The Evening and the Morning and the Night

The Evening and the Morning and the Night is a science fiction novelette by Octavia Butler. It was first published in Omni in May 1987, and subsequently republished in The Year's Best Science Fiction (fifth edition) ; in Best New SF 2; in Omni Visions One; in The Penguin Book of Modern Fantasy By Women; in Dark Matter: A Century of Speculative Fiction from the African Diaspora; in Daughters of Earth: Feminist Science Fiction in the Twentieth Century; in Crucified Dreams; and as a chapbook from Pulphouse Publishing.[1]

Synopsis

A generation after the introduction of the cancer cure, the children of those who used it begin to develop "Duryea-Gode Disease", a genetic disease whose symptoms include dissociative states, obsessive self-mutilation, and violent psychosis. After another generation, DGD patients have learned how to delay the onset of symptoms by means of rigid dietary restrictions; however, the intense social isolation they face, as well as the knowledge that the eventual onset of symptoms is ultimately inevitable, means that some of the second-generation patients wonder whether it's worth it.

Reception

Evening was nominated for the Theodore Sturgeon Award,[2] the Nebula Award for Best Novelette[3] and the Locus Award for Best Novelette.[4]

Jo Walton has described Evening as "chilling and astonishing",[5] while John Clute calls it "harrowing".[6]

References

  1. ↑ Bibliography: the Evening and the Morning and the Night, at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database; retrieved June 11, 2014
  2. ↑ "The Locus Index to SF Awards: 1988 Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award". Locus. Archived from the original on 2014-06-11. Retrieved 2014-06-11.
  3. ↑ 1988 Nebula Awards, at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database; retrieved June 11, 2014
  4. ↑ 1988 Locus Poll Award, at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database; retrieved June 11, 2014
  5. ↑ Out of Control: Octavia Butler’s Bloodchild and Other Stories, by Jo Walton, at tor.com; published September 22, 2009; retrieved June 11, 2014
  6. ↑ Butler, Octavia at the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction; by John Clute and Peter Nicholls; published April 28, 2014; retrieved June 11, 2014