This story—and its mechanics of time travel—was fascinating. The way that time travel works here makes cliff hangers inevitable, so the plot moved very quickly. I wish that I had read this when I was studying US history in school. It confronts head on the complicated personal relationships between slaves and their owners, abuse and ability to consent, and how trust is distorted in unequal relationships. It's rich for discussion. Besides that, the realities of the time related to medicine and available technology are laid open—humans are fragile and life is harsh. We forget our own mortality, but at that time it seems like it had to be a near-constant thought.

Holding true to Octavia Butler's prose style, the sentences and dialogues are straightforward and utilitarian. They serve a purpose: to move the plot forward. They do not serve the purpose of enchanting the reader. In the book, you have to fill in the finer details with your own imagination. I think this would make a very good TV series, because the screen would give viewers a bit more visuals to hang on to.