“Octavia E. Butler is one of the finest voices in fiction—period … A master storyteller, Butler casts an unflinching eye on racism, sexism, poverty, and ignorance and lets the reader see the terror and beauty of human nature.” —Washington Post Book World “Readers familiar with … Parable of the Sower and Bloodchild will recall that [Butler] never asks easy questions or settles for easy answers.” —Gerald Jonas, New York Times