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calarco 's review for:
Mind of My Mind
by Octavia E. Butler
A great cerebral thriller in more ways than one, Octavia Butler adds a solid entry to the Patternist series with [b:Mind of My Mind|116254|Mind of My Mind (Patternmaster, #2)|Octavia E. Butler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1389676159l/116254._SY75_.jpg|111957].
While this volume occurs sequentially after [b:Wild Seed|52318|Wild Seed (Patternmaster, #1)|Octavia E. Butler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388462753l/52318._SY75_.jpg|1330000], yet was published several years earlier, I struggled with how to go about reading them. On the one hand, the writing for Wild Seed is objectively better (Butler only improved with time) so this earlier entry felt underdeveloped in comparison. However, by reading them in order of the Patternist timeline, I felt Mind of My Mind’s ending was more shocking and satisfying—rarely am I surprised by anything but Butler always keeps me on my toes. This is probably how I will continue to read the series, but I digress...
“Breed didn’t sound like the kind of word that should be applied to people. The minute he said it, though, I realized it was the right word for what he was doing.”
This novel opens with the 4,000-year-old Doro continuing to build his empire, one experimental child at a time. At the novel’s start we are introduced to Doro’s daughter Mary, a young biracial woman and potentially powerful telepath. She does not seem altogether different from Doro’s earlier telepaths, though everything changes when she transitions from her latent to active state. Cue further explorations of the push and pull between free will and shifting mental power dynamics with the birth of the pattern.
All in all, I should mention that this is a flawed novel, especially given how Emma (aka: Anyanwu) is sidelined and how prominent a role the uncomfortable Karl plays as events unfold. That said, I see this book as one of Butler’s earliest explorations of telepathic interconnected themes she would later explore, albeit in more refined manner, with her Xenogensis series (aka: Lilith’s Brood) and [b:Fledgling|60925|Fledgling|Octavia E. Butler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1441479816l/60925._SY75_.jpg|59257]. So, a great deal of my enjoyment for this book came from experiencing Butler’s thought process, more than anything else.
Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and am excited to continue on with the Patternist series.
While this volume occurs sequentially after [b:Wild Seed|52318|Wild Seed (Patternmaster, #1)|Octavia E. Butler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388462753l/52318._SY75_.jpg|1330000], yet was published several years earlier, I struggled with how to go about reading them. On the one hand, the writing for Wild Seed is objectively better (Butler only improved with time) so this earlier entry felt underdeveloped in comparison. However, by reading them in order of the Patternist timeline, I felt Mind of My Mind’s ending was more shocking and satisfying—rarely am I surprised by anything but Butler always keeps me on my toes. This is probably how I will continue to read the series, but I digress...
“Breed didn’t sound like the kind of word that should be applied to people. The minute he said it, though, I realized it was the right word for what he was doing.”
This novel opens with the 4,000-year-old Doro continuing to build his empire, one experimental child at a time. At the novel’s start we are introduced to Doro’s daughter Mary, a young biracial woman and potentially powerful telepath. She does not seem altogether different from Doro’s earlier telepaths, though everything changes when she transitions from her latent to active state. Cue further explorations of the push and pull between free will and shifting mental power dynamics with the birth of the pattern.
All in all, I should mention that this is a flawed novel, especially given how Emma (aka: Anyanwu) is sidelined and how prominent a role the uncomfortable Karl plays as events unfold. That said, I see this book as one of Butler’s earliest explorations of telepathic interconnected themes she would later explore, albeit in more refined manner, with her Xenogensis series (aka: Lilith’s Brood) and [b:Fledgling|60925|Fledgling|Octavia E. Butler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1441479816l/60925._SY75_.jpg|59257]. So, a great deal of my enjoyment for this book came from experiencing Butler’s thought process, more than anything else.
Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and am excited to continue on with the Patternist series.