Clay's Ark

If you have come across this book, it probably means that you are a fan of Octavia Butler's. This book is good and its worth reading. I have found out that its not necessary to read all of the PaternMaster books (4) in their order. It truly makes no difference because the books are so well written; each story stands on its own. My only complaint is that I wish there were more books written by her!

Octavia Butler is the most talented SF writer I've ever come across and Clay's Ark is a fantastic piece of fantasy work that will consume you with terror and dare you to put it down. I never thought of myself as a SF-buff but what Butler writes can't be boxed into just that one genre. She's great!

Read the book! Gets your mind focus on the future and what it can hold! Also read Kindrad!

Clay's Ark is a wonderful taut, gripping and suspenseful tale. Butler really forces the reader to analyze his or her perceptions of what it really means to be human by delving deeply in to human behavior and ethical issues. Ethical issues such as: gang violence, racism, suicide, artificial insemination, AIDS, etc. I highly recommend the text. It should be required reading in literature classes for students to discuss and write about "big questions" and problems that affect our world. Further, Ms. Butler's use of metaphor, simile and foreshadowing is outstanding. The images she creates with words are vivid and concise. Any reader can visualize this story.I wish that whoever wrote the synopsis of the book for the web page knew that Asa Elias Doyle is a male, not a female!

If you've read her excellent _Mind of My Mind_ and _Patternmaster_, you might wonder about how the world changed so much between these two novels and what exactly these Clayarks are. Well, this book clarifies much of this. While it's probably a notch below the other two in the series, it's well worth reading and essential if you want a complete understanding of the Patternmaster series