Octavia's Brood: Science Fiction Stories from Social Justice Movements by Walidah ImarishaMy rating: 1 of 5 stars
Usually, it's pretty easy for me to write thousands of words about terrible books. I don't even want to put the effort in for this one. I desperately wanted to love this; by all rights, I should have loved it. Octavia Butler is my favorite author, and a book of stories inspired by her rooted in modern social justice movements sounds like a great idea, and something I would totally adore! I even love the cover! But most of these stories are written by activists, not writers, and it shows BIG time. There are about 2 stories, plus the essays that finish the collection off, that are readable. A few more have interesting premises but fail in execution. Everything else is full of hackneyed, over-the-top premises, way too many adjectives, unconvincing characters, and generally dreadful prose. I can't believe I even finished it. It was probably an interesting exercise for those involved, but it never should have been published. Don't spend your time reading this.
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