Octavia E. Butler's Dawn is the first book in the Xenogenesis trilogy, following Lilith Iyapo as she awakens after a nuclear war to find herself aboard an alien spacecraft. The Oankali, her rescuers, offer humanity a chance to survive through genetic merger, but at the cost of remaining purely human. Butler creates a complex exploration of survival, consent, identity, and what it means to be human when the price of existence is transformation.

WHY WE PICKED IT: Because Butler asked the questions science fiction was made for: What would you sacrifice to survive? Who gets to define humanity? Dawn is uncomfortable, brilliant, and refuses easy answers, proving that the best speculative fiction holds up a mirror to our deepest fears and desires.

DETAILS: • Author: Octavia E. Butler • Publisher: Grand Central Publishing • Format: Paperback • Publication Date: April 27, 2021 • ISBN: 9781538753712 • Ships direct from distributor in 3–7 business days