Rating: 
Summary: Continuing Mary's Legacy - The Patternist World
Review: The pattern established in the late 20th century by Mary, descendant of Doro, has continued into the far-flung future. Society is in three sects: The Patternists who are the ruling class. The Mutes -- humans who lack a psychic talent or ability, and the Clayarks, diseased half-human creatures -- who are regarded by the Patternists as mindless savages.
The story follows the two contenders for the right to take over the Pattern from the existing master of the Pattern who lies dying. Coransee, the elder, is brother to the younger but will not permit that to stop him from obliterating any obstacle between him and the ruling of the Pattern.
The most disturbing thing about the book is that plain, ordinary humans -- men and women who are neither diseased nor part of the pattern -- are spoken of with pity and treated little better than housepets.
The Clayarks turn out to be surprisingly sympathetic for disease-generated once-human mutations. They are displayed as easily as human as anyone else on the world which bears only passing resemblance to the Earth that we still recognized from Mind of my Mind.
The ending is only slightly surprising. But Butler's pervasive and unsettling theme is that, one way or another, at least in her world view--the human race will only survive if it is dramatically changed into something else. Better or worse, she leaves to the discretion of her readers
Rating: 
Summary: A Good Read
Review: This is the first book that I've read by Octavia Butler. It was an good read--worthwhile science fiction--but I felt that it was promising more than it eventually doled out--it seemed too short. However, I understand that this book is part of a series set in the same future world, so no doubt she explores the world further in her other novels. I like her portrayal of the characters, but I could never decide if I *liked* them or not. I liked her description of the world but I couldn't decide who (if anybody) I was supposed to be rooting for... _Patternmaster_ is promising, but I hope it isn't Butler at her best, because it doesn't quite make it. Yet the story grabbed me enough that I know that I will certainly be looking for more Butler books to read in order to compare them.
Rating:
Summary: A Good Read
Review: This is the first book that I've read by Octavia Butler. It was an good read--worthwhile science fiction--but I felt that it was promising more than it eventually doled out--it seemed too short. However, I understand that this book is part of a series set in the same future world, so no doubt she explores the world further in her other novels. I like her portrayal of the characters, but I could never decide if I *liked* them or not. I liked her description of the world but I couldn't decide who (if anybody) I was supposed to be rooting for... _Patternmaster_ is promising, but I hope it isn't Butler at her best, because it doesn't quite make it. Yet the story grabbed me enough that I know that I will certainly be looking for more Butler books to read in order to compare them.
Rating:
Summary: A must buy to continue the series
Review: Unlike some other reviewers, I wasn't too disappointed as to teh lack of a centrally dominant female character (Though this does seem to be unlike Butler's trend). Though the book is slow and moves you around as quickly as a TV movie of the week, its worth reading to see how the Patternists style of life transforms the world within which they live.
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