Dawn

I enjoyed the experience of reading this book because it felt unique and I never could really predict what was going to happen next. In some ways, this was both a feature and a flaw of the novel. As with all of the Butler novels I've read, the writing was clear and the main character was complex and compelling. However, part of the reason I felt like things were unexpected is that some aspects of the story felt skipped over. The set=up to the story seems to be that humans have destroyed themselves (and maybe the planet), but I'm hazy on what happened and the suriving human characters rarely address this in detail. There is a mention that the aliens have erased or suppressed some of the humans' memories regarding their capture/rescue, but a little more background on how the humans actually survived the apocalyptic event would have been helpful. I was also a little unclear on what the aliens' spaceship looked like, or what the humans did on a daily basis in the earth-like habitat created by the aliens. On the other hand, these apparent ellipses didnt' diminish my overall enjoyment of the novel. I rarely complain that novels are too short, and sometimes I'd rather have a novel skimp on details than belabor everything.

in general, I thought this was an interesting portrayal of a very intense (and slightly icky) first contact experience. I thought Butler really convincingly explored the different ways that humans might respond to waking up to a truly bizarre and helpless situation. I also appreciated that both the main character and the audience have to grapple with the complex relationships between the humans and the aliens - the aliens are simultaneously saviors and captors, heroes and villains. Nothing is straightforward. It was great.