Unexpected stories
Octavia E. Butler (Author)
"The novella "A Necessary Being" showcases Octavia E. Butler's ability to create alien yet fully believable "others." Tahneh's father was a Hao, one of a dwindling race whose leadership abilities render them so valuable that their members are captured and forced to govern. When her father dies, Tahneh steps into his place, both chief and prisoner, and for twenty years has ruled without ever meeting another of her kind. She bears her loneliness privately until the day that a Hao youth is spotted wandering into her territory. As her warriors sharpen their weapons, Tahneh must choose between imprisoning the newcomer--and living the rest of her life alone. The second story in this volume, "Childfinder," was commissioned by Harlan Ellison for his legendary (and never-published) anthology The Last Dangerous Visions. A disaffected telepath connects with a young girl in a desperate attempt to help her harness her growing powers. But in the richly evocative fiction of Octavia E. Butler, mentorship is a rocky path, and every lesson comes at a price."--Amazon
Print Book, English, 2020
Limited edition View all formats and editions
Subterranean Press, Burton, Michigan, 2020
short stories
97 pages ; 22 cm.
9781596069831, 159606983X
1135575492
Foreword: Necessary stories / Nisi Shawl
A necessary being
Childfinder
Afterword / Merrilee Heifetz
"This special edition ... is limited to 1000 numbered copies"--Preliminary page