Imago (Xenogenesis, #3)
Octavia E. Butler
The stunning conclusion to a postapocalyptic trilogy about an alien species merging with humans—from “one of science fiction’s finest writers” (TheNew York Times). Human and Oankali have been mating since the aliens first came to Earth to rescue the few survivors of an annihilating nuclear war. The Oankali began a massive breeding project, guided by the ooloi, a sexless subspecies capable of manipulating DNA, in the hope of eventually creating a perfect starfaring race. Jodahs is supposed to be just another hybrid of human and Oankali, but as he begins his transformation to adulthood he finds himself becoming ooloi—the first ever born to a human mother. As his body changes, Jodahs develops the ability to shapeshift, manipulate matter, and cure or create disease at will. If this frightened young man is able to master his new identity, Jodahs could prove the savior of what’s left of mankind. Or, if he is not careful, he could become a plague that will destroy this new race once and for all.
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Overall, another great installment of the series! It was great to be able to read the story from the perspective of an ooloi and gain a better understanding of what Lilith and Akin had been unable to perceive in the previous stories. The Oankali are just so fascinating and cool to read about. I found the ending to be somewhat anticlimactic. Upon finishing, I immediately googled the series to double check that it was just a trilogy and there wasn’t another book left! I feel like I still have so many questions and such desire to know more about what will happen next.
I think my favorite thing about this series is the way in which Butler makes you sit with moral ambiguities. Characters have complex motivations and are complicated. I think finally getting to read from an ooloi’s perspective finally lets us see that the Oankali are compelled by irrational urges that don’t always lead them towards ethical choices - just like humans. Aaor and Jodahs, like Nikanj, effectively coerce their human mates into becoming their life long partners because they simply cannot resist. And after spending enough time together, the humans cannot resist either. This seems in direct objection to the almost holier-than-thou, objective tone the ooloi take with humans in the previous books, claiming to know what’s best for the humans almost like a parent would a child. However, Imago reveals that the ooloi aren’t as stable and all knowing as they project.
Towards the end of the book, the Oankali realize that there never would have been resisters if there had always been construct ooloi to entice the humans with. This perplexes me. How can the Oankali know with absolute certainty that humans, left to their own devices, will destroy themselves and yet time and time again, totally fail in predicting what humans will do or need? It’s really hard for me to subscribe to this sort of biological determinism especially when it’s being espoused from beings whose very survival depends on convincing humans to mate with them. Hardly an impartial observer, though they are experts at genetics!
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