There are two stories in this collection: a novella that Butler had submitted various places but had never sold, and a short story she sold to Harlan Ellison for an anthology he never published. Both had been finished in the 1970s, which makes them some of her earliest work. Her agent and a manuscript curator discovered them after her death when they were going through her papers. In 2014, this collection was released as an ebook, and now it's getting its first print edition at Subterranean Press.

I typically avoid works that have been discovered and published after an author's death, since they're usually either unfinished or rough around the edges. This collection is an exception to that rule, and they demonstrate what a tremendous talent Butler was, even at the very beginning of her writing career.

These stories are not among my favorites of Butler's works, but they're still full of her sharp insight into social inequalities, and feature her spectacular talent to explore these issues in dark and unfamiliar worlds. Octavia Butler is one of the giants of the genre, whose work is rightfully recognized for its unflinching exploration of issues of sex and race, in compelling and fantastic ways. If you haven't read her work before, I highly recommend it, and this could be a good place to start (if rather short). If you're already a fan of her work, then of course you know how excellent this short collection is.

Fans of Octavia Butler will be overjoyed by these short stories. The queen of science fiction has, posthumously, reaffirmed her undeniable gift for telling truths through speculative fiction. In simple language and relatable characters, Butler once again conveys so much about the human condition through her very tendency towards parcity; while she never hands anything to her reader, so much is revealed and gleaned in every conscientious sentence and word choice. Unexpected Stories was an unexpected treat.

Octavia Butler was a master of the author's craft, and these two stories are a delight to read. I understand now why each of her stories are gems; it is because she polished each to a brilliant level of perfection.

Octavia Butler is an amazing author and, to my chagrin, I only discovered her work in the past few years. This collection of stories, though brief, offers a bit of this author’s vision to the world. Beautiful.

Classic, beautifully done. Octavia never disappoints and I look forward to reading anything else released! I am a sucker for short stories and I can’t wait to add some of these to my classroom repertoire. My students are always looking for more contemporary reads and this collection will not disappoint.

Unexpected Stories by Octavia Butler- These two gems of storytelling first saw the light in 2014. A Novella, A Necessary Being and a story, Childfinder comprise the volume. A Necessary Being was something Butler never found a place to publish, but I think it is exactly the kind of fierce, thoughtful story that won her so many awards. Childfinder was supposed to be included in Harlan Ellison's Last Dangerous Visions, but that never got published and its so over-protected by copyrights that it's almost prohibited to talk about it. It's a wonderful story of psi powers and children and the sacrifices adults must make to secure a child's future. I'm reviewing this for the Subterranean Press release, which I'm sure will be grand. If you've read Butler and enjoyed it as well as I have over the years (Bloodchild, Kindred, etc,), this is a great opportunity to read more.

I’m not someone who reads a lot of short stories or speculative fiction, and as such I love how accessible Octavia Butler’s stories are. Unexpected Stories is a treat both for people unfamiliar with her work and for fans.

I particularly loved A Necessary Being. The world-building was fascinating, the conflict gripping with gruesome implications followed by a conclusion that was thrillingly satisfying. I would have loved to read a whole novel about these characters and their storiy.

Childfinder was much shorter, but no less impactful. While having some fantastical elements through psi, which mainly seems to be telepathy, it very much plays in the world as we know it – full of prejudices and bigotry. Much of it’s punch was packed into the short interludes in beginning and end that read like passages from a textbook or documentary, and talk about the impact the psy ability could have had – but didn’t.
I also would have liked to read much more about the characters of Childfinder, except it, despite its hopeful nuances, ultimately felt rather bleak.

This short work features two stories by an author whose work I love.
The first is a novella (A Necessary Being) about a group whose highly stratified social structure determines how high an individual can rise by how blue they are. It is a story about frustration, but also about learning where you fit in and how to help others see who you really are. I enjoyed it but there was nothing that seemed ground-breaking.
The second (Childminder) is a short story that begs for a full novel or even a trilogy. The characters are psychic and the main protagonist is a woman who can find new psi-talented children. To me, she is reminiscent of Anyanwu from the Patternist series. A strong woman fighting back against a system she doesn't like and willing to sacrifice everything for her children.
If you have ever enjoyed works by Butler before, you will enjoy this short book as well.

Unexpected Stories includes two recently unearthed short works by Butler, which appear in this collection as their first time ever in print. Not only did I love these two stories, but I actually think it was a great introduction for me into Butler’s oeuvre. Both of the stories had very prominent themes of class and race, and both explored really fascinating (and totally different) worlds.

The first of the two stories, and the longer of the two, is “A Necessary Being.” This novella explores a world much changed by drought and climate, and centers on the leaders of two separate, and possibly competing, tribal groups. The people in this world are divided in different castes by their skin color, which varies widely from dark green to yellow to true blue. It is an obvious and powerful commentary on class and race within our own world, and features a strong female leader who is both older in age and not ashamed of showing her sexuality. It’s beautiful to see, and the story is compelling to read. I could not put this story down.

The second entry in this collection, “Childfinder,” was rather short. It’s a story of class and racism, and also about children with some largely-unexplored psychic abilities. This world is much closer to a near-future dystopian or alternative version of our own world, and packs quite a punch into its almost-too-short 13 pages. I wanted more from the story; I wanted more about the kids and I wanted more about their powers and I wanted world-building. Ultimately, though, this story is mostly successful in that it left me thinking considerably about it and its world.

“A Necessary Being” comes in at 4 stars for me, while “Childfinder” is probably closer to a 3.5. The experience of reading of this collection as a whole, however, including it’s foreword and afterwords, is a solid 4 star reading experience. It’s a lovely collection, and I am glad Subterranean Press is putting these stories in print for the world.

Thanks to Subterranean Press and NetGalley for proving me an eArc of this collection in exchange for an honest review! This collection comes out through Subterranean Press on April 30, 2020, but you can preorder it now!

My review will go live on my website Back Shelf Books, at the below link on March 12th at 8:30am. My Goodreads review is also linked below.

This is short and sweet and highly rated and reviewed by lots of folks. My best contribution is simply to recommend it.

I really appreciate the review copy!!

Book Review: Unexpected Stories
by Octavia E. Butler

Unexpected Stories is, by any measure, an unexpected gift. This slender but resonant volume contains two stories—recently unearthed and never before in print—by one of the most significant figures in modern science fiction: Octavia E. Butler.

“A Necessary Being” takes us into the heart of an alien culture with a rigid hierarchical system based on caste and skin coloration. With the arrival of visitors from a distant mountain tribe, the society known as the Rohkohn finds itself faced with the sudden prospect of profound social change. In the second story, “Childfinder,” the title character is a woman who uses her psychic abilities to track down children with similar nascent abilities—and protect them from the abuses of a predatory society.

These may be early stories, but they are the clear reflections of a powerful and original talent, and their belated publication is a major literary event. As novelist Nisi Shawl notes in her eloquent introduction, we may live in a fundamentally unfair world, but “sweet surprises” occasionally come our way. Unexpected Stories is one of those surprises. It is a book that Butler’s many admirers have been waiting for, whether they knew it or not.- Goodreads

Technically, this is the first time I have read anything by Octavia E. Butler. I know, as a fantasy and sometimes science fiction lover, it is horrible that this is my first read of her. But to be fair, I was only put on to Butler last year and last year. . . was a year.
But the reason I say, technically, is because the short story Childfinder is read by LeVar Burton on his podcast, LeVar Burton Reads. LeVar Burton Reads is one of my favorite podcasts and my first actual introduction to Butler. So to be able to see Childfinder again was a great experience.
As a forewarning, if you think this is a collection of short stories, you are technically not right. This are two short stories and words from Nisi Shawl. And that is disappointing, but I wanted to read more. But let’s discuss these two stories.

A Necessary Being was fantastic. I loved every moment of it. It sucked you in, at the first page. The whole world-building was done is such a clear manner that even while writing this, I am enjoying the view. The fact that the world is based on a caste system and skin color does not escape my mind at all. There are subtle hints/scenes in which this system is changing and without even noticing it you are putting the fictional world and the modern world together. As much of a fantasy this story is, there is a lot of points to modern society. I freaking loved it.

Childfinder was deep. It was deep and I was surprised by how much I wanted this to be a longer story because it was disturbingly deep. The best way I could describe this story is Black people will always be considered a threat or a tool to White people. If you don’t want to wait to read it, then go ahead and listen to it. Burton does an amazing job.
But overall, as my “first” introduction to Butler, this was great. I love love love A Necessary being (and I love how intimacy was described in this novel) and it is now one of my favorite short stories.
5 Pickles

“Unexpected Stories” derives it’s title from the fact that these stories were unexpected treats found after Butler’s death. The word “stories,” however feels like a bit of a misnomer, particularly if you were led to believe it was a short story anthology. It is a collection of two stories, one which comprises nearly eighty percent of the book and a much smaller short. The first, “A Necessary Being,” is a brilliant work which imagines an entire new world of luminescently colored beings, divided into mountain and desert tribes such as the Rahkhan and the Tehkahn, which have little in common save their dependence on the genetically gifted Hao for leadership, a desperation so pervasive that they will obtain a Hao any way they can. The story is brilliant in the way it creates a universe with few details, essentially giving the reader little more than a brief glimpse. The second story, “Childminder,” is about telepaths and their fight for survival in a world uncomfortable with them. The two stories are unrelated except by some common thematic elements.