Trading Species

I’m having a hard time getting into the collection of Xenogenesis that is Lilith’s Brood. The post apocalyptic earth where humans have nearly wiped themselves out is a common theme or background in sci-fi but one I can only tolerate when it is done well. In this case it just seems so staid and combined with the weird alien species that has engineered itself into a dead end, kinda a stupid move, and the images relating to slavery it all just gets under my skin somehow. The underlying message also hits me as less subtle than a truncheon. Suggesting that we need to be more accepting of other races and cultures is a worthwhile message, but that doesn’t mean I want to be clobbered over the head with it. Maybe it is more subtle to others but for me the themes and the message are just too overbearing to draw me into the story. If I cannot be drawn into the story then it is hard to enjoy it. It might also simply be a case of my simply being unable to accept the central plot. The idea of trading species has merit with biology, but usually on the micro-level. I find it a hard concept to accept on a more complex level.