A wonderful book
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Yes, this was a wonderful book. It grabbed my attention from the start to the end, never allowing me to go. I had to force myself to leave the book enough to eat dinner! I have loved the characters. Anjanwu is just awesome, and Doro, even if he's not exactly the most sympathetic character ever (oh well, he's actually NOT synpathetic, at all) is wonderfully portrayed. I loved even him in the end, and I won't say anything more about the final of this wonderful book, because you *must* buy it and read it up to the end. But the character I loved the best was Isaacs. A wonderful, three-dimensional character. I thank so much Orson Scott Card, who suggested this book in his "How to write science fiction and fantasy" (a book I suggest any aspiring writer to read). Otherwise I would never have bought it, and it would be a shame.
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Hard to classify, easy to appreciate
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I read this book because Orson Scott Card recommended it in his "How To Write Science Fiction and Fantasy" book. He recommended it because Octavia Butler loads a tremendous amount of meaning into every phrase. I read the book, then, as a technical example of good writing, but was blown away by a story that defies categorization. It is a battle between two immortals, but it is also a strange love story. This tale would make Machiavelli rethink about the uses and abuses of power. I will never forget this story. Beutiful story, beautifully written!
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A fascinating story
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I bought this book from a recommendation in Orson Scott Card’s book ‘How to write Science Fiction and Fantasy’, along with another called Arslan. I read Arslan first, and it was so bad that I wondered whether it was worth reading Wild Seed. I decided to read it just for its technical merits, as the concept didn’t interest me. I’m glad I did, as this book kept me engrossed from start to finish. The author takes the central idea, that some people are born with special abilities, and explores it in many different ways. So it remains fascinating all the way through. The story was compelling as well, as the two main characters tried to outwit each other, with frequent verbal confrontations. I’m not into the fantasy genre, because I often feel cheated by the way conflicts are resolved, where the hero overcomes the enemy simply by summoning up enough strength. But I never felt cheated by the progression of this story. I’m only learning about how to write, so I can’t judge the technical merits, and I quickly forgot that I was reading it to learn. But as a reader I can say that this book has the following qualities: It keeps the tension going throughout. The writing is clear and straightforward, so that it’s the story, not the writer’s technical brilliance, which is on show. Unlike the other book recommended by Card, this is a great example to learn from.
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A Pleasant Surprise!
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I am not normally a science fiction reader, though my boyfriend is. I bought him this as part of his Gollancz collection and ended up reading it myself out of curiosity. I was pleasantly surprised at how interested in the characters I became. The power of Anyanwu's difficult situation and the relationships formed moved me. I particularly liked the element of African mythology (if that's what you can call it) and found myself thinking of Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart. Not a book of starships and aliens, as I expected science fiction to be, but an interesting exploration of what you would do if you were immortal and powerful and could breed your own people.
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An Excellent book BUT, there is now a new edition!!
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This is an excellent book and well worth the read, be sure to buy the reprint, because the previous print I purchased was terribly proofed which at times broke the fun of reading the story - I am talking about lines being wholly or partially repeated, yes lines not words. I thoroughly good read, you'll zip through it on no time at all! The reprint is more expensive, but provided they have proofed it well (which I cannot think but they haven't) it's worth the extra few pounds.
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