12. Dawn

Dawn by Octavia Butler hit on a lot of points for a relatively short science fiction novel. The one that impacted me the most was in how trust constantly shifted to and from characters in interactions between characters/groups of characters. This was one of those stories where the mystery of "what's going on?" really made me want to continue reading the book. In this case, more specifically, I wanted to know if the main character, Lilith, was or wasn't actually in danger from the Oankali aliens. I found my trust in the Oankali constantly shifting. They helped Lilith in one scene, and in the next they'd keep secrets from her and stay very quiet.

The description of the Oankali and their ship/animals seemed highly interesting as well. The way they were living appeared very logical in how they absorbed genes they needed from other species and adapted it into their culture. And how they were described (aquatic/grotesque) made me cringe in more than one place. 

Another interesting thing I found is in the parallel between the Oankali's home world and Earth. Both species, at the time the story begins, have lost their home world and are now just drifting. I think this just reinforces how similar the Humans and Oankali are in terms of their standing in the universe. But because of mistrust and suspicion, it creates heavy conflict between the two species. In this way, Dawn is about two cultures clashing and coming to understand what each other wants from one another.