THE PLOT: ‘Imago’ by Octavia Butler is a sci-fiction novel about aliens taking over the world. After a devastating nuclear war, the Oankali rescued the human race and detoxified Earth. But the Oankali have made humans sterile unless they mate together to produce a hybrid species. Jodhas is the first human-Oankali to be born ooloi – a genderless, powerful being. Everyone sees his conception as a mistake and he is forced into exile so he doesn’t harm anyone. Frightened and alone, he encounters “resister” humans who have created a society that no-one could have foreseen.

SUMMARY: This is the final novel in the ‘Lilith’s Brood’ trilogy and I just don’t know what to think about it. This series is so original. I’m left reeling and questioning my views on all of the characters. If I’m honest, I expected this book to take place on Mars and follow the human characters. For me, this would have been a natural conclusion to the trilogy. I was disappointed that the story focused on the alien/hybrid characters on Earth. However, I was interested and invested in their fates. This book focused more on gender, sexuality and the concepts of freedom and consent – a very thought-provoking read. I can’t say I enjoyed it as much as the first book. However, the whole series will always have a place in my heart.

GOOD BITS: This is the only novel in the trilogy written in first-person past-tense. While this is usually my least favourite perspective, it drew me in. I felt like Jodhas was recording his experiences for generations to come. The skill of this book is making the alien characters relatable. Even when I found myself disengaging with Jodhas, the author introduced the human “resister” community. This happened at just the right time to pique my interest.

NOT SO GOOD BITS: The fundamental problem with the Oankali is that they’re anti-conflict. While this provides great drama when they’re faced with violent humans, it can mean scenes with just aliens/hybrids are flat. Also, the sexual domination aspect of the novel still makes me squeamish. It’s highly realistic that aliens would make humans sexually subservient – after all, sex is power. But the use of pheromones and manipulation to make humans complicit in their sexual domination makes me uneasy. (I guess this is a key theme that the author wants us to interrogate!)

OVERALL: I’d recommend this series to fans of ‘The 100’ by Kass Morgan, ‘The Fifth Season’ by N.K. Jemisin, ‘The Three Body Problem’ by Liu Cixin. This is a series for hard-core fans of science-fiction. So, if you feel like reading about aliens, this should be your first port of call. 

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