Monday, April 2, 2012

Bloodchild by Octavia E. Butler


Bloodchild is narrated by the host of the soon to be young of the Tlic that adopted his family. Gan’s insight shows the suspense and horror of the story. The plot is a mix between a story of childbirth and the film Alien. This story literally gives you the creeps from the very beginning. When it fist describes the many limbs of T’Gatoi and the way she moves, her size and how she keeps members of the family close for warmth was a tad unnerving. Her sterile eggs are used to keep her humans healthy and high when they first consume them. The power exchange between Gan and T’Gatoi is seen in their conversation towards the end of the story before the egg-laying act is consummated. There is a definite blending of what defines the sexes here with indistinguishable differences between the male and female in characters behavior. Gans father actually “birthed” T’Gatoi and now Gan would “mother” her young.  The dialogue in this story keeps you invested in the characters and their decisions. The story is also very fast passed and keeps the tension until the very end. It’s a story at its core about family and what a person is willing to do for them.

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