I'm trying to figure out how Octavia Butler's books all connect to each other. I just started Mind of My Mind and it seems to be in the same universe as Wild Seed, which I also just picked up recently but haven't read yet. Are the stories connected at all, and is there one I should read before the other? What other books are set in this universe? I know that Dawn, Adulthood Rites, and Imago make up the Lilith's Brood trilogy, and the two Parable books are connected, and AFAIK Kindred and Bloodchild stand on their own. Which ones am I forgetting? Do any of the series intersect with the other series at all?

Signed, Just A Little Obsessive About Her Reading Habits

What you know as Lilith's Brood I think of as Xenogenesis (I got to it before they were published together). Then there's the Patternist universe:

• Patternmaster
• Mind of My Mind
• Survivor
• Wild Seed
• Clay's Ark

Bloodchild, the anthology, may have a story that touches on some of her other work -- I don't recall. Kindred is entirely alone.

Also, the Parables books are a third universe (IIRC) -- Parable of the Sower, Parable of the Talents. I sort of expect a 3rd in that series, because everybody seems to have a thing for trilogies and more. Is it because "duology" is an awkward word? Don't know.

What you know as Lilith's Brood I think of as Xenogenesis (I got to it before they were published together).

Oh, that's right, I've seen them referred to by that name as well. Thanks. Do you think it's OK to read the Patternist books out of order, or should I put down Mind of My Mind until I've read Patternmaster?

The Patternist books are very loosely connected (I edited my post to take out "series" and put in "collection" for that very reason). I wouldn't worry about order.

The other books are more sequential, but you should be fine.

Excellent, thank you.

My best bud loves Octavia Butler with a white-hot intensity. I keep trying to find the love, because I really respect Best Bud's reading tastes, and so far I'm missing it. The characters just don't grab me. I've tried Wild Seed and Imago so far. Maybe I've just been starting with the wrong books.

On a non-Butler train of thought, I'm thinking of doing some research into cross dressing. If anyone has any non-fiction or really realistic fiction books to recommend on the topic, I'd love to hear about them. I've read Stone Butch Blues, and I've gotten some good recommendations on lj, but I'd love to hear more suggestions.

Calli, are you interested in transgender issues as well, or are you just focusing on the dressup aspect?

More the dressup aspect, Kate P. Specifically, I'm interested in stuff about men who like to or need to dress up as women, but do not plan to get surgery or otherwise transition. But stuff about women in a similar headspace would also be of interest. Thanks!

Hmm. I'm having trouble coming up with books that focus on cross-dressing rather than transgenderism. I mean, you could do a search at Amazon on "drag queens" or "drag kings" and see what you come up with. But it seems like a pretty blurred line to me. Are you looking for people who cross-dress for fun, like drag kings and queens, or who cross-dress in secrecy and shame, or who cross-dress every day as a matter of course? What about someone like my friend, born female, identifies as a man, lives and dresses as a man, but doesn't plan to get surgery? He doesn't identify as a cross-dresser, but I'm wondering if he'd fit your research because he's not taking hormones or getting surgery. If he still identified as female, while dressing male, would he fit your topic then? Sorry, I'm trying to help! I just don't know exactly what I'm looking for.