I was stunned and saddened to hear about the passing of Octavia Butler, my favorite science fiction writer, the other day. The author of 12 novels and 1 published collection of short stories, Butler was a pioneer in the science fiction realm, being a lone African-American woman, and a lesbian, in a field dominated by white males. The author died outside of her home in Seattle, after falling and striking her heard on a walkway.
The first of Octavia’s books that I ever read was entitled Wild Seed, and it was a fantastic story about two immortal super beings; one who could change shape, who was in pursuit of the other who possessed complete control of her body. As a young man it made quite an impression on me, and years later, when I read her Xenogenesis trilogy (Dawn, Adulthood Rites, and Imago) I was hardly surprised by the talent behind them. What I loved about this trilogy was the daring exploration of sexuality and gender that they encompassed. Her collection of short stories, Bloodchild and Other stories, was a daring gathering of stories and essays from throughout her career that spanned genre.
After the throught-provoking Parable of the Sower and its sequel, Parable of the Talents which found a new religion forming around a young woman after an apocalyptic tragedy has decimated the earth, there was a noticeable lack of new work from Octavia as she suffered some personal writer’s block. There are interviews where she discusses working on a third book in this series, Parable of the Trickster, but it is apparently unfinished. She did return with a bold new novel last year called Fledgling. This novel might have taken some of her fans by surprise as it was a vampire novel, but one steeped in science fiction rather than fantasy or gothic horror.
In 1995 Octavia was the recipient of a “genius grant” from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the only the only science fiction writer to receive such an honor. This $295,000 windfall followed years of poverty and personal struggles with shyness and self-doubt. In an 2004 interview with the Seattle P-I Octavia commented, “People may call these ‘genius grants, but nobody nobody made me take an IQ test before I got mine. I know I’m no genius.”
Octavia’s first novel, Kindred, published in 1979 after being repeatedly rejected by publishers who could not understand how a science fiction novel could take place on a plantation in the antebellum south, is her most popular novel, selling more than a quarter of a million copies to date. I’ve never actually read Kindred and I am looking forward to the experience.
I was struck by how saddened I was by the news of Octavia’s death. This was the first time one of my “favorite artists” of some sort has died, and I was taken aback by the lack of any future work by this talented woman. I can only hope that Octavia knew some fulfillment and happiness from this career that brought so much to her fans.
A couple of things I want to mention further. This is only the second time in my history of reading comics that I have stopped buying The Avengers. The first was when Rob Leifield was writing it (it picked it up a few issues later when Walt Simonson took over). What Brian Michael Bendis has done with a former favorite title of mine is inexcusable. It in no way resembles a comic called The Avengers, and despite the use of one of my favorite characters from the 1970’s (Spider-Woman) it just plain sucks. DC knocks one out of the park with its massive Infinite Crisis event, including four terrific lead-in mini-series, and other regular titles picking up some compelling threads (the Wonder Woman/Superman clash specifically.) I am the first to admit how much I enjoy Young Avengers, a title I was sure to hate. Allan Heinberg has made a convert out of me. It’s great to read Dan Slott’s work, bringing old-style superheroics back to comics with a nice dose of humor on titles such as She-Hulk, The Thing and the Great Lakes Avengers mini-series. Who would have thought I would have enjoyed miniseries starring such obscure characters as Drax the Destroyer and Beta Ray Bill so much? And the attention paid to Zatanna this year has been very much welcomed. Kitty Pryde, on the other hand, a much-loved character, disappointed in her mini-series, which I just felt fell flat. The X-Men titles themselves were a mixed bag. I bucked the majority and really enjoyed Peter Milligan’s work on X-Men, while being greatly disappointed in Joss Whedon’s Astonishing X-Men despite a strong start in 2004. And Chris Claremont? Just give it up. Greg Pak did an astounding job adding another chapter to the Jean Grey/Phoenix saga. And to think, I’ve had dinner with him! And as for my 
boyfriend, talented artist/writer Phil Jimenez? He had a mixed year; his astounding pencils make Infinite Crisis so beautiful, and add some wonder to Otherworld, but his muddled writing in that series and the non-event, The Return of Donna Troy were disappointing. Finally there’s House of M. The less said about that mockery the better.