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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
I have been hearing about this novel for a little while now and when I saw it in graphic novel form, I snatched it up. This one is very traumatic but also very worthwhile. The art is pretty visceral at times so keep that in mind.
Read this title if you are entertained by our dystopian possible future.
Read this title if you are entertained by our dystopian possible future.
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
I loved the use of colours in this one, the yellows, oranges and red were really brilliant at setting the right kind of athmosphere. They also reminded me of the cover of the edition I read a few years ago, which was a really cool detail. The blues in night scenes were great, too. Overall, the art felt really right for this story, which was already really good.
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The most brutal of dystopian novels I can think of, because it is not even post-apocalyptic but shows a USA on the brink of total destruction in places (there's no clean water and people eat what they can grow, the gated community is raided by "street poor" who have nothing and burn the whole thing down, the survivors flee) but elsewhere things going on ALMOST normally (like shopping centres but there's armed guards at the doors...students doing online classes)
I didn't understand some of the plot including the difference between the gated community where Lauren lives (suggesting to me that everything outside is lawless) and the cities where shops are still open, the characters can buy things. I couldn't tell the level of societal breakdown clearly.
I'm not religious so the Earthseed spirituality did nothing for me, I wasn't clear on the reason for building Lauren's hope around a new religion that most people were sceptical about.
And some strangely anachronistic elements even thinking of the time the book was written: the need to get married in order to get a job and provide for a family - like no other way is possible apart from getting married and even the strong lead character Lauren is starstruck by promise of marriage that she gets.
Also the love interest being older than her dad?!! I did not get the attraction, this was not covered enough.
Abrupt ending not much of an end really, I guess it carries on in Parable of the Talents. The library doesn't have that so I'll stop here.
The graphics added to the brutality, there are explicitly violent drawings of death, gunshot wounds, limb loss, fire. I still reckon graphic novels are not for me. However, I had waited a while for the library to get this ebook so I picked it up.
I didn't understand some of the plot including the difference between the gated community where Lauren lives (suggesting to me that everything outside is lawless) and the cities where shops are still open, the characters can buy things. I couldn't tell the level of societal breakdown clearly.
I'm not religious so the Earthseed spirituality did nothing for me, I wasn't clear on the reason for building Lauren's hope around a new religion that most people were sceptical about.
And some strangely anachronistic elements even thinking of the time the book was written: the need to get married in order to get a job and provide for a family - like no other way is possible apart from getting married and even the strong lead character Lauren is starstruck by promise of marriage that she gets.
Also the love interest being older than her dad?!! I did not get the attraction, this was not covered enough.
Abrupt ending not much of an end really, I guess it carries on in Parable of the Talents. The library doesn't have that so I'll stop here.
The graphics added to the brutality, there are explicitly violent drawings of death, gunshot wounds, limb loss, fire. I still reckon graphic novels are not for me. However, I had waited a while for the library to get this ebook so I picked it up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
My first graphic novel. Was hard to read on my kobo. The book also ended abruptly.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
after loving the original novel, i was excited to read this adaptation. i think it’s great that this exists if it introduces others to this story! but sadly a lot of the emotional impact that i felt when i read the original novel was missing from this. obviously much of the text is abridged/omitted because this is a graphic novel adaptation. but, at times i also felt it relied too much on the original text/olamina’s journal entries when i wished the art carried more of the story. parable of the sower is a devastating book and any emotional investment i felt while reading this graphic novel came from my original experience/knowledge of the source material.
that being said, i enjoyed the use of color, all of the burning/wildfire scenes were really well done, and i like how olamina’s sharing was depicted
that being said, i enjoyed the use of color, all of the burning/wildfire scenes were really well done, and i like how olamina’s sharing was depicted
I have not read the original so I’m not sure how true of an adaptation it is. BUT I thought it was an amazing story about a dystopian LA. It touched on the class divide that America currently (and has historically) faces, climate change (Def all the wildfires lately), and the lack of public services.
There was a good balance of graphics and Earthseed verses. I also loved the style of art used.
There was a good balance of graphics and Earthseed verses. I also loved the style of art used.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
This is a dark and dystopian book that is even more disturbing because the dates correspond to our present. Also, some of the things happening in the book are also happening to us now, ie, exorbitant food and housing prices, rampant climate change, huge fires, a proliferation of guns, and corporate takeovers of land and resources. This graphic novel is, however, based on a classic sci-fi novel written by an acclaimed author
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Classism
Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Trafficking
A great adaptation job; not only for how the story is told visually, but also for what they removed. For the former the art wonderfully gives life to the world that Butler created--especially the futuristic dystopian vision that was conceived of in the 1990's. But in the latter they removed some of the silliest parts (namely the arguments) and put the story on a righteous path.
I still think the book could've been two works--one that focused on the home life and the second a kind of Grapes of Wrath style road story. But that is a failing of the source material, not the adaptation.
The colors are crisp, the wording isn't cumbersome, and the visuals really spring. Fantastic. I'd love to see more work from this duo.
I still think the book could've been two works--one that focused on the home life and the second a kind of Grapes of Wrath style road story. But that is a failing of the source material, not the adaptation.
The colors are crisp, the wording isn't cumbersome, and the visuals really spring. Fantastic. I'd love to see more work from this duo.