Clay's Ark
by Octavia E. Butler
ISBN: 0312143214
ISBN-13: 9780312143213
Format: Hardcover
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Summary
In this bleak work of near-future SF, author Octavia Butler continues to explore the difficult moral compromises made by people who simply want to survive. CLAY’S ARK takes place some years after MIND OF MY MIND, and although it doesn’t share any characters from that book, plot elements from both CLAY’S ARK and MIND OF MY MIND establish the far-future setting of the novel PATTERNMASTER. Rane Maslin; her sister Keira, who’s terminally ill with leukemia; and their father, Blake, are on a road trip to visit the girls’ grandparents in Arizona when they’re kidnapped by a strange group, all infected with a mysterious disease that causes permanent biological and genetic alterations. Their leader is Eli, formerly the geologist on the first starship, Clay’s Ark; he returned with the disease, an alien microorganism that compels its carriers to pass it on to others. According to Eli, once the microorganism incubates within the Maslins, not only will they be unable to escape...they may no longer want to.
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"Suffice it to say that the aliens in CLAY'S ARK are closer to home than most invaders in science fiction, but no less frightening. Yet Mrs. Butler is so even handed in her characterizations and so accomplished in her action scenes that each radical reassessment of the situation served to widen and deepen my sympathies.
Life as we know it struggles to survive, often at the expense of its neighbors. Can an Earthbound morality embrace the imperative of survival on a cosmic scale even as its home base is being violated by the competition? Readers familiar with Ms. Butler's earlier books, like PARABLE OF THE SOWER and BLOODCHILD will recall that she never asks easy questions or settles for easy answers." -- Gerald Jonas
-- New York Times Book Review
Bibliographic Details
Publisher: St Martins Pr
Published date: 1984
Publisher's Notes
A handful of people exposed to a disease of extraterrestrial origin combat their nearly irresistible impulse to infect others, as they struggle to make a life for themselves in self-imposed desert isolation.
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Clay's Ark
Octavia E. Butler
St Martins Pr. Used - Good. Former Library book. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! ( more information) Offered by Better World Books (United States)
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2)
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Clay's Ark
Octavia E. Butler
St Martins Pr. Used - Acceptable. Former Library book.1st ed.ACCEPTABLE with noted wear to cover and pages. Binding intact. We offer a no hassle guarantee on all our items. Orders are generally shipped no later than next business day. We offer a no hassle guarantee on all our items. ( more information) Offered by River City Books, LLC (United States)
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3)
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Clay's Ark
Octavia E. Butler
St Martins Pr, 1984-06. Hardcover. Good. Was a library book so it has markings on cover, first, and last pages. Cover has minimal wear. ( more information) Offered by Everything For You (United States)
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4)
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Clay's Ark
Butler, Octavia E
New York: St. Martin's Press, 1984. A clean, tight ex-library copy with the usual markings.. First Edition. Hard Cover. Very Good/Very Good. Ex-Library. ( more information) Offered by Turn-The-Page Books - Susan Blake and Peter Kohler, Booksellers (United States)
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5)
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CLAY'S ARK [A NOVEL OF SCIENCE FICTION]
Butler, Octavia E. [Dust Wrapper by Lee Wade]
New York: St Martin's Press [1984], 1984. First edition. 201 pages. Ex-libary copy [all the usual flaws plus the binding is cracking] in fairly nice Dust Wrapper [tape to the protector only, not to the Dust Wrapper itself] with two labels to the spine heel. Priced as a reading/filler copy, or for someone who wants to salvage the [not price clipped] Dust Wrapper.. First Edition. Hard Cover. Ex-Library/Ex-Library. ( more information) Offered by Other Worlds Bookstore (United States)
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6)
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CLAY'S ARK
Butler, Octavia E
New York: St Martin's, (1984.) . First printing. . Ex-library with the usual markings, but overall tight and clean in a bright and attractive dustjacket, with the flaps pasted down. . A title in the Patternmaster series, a story of alien encounter, set in the near future in the California desert. Dustjacket art by Lee Wade. ( more information) Offered by bookfever.com (United States)
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7)
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Clay's Ark
Butler, Octavia E
St Martins Pr. Hardcover With Dust Ja .... 0312143214 Hardcover With Dust Jacket, Condition: Good (book) /Good (jacket), Ex-library Copy. . Good. ( more information) Offered by Monarchbooks (United States)
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8)
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Lays Ark
No Illustrations, Butler
New York: St Martins Press, 1984. 2nd Printing. Hardcover. Very Good/Very Good. EX-LIBRARY EXPECTED MARKINGS AND ATTACHMENTS. ILLUSTRATED DUST JACKET WRAPPED IN MYLAR. BLACK CLOTH COVER. INTERIOR PAGES CLEAN, BRIGHT AND TIGHT WITH LIBRARY STAMPS MARKED OUT. ( more information) Offered by Mybooklocator (United States)
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9)
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Clay's Ark
Octavia E. Butler
St Martins Pr, 1984-06. Book Club Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. Clean Copy, No Remainder Mark, Tight Square Binding, Sun Fade, Edge Wear and a Few Chips on Dust Cover, Circle Drawn in Pen on Inside Cover ( more information) Offered by Grafton Street Books (United States)
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10)
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Clay's Ark
Butler,Octavia
New York: St.Martins, 1984. bump to top of boards. Dw has edge wear and rubbing at the folds and at the head and heel of the spine panel. a couple of short tears. Not price clipped 12.95 price present. A presentable copy. First Edition First Printing. Cloth. About Fine/VG. Hardcover. ( more information) Offered by Always Superior Books (United States)
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11)
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CLAY'S ARK
Butler, Octavia
New York: St. Martin's Press. Very Good+ in Very Good+ dust jacket. 1984. 1st Edition; 1st Printing. Hardcover. 0312143214 . Cover Art; Spine ends & corners of book cover have extremely light bumping & rubbing. Black paper covered boards have gilt lettering to spine of book. Text pages are clean & bright. Pastedowns (both front and rear) have some light residue in patches -- previous owner used rubber cement to attach dust jacket to book covers to keep them secure. Spine ends & corners of dust jacket have a bit of light bumping & rubbing. Top front edge of dust jacket has a small semi-closed edge tear and there is ab it of rubbing and one tiny semi-closed tear to bottom rear flap hinge. Reverse of dust jacket flaps have some light discoloration which matches that of the pastedowns. Overall, a very good+ copy. "In Clay's Ark Ms. Butler has created a horrifyingly believeable world in the not-too-distant future, a time when the bonds of civilization have all but disappeared, when violence and vigilante justice are the rule rather than the exception. In such a world, the kidnapping of a doctor and his two daughters traveling across the California desert is hardly exceptional." . ( more information) Offered by S. Howlett-West Books (United States)
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12)
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Clay's Ark
Butler, Octavier E
St Martin's Press: NY. 1984. First edition (& 1st printing).. Hardcover. Fine copy in a fine dustjacket, but for just a little creasing and. wear at several points along the edges.. Fourth published (though first in chronological order) novel in the Patternist sf series, following: Patternmaster (1976), Mind of my Mind (1977), Survivor (1978) and Wild Seed (1980). An uncommon edition (especially in superior condition). ( more information) Offered by Cold Tonnage Books (United Kingdom)
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13)
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Clay's Ark : A Novel of Science Fiction
Butler, Octavia E
New York: St. Martin's, 1984. [1984]. Fine in a Near Fine dustjacket. Black boards. The spine is stamped in gilt. Octavo. 201pps. There is mild bumping to the spine-ends, otherwise clean, tight, square, and bright. All tips are sharp. The textblock is immaculate; no apparent reading wear and no previous ownership markings. The dustjacket, glossy in a new mylar sleeve, is lightly rubbed and has a couple of small, closed tears at the top of the rear panel; the original price (12.95) is intact. A very nice copy of this earlier Butler -- scarce in collectible condition. "...Ms. Butler has created a horrifyingly believable world in the not-too-distant future, a time when the bonds of civilization have all but disappeared, when violence and vigilante justice are the rule rather than the exception. In such a world, the kidnapping of a doctor and his two daughters traveling across the California desert is hardly exceptional. But the small band of emaciated strangers who capture them is. They do not speak of ransom. Although sometimes their eyes glint with almost animal cunning, their bodies are wracked and wasted -- the consequence of drugs or disease. Paradoxically, they possess almost superhuman strength.
Led by Asa Elias Doyle, the sole survivor of the ill-fated starship Clay's Ark, the desperate people have become innocent victims of a 'close encounter' with an alien life-form -- one so sinister and ultimately destructive of humankind that it has forced them into exile in a remote corner of a desolate wasteland, the better to resist a compulsion to spread the infection. To resist is to ensure mental agony, but to surrender is to relinquish one's humanity and free will -- to be ruled by physical drives that know no morality or restraint..." Purchase with confidence: all books, gradings, and descriptions are rendered the care of a genuine bibliophile. Satisfaction guaranteed or all costs you've incurred will be promptly refunded. Thanks for your interest in Nooks Of Books. To assist with your decision, photos can be emailed upon request.. ISBN: 0-312-14321-4. First Edition, First Printing. OCTAVIA E BUTLER CLAY S ARK FIRST EDITIONS SCIENCE FICTION FANTASY HORROR ASA ELIAS DOYLE STARSHIPS ALIENS COLLECTIBLE USED BOOKS NOVELS. ( more information) Offered by Nooks Of Books (Member of IOBA and the Better Business Bureau) (United States)
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