Unexpected Stories
Two Novellas
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Unexpected Stories
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Narrated by:
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Robin Miles
About this listen
This exciting collection presents two previously unpublished stories by SF legend Octavia E. Butler.
A Necessary Being precedes the events of Survivor, Butler's third (famously disowned) installment in her Patternist series, and includes characters from it, focusing exclusively on the Kohn, aliens who build their social hierarchies on the blueness of their fur.
In Childfinder, a black woman with the gift of identifying children with latent psychic ability refuses to share her skill with an organization of white telepaths.
©2014 Octavia E. Butler (P)2018 Recorded BooksListeners also enjoyed...
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Octavia Would Be Proud
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Featured Article: The Essential Octavia Butler—A Listening List for Fans and Newcomers Alike
Octavia E. Butler was a renowned Black author who wrote in, and revolutionized, the science fiction genre. Her body of work, including such acclaimed novels as Kindred and Parable of the Sower, is lauded for its trenchant social commentary and continued pertinence. When it comes to sci-fi, there are few authors more impactful than Octavia E. Butler. Here's everything you need to know about the visionary writer.
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-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 13,152
Having just celebrated her 26th birthday in 1976 California, Dana, an African-American woman, is suddenly and inexplicably wrenched through time into antebellum Maryland. After saving a drowning White boy there, she finds herself staring into the barrel of a shotgun and is transported back to the present just in time to save her life. During numerous such time-defying episodes with the same young man, she realizes she's been given a challenge.
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5 out of 5 stars
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The Past of Slavery Still Moves and Wounds Us
- By Jefferson on 12-05-10
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Bloodchild and Other Stories
- By: Octavia E. Butler
- Narrated by: Malik Rashad, Allyson Johnson, Bahni Turpin
- Length: 5 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 56
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 51
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 51
A perfect introduction for new listeners and a must-have for avid fans, this New York Times Notable Book includes "Bloodchild," winner of both the Hugo and the Nebula awards and "Speech Sounds," winner of the Hugo Award. Appearing in audio for the first time, "Amnesty" is a story of a woman named Noah who works to negotiate the tense and co-dependent relationship between humans and a species of invaders. Also new to this collection is "The Book of Martha" which asks: What would you do if God granted you the ability—and responsibility—to save humanity from itself?
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5 out of 5 stars
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Challenging & interesting!
- By Augie's Mom on 01-03-25
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Parable of the Sower
- By: Octavia E. Butler
- Narrated by: Lynne Thigpen
- Length: 12 hrs
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 14,010
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 12,511
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 12,471
God is change. That is the central truth of the Earthseed movement, whose unlikely prophet is 18-year-old Lauren Olamina. The young woman's diary entries tell the story of her life amid a violent 21st-century hell of walled neighborhoods and drug-crazed pyromaniacs - and reveal her evolving Earthseed philosophy. Against a backdrop of horror emerges a message of hope: if we are willing to embrace divine change, we will survive to fulfill our destiny among the stars.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Dystopia before dystopia was cool...
- By Amber on 05-28-14
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Skin Folk
- Stories
- By: Nalo Hopkinson
- Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
- Length: 8 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 67
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 57
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 57
In Skin Folk, with works ranging from science fiction to Caribbean folklore, passionate love to chilling horror, Nalo Hopkinson is at her award-winning best spinning tales like "Precious", in which the narrator spews valuable coins and gems from her mouth whenever she attempts to talk or sing. In "A Habit of Waste", a self-conscious woman undergoes elective surgery to alter her appearance; days later she's shocked to see her former body climbing onto a public bus.
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5 out of 5 stars
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mindblowingly exquisite!!!
- By Amazon Customer on 12-23-20
By: Nalo Hopkinson
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Dawn
- By: Octavia E. Butler
- Narrated by: Julienne Irons
- Length: 8 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 321
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 300
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 300
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.
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1 out of 5 stars
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Too Sexual
- By Amazon Customer on 08-29-23
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The Birthday of the World
- And Other Stories
- By: Ursula K. Le Guin
- Narrated by: Christina Moore
- Length: 14 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 84
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 75
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 75
Ursula K. Le Guin has enthralled fans with her imagination, clarity, and moral vision. The recipient of numerous literary prizes, including the National Book Award, the Kafka Award, and five Hugo and five Nebula Awards, this renowned writer has created a provocative, ever-evolving universe filled with diverse worlds and rich characters reminiscent of our earthly selves. Now, in The Birthday of the World, this gifted artist returns to these worlds in eight brilliant short works, including a never-before-published novella, each of which probes the essence of humanity.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Only worth it for Paradises Lost
- By DEC on 10-27-21
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The Found and the Lost
- The Collected Novellas of Ursula K. Le Guin
- By: Ursula K. Le Guin
- Narrated by: Alyssa Bresnahan, Jefferson Mays
- Length: 34 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 423
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 373
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 375
Every novella by Ursula K. Le Guin, an icon in American literature, collected for the first time - and introduced by the legendary author - in one breathtaking volume. Ursula K. Le Guin has won multiple prizes and accolades, from the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters to the Newbery Honor, Nebula, Hugo, World Fantasy, and PEN/Malamud awards. She has had her work collected over the years but never as a complete retrospective of her longer works.
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2 out of 5 stars
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You gotta be kidding me.
- By Spam on 07-02-19
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Noor
- By: Nnedi Okorafor
- Narrated by: Délé Ogundiran
- Length: 7 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 493
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 442
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 437
Anwuli Okwudili prefers to be called AO. To her, these initials have always stood for Artificial Organism. AO has never really felt...natural, and that's putting it lightly. Her parents spent most of the days before she was born praying for her peaceful passing because even in-utero she was "wrong". But she lived. Then came the car accident years later that disabled her even further. Yet instead of viewing her strange body the way the world views it, as freakish, unnatural, even the work of the devil, AO embraces all that she is.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Slow audio speed to 0.9x
- By Camille on 02-02-22
By: Nnedi Okorafor
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Africa Risen
- A New Era of Speculative Fiction
- By: Sheree Renee Thomas, Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, Zelda Knight
- Narrated by: Amin El Gamal, Kim Staunton, Dele Ogundiran, and others
- Length: 17 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 30
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 28
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 28
A group of cabinet ministers queries a supercomputer containing the minds of the country’s ancestors. A child robot on a dying planet uncovers signs of fragile new life. A descendant of a rain goddess inherits her grandmother’s ability to change her appearance—and perhaps the world. Created in the legacy of the seminal, award-winning anthology series Dark Matter, Africa Risen celebrates the vibrancy, diversity, and reach of African and AfroDiasporic science fiction and fantasy and reaffirms that Africa is not rising—it’s already here.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Amazing and creative stories!
- By GiGi409 on 03-08-24
By: Sheree Renee Thomas, and others
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Octavia's Brood
- Science Fiction Stories from Social Justice Movements
- By: Adrienne Maree Brown, Walidah Imarisha
- Narrated by: Je Nie Fleming
- Length: 11 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 168
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 150
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 148
Whenever we envision a world without war, without prisons, without capitalism, we are producing speculative fiction. Organizers and activists envision and try to create such worlds all the time. Walidah Imarisha and adrienne maree brown have brought 20 of them together in the first anthology of short stories to explore the connections between radical speculative fiction and movements for social change.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Octavia Would Be Proud
- By Susie on 06-15-16
By: Adrienne Maree Brown, and others
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The Unreal and the Real: Selected Stories of Ursula K. Le Guin, Volume Two: Outer Space, Inner Lands
- By: Ursula K. Le Guin
- Narrated by: Tandy Cronyn
- Length: 13 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 171
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 143
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 142
Outer Space, Inner Lands includes many of the best known Ursula K. Le Guin nonrealistic stories (such as "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas," "Semley' s Necklace," and "She Unnames Them") which have shaped the way many listeners see the world. She gives voice to the voiceless, hope to the outsider, and speaks truth to power - all the time maintaining her independence and sense of humor.
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4 out of 5 stars
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chapter names
- By Evan Goldsborough on 01-18-20
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Brown Girl in the Ring
- By: Nalo Hopkinson
- Narrated by: Peter Jay Fernandez
- Length: 7 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 404
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 353
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 353
With nowhere to turn, a young woman must open herself to ancient truths, eternal powers, and the tragic mystery surrounding her mother and grandmother. She must bargain with gods, and give birth to new legends.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Fascinating, unique story deftly narrated
- By Stef on 03-15-07
By: Nalo Hopkinson
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Parentesco
- By: Octavia E. Butler
- Narrated by: Isolda Peguero
- Length: 13 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 9
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 8
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Story5 out of 5 stars 8
Más de treinta y cinco años después de su lanzamiento, Parentesco sigue atrayendo a nuevos lectores con su profunda exploración de la violencia y la perdida de la humanidad causada por la esclavitud en Estados Unidos, y el impacto complejo y duradero que aun tiene este hecho histórico en la actualidad.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Una historia genial, pero dura
- By Cliente de Kindle on 10-28-24
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Spirits Abroad
- By: Zen Cho
- Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller
- Length: 12 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 19
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 18
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 18
Nineteen sparkling stories that weave between the lands of the living and the lands of the dead. Spirits Abroad is an expanded edition of Zen Cho’s Crawford Award winning debut collection with nine added stories including Hugo Award winner “If at First You Don't Succeed, Try, Try Again”. A Datin recalls her romance with an orang bunian. A teenage pontianak struggles to balance homework, bossy aunties, first love, and eating people.
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5 out of 5 stars
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An Array of Magic
- By Suzi on 05-06-24
By: Zen Cho
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Lavinia
- By: Ursula K. Le Guin
- Narrated by: Alyssa Bresnahan
- Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 385
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 292
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 294
Highly acclaimed author Ursula K. Le Guin lends a resonant voice to a pivotal yet often overlooked character of Vergil's The Aeneid. Born into peace and freedom, Lavinia is stunned to learn that she will be the cause of a great war - or so the prophecies and omens claim. Her fate is sealed, however, when she meets a man from Troy.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Fascinatingly well written
- By Kennet on 03-11-09
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The Golden Apples of the Sun
- And Other Stories
- By: Ray Bradbury
- Narrated by: MacLeod Andrews
- Length: 13 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 100
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 89
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 88
Ray Bradbury is a modern cultural treasure. His disarming simplicity of style underlies a towering body of work unmatched in metaphorical power by any other American storyteller. And here, presented in a new trade edition, are 32 of his most famous tales - prime examples of the poignant and mysterious poetry which Bradbury uniquely uncovers in the depths of the human soul, the otherwordly portraits of outre fascination which spring from the canvas of one of the century's great men of imagination. From a lonely coastal lighthouse to a 60-million-year-old safari, from the pouring rain of Venus to the ominous silence of a murder scene.
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4 out of 5 stars
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I love Ray Bradbury
- By Steven M. Dunn on 12-29-19
By: Ray Bradbury
What listeners say about Unexpected Stories
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Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Malin
- 12-17-24
Two great short stories!
The first one (4 stars) is a bit longer and will stay in my mind, I think. It reminded me of N.K. Jemisin's Broken Earth trilogy.
The second one (3 stars) is a modern telekinesis story which would be a great premise for a movie, it left me wanting more.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- JDub
- 06-13-21
Always Interesting
Octavia Butler is one of my favorite authors. She baits you in and takes you on a journey. Nothing is different with these two novellas. She left me wanting to know how the two stories characters will continue in there worlds. I was fully invested and my only let down was there wasn't anymore to read.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- DEB
- 01-17-22
Print vs Audio
I like reading print, touching paper, turning the page, and stopping to insert a book mark when I read a book. But, I realize the audio format will help me with words that are difficult to pronounce. So now, I will review with an audio format first then read the paper format, because it is more environmentally friendly for the atmosphere on Earth and digital format is harmful to my eyes.
I do love Octavia E. Butler's stories. I read almost all of her books, but I am saddened that her book, Survivor, is unreachable to people like me that can't afford to purchase a new or used copy. I want to read it, so I ask that Doubleday to reprint it. Business wise more money would be gained due the supply and demand for it. Instead of people making "PDF" copies of it and passing it around.
Peace Out!
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sang23
- 02-07-20
Great
It's very hard to go wrong with an octavia buttler book. I've liked almost every single one.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mb4pax
- 10-23-22
Fine getaway experience.
Having never read or listened to any Octavia E. Butler's creations, I thoroughly enjoyed these two novellas. Adding in Robin Miles' narration and I had the full package of nuanced storytelling and truly excellent writing. No summaries here, simply an exclamation of 2 hour and 24 minutes of pleasurable listening.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- ninasimone
- 01-03-25
Loved the stories
Octavia Butler creates such wonderful stories. The 2 novellas are beautiful now i need more. Thank you
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Adiva
- 01-23-20
I'm a huge O . Butler stan. great work!
This shirt work was very enjoyable. O.B. at her finest. I'm hungry for more. Excellent narration
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- NaLaH
- 07-21-20
Amazing Short Read
I am always amazed at how I easily allow myself to accept the worlds that Butler effortlessly creates. This was my first time reading her shorter works and each one made me want more. She approaches issues of tolerance, peace, power, land stewardship, aging, psychic gifts and more like no other. Dig in!
And I will read ANYTHING that Robin Miles narrates. She's incredible!
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Virginia Hampton
- 08-27-20
amazing as usual!
I am a Butler fan from way back. These stories are worth a good listen.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- C.
- 12-06-20
Long Live Octavia Butler's Masterful Storytelling
These stories made me even more grateful for Octavia Butler's resolve to share her gift and make the reader feel through words. They also made me miss her equally.
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4 people found this helpful