Groundbreaking, bestselling science fiction and fantasy author Octavia Butler died 20 years ago, but her work lives on — all except one novel, which she disavowed and kept out of print for more than 40 years. That novel, 1978's Survivor, will be republished in September, according to the L.A. Times.

Bringing the book back to shelves is bound to be controversial: Butler adamantly refused to reprint Survivor during her lifetime, and Hachette Book Group and Butler's estate are going against her wishes. Butler dismissively called it her "Star Trek novel," referencing what she saw as a regressive, Star Trek-like plot where humans are the dominant culture in a galaxy, and the aliens are conniving "sneaky native" types. Survivor has been out of print since 1981.

Now here's the thing: I've read Survivor. I was delighted to find a used copy for a ridiculous $3 in a used-book store decades ago; now, copies are listed online for hundreds or thousands of dollars. I've always felt Butler underrated the book,........

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