Imago (Book 3 of 3) by Octavia E. Butler

Imago is the powerful conclusion to Octavia E. Butler’s acclaimed Xenogenesis trilogy (also published as Lilith’s Brood), a visionary work of science fiction that challenges the boundaries of identity, humanity, and evolution.

In Imago, Butler introduces Jodahs, the first ooloi-human construct—a new being born from the genetic blending of humans and the alien Oankali. As Jodahs undergoes a profound and painful metamorphosis, it must confront its dual heritage and the fear and rejection it provokes in both humans and Oankali. With the ability to manipulate DNA and heal or harm at a molecular level, Jodahs is both a miracle and a threat—depending on who is looking.

Through Jodahs’s journey, Butler explores complex themes of transformation, consent, gender fluidity, and the cost of survival. Imago pushes the trilogy’s exploration of interdependence and change to its most intimate and unsettling extremes. Written in Butler’s spare, emotionally resonant prose, the novel compels readers to question what it means to evolve—biologically, socially, and spiritually.

Both a gripping narrative and a profound meditation on otherness and acceptance, Imago cements Butler’s legacy as one of science fiction’s most original and fearless voices.