Lilith's Brood

Octavia E. Butler's Lilith's Brood continues the trend introduced by previous sci-fi readings: approaching societal issues typically deemed impolite to discuss through fictional foils. Lilith's Brood touches on a number of topics, taking complex, fluid stances on race, sexuality, and gender that allow for more exploration than more dismissive mainstream approaches. Lilith's interaction with the Oankali, mankind's captors and saviors, is nuanced by the many facets of the relationship between the two species. Xenophoboia, reluctant desire, and the drive to survive and reproduce all play a role in the link between the remains of mankind and the alien species they have been abducted by. The events that take place could also serve as an allegorical method of discussing the state of and feelings experienced by displaced ethnic groups and how racially charged environments affect desire and survival.