Six Reasons to Check Out Octavia Butler’s ‘Bloodchild and Other Stories’
When Octavia Butler’s novel Kindred was assigned to me in a university literature course, I didn’t know what I was in for. Assigned books can be like wading into murky waters—you’re never sure if you’re going to find anything of interest or make an exciting discovery. I took the plunge and found myself entirely swept away. What a captivating, absorbing, boundary-ripping story. What a brutal, terrifying, anxiety-gripping world! I was totally transported. Once I was done, I knew I’d discovered someone astonishing. From there, I dove into her other work, like her incredible short story collection Bloodchild and Other Stories.
Octavia Butler was one of the only Black women writing science fiction when she published her first book in 1976. She paved the way for the likes of Tananarive Due, N.K. Jemisin, Nalo Hopkinson, and many others. As I studied her work, I began to recognize some of her most enduring themes like familiar stitches in fabric, but all the while her work was still surprising and unsettling. I had to share her with more people and see if they too experienced the same intriguing fascination. When I began teaching, I assigned her short story collection Bloodchild and Other Stories to my students, and I still wonder if they resented having to read these strange, disturbing, visceral tales.
Anyone interested in Octavia Butler needs to read Bloodchild and Other Stories. She herself declared that she was not fond of writing short stories, but her work in this book, particularly in the title story, still showcases her masterful skills. Whether you’re new to her or not, there are lots of reasons to check out this New York Times Notable Book.
1. Complicated Alien/Human Relationships
The book’s title story—the Hugo and Nebula award-winning novelette “Bloodchild”—takes place on an unspecified planet in an unknown time. Humans have escaped persecution on Earth and traveled to a world ruled by the Tlic, huge, many-legged creatures that make me imagine giant centipedes. The Tlic realize that humans are the perfect hosts for implanting their eggs. As the story begins, we meet one of the families bonded to head Tlic, T’gatoi, and Gan, the boy who will one day carry her offspring.
Nothing can be more unlike each other than these two species. Their symbiotic relationship is problematic and manipulative, with the balance of power solidly on the Tlic side. Gan slowly realizes the extent of the sacrifice he must make to ensure his family’s survival.
Octavia Butler called this a story of love, and what a messy, painful relationship it is. It’s an examination of love that many of us have never seen before.
2. “Bloodchild” is a Pregnant Man Story!
At least this is what Octavia Butler called it. The men in question are all cisgender, but they are physically the best hosts to carry young. Butler based the situation on botflies, which lay eggs inside wounds and then those eggs hatch into maggots under the skin. The Tlic are the ones who decide which humans bear this burden.
Science fiction is supposed to have us ask questions and try to decide what we would do in similar situations. Horror sparks questions, too, though often there are no sane options to choose from. Butler actively wrote “Bloodchild” to explore whether a man would get pregnant out of love despite difficult circumstances. Years later, these questions are still relevant.
3. So Much Body Horror
While helping my students tease out the themes of this book, one of them summed up her opinion in two words: “It’s gross!” I can’t disagree with her. Fans of horrific scenes that make your insides clench are in luck with “Bloodchild”. Octavia Butler wrote this story to help her process her anxiety about botflies before a trip to the jungle. Her fears clearly were vivid and nightmare-ish. Like the best of writers, she expertly implants her nightmare fuel in our minds. It’s not a quick jump scare moment either but excruciating and immersive. So as I warned my students, before you read this, “Buckle up!”
4. A Tale of Enslaved People
Butler said “Bloodchild” is not about slavery, but it’s hard not to see the similarities, and some scholars have pointed them out. To the Tlic, humans are commodities. Creatures to be coddled, manipulated or punished to achieve their ends. In the early stages of their assimilation, they are kept like animals. Even when the Tlic try to build a familial relationship with them, there’s no doubt who’s in charge. Humans must learn to live with the Tlic and bear their young whether they like it or not. There is no escape. Gan realizes how little agency he has even as he struggles to hold on to a few shreds of it. Butler’s story is definitely about more than just slavery, but her story calls to mind many interesting parallels.
5. Those “Other Stories”
Besides “Bloodchild”, the other stories in the book are not to be missed. These include “The Evening and the Morning and the Night” – a 1987 Nebula Award nominee for Best Novelette. It tells of a terrible disease which makes people dissociate and viciously attack others while also trying to tear their own bodies apart. There’s one of my favorites “Speech Sounds”. In this 1984 Hugo Award Winner for Best Story, the world has been swept by a pandemic causing people to be unable to speak or read or understand speech.
Many of Butler’s pervasive and enduring themes are all over these stories: dystopian worlds, women taking the lead to save humanity, survival in hopeless situations. They are well worth delving into.
6. A Look into the Mind of Octavia Butler
We’ve all read stories and wondered about the authors’ thought processes as they develop them. Each story in this book features an afterword by Butler, explaining her inspiration. It’s such a valuable doorway into her mind. We learn that some of her ideas spawn from her anxieties, like those botflies. “Speech Sounds” begins with an horrific scene which mirrors Butler’s own travels on a bus to visit a sick friend.
The book also has two essays which should be treasured resources for writers of any genre. “Positive Obsession” tells of her journey to become a writer despite obstacles like a well meaning relative who told her black people did not become writers or despite an exasperated teacher who wanted to know if she couldn’t write anything normal. “Furor Scribendi” gives practical advice for aspiring authors. For instance she urges writers to forget about inspiration and to focus on getting into the habit of writing. “Stay with it,” she says. “Persist.”
Bloodchild and Other Stories is a great introduction for people who might want to slowly test the waters of Octavia Butler’s work or for fans who want to delve more into the intriguing visions she brought to life. Whatever spectrum of your interest you’re on, there’s a good chance you’ll want to to keep venturing deeper, intrigued and maybe a little apprehensive of what you might find.
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