Will humanity be forever changed?
Brilliant and captivating, Dawn is the first book in the Xenogenesis trilogy by the 'grand dame of science fiction' and Hugo, Locus and Nebula award-winning author Octavia E. Butler. The perfect read for fans of Ursula Le Guin's gripping sci-fi novels, Naomi Alderman's The Power and thrilling blockbusters Black Panther and Arrival.
'[Her] evocative, often troubling, novels explore far-reaching issues of race, sex, power and, ultimately, what it means to be human' New York Times
'Elegant and thoughtful, and I highly recommend it' Greg Bear, Hugo and Nebula award-winning author
In a world devastated by nuclear war with humanity on the edge of extinction, aliens finally make contact. They rescue those humans they can, keeping most survivors in suspended animation and begin the slow process of rehabilitating the planet.
When Lilith Iyapo is 'awakened', she finds that she has been chosen to revive her fellow humans in small groups by first preparing them to meet the utterly terrifying Oankali, then training them to survive on the wilderness that the planet has become.
But the Oankali cannot help humanity without altering it forever. Bonded to the aliens in ways no human has ever known, Lilith tries to fight them even as her own species comes to fear and loathe her.
What readers are saying about DAWN:
'A parable for modern times'
'I couldn't put it down! A well-spun story of the human condition and our sometimes-self-destructive behaviour. Brilliant'
'Wonderful, timeless and thought-provoking'