Bloodchild: The Hugo, Locus and Nebula award-winning novella

Octavia E. Butler

Mar 2014 · Hachette UK

About this ebook

Set on a distant planet, Bloodchild is award-winning author Octavia E. Butler's shattering meditation on symbiosis, love, power and tough choices. It won the Hugo, Locus, Nebula and Science Fiction Chronicle awards and is widely regarded as one of her greatest works. Perfect for fans of the thrilling Arrival and the works of Ursula Le Guin.

'Butler graces new mansions of thought with her eloquent, distinguished and poignant prose. Although this book is little in size, its ideas are splendidly large' Booklist

'One of the most significant literary artists of the 20th century' Junot Diaz

Years ago, a group known as the Terrans left Earth in search of a life free of persecution. Now they live alongside the Tlic, an alien race who face extinction; their only chance of survival is to plant their larvae inside the bodies of the humans.

When Gan, a young, boy, is chosen as a carrier of Tlic eggs, he faces an impossible dilemma: can he really help the species he has grown up with, even if it means sacrificing his own life?

What readers are saying about BLOODCHILD:

'The best short story I've ever read. Utterly compelling, disturbing, intimate'

'Absolutely amazing. A must-read for Sci-Fi lovers'

'Wonderfully written, masterfully built and oh so thought-provoking, Bloodchild is everything you could wish for in a work of science fiction'

Ratings and reviews

What it's not about: pedophilia (seriously, if you read Bloodchild and thought this was the main takeaway, you'll want to check your reading comprehension) What it is about: making impossible choices

Love story as Author says in an anonymous background where the people living inside it can only understand the pain gained through that love.

This is a deeply uncomfortable but interesting SF story about love, fear, growth and downs.

About the author

OCTAVIA E. BUTLER (1947-2006) was the renowned author of numerous ground-breaking novels, including Kindred, Wild Seed, and Parable of the Sower. Recipient of the Locus, Hugo and Nebula awards, and a PEN Lifetime Achievement Award for her body of work, in 1995 she became the first science-fiction writer to receive the MacArthur Fellowship 'genius grant'. A pioneer of her genre, Octavia's dystopian novels explore myriad themes of Black injustice, women's rights, global warming and political and economic disparity, and her work is taught in over two hundred colleges and universities nationwide.

In 2020, Octavia E. Butler became a New York Times bestselling author.