And one more down: Wild Seed, by Octavia E. Butler, first in her Patternist series. An immortal predatory spirit, Doro, gathers "special" humans for his breeding projects, seeking to create a superrace (and more ideal hosts). He encounters Anyanwu, herself centuries old and perhaps the most powerful talent he's met: she can change her own body at will, even taking animal form, though mostly she hides her gifts and great age, working as a healer in remote villages. Doro convinces her to join him as he leaves Africa for the New World, adding her to one of his American "seed villages," but Anyanwu won't be broken as his usual stock is. Will the two seemingly-immortal beings become allies through the years, or bitter enemies?
A SF classic, tackling issues of race, gender, slavery, abuse, and immortality, I nevertheless struggled to push myself ahead several times. The characters and situations could be downright repulsive; even Anyanwu doesn't have clean hands by the end. Some of it was a necessary function of the book; immortal beings, especially involuntary predators like Doro, are not going to have the same morality as normal humans, and even Anyanwu finds her moral compass shifting as the weight of generations presses down on her. Other times, it felt gratuitous, grinding the reader's face in the characters' helplessness and the atrocities being committed. Overall, while I'm glad I finally read it, I don't see myself reading further books in this series.
Updated list:
1. No hablo: A translation. The Three-Body Problem, by Liu Cixin.
2. Rainbow warrior: A book with a color in the title. The Red Pyramid, by Rick Riordan.
3. Bits and pieces: An anthology (poetry, short stories, whatever). The Improbable Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, edited by John Joseph Adams.
4. Out of this world: A book taking place in space or on another planet. Golden Son, by Pierce Brown.
5. Tuesdays with Balaam’s Ass: A book with a non-human (animal or fantastic creature) main character. The Hunt for Elsewhere, by Beatrice Vine. DONE
6. A book you started last year and haven’t yet finished. Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss. DONE
7. Crossing the (color) lines: A book about a PoC, any variety, written by an author of the same variety.Wild Seed, by Octavia E. Butler. DONE
8. What you will read to your grandchildren: A children's book (middle grade or lower). Pax, by Sarah Pennypacker.
9. Steady there, cowboy: A western. TBA
10. He did drone on a bit: A book more than 600 pages. 11/22/63, by Stephen King.
11. A graphic novel or comic book. Monster on the Hill, by Rob Harrell. DONE
12. Better known for . . .: A book by someone who’s more famous for doing something else. Holy Cow, by David Duchovny.