Bloodchild and Other Stories

Octavia E. Butler · first published 1995 · ISBN 9781888363111

This collection gathers seven stories spanning Butler's career, anchored by the title novella 'Bloodchild,' which explores a symbiotic alien species and a young human man forced into reproduction as a host for their eggs. The collection also includes 'Speech Sounds,' about a plague that strips humanity of language, and 'Amnesty,' which appeared in the expanded 2005 edition, showcasing Butler's range from intimate trauma to species-level catastrophe.