She wasn't what got me into scifi, but she did inspire me to start writing
scifi. I remember my mom bringing home Adulthood Rites for me and being so
excited that there were actually black people that wrote scifi. Adulthood Rites
was the only book that she wrote. (what can I say I cut my scifi teeth on
Battletech Novels) She did inspire me to believe that black people could not
only write scifi, but get it published as well. While her style of scifi may
not be my cup of tea, that doesn't stop me from including her in the greats. I
can't stand Assimov (I think he's a little overrated) but he's up there.
At least, Octavia Butler never got too full of herself. (cough cough Heinlein
cough)
--- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Milton Davis <mv_media_...@...> wrote:
>
> I know plenty young black science fiction fans that credit Octavia Butler as
> the beacon that led them to science fiction. I'm an old school science
> fiction fan, raised on Assimov, Delany, Herbert and Ellision. I like Butler's
> work, but I consider it more social science fiction. She deals more with
> relationships and issues rather than the technical aspect of science fiction,
> which we all know gets more attention. I think that's the reason her prose
> seems to have special appeal to black female science fiction fans. I enjoyed
> everything I've read by her but I can't say I'm a fan. She was a greater
> writer than I'll probably ever be and got her respect among the sci/fi elite
> if not the mainstream.
>
> --- On Wed, 6/24/09, B. Smith <daikaij...@...> wrote:
>
>
> From: B. Smith <daikaij...@...>
> Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Is Octavia Butler underrated in mainstream
> sci-fi press?
> To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com
> Date: Wednesday, June 24, 2009, 1:19 AM
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> She's highly regarded but not given the same respect as the legendary hard
> sci-fi types. Her work falls into the more literary side of the genre and in
> some ways she was more highly regarded outside the genre.
>
> --- In scifino...@yahoogro ups.com, "Martin Baxter" <truthseeker013@ ...>
> wrote:
> >
> > George, it's possible, but I see her lack of props as being more a matter
> > of the mainstream SF press not knowing what the frell it's doing. IMO,
> > they've become like the music industry, more interested in the flavor of
> > the week than actual decent work. When I go to the bookstore and browse the
> > SF/fantasy shelves, the stuff I see is so derivative as to be embarrassing.
> > Nine times out of ten, I can figure out what the story inside the covers is
> > solely by what pose the characters on the cover are striking. Shouldn't be
> > that easy, even for a guy with my brain.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> ---------[ Received Mail Content ]----------
> >
> Subject : [scifinoir2] Is Octavia Butler underrated in mainstream sci-fi
> press?
> >
> Date : Tue, 23 Jun 2009 10:10:06 -0700 (PDT)
> >
> From : George Arterberry <brotherfromhoward@ ...>
> >
> To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com
> >
> >
> > I've rarely seen her represented in so-called mainstream press.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=JQdwk8Yntds
> >
>
