According to Steven Barnes’ blog .
I’ve never read any of her books and should probably have left it to a fan to post this. I was struck by her death because of all I’ve read about her, how highly respected and talented she was.
I just read this over on Making Light. I was aghast, and immediately ran over here to see if anyone else had posted.
She is an absolutely AMAZING writer. THis is a huge loss to the science fiction community.
Dammit.
It is a major loss. Butler was a truly great writer, one that anyone can point to to anyone who doesn’t think SF is literature.
I think her Parable of the Sower is one of the greatest SF novels in the past 25 years. Wild Seed was the only book that actually had me crying tears at the end.
She received a McArthur “genius grant,” and few in SF are more worthy of it. The real shame is that she had had so little published the past few years.
It is a tremendous loss to the field.
Wow - I love her stuff. I have a first edition of Dawn and Adulthood Rites - I actually held off on reading her because the cover of Dawn looked cheesy/pulpy, but I kept hearing great things. So I read the Xenogenesis trilogy and then kept reading. She did a wonderful job of doing hard sci-fi: using the conceit of sci-fi to explore the human condition. She also explored race and identify incredibly effectively.
What a loss.
I’ve read a lot about her, but I’ve only read Kindred, which I really didn’t care for. I’ll be looking carefully at your recommendations. She’s an author I really want to like, but that book didn’t catch me.
I can’t believe this. I don’t want to believe it. She was such an incredible writer, and she didn’t write nearly enough.
The Xenogenesis series had me thinking a LOT about what it means to have children and to be human. It stretched the boundaries of my mind in lots of good ways.
Highly recommended.
I wasn’t a fan of her books, but I was a fan of her work. If that makes any sense at all.
Truly too young to leave us.
i read parable of the sower earlier this semester for class and loved it. i may have to get the rest of her books after i get into the real world.
Should it exist, Heaven is better off now.
Unfortunately, her passing will be mourned. Like everybody else here, I just have to say what an amazing writer she was. The first of her works I ever read was the Xenogenesis series, but soon after read several of her other works- Wild Seed, et al were my favorite series.
Though I didn’t know her as a person, the caliber of human being that she was was apty expressed in her writing, and the world is a worse off place with her passing.
She was a favorite at many Science Fiction conventions here on the west coast. She was a quiet person most of the time, but never standoffish to the fans. My Beloved says that she a nice lunch conversation with her at a Gencon back in the mid 80’s, and we’ve both talked with her several times over the years. Steve Barnes is right-she did have a dark sense of humor, but she always had great hope for the future.
I loved Dawn and its sequels.
She was an inspiration.
You will be missed, Octavia.
I am so sad about this. I just read her newest one, Fledgling, a few weeks ago. I always finished her novels wishing for more.
Oh man. I read Kindred about a year ago and loved it, but I’d not gotten around to reading anything else by her yet.
–Cliffy
Only 58 or 59 according to one comment on Barnes’ blog. Too young.
Yea, I’ve read several of her books and
I’ve been looking for some recommendations on a good SciFi book. It’s unfortunate I find many under these circumstances.
Butler was brilliant. If I had millions of dollars, I’d set up a grant for young black women who want to write genre fiction in her name.
It’s a sad day.
Butler wasn’t just a fine writer, she was an inspiration for many. Let’s face it: the field has a apocalyptic shortage of black writers. She drew in blacks through her writing and her personal appearances, readers who never would have considered a science fiction book otherwise. She helped the field grow and reach out to new audiences. That can never be replaced.
WILD SEED made me cry too.
MIND OF MY MIND made me cheer.
I guess I’m back to crying!
Yes. I was reading Parable of the Talents in a Denny’s, and the (black) waitress was interested in the book solely because of the cover, which featured a woman of color (black or mixed race). We got to talking (it was a slow period at Denny’s), and the waitress said that she’d always thought that fantasy/SF was “only for white folks”. I told her that there were a few black writers, and mentioned Sam Delany as well as Butler. She said that she’d have to check them out. I think that the waitress was somewhat surprised that a white woman was enjoying a book written by a black woman. I don’t care what race the author is…as long as I enjoy the writing.
I started reading in the 60s, and I remember looking at all the male names. I was relieved and overjoyed to find out that some of the male and androgynous names were actually women who knew that female names wouldn’t sell as well, if at all. I’m glad that we don’t have that hangup any longer. I certainly hope that we get more quality writers of different cultures. Fantasy/SF should be open to anyone.