#197 in Science fiction
Adulthood Rites
- 304
- Pages
- about 6 h
- Reading time
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Our view
“Adulthood Rites” is thoughtful science fiction that uses the meeting of humans and aliens to ask whether humanity can outgrow its past. With the Oankali and their world already established in “Dawn”, this second volume of the trilogy is free to concentrate on its story, and some readers prefer it for that. Others find no single stretch gripping, yet keep thinking about the questions it raises. It should be read after the first book.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
From the award-winning author of Parable of the Sower:After the near-extinction of the human race, one young man with extraordinary gifts will reveal whether the human race can learn from its past and rebuild their future . . . or is doomed to self-destruction. In the future, nuclear war has destroyed nearly all humankind. An alien race intervenes, saving the small group of survivors from certain death. But their salvation comes at a cost. The Oankali are able to read and mutate genetic code, and they use these skills for their own survival, interbreeding with new species to constantly adapt and evolve. They value the intelligence they see in humankind but also know that the species—rigidly bound to destructive social hierarchies—is destined for failure. They are determined that the only way forward is for the two races to produce a new hybrid species—and they will not tolerate rebellion. Akin looks like an ordinary human child. But as the first true human-alien hybrid, he is born understanding language, then starts to form sentences at two months old. He can see at a molecular level and kill with a touch. More powerful than any human or Oankali, he will be the architect of both races' future. But before he can carry this new species into the stars, Akin must reconcile with his own heritage in a world already torn in two.
Reading order · Lilith's Brood
Full order & progress →- DawnStart here
8.08.0 / 10 - Adulthood RitesThis book
8.08.0 / 10 - Imago
8.08.0 / 10
Where the score comes from
The sources average 8.2 across 204 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 58% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Science fiction average of 7.8. That is how 8.0 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 8.0 | 11 | 5% |
| Hardcover | 8.2 | 193 | 95% |
Frequently asked
How long is Adulthood Rites?
It has 304 pages — shorter than 79% of the ranked books in Science fiction.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
The same shelf — Science fiction — and a score of 8.0, the closest to this book.
