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A review by shansometimes
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I barely know what to say about Parable of the Sower other than that this is terrifying ๐ This dystopian/science fiction novel was written in the '90s and set in an imagined future 2024-2027, so reading it in 2024 was a trip.
If you find climate change or apocalypse scenarios scary or even interesting, you'll be into this. There's also a strong female lead character, Lauren, who is 15 years old when the story starts. She, her family, and her tight-knit group of neighbors live in an isolated (semi-protected from danger by a wall) neighborhood. They're trying to survive in a world that is being wrecked by climate catastrophe, crony capitalism, and violence driven by desperation, drug abuse, and extreme need.
This is my second book by Octavia E. Butler, and while I enjoyed Kindred, what she accomplished (and predicted) with Parable of the Sower blew me away even more. I was intrigued all the way through, in distress half the time, and impressed by most of it.
It read a bit like a YA novel, which I guess makes sense given the lead character's age. A big age gap relationship was introduced, which felt weird and unnecessary. I would've liked more context about what led up to Lauren's world becoming what it did. There are a lot of elements that mostly work well together, including Lauren's hyper-empathy disorder and the new religion she's trying to form, Earthseed. I found the amount of religion stuff tiring at times. I also didn't love the book's ending, but I'm looking forward to seeing how the story continues in the sequel, Parable of the Talents.
To sum it up, Parable of the Sower is a powerful and prophetic book that creates an unnervingly accurate picture of what happens when environmental and economic issues go unchecked. I expected to love this and I didโit was just a much more brutal and bleak read than I expected.
If you find climate change or apocalypse scenarios scary or even interesting, you'll be into this. There's also a strong female lead character, Lauren, who is 15 years old when the story starts. She, her family, and her tight-knit group of neighbors live in an isolated (semi-protected from danger by a wall) neighborhood. They're trying to survive in a world that is being wrecked by climate catastrophe, crony capitalism, and violence driven by desperation, drug abuse, and extreme need.
This is my second book by Octavia E. Butler, and while I enjoyed Kindred, what she accomplished (and predicted) with Parable of the Sower blew me away even more. I was intrigued all the way through, in distress half the time, and impressed by most of it.
It read a bit like a YA novel, which I guess makes sense given the lead character's age. A big age gap relationship was introduced, which felt weird and unnecessary. I would've liked more context about what led up to Lauren's world becoming what it did. There are a lot of elements that mostly work well together, including Lauren's hyper-empathy disorder and the new religion she's trying to form, Earthseed. I found the amount of religion stuff tiring at times. I also didn't love the book's ending, but I'm looking forward to seeing how the story continues in the sequel, Parable of the Talents.
To sum it up, Parable of the Sower is a powerful and prophetic book that creates an unnervingly accurate picture of what happens when environmental and economic issues go unchecked. I expected to love this and I didโit was just a much more brutal and bleak read than I expected.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Violence, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape, Suicide, Cannibalism, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Drug abuse