Alien sex! Colonialism allegories! Gender commentary! All delivered in a page-turning sci-fi book. To me, this book felt just right: it was the right length, the right pacing, delivered its messages without being heavy-handed, established a cool universe that made me want to read the next book in the series.
I loved Kindred and Bloodchild - can Butler do no wrong? Though honestly, I think I'd rank those two slightly above this one: this book felt more like 'conventional' science-fiction than those two, especially Kindred, which is so successfully its own unique thing.
What can I say: I'm a fan. This is one of the best sci-fi authors I've encountered and so far I think her hit rate is really high. It was weird, visceral, and a lot of fun.