The final book in Butler’s Lilith’s Brood series is Imago, a word which initially brought to my mind imago dei. However, a more interesting connection might be in the biological definition of “imago”. In this framework, “imago” refers to “an insect in its final, adult, sexually mature, and typically winged state” ; the imago stage is the final one before metamorphosis is complete. I wonder if Butler had this idea in mind when naming the last book in her trilogy; she certainly engages many scientific and biological ideas throughout (her ecology, her use of cancer, etc.). Imago is the conclusion to the trilogy; it is the last glimpse readers have into what the future of humanity will be. The Oankali continually, throughout all three novels,
