by Octavia Butler
Grand Central Publishing
9/1/2026, paperback
SKU: 9781538766170
Returning to print after nearly 50 years, Survivor completes Octavia E. Butler's thrilling Patternist series, including a short story from the Patternist saga and new historical essays from a major Butler scholar.
This deluxe edition includes:
- An incredible new cover and package
- Premium French flaps and newly designed, full color interior covers
- High-quality paper with elegant deckled-edges
The Patternist books (Wild Seed, Mind of My Mind, Clay's Ark, and Patternmaster) comprise Butler's longest, most complex series, stretching from late 17th century Africa to outer space in the far future, as rival factions of humanity develop incredible powers--only to use them to subjugate others. For nearly half a century, the fourth volume, Survivor, has been out of print at Octavia E. Butler's request.
It tells the story of Alanna, a colonist fleeing a plague-scarred Earth. But the planet she lands on is inhabited by the alien Kohn, whose battling tribes soon trap Alanna in their war. She must make alliances--while plotting betrayals. She must protect her heart--while putting it at risk. And she must decide if the best way to retain her humanity ... is to leave it behind.
Now, Survivor is put into its proper historical context thanks to contributions from scholar and Octavia E. Butler Fellow Alyssa Collins. This long-awaited volume also contains "A Necessary Being," the only short fiction set in the Patternist universe, to finally, fully bring together and complete the Patternist series for readers everywhere.
With an introduction from Alyssa Collins.
Reviews:
"Octavia E. Butler's lost-and-found gem of a novel, Survivor, is at once a priceless inheritance and an interplanetary roadmap for humanity's reconciliation and survival. Alanna, our star-flung heroine, will be a guiding light for future readers of Butler when we've long since reached for other suns. A masterful addition to Butler's tremendous body of work." -- Ibi Zoboi, bestselling and award-winning author of Star Child: A Biographical Constellation of Octavia Estelle Butler
"Survivor belongs in Butler's canon, and now, at last, it is there for all to read. This is a historic moment--not just for fans of the Patternist series, but for everyone who believes that great stories deserve to live. Exciting, strange, and utterly compelling, Survivor confirms what careful readers have always known: Butler was incapable of telling anything less than an essential story." -- Susana M. Morris, author of Positive Obsession
About the Author:
Octavia E. Butler was a renowned writer who received a MacArthur "Genius" Grant and PEN West Lifetime Achievement Award for her body of work. She was the author of several award-winning novels including Parable of the Sower, which was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, and was acclaimed for her lean prose, strong protagonists, and social observations in stories that range from the distant past to the far future. Sales of her books have increased enormously since her death as the issues she addressed in her Afrofuturistic, feminist novels and short fiction have only become more relevant. She passed away on February 24, 2006.