parts of the novel, such as Nikanj's transformation and Lilith's physical and emotional acceptance of her new alien family, and the development of her hybrid children. For a long, thoughtful book, the ending felt rushed and poorly developed. That said, I am excited to read the next book in the series to see where she goes from here. 3.5 stars, I would recommend it to sci-fi enthusiasts.

Character driven science fiction that is profoundly real. So well written I thought I was there. So unique and alien, and yet covers so many human emotions, concepts and cultural issues. This is a thought driven plot over an action driven typical novel. What a wonderful mind went into creating this story. Your talent will be missed Octavia!

This book is an amazing sci-fi which will cause you to crave the next! These humans are used quite like we now use things to make us feel good and happy. The beings feel more than we do, so they don't want us to hurt. On the other side of the coin they treat us as though they are Superior to us.

"Dawn" was my first experience in Science Fiction. I couldn't believe I waited so long! I inhaled all three of the Xenogenesis books and am now reading her short stories, "Blood Child." The biotech stuff really intrigued me, especially since I work at an immunology research laboratory! Cancer and genetic diseases play a very important part in Ms. Butler's work.
I find the race issue to be secondary in her work and that her feministic approach to life is much more in the forefront. Either way, of course, being the subjugated being in one's world produces a certain world view - where one sits determines where one stands - something I can definitely relate to!
Between the medical, gender, racial, human and moral issues brought out by the wonderful story-telling, there is an enormous amount to think about.

This book is about a human awaking to find herself a survivor of humanity. Aliens saved her and other humans. In the first book ,of the Xenogenesis trilogy, the question is what do the aliens want with humanity. Reading this book was exhilirating. The story is science fiction at its most interesting.

Really enthralling sci-fi. One of the best depictions of alien-ness I've ever read, comparable to Heinlein's Martians (and infinitely more difficult, since we are much more intimate with the aliens in this book than Heinlein allowed us to be with Martians).

Above all else, worthwhile for the description of human reactions to the truly unknown, to a situation at once so threatening and yet so impossible that it can only be rendered convincingly in science fiction.

The book is really a statement about humanity in general, so the characters aren't Middlemarch quality, but each serve a purpose. The plot is tight, quick, unexpected, yet convincingly motivated by character actions.

My only quibble is that it's a rather unhappy book :-P

The main character in this book is Lilith. She is such a deep character, you find yourself wishing that you could meet her in person. This story makes a person think about what it would be like if aliens really took earth over; although the part about our body in suspension inside a tree-like organism was very difficult to imagine. Lilith and the things that happen to her touch a deep-rooted fear- "what if" there are aliens and if so, what would they do with us? Unfortunately, the idea represented here, that human will turn the earth into some place that is unlivable is too easy to imagine. The way that Ms. Butler writes is wonderful; what a joy that is!

This is the first book I've read by Butler and I had mixed feelings about it. The plot was interesting and the ideas behind it were pretty intriguing, but the book just seemed to lose me after about a hundred pages of the same old things happening over and over. It seemed to me that Lillith would have her own thoughts about how terrible the genetic engineering that was happening to her was, but then she would turn around and reason herself into almost accepting it.
The book just frustrated me. The character development is pretty good for Lillith and the Oankali (the aliens out to save/change mankind), but despite that, I didn't care much for anybody in the story. During the course of the book there are a lot of different events that occur, but the book just didn't seem to go anywhere. My recommendation would be to read this book if you are interested in the ethical issues surrounding genetic engineering, or if you are looking for some philosophical debate, but if you're looking for a story that draws you into it and makes you want to read the rest of the series, I'd keep searching.

Humans finally did it. Wiped out most of the planet. An alien race rescues the remaining humans and puts them in suspended animation. Will they still be human when released to return and repopulate Earth?

This is overall a great beginning to the series. Taking time to world build properly but also give time to developing the characters. I accidentally began reading the 2nd volume first and was immensely enjoying it before realizing I was missing part of the story. That's how good these books are.

Take a few (formerly) cliched SF elements - a post-apocalyptic earth; alien abductions; humans repopulating the planet. Now, shake them up and filter them through Butler's prose, and you have a wonderful new animal (which would make the DNA-magician alien characters in this book proud)! The setting is nothing you've seen before, a whole new level in organic technology. The aliens are repugnant and compelling at the same time - not just because Butler says they are, but because through her words we feel the "alienness" of them. The humans are as fully-fleshed out as any in the best contemporary literature. The relationship between them is enormously complex, both physically and psychologically, and is the driving force in the story. The main character, Lilith, is a strong, African-American woman; if Alice Walker wrote science fiction, Lilith would be in that world. This is the first novel by Butler I've read. I'm glad it's the first of three in this series - now I know exactly what to pick up next.

I just finished writing my first-ever online review of "Kindred", the first book by Octavia Butler I've ever read and was so impressed by it I immediately went on to "Dawn". How my local library can have the FIRST and THIRD books in the "Xenogenesis" series makes my head spin (arrghh!) but I'll read them in order by buying them. Dawn was difficult to put down and much more of a "real" sci-fi novel than Kindred, but both centered on a strong, black female protagonist. As a long-time sci-fi fan I was greatly impressed by how Ms. Butler's story had so little (nearly nothing at all) to do with technology and everything to do with *people* whether human or not. Her imagination exceeded my expectations at every turn and her writing was haunting, clear and memorable, just like Kindred, despite the huge differences in story. I can't imagine not finishing up the last two (of the three) Xenogenesis series books. I'm also grateful to have found this author, although it saddens me greatly it was only by hearing of her death and getting curious over the raves about her writing mentioned (on CBS' Sunday Morning, I think) that led me to seek out her novels. This book, Dawn, will hold your interest and impress you whether you're "into" sci-fi or not and that's quite an achievement, I think.

This series has been on my to-read list for ages, and now that I've finally started it I'm full of regret for not getting to it sooner. Beautiful, character-driven work that never even sniffs the conventions of the genre.

This is a good book, well written with an extemely interesting premise--advanced (and very alien) aliens come to earth after a nuclear war and "save" mankind but turning humans into something else. The aliens call this a trade, a trade of genetic material in which each the two parties become something neither was before. The humans aren't thrilled with the idea and there lies the conflict. This is all well and good and certainly original and interesting but the humans in Butler's story seem too self destructive, too violent, and too unreasonable. At times Butler's aliens seem more realistic and more diverse than her human charcters. Still, it is both startling and thought provoking. And certainly worth reading. Just don't expect it to be perfect.

Phenomenal book. The plot and characters are fantastic, and the whole book overall leaves you feeling both intrigued and disturbed. I read this for free with my Kindle Unlimited membership, and have now bought it.

"Dawn" is my least favorite Butler book that I have yet read, but it was still well worth reading.
Butler is a fine writer, but she sometimes struggles with character development, and her characters in this novel -- that is, the human characters -- are relatively flat and featherweight. She relies on the rather uninspired technique of introducing Lilith's "children" through the reports she reads, and as a result, they never breathe with life. Like a newborn GURPS character, they're all a hollow collection of quirks, neuroses, and skills.
Furthermore, the plot of the book stumbles badly with their introduction. The process by which Lilith awakens the humans and starts preparing takes far too long and is rather dry and uninvolving. Butler is clearly interested in the dynamics and conflict in building a community -- she seems to explore this theme in practically every book, always in a similar way -- but there isn't really room for it in "Dawn," a novel whose great strength is the interaction of loneliness and sexuality for a stranger in a strange land.
For the aliens -- and Lilith's ever-deepening relationships with them -- are wonderful. Watching her adjust from fear and uneasiness in their presence to erotic (if very conflicted) joy with Nikanj is simply the best thing about the book, and alone makes it worth the read. It is rare for sci-fi writers to challenge sexual norms, particularly in such an odd way, without making a joke out of it. Although she seems barely interested in what is typically considered [different] sexuality, Butler shows an intense ability to depict couplings most people would have great difficulty even imagining.

Octavia Butler's Dawn is a challenging book in its ideas- the best type of science fiction. An alien race comes to the rescue of a decimated Earth and its survivors, but their solution to the repopulation of the planet is not what one would expect. At what point are we no longer human? I look forward to reading the rest of this series.

I don't usually read this type of fiction, but found this to be a very interesting story. It was detailed and quite believable. What seemed most realistic and eye opening was the author's perception of earth's demise and rebirth. I enjoyed this book.

This was my first book by Octavia Butler, and unfortunately I was a little disappointed. I've heard her prose described as "strong" and "lyrical" but I found her dialogues stilted. The fact that the plot is entirely driven by dialogue doesn't help.
Much of the book read like a 14 year olds' fan fiction (albeit a really twisted and interesting fanfiction).
I hope to read her other work. I think I'm done with this trilogy though.

After reading the first nine pages of Dawn by Octavia E. Butler, I anticipated quite a mind-blowing novel. Rarely have I read a group of passage as vivid, startling and absorbing as Ms. Butler's initial description of Lilith Iyapo's nightmarish detainment by mysterious, extraterrestrial captors. Unfortunately the authoress is better at getting a reader's attention than keeping it.
As more is revealed about the bizarre Oankali, the alien race confining Lilith, the book becomes consistently less interesting. I give Ms. Butler credit for composing some striking, surrealistic imagery and for creating very believable characters in Lilith and other human detainees whom the Oankali have collected after a devastating nuclear war, but I also must note that she seems unable to effectively steer the story in any stimulating direction (After the second chapter, it just wanders) and that her aliens seem, well.... alien. More time is spent dispensing gabble about sensory arms and suspended animation than any information that makes these placid, stoic creatures seem alarming or compelling. I'm sorry to say that little of subsequent chapters lived-up to the astounding first.

Never in a million years would I choose to read a science fiction book. This book was a requirement for a black literature class. Loved. It! It inspired me to continue onward and read the next two books in the trilogy. Octavia Butler was an outstanding writer!

There is much here to reflect on - the inherent viciousness of much human behaviour (perhaps related in some way to our meat-laden diets?) coupled with a naive belief in our own 'unique specialness' and the way in which our short lifespans make it difficult for us to learn from our history or avoid the mistakes of the past;
On the part of the alien Oankali, a similar conceit is evidenced in their certainty that their assessment of genetic qualities is all that is needed to fully understand other species, a blindness to their own fatal contradictions include; perfectionism, being control freaks, and their inability to imagine themselves in the place of those others;
It challenges the commonly held ideas of 'progress' that modern/western society has about sophistication or civilisation being synonymous with 'advanced' material technology, yet the otherwise 'primitive' Oankali surf deep space, assimilate other species and strip entire planets using only a detailed genetic understanding and adaptability, as well as their own version of 'Free Trade'.
Socially, the book & Xenogenesis series also reveals from the increasingly desperate reactions of the 'human resisters' just how fundamentally important children/offspring are in giving our lives purpose (a fact that is often glossed over in today's technological society, but still appreciated in many indigenous ones) There is much else here - about the nature of gender, domination, compassion, power and community - that is insightfully woven into the characters and storyline as commented on by other reviewers. But perhaps it is Butler's treatment of human and alien sexuality that is most unusual and haunting and lingers well after you finish the book/series.
Butler is an accomplished and original writer who grounds aspects of her most memorable characters and storylines on mythic African themes - the importance and interconnections between spirituality, human relationships/lineages and science - bringing to mind the scholar, Charles Finch's concept of, 'The Reunification of Myth & Science' as a basis for the future.
My only gripe with her work is that the books are too short, and the endings often unresolved/unsatisfying, but this may perhaps be linked to her sparse prose style and her wish to explore the storylines further elsewhere. I thoroughly enjoy her writing nonetheless...
Also recommended: Adulthood rites, Imago, the patternist series - in fact ALL her books.

My first taste of Butler, and I am unduly impressed. One quickly becomes engrossed in the tale of Lilith Ilyapo, thanks to Butler's keen understanding of human nature, which is akin to that of Ursula Le Guin. As has been stated previously, the book's aliens are some of the most "alien" aliens I've encountered in a long time. I've also heard it said that she puts her characters through hell, and it's true. But that's what builds great character, and it more than applies here. An engrossing tale.

This is an excellent trilogy. I've re-read it several times. Although Butler tends to write end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it books, they are really about the will to survive and about hope. Her characters, especially the women, are each in their own way very strong individuals who learn to cooperate in order to live. The fact that the cast of characters are of several races but race is not a negative issue is an interesting motif. Her image of the earth changed by nuclear war, alien intervention, and humanity's return to hunter-gatherer bands is fascinating.

I experienced a wealth of emotions while reading. I wasn't sure how I felt about the book in the beginning. But as the story developed, I dove deeper into the plot and felt the frustration, sorrow, and hope. Can't wait to continue.

This is a very good book, I haven't read anything like this in quite awhile. I'm hoping to be able to continue the series as I want to know if lillith ever makes it to earth with a good group of people.

I really enjoyed this book. Octavia Butler is a gifted storyteller. I thought the main character was especially well-developed & the story was easy to follow. This book was, IMO, the best of all 3 in the series.

This is unlike anything I've ever read, and I'm so glad I read it. It's like I'm rediscovering reading as I have now read what feels like my first REAL science fiction book. It's wildly different, and fascinating, and wonderful. Read it!

Ms Butler is obviously the queen of brilliant sci-fi. I wish I could have meet her and talk about how she had developed the trilogy. Alas, years too late. An incredible mind. Read her! Then tell all of your friends to do so as well!

The Xenogenesis series (beginning with Dawn) is about a race of aliens who survive and grow by breeding with other races, and humans are next. I love how personal the author makes this story. It's a really BIG idea, but she makes it about individuals. Very nice character-oriented writing.

The Xenogenesis series (beginning with Dawn) is about a race of aliens who survive and grow by breeding with other races, and humans are next. I love how personal the author makes this story. It's a really BIG idea, but she makes it about individuals. Very nice character-oriented writing.

I wasn't sure I would like this book but I found it hard to put down. If you are looking for a story rich in complex emotions and tangled cultural nuances that intrigue and provoke thought about humanity and our relationship with itself, give this a read. And if you want a story with interesting twists and strange technologies with a dystopian bent, you'll still enjoy this book without all the deep thought.

This remarkable book by the eminent Octavia Butler shows the depth of her commitment to her themes of love, alienation, and the relationships between women and men. At one level I do think she intended the aliens to represent men and their colonization of women. At another, I think it's a comment on the African-American experience. At another, this is an adventure scifi tale with strong characters. Scifi has often yielded up books that make profound comments on the real and current human condition, which makes such books literature. I can't forget this one. She made me feel the story, not just read it.

I always look for a good series of science fiction novels, and being a bit compulsive, I begin at the beginning. Unfortunately, in contrast to her other novels, I found this one rather lugubrious and static, its action stilted. Fortunately, I perservered, as the remaining novels in the series are utterly superb and up to her usual standards. This is uusually the reverse: a series starts out well and then gets over-played, developed beyond the poitn they should have been. At any rate, though this is the worst of the series, it should be read.

Loved this book! Already on the second one and it's very promising. Butler does a fantastic job of creating new worlds and new creatures and she's just as excellent at knowing human beings and portraying the very basics of human nature in her characters.

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Wonderfully written. Intelligent and thought provoking. Will humans destroy themselves; who are these visitors; what price is too high to pay for survival? I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and look forward to the next series novel.

The story explores post war, verge of extinction like I've never seen it. Aliens, civility, humanity, sexuality, sanity. Yes. I'd recommend this to people not easily grossed out or lean towards being prude...

i loved the characters in this book. i was happy to see them continue in the series. this book makes you wonder for sure and feel a bit inadequate as a human. this was a wonderful new concept for aliens. no run of the mill space invaders here.

One of the best Sci-fi books I have ever read. One of those 'I wish I could have written this ' feelings. It tackles into such deep questions, while diving into the feelings of people with great skill. I can't wait to start the sequel.

I love Octavia's books because they have an organic bent. Alot of technology in space sci fi tends to be physical and mechanical. Octavia's use of organic tech is refreshing and original. And her characters are so welldeveloped,I recommend it.

"Dawn" is an outstandingly good novel. It drags a bit at first, but stay with it; it gets MUCH better, and the two sequels are even better than "Dawn" Save money by buying all 3 in one volume under the title "Lilith's Brood." See reviews of "Lilith's Brood" for more details. Octavia Butler is one of the very best writers you will ever read! Buy and read ALL her works!

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I read this book around 1991. A friend had told me that this is just part one of the series. I read the book and couldn't put it down. I was enchanted with the cover. (the cover was different than the one shown now after the reprint)Years later, I remembered this book and wanted to read it again, but for the life of me I couldn't remember the author , or the title of the book.. I went crazy looking in every bookstore physically and even through the internet. I remembered vague details but could remember about the alien species and the things that happened to the character in this story. I then rembered that the author was a woman. I began searching for every sci fi female author and ran across Octavia Butler. For some reason, this name struck me as being familiar...but I wasn't sure. I searched through the books she wrote and looked for reviews, anything that could help me find out if this was her. Sure enough, they had mentioned bits of the story and I was awestruck. I went out and purchased the whole series and then some. The bookstore had only a limited amount of copies. I read this book for the second time yesterday. I am excited to read the next 2 in her series for the first time after nearly 13 years after reading the first book.

This Xenogenesis series is reminiscent of Stranger in a Strange Land. And Octavia Butler is a writer of the same calibur as Robert Heinlein. Her writing is complex, fully fleshed out and engrossing. I cared about the characters, was sometimes disturbed by the story, and completely sucked into her world. I read this Trilogy in a couple of days. Excellent!

Dawn, Adulthood Rites & Imago (collected in the omnibus book Lilith's Brood).

Strangely enough, I never realised that Lilith Iyapo was African-American or that Octavia Butler was either! Forgive me, I was very young at the time, and not very informed. But I LOVED the book! In any case, my experience just shows that the big deal that O. Butler is an African-American sci-fi writer, is no big deal. She's just a great sci-fi writer. Period. Also, if nothing else, the Oankali don't care.

This book is hard to describe any other way than unsettling. The creativity was incredible while the imagery and struggle was captivating and troublesome at the same time. It was a very good book but was hard to continue reading if only for the pain and struggle of the characters that permeates into the reader. Prepare to be uncomfortable but bewildered at the same time.

Before I selected an omnibus called Xenogenesis from the Sci Fi Book club (containing: Dawn, Adulthood Rites, and Imago), I had never heard of Octavia Butler.
Am I glad I selected this accidentally when I joined the club (Mainly because it said it had three books in it). While most of the free books I received were average to no good, The Xenogenesis Series was exceptionally great!

Octavia Butler is a strange sort of author; try to explain the gist of her work to a new reader and you come off sounding foolish:" There's this woman who's been abducted by aliens with tentacle faces, except now she's supposed to repopulate Earth with the few remaining humans left after we've blown everything up in WWIII..." It sounds like atypical SF schlock... but Butler's honest dialogue and her knack for staying four to five steps ahead of the reader insure an astounding reading experience. Inevitably, when I read a book of Butler's, I spend the first sitting getting acclimated to the plot... the next sitting is a frenzied stopless race to the finish... Four novels equal four sleepless nights. I'm VERY excited to hear that DAWN is the first book in a series and I look forward to reading the rest as soon as possible... for those who haven't tried the Patternist stuff, look that way.

Post nuclear war. So why are the aliens here at all? Why rescue any humans? Those were two questions still in my mind after reading book one of the Xenogensis series. These questions will be answered slowly over the course of the next two books. I wanted more backgroud of the antebellum lives of the human characters though to make them more real and allow me to understand them more.

When humans are about to be destroyed through self eradication, extraterrestrials offers to trade genetic material to improve both species. But will the humans (whom the extraterrestrials refuse to kill) accept their terms?

After being assigned this novel for a college class, I picked it up expecting not to like it much; the professor had praised it as being exemplary of "African-American writing," a phrase I am as leery of as I am of "feminist writing" or "Asian writing" or any writing at all that's judged and labeled on the basis of the author's ethnic background or gender rather than on the merits of the story.

However, _Dawn_ was nothing like what I had feared. Its story does not seem aimed particularly at any target audience, instead being simply enjoyable science fiction. There is no preaching in this book--only an engaging plot which draws the reader into its folds, the better to sink tendrils into the mind and make one wonder 'What if...?' I don't know whether I *like* the ideas that Butler presents. They disturbed me. Yet I also found myself intrigued; there is plenty of food for thought in Lilith's relationship to the Oankali and in the Oankali's view of humanity.

It's a shame that the general portrayal of humanity is tainted enough to cost the book a star. True, the thought-provoking nature of the novel is in part due to the subtle questions it raises about conformity and the truth of the saying about what to do 'when rape is inevitable'--but with the exception of Lilith, we are given no human protagonists with whom we can strongly identify, through whose eyes we can really explore these issues. The males in particularly are portrayed poorly; for the most part violent, boorish, and sex-obsessed, they aren't what I would call the best representatives of our population. Nor are the woman any better; most of them are either followers or conformists, allowing themselves to be drugged and subjected to sexual activities that they would not consent to of their free will. These people aren't quite my idea of heroes or heroines.

All in all, though, this is a novel well worth reading both for the questions it raises and for the entertaining story it provides. And for those who find themselves drawn in particularly strongly, the sequel, _Adulthood Rites_, will serve to clarify and expand on the ideas found here.

I've first read this book back in 1995 (give a take) after finding it in a used book store called `The Bookmonger'. Loved the book, but, it's clear from reading the novel that Butler intended Lilith to be African-American. What the publishers were thinking by depicting her as Caucasian on the cover of the 1987 hardcover edition of Dawn is beyond me.

Octavia Butler is superb. So far I have listened to the first two books in the Xenogenesis Trilogy, and I can't wait to hear the 3rd. I'm actually looking forward to it and other series by Octavia Butler. Sci-Fi fans you must listen to this series.

Wow! the author takes a preposterous premise and crafts a very credible story of human  behavior.  How many times must we experience the pain of our wrongness before we change direction.  Very entertaining!

This is an interesting often uncomfortable book about what makes us human. It explores sometimes unpalatable truths about who we are and does so by transporting us into an unknown world with frightening characters who are sometimes more human than we are.

Nothing to add here. the woman was a genius and, even now, not enough people know her work. those of us who do, who were privileged enough to have been in on the "secret' of Ms Butler, feel her loss acutely.

So buy her books, tell your friends to buy her books and share the wealth. She was Great and her works are Mighty.

If you are a sci-fi reader that wants to read about genetics, evolution and aliens. This is your series and don't stop after this book. IT WILL GET MUCH BETTER, three generations worth of it. Octavia butler in her early sci-fi work is how can I call it. A genius. She pushes the imagination with a basis in reality. She's easy to read and in the series has much reference to sexuality maybe because of her age or era in which she wrote the series. Great book/series. MUST HAVE

This is a great book. Fast pace, well developed characters, holds your interest till the very end. But, alas, I will not read any more of this series because the first book is kindleunlimited and then the publisher wants you to pay for the rest of the books in the series. This is very aggravating and I will not consent to the money hungry publishers ploy. If I would have known about this, I would never have read the first book. There are plenty of good authors out there so I don't have to put up with this greed.

A very thought provoking, well developed view of what an alien dominated future might be like, and a very thorough study of what a human response would be like. A great read that made me think about how I would react in such a situation.

The entire Xenogenesis series is a must read. Enjoyed the fantasy plot, as well as the undercurrents. Butler makes the plot more real by including the interplay of human emotions and interreactions. . . excellent series!

If you have never read a book written by Octavia Butler, this would not be a good one to start with. However, this book definitely deserves five stars. The plot is very intriguing and will make you think about how humans interact with each other. I am looking forward to reading the next one in the series.

It's an ok book. There wasn't much character development and the story wasn't very vivid, but was engaging enough so that I almost wanted to read the second book. However I couldn't get past the sex aliens...

She deserves the MacArthur Foundation "Genius" Award that she recently won and these books are the proof. No one writes like Octavia or has the imagination and intelligence to create such a complete and compelling world while still writing beautifully, creating fascinating characters and stories while managing an incredible and stinging critique of human "civilization." Octavia is to science fiction what Toni Morrison is to fiction an incredible writer and storyteller who's always true to her craft.

This is by far one of my favorite books ever. I was lucky enough to meet Octavia Butler before she passed. An amazing imagination and a true gift for storytelling. I recommend every single one of her books as a solid sci-fi/fantasy read. Enjoy!

I read this for an assignment. Not a very good book. Ridiculous premise and dreadful plot/characters/prose. I've read much worse though. I feel like this book is only famous because the author was black.

I really loved this book in every way. It`s simply the best science fiction book anyone could write. If octavia is reading this i just want to say that your a GREAT writer! And i have to confess that I`m simply a Teenager but it dosent matter, I loved it. My dream is to be a writer when I`m older and you are a perfect row model!

Meh. That's about the only way I can describe my feelings on this book. The story was intriguing but that’s about it. I never really developed an interest any of the characters and, quite frankly, I never cared what happened to them.

it sounds really good. many people think the humans in the story are too evil. however think about this. from the first bite of the apple, the snake has grown, encircleing us all, causing more and corruption. in several years this could be us.
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think deep. live deep. be deep.
if I can do it so can you, because im 14

-the helper

I have nothing to say except that I did not enjoy this book at all. I read it for book club and therefore I felt compelled to finish it. I did not like the way Octavia Butler wrote her female lead character, I did not like the aliens, and I did not like any of the supporting characters. There was nothing that I liked about this book. I am not sure what bothered me so much about this book but I felt very "dirty" while reading it. Maybe I missed some deep hidden meaning in this book but I hated it.

This odd series I didn't find too interesting. Maybe I would if I was an invading alien sex therapist. This is almost a horror story, with how creepy it is in parts. Condescending aliens treating people at times how people treat animals, which perhaps it part of the point?

i thoroughly enjoyed the book. As expected, it ended in a trailing fashion. So, naturally, I went to get book 2 from Kindle Unlimited.

That's when I discovered the trap. Book 2 is NOT available on Kindle Unlimited. You have to pay an additional fee to get the last 2 books.

Personally, I feel that putting the first on K.U. for "free" then charging you extra is very akin to drug dealers giving drugs away until they get you hooked.

I'm going to completely avoid this author from now on. Fool me once, …

Starts out with good expectations and goes down hill. Strange and bizarre story line that is so unbelievable that the characters seem unreal or cardboard. I slogged through it thinking it would get better but instead it just got worse. SEXUAL CONTENT and Slightly Graphic (3 way sex with alien?). Some Language.

Butler could write, no doubt about it, and it's a shame she died so young. Who knows what else she might have done? I've read a half dozen of her books and this is one of the few that qualifies as science fiction. Yet it also matches the sensualist preoccupation of many of the others. Although this time it's hard to imagine a sexual liaison with creatures that look and feel like shuffling collections of earthworms. I gave this a one-star not for quality but because the idea of a planet-devastating nuclear exchange between the US and Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union (the hook that lets the aliens take over) was trite, as well as unbelievable. And, then, the story was so strange, compelling at times but, in the end, too creepy for me to want to go on to the next in the series.