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A review by laurareads87
Octavia's Brood: Science Fiction Stories from Social Justice Movements by Walidah Imarisha
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I love the concept of Octavia's Brood: Science Fiction Stories from Social Justice Movements: "Organizers and activists dedicate their lives to creating and envisioning another world, or many other worlds--so what better venue for organizers to explore their work than science fiction stories?" [Imarisha 3]. My favourite novel of all time is one of Octavia Butler's, so I was bound to pick up this collection. There were contributions I really appreciated -- a few short stories I really enjoyed, and Tananarive Due's essay remembering Octavia Butler I'm really grateful to have read -- however, overall, the collection reads very inconsistently. There are some gems in here, but quite a lot of the stories feel unfinished -- more like summaries of ideas than completed works of fiction, stronger in concept than execution. I commend the authors for sharing their work -- many are first-time fiction authors and I think that makes this collection one to celebrate.
Graphic: Ableism, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Child death and Grief
Minor: Sexual assault and Rape