Rating: 
Summary: A Quick tour of a tour-de-force author
Review: Octavia Butler owned most of my literary bandwidth in early 1999, an addiction that started with _Bloodchild_.Science Fiction "just don't get much respect," but only from critics who are unfamiliar with Butler's ability to use this genre to believably manipulate the themes of xenophobia, attraction, corruption, trust, human independence, group madness, hope, and persistence. The title story won and deserved the Hugo, and captures in a microcosm the themes above and more. From here, you will certainly want to read _Kindred_ and the "Parable of the Talents" trilogy for the most human-centered experience of the great unknowns you are likely to encounter at the hands of a living writer.
Rating:
Summary: Highly Recommended
Review: Octavia E. Butler is a novelist, and her short fiction is sparse in quantity but incredibly generous in it's quality. As in her novels, she has this ability to take you deep down into the dark depths of the soul, and show you things both strange and fantastic. Concepts and torments of everyday existence wrench your emotions and make you think, then re-examine, then ponder the very substance of what makes one human....
The eerie novella "Bloodchild" was first published in Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine in 1984, and it grips you with fascination whether this is the first time you have read it, or the fifth. Butler has described this as her "pregnant man story", but it is far more than that. Exceptionally well wrought and filled with wonder and amazement, it won her the Nebula and Hugo Awards for the stark portrayal of what it is like to be a human valued chiefly for your reproductive capacity. Only this time, the child is not human, and the "parent" keeps mankind as a much beloved but still unequal partner.....
The rest of the fiction in this collection is of the same superb quality and each piece has an afterword that brings into perspective Butler's thoughts and inspirations. There is a bonus in two autobiographical pieces at the end of the collection on what she calls "the art, the craft, and the business of writing." Whether you are a reader, or a writer, these pieces should not be missed....
The stories are as revealing about the reader as they are about the writer; they expose your own prejudices, emotions and motivations-as those of the protagonist are revealed in the writing on the page
Rating: 
Summary: Butler's stories are gems, biographies are not.
Review: The problem with this book is definitely not
Butler's fiction writing. She paints vivid, often stark, portraits of the alien but all too familiar
habitats of her mind. The problem is that there
are far too few short stories, and far too many
autobiographical articles. It is surely not
a coincidence that the stories chronologically come first in this collection. Still, a true sci-fi fan will value this collection for the notes Butler includes at the end of each story. The notes are often personal, but provide excellent insight into the workings of a writer.
Rating:
Summary: One of the great voices in contemporary science fiction
Review: There are good science fiction writers. There are great science fiction writers. And then there are those extraordinary science fiction writers whose work both transcends and ennobles the genre. Such a writer is Octavia E. Butler, and "Bloodchild and Other Stories" is a stunning testament of her talent and vision. The pieces in this book have garnered two Hugo Awards and one Nebula (very distinguished honors in the SF world). "Bloodchild" contains 5 stories (2 of them on the longer side) as well as two illuminating essays. In addition, Butler provides an afterword for each piece. The best of these stories are true masterpieces. "Bloodchild" is about the strange symbiotic relationship between a colony of humans and a very different alien species. In "The Evening and the Morning and the Night" the author creates a haunting portrait of a human subculture that has evolved as the result of a terrifying new disease. Also outstanding is "Speech Sounds," about what happens after a mysterious force impairs humanity's ability to communicate with written and spoken language. Butler's essay "Positive Obsession" is an illuminating exploration of her distinctive life as a African-American woman who is also a successful SF writer. Butler's writing style has a stark, painful clarity to it. She writes scenes of horror and despair, but also includes moments of tenderness and hope. Through it all, her stories are rich with insights into the universal human condition. If you are interested in science fiction, in African-American literature, in women's writing, or in the art of the short story, read this book.
Rating:
Summary: Powerful short stories
Review: This contains most of Octavia Butler's published short work, and it's a small book. But that does not mean that you should pass it up. At least two of the stories, I believe, are must-reads for anyone interested in science fiction. * "Bloodchild" -- This is likely my favorite SF story. The situation is horrifying, yet believable, and, within context, entirely rational. Humans on a far away planet are forced to enter into a relationship with the native alien race that is strangely reminiscent of both slavery and concubinage, yet Butler actually was working from insect natural history. This is a powerful story, one that wakes up your mind. * "The Evening and the Morning and the Night" -- This is the other fabulous story in this collection, another case of believable SF that comes near to horror. A disease that incites people to unthinkable crimes and the solution to the disease--as well as a close study on the type of people who administer the solution. You really can't do much better than this in SF. * "Near of Kin" -- Not SF, and not a fantasy, yet not horror either. The subject matter is taboo in most fiction, so maybe that's how it ended up in an SF anthology. Well done. Enjoyable. * "Speech Sounds" -- Really good story about a plague that affects the speech centers of the brain. Fast, but compelling, with an economy of plot--just enough to present the worse and the best of the situation. * "Crossover" -- Boring, although not bad for a first published story. You can see how her background infused her stories early on. * "Positive Obsession" and "Furor Scribendi" -- Reprinted essays on writing that should provide quite inspiring for burgeoning writers. Economical and smart.
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