Imago

Butler’s Xenogenesis Series includes three books: Dawn (1987), Adulthood Rites (1988), and Imago (1989). The novels were combined and initially published under the title Xenogenesis in 1989 and later as Lilith’s Brood in 2000. The trilogy is a story of first contact between a tentacled alien species called the Oankali and the last human survivors on Earth. The term “xenogenesis” refers to the production of offspring completely different from the parent, connecting to the Oankali’s need to “trade” genes and create new forms of life. Each novel deals with the tensions in human/Oankali interactions and the delicate balance between autonomy and interdependence for survival. Butler cites the heightened nuclear arms race of the 1980s as the inspiration to write about humans who are genetically predisposed to self-destruction due to their contradictory intelligence and hierarchical nature.

In Dawn, Lilith Iyapo, a Black American, is the first human awakened by the Oankali centuries after nuclear devastation. They assign Lilith the task of waking other humans and teaching them about the Oankali and their proposal to trade genes and repopulate Earth. Torn between her loyalty to her species and her growing bond with an Oankali named