Reviews tagging 'Slavery'

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

597 reviews

emerentina's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

cobraforhire's review

adventurous dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

It’s fun speculative world-building, but the actual story is a little ho-hum.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy

missanareads's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

This book was heavy and hard to read. It’s hard to think that humanity would ever be like this so it’s hard to sink into. I also could have done without the religion creating, but maybe that just went over my head. Interesting read, but wouldn’t read again 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, and Classism

lexlinski's review

2.75

I think this book is relevant, especially now, and important to read....However, I didn't enjoy reading it at all, there were a lot of times i nearly DNFd it.... specifically because of the amount of rape mentioned and described. Also really bumping against that a teenager is just coming up with a totally new religion and is so sure it's 100% correct, and their destiny is to escape the planet and flee to space... Lauren was correct that their community shouldn't stick their heads in the sand, but at the same time was mostly insufferable throughout, with the verses and Earthseed stuff. The world also felt inconsistent, and i wish there had been a little nore explanation as to at least how things had gotten to the point they were? Or what was happening anywhere other than CA/OR/WA....I don't know. I have very mixed feelings. Glad I read it, but don't know that I'll read the next one. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Slavery, Blood, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

jenna0818's review

adventurous dark reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I wanted to like this book more than I did, but I found it very dull and matter of fact, with less reflections and commentary than I had hoped. It was just reporting one terrible event after another, an apocalypse world unraveling while the protagonist barely emotes and starts a new faith that doesn’t quite make sense.  This book was likely prescient in 1993, it was certainly shocking to start reading about the 2024 election when I started the novel blindly at that exact day, but in 2024 it feels lacking in its inner world building and character development that would make the chaos of the events feel more meaningful, real, and scary. It feels like a chore to think of reading the sequel.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Grief, and Abandonment

Moderate: Addiction, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Police brutality, Cannibalism, and Medical trauma

sponberry's review against another edition

challenging dark inspiring sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, and Cannibalism

routhcarrie's review

challenging dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Rape and Slavery

viporras's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Incest, Infertility, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

njohnson246's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

This is an important book, but so horrifically dark. I’ve read a lot of dark books, but this was a whole new level. It was hard to get through at times. I think the worst part too is how scarily accurate Octavia Butler’s predictions are. It’s not hard to see that the future that she has laid out here is very possible if things in the United States continue in the way they are. I appreciated that the ending was hopeful though, and I think I will read the second one, although I will need a break to read something lighter. This is not for the faint of heart, but if you can read it, it will impact you significantly. I especially loved and resonated with the Earthseed verses. Overall, I would recommend, but check the trigger warnings before reading.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism

kittbuch's review

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

It took a few chapters for me to catch on. It’s slow paced and all the talk of religion was a bit off putting, but then I began to buy the premise of the book. It got hard to stop reading and the pages is overflown with tense and excruciating survival. There really are a lot of hard truths about humankind on these pages. 

This is the first book I’ve read of Octavia E. Butler, and it’s certainly not the last.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault

Minor: Slavery