SOURCE: "Homage to Tradition: Octavia Butler Renovates the Historical Novel," in MELUS, Vol. 13, Nos. 1 and 2, Spring-Summer, 1986, pp. 79-96.

In the following essay, Govan delineates the similarities between Butler's Wild Seed and Kindred, including strong, black, female protagonists, and the use of history and black tradition.

Despite the fact that her novels are sometimes difficult to find, Octavia Butler has nonetheless firmly established herself as a major new voice in science fiction. The five published novels of her Patternist saga, depicting over a vast time span both the genesis and evolution of Homo Superior (psionically enhanced human beings) and his mutated bestial counterpart; the one novel, Kindred, outside the serial story; and the short stories, all speak exceptionally well for Butler's artistry and growth.

Through the interviews she has given, the articles she's written, the pieces published about her, and of course, her novels, Octavia Butler emerges as a...