Now that I have finished this book, I have officially read every novel Octavia Butler wrote and published in her short and beautiful lifetime, and am now truly at a loss for what I should even do with my life. I mean, obviously I am going to now seek out her short stories, essays, interviews, and posthumously published work, but as a super fan I still cannot help but feel sad and empty inside.

My dramatic and nonsensical whining aside (sorry, this is a terrible way to start off a “review”), Patternmaster is a great narrative conclusion to Butler’s Patternist series. Even though it was technically the first novel of the series that was published (her debut novel at that), I would argue that the Patternist books should be read in order of narrative to have the greatest impact. This flows as, 1. [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], 2. [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], 3. [b:Clay's Ark|60933|Clay's Ark (Patternmaster, #3)|Octavia E. Butler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1461533398l/60933._SY75_.jpg|1008173], 4. [b:Survivor|256890|Survivor|Octavia E. Butler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1186985614l/256890._SY75_.jpg|3346577], and 5. [b:Patternmaster|116256|Patternmaster (Patternmaster, #4)|Octavia E. Butler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1389456750l/116256._SY75_.jpg|1119636].

Patternmaster opens at the height of the tension between with the telepathic Patternists and the mutated Claryarks—leaving earth’s landscape dramatically changed. Each of these groups are the outcome of a quasi-divergent evolution of the human species, resulting in not just different cultures and religions, but different biological adaptations that challenge what it means to even be “human” in the first place.

The story follows the coming-of-age of Teray, a young man caught up in the power struggle for succession and ascendance as ruler of the Patternists—the coveted role of Patternmaster. I cannot say Teray is a terribly memorable character like his brother-antagonist Coransee or the enigmatic Amber, but given how much exposition is needed to explain this very alien iteration of earth, he fits the bill of relatable protagonist. That said, it is the sci-fi elements and struggle between characters that make Patternmaster standout as a solid Butler novel.

Overall, this is a great story and one that I would definitely recommend.