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Octavia E. Butler
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Adulthood Rites (Xenogenesis, Book Two) Paperback – April 1, 1997

by Octavia Butler (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 2,380 ratings
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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.
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  1. Book 2 of 3
    The Xenogenesis Trilogy
  2. Print length
    306 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Warner Aspect Books
  5. Publication date
    April 1, 1997
  6. Dimensions
    6 x 0.77 x 9 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    0446603783
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0446603782
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In this sequel to Dawn, Lilith Iyapo has given birth to what looks like a normal human boy named Akin. But Akin actually has five parents: a male and female human, a male and female Oankali, and a sexless Ooloi. The Oankali and Ooloi are part of an alien race that rescued humanity from a devastating nuclear war, but the price they exact is a high one--the aliens are compelled to genetically merge their species with other races, drastically altering both in the process. On a rehabilitated Earth, this "new" race is emerging through human/Oankali/Ooloi mating, but there are also "pure" humans who choose to resist the aliens and the salvation they offer. These resisters are sterilized by the Ooloi so that they cannot reproduce the genetic defect that drives humanity to destroy itself, but otherwise they are left alone (unless they become violent). When the resisters kidnap young Akin, the Oankali choose to leave the child with his captors, for he--the most "human" of the Oankali children--will decide whether the resisters should be given back their fertility and freedom, even though they will only destroy themselves again. This is the second volume in Octavia Butler's Xenogenesis series, a powerful tale of alien existence.

Review

PRAISE FOR OCTAVIA E. BUTLER'S NOVELS

"Brilliant, endlessly rich...pairs well with 1984 or The Handmaid's Tale."―John Green, New York Times (on Parable of the Sower)

"Wild Seed is a book that shifted my life . . . It is as epic, as game-changing, as moving and brilliant as any science fiction novel ever written."―Viola Davis

"An internationally acclaimed science fiction writer whose evocative, often troubling, novels explore far-reaching issues of race, sex, power and, ultimately, what it means to be human."―New York Times

"More than any novel I've ever read, Octavia Butler's Wild Seed examines power, what it means to wield it responsibly and what it means to resist it when it is wielded capriciously."―Rion Amilcar Scott, PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize-winning author of Insurrections

"In the ongoing contest over which dystopian classic is most applicable to our time, Octavia Butler's 'Parable' books may be unmatched."―New Yorker (on Parable of the Sower)

"Butler is one of the finest voices in fiction-period . . . A master storyteller with a voice that cradles and captivates, Butler casts an unflinching eye on racism, sexism, poverty and ignorance, and lets the reader see the terror and beauty of human nature."―Washington Post Book World

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Warner Aspect Books; Reprint edition (April 1, 1997)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 306 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0446603783
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0446603782
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.01 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.77 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 2,380 ratings

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Octavia E. Butler

Octavia E. Butler

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OCTAVIA E. BUTLER (1947–2006) was the renowned author of numerous ground-breaking novels, including Kindred, Wild Seed, and Parable of the Sower. Recipient of the Locus, Hugo and Nebula awards, and a PEN Lifetime Achievement Award for her body of work, in 1995 she became the first science- fiction writer to receive the MacArthur Fellowship ‘Genius Grant’. A pioneer of her genre, Octavia’s dystopian novels explore myriad themes of Black injustice, women’s rights, global warming and political disparity, and her work is taught in over two hundred colleges and universities nationwide.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
2,380 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

sbissell3
5.0 out of 5 stars The Passing of a Star
Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2006
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Octavia Butler recently died in Seattle. Her passing is a great loss to literature in general and science fiction in particular. She once said that she didn't really write `Science Fiction' as such because she did know much about science. In fact her books do tackle some of the big themes of SciFi, but are not in the `hard science' genre. Her themes were race, sexuality, and the nature of `reality.'

Ms Butler was dyslexic, [...], above average in height, African American, and a genius. She lived as a hermit in the middle of a major city and created a body of work which stands with the very best. She won both Hugo and Nebula Awards several times and the MacArthur Foundation `Genius' Award in 1995. I think she is one of the few SciFi writers to have received this recognition.

I am posting this review on each of the Xenogenesis Trilogy (Dawn, Adulthood Rites, and Imago) sites as well as the volume where they are collected; `Lilith's Brood.' All are excellent and recommended.

In this series Ms Butler took on sexuality and the nature of `humanity' in a startling new way. She gradually takes the reader from the perspective of a `human,' specifically an Earthling who encounters an alien race to the perspective of the `alien,' specifically the descendent of interbreeding between humans and aliens who is now the `human' and sees Earthlings as the aliens.

Ms Butler skills are so great that this change in perspective goes so slowly that the reader is largely unaware until it has been accomplished. While some will dither about which of Ms Butler's novels are her `greatest,' few will argue that this series is superb. I have read nearly all of Ms Butler's works and enjoyed them all. I think she was one of the finest writers of speculative fiction in recent history and will miss her work.
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Lilith
4.0 out of 5 stars If you love Ursula Le Guinn, check out Octavia Butler
Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2023
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I wish I had discovered Octavia Butler's work in the days when I was reading a lot of young adult fiction and sci fi written by thoughtful women. Her work is thought provoking, strange, imaginative, and at times deeply disturbing. She writes really well about aliens, but less well about human beings, and you can really feel her lifelong sense of alienation and loneliness. People who liken her to Alice Walker are doing her potential audience an injustice, in my opinion, because she has far more in common with writers like Ursula Le Guinn and Phillip Pulman, though I warn you, her work is a lot darker and more disturbing than either of them.
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H. Grove (errantdreams)
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic
Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2016
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One thing I appreciate about this series is that it’s totally understandable why people would go against the aliens–and yet, it’s also easy to empathize with those who accept them. The Oankali trade genetic material by being a part of conception. No matter how much pleasure it can add to the equation, there are a lot of people who aren’t going to be interested in a threesome with an ugly alien in the middle. Even Lilith isn’t always comfortable with the situation, but she believes the whole thing is necessary. And she had the advantage of helping her own ooloi, Nikanj, enter adulthood–giving her emotional ties to him beyond his place in her reproductive cycle. It’s nice to see a setup that isn’t black-and-white, where really hard decisions have to be made on both sides. Do as the Oankali want, and your children won’t be entirely human. Go against them and you’ll have no children at all. One of the concerns about allowing unmodified humans to reproduce is the fact that they already destroyed themselves and their civilization once (with a nuclear war).

The characters are complex and interesting. In particular I appreciate seeing more of Lilith, who has had to make so many difficult decisions on behalf of her race. She’s finally developing another relationship with a man named Tino, some years after Joseph was killed. It’s interesting to see both her caring for all of her people, alien, hybrid, or human, as well as her occasional bitterness at having been dropped into a leadership position without her agreement. The aliens have some problems with consent–occasionally they’ll do things they’re asked or told not to because they believe what they want to do is more important, or because they believe the person feels differently than they say they do. Given our current cultural emphasis on consent, it’s a fascinating struggle to read about.

The Xenogenesis books contain a riveting account of survivalism, social identity, consent issues, racial identity, and more. I’ve read the first two now from start to finish and been unable to put them down.
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Debra Gordon
5.0 out of 5 stars Octavia Butler-well Worth the time and very thought provoking.
Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2019
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Octavia Butler writes(wrote) prose with beauty and and grace. It is meaningful and philosophical science fiction that is also completely human. “Dawn” was about a woman who is coming to grips with the aliens who saved the remnants of humanity from total extinction after a nuclear war. “Adulthood Rites” is the next step in human evolution focusing on her son and the price humanity paid for continuance. Butler challenged this male dominated genre and came out as a premier writer. She is well worth reading and savoring. I highly recommend this series. I love her ability and will read all of her offerings as I can. Enjoy.
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Top reviews from other countries

Rachel
5.0 out of 5 stars Complex Issues in an Alien World
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 21, 2022
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Having not enjoyed book one of the trilogy so much, I loved book two. I think I had got used to some of the ideas I found uncomfortable in the first book - interbreeding, consent, alien forms, etc. There were still areas I found awkward around personal choice, seduction and withholding of information, but these served to make me think rather than put me off. This book tells the story of Lilith's son, Akin, a mixed human-oankali child, as he grows up on newly resettled Earth. Adulthood Rites is a wonderful exploration of what it means to be part of humanity. It encourages the reader to question what matters in this life, and what can be given up on exchange for something different or better. I'm looking forward to reading part three.
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Alexander Stewart
5.0 out of 5 stars A good continuation
Reviewed in Germany on June 8, 2021
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Akin is a less compelling protagonist than Lilith was, but it remains a really engaging read, well worth a look.
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giandomenico
5.0 out of 5 stars Nice following up
Reviewed in Italy on August 26, 2020
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After dawn this must be read
Unfortunately dawn has been translated in Italian, but the following books not.
So I recommend to Italian people who want follow this saga this English edition.
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Grace
5.0 out of 5 stars Read this and then read a light fun book afterwards.
Reviewed in Canada on December 20, 2017
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Very dark and deep. I had to read something fun and light after finishing the trilogy. The first of the trilogy is the best. The second one was good and the third one was all right. Overall the trilogy makes you think about humanity and how different everything would change should the world end. Some parts for me were quite disturbing but not in a bad way as if it were badly written - the writing is superb. All three books are very visual - I can see exactly what Octavia was describing and the world she built.
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dwalshjapan
5.0 out of 5 stars Well Imagined SF
Reviewed in Japan on April 29, 2021
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I really enjoyed the world created in this and its precursor.
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