Wild Seed

Book 1 of the Patternist series

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I have a potentially controversial opinion about this book that may be upsetting for some people: Meh.

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I mean, I love Ms. Butler’s writing, the story is well-paced, the characters well-developed, the world she created was gripping. But it’s basically the coming of story of a particularly nasty dude.

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He became aware of them as easily as a wolf became aware of a rabbit when the wind was right— and in the beginning he had gone after them for exactly the same reason wolves went after rabbits. In the beginning, he had bred them for exactly the same reason people bred rabbits. These strange ones, his witches, were good kills. They offered him the most satisfying durable food and shelter. He still preyed on them. Soon he would take one from Wheatley. The people of Wheatley expected it, accepted it, treated it as a kind of religious sacrifice.

For 95% of the book he’s a total asshat, refusing to respect the woman who is just as powerful as he is as an equal. We have to endure his distain, ugly decisions, power trips, lying, and hypocrisy for a very large chunk of the book, until at the very end when he realizes that unless he changes his ways, he will be alone until the end of time.

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So many song lyrics came to mind when I finished the book. Joni Mitchell’s, Paved Paradise: “You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone”, Beyonce’s, Sandcastles, “Show me your scars and I won’t walk away”. Julie London’s, Cry Me a River, “And now you say you love me/Well, just to prove you do/Come on and cry me a river”. Just when he thinks his toy might break itself, he decides to grow the F up.

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“Anyanwu wants to go home,” said Doro blandly.

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Thomas stared at her with disbelief and pain. “Anyanwu . . . ?” She did not know what to do— what would make Doro feel that he had extracted enough pain, punished her enough. What would stop him now that he had decided to kill? She looked at Doro.

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“I will leave with you today,” she whispered. “Please, I will leave with you now.”

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“Not quite yet,” Doro said.

The story itself had me on the edge of my seat because of the premise and tension the author builds. One knows there will be an eventual show down from the very first chapter, but the end is not satisfying.

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