PR in the Philippines

(SeaPRwire) –   When discussing science fiction novels that predicted our present-day struggles decades in advance, Octavia E. Butler and her work Parable of the Sower can’t be overlooked. Butler’s most well-known book landed on the New York Times bestseller list in 2020—14 years following her passing. The novel’s success and apparent foresight have sparked a fresh surge of interest in the late sci-fi author, to the point that a book she personally disliked is being reprinted.

Butler was quite productive during her lifetime, releasing 12 novels and two short-story collections from 1977 until her death in 2006. Among these, 1978’s Survivor was her absolute least favorite work, and after its initial run, the author used her influence to prevent it from ever being reprinted again. As a result, first-edition copies now sell for thousands of dollars through rare-book dealers.

Survivor is part of Butler’s “Patternist” series—a loosely connected set of books featuring psychically powered humans with ties to extraterrestrial worlds. The story centers on Alanna, a biracial woman who is the daughter of the leader of a group of human colonists called “Missionaries.” These colonists travel to a planet where, as Polygon’s Tasha Robinson writes, “the local humanoids, the furry, color-shifting Kohn, are divided into two factions. Navigating the Kohns’ internal politics is physically and emotionally complicated both for Alanna and the missionaries … Alanna’s link to the Kohns comes with burdens she doesn’t want, and has to accept to survive.”

According to a recent Los Angeles Times story, Butler considered the book underdeveloped, dismissively calling it her “Star Trek novel” due to its simplistic, human-centric view of the universe. (Star Trek fans, don’t shoot the messenger.) She also saw it as a poorly written rush job, created primarily to fund research for her masterful time-travel novel Kindred. That said, the Patternist series always includes Butler’s 1984 book Clay’s Ark, which has a slight Star Trek vibe and is excellent.

Regardless, Survivor has become both a taboo and a source of fascination for Butler’s fans—this is why Hachette Book Group’s Grand Central Publishing division is bringing the novel back into print. Speaking to The LA Times, Balance publisher Nana K. Twumasi said the reprint is “about wanting to have a piece of this person that we all respect and want to get her due,” adding, “I don’t know that we would have pursued this if there were very clear notes that said, ‘Do not ever release this book’ … as opposed to, ‘I could have made this better, and I didn’t get the opportunity to do it.’”

Similarly, the manager of Butler’s estate stated in a press release that “to deprive readers of the ability to read any of Butler’s works would simply be unjust and unfair,” echoing Twumasi’s comment that Survivor simply “[wasn’t] good enough to meet [Butler’s] own high standards.” Even though she was dissatisfied with it, Octavia E. Butler’s worst work is still better than many writers’ best, and readers can decide for themselves when Survivor relaunches in September 2026.

You can preorder Survivor here.