Dawn

By: Octavia E. Butler

Narrated by: Julienne Irons

One woman is called upon to rebuild the future of humankind after a nuclear war, in this revelatory post-apocalyptic tale from the award-winning author of Parable of the Sower.

When Lilith lyapo wakes from a centuries-long sleep, she finds herself aboard the vast spaceship of the Oankali. She discovers that the Oankali—a seemingly benevolent alien race—intervened in the fate of the humanity hundreds of years ago, saving everyone who survived a nuclear war from a dying, ruined Earth and then putting them into a deep sleep. After learning all they could about Earth and its beings, the Oankali healed the planet, cured cancer, increased human strength, and they now want Lilith to lead her people back to Earth—but salvation comes at a price.

Hopeful and thought-provoking, this post-apocalyptic narrative deftly explores gender and race through the eyes of characters struggling to adapt during a pivotal time of crisis and change.

©1987 Octavia E. Butler (P)2023 Grand Central Publishing

Brilliant sci fi

A completely original take on post-apocalyptic survival and rescue by an alien race of superior intellect 

What a ride!!

Fourth book by this author and I deeply appreciate her sense of world building and making you feel like the characters in the story. They are all relatable and equally made to be as real and grounded and those in our reality. At the same time making me reflect on what I would do or how I would react in theses situations. What would I choose, who do I relate to more in those tense moments. 10/10

Futuristic with a twist

Nice futuristic story line. Easy to get into and keeps your attention from beginning to end. It’s a page turner!

Great premise!

This is a great story! And I’ll likely be finishing the trilogy. I just think the middle was pretty forgettable.

The narration I think was too whispery for my taste. And some diversity of character voices would’ve been beneficial. Alien, humans, men, women, neither. They all sound the same! Except for the one dude from New York 😂😂😂 laughed everyone he spoke

Reader’s voice grates on my ears

The story is interesting however the reader’s weird whispery voice is hard to listen to in big doses. Her inflections are almost like AI to me. Like there’s no personality. This should’ve been a quick listen but took me several days to finish. Maybe she was trying to be soothing but it was not, at least not for me.

Brilliant tale..

Brilliantly written and performed. Ms. Butler has created a beautiful alien story. The voice talent was superb.

Thought provoking, Disturbing,

I decided on this book after a raving review from my fav author. I tried out the preview as I commonly do and found I immediately liked the narrators voice.
The story is a wierd ride that was and is thought provoking and disturbing. I love how the protagonist is up against seemingly unsurmountable odds, and is manipulated and moved like chess board pieces by her captors/saviors.
Learning about this strange new world challenged all preconceived notions I tried to have.
I do wish the narrator added a bit more variety to character voices.
Over all this is a great read and I have enjoyed it. I think it will haunt my dreams.

Great Story Despite Terrible Narration

Just started the second book in this series and I can't agree with the other reviewers enough about the narration of this one. They sound like an AI trained on NPR Pledge Drives. But if you suffer through them you'll have a great story and a promising start to a beloved series. The narrator of the second book is much better, and I'm glad I didn't give up on this one.

My favorite I'v read so far!

Such an awesome writer... I couldn't put the books down!!! I would recommend these books to everyone!

Great read! Hard to believe Dawn was written/published in 1987

Great Sci-Fi. Apart from a fleeting reference to the ISSR it is hard to believe Dawn was written/published in 1987. Not at all dated after 35 years and disturbing as Octavia Butler forces us to mull over the implications of genetic manipulation and what it means to be human.