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maryellen's profile picture

maryellen's review

4.5
adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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bespokeremote's review

5.0
challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Have read the original book several times and it's a favorite. This adaptation is very good, and I will probably also read this many times. The art itself evokes a lot of emotion, especially appreciate the way hyperempathy is drawn. I deeply love the prominence of the earthseed verses, almost a shortcut to that information that's not so easily/quickly found when reading the original book. 

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jjvaldezbooks's profile picture

jjvaldezbooks's review

4.0
challenging dark reflective sad tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

slightly less my style of book than kindred. i feel like if I had more biblical knowledge I might have vibed with it more but I'm a long-lapsed Catholic 

devastating story of a young woman trying to survive the end of capitalism/her world. it's not quite hopeful, but god does it make you grit your teeth and want to do something about this shit

intrigued by the real world study of Earthseed as a religion that I've seen online, excited to go back and explore that

(I didn't like the art again. sorry.)

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la_reads_audiobooks's profile picture

la_reads_audiobooks's review

4.25
adventurous challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

This is my third reading of "Parable of the Sower", but my first in this form. I think this adaptation is true to the original, and the art conveys the dystopian and intense mood of the story. 

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mahela's profile picture

mahela's review

4.0
adventurous challenging emotional inspiring tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I’m a huge fan of Octavia Butler’s science fiction, and I already read the novel that this comic is based on. It is interesting to see the comic version, but overall I definitely prefer the novel!

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hannahgarstang's review


Learning about Earthseed through the characters dialogue was quite comforting, despite the dystopian world this is set in. The dialouge felt like transcriptions of real conversations. 

The graphic art was chef's kiss and the story had a good pace. 

Lauren is the most observant, insightful and wise protagonists I've ever read. She is so practical and knows how to read a room. 
The age gap relationship was uncomfortable though when you remember she's only 18 years old at that point. 

This dystopian forewarning felt relevant and reflective of issues we face today. Climate change,  unregulated exploitative industry, systemic racism drivrn by the state and the patriarchy are real risks for people's wellbeing currently. I couldn't help but reflect on the examples of modern day slavery. The reflection of police brutality or the harrowing statistics of child abuse, drug abuse and sexual assault. And then on top of all of that, the fact that climate change disproportionately negatively impacts those of lower socioeconomic communities, often BIPOC communities. The emphasis on struggling to access fresh potable water sources felt especially relevant as climate change has a general rule of the dry get drier and the wet get wetter. Meaning drought prone areas are genearlly going to be especially vulnerable as the climate continues to warm. I've heard predictions that instead of fighting wars over oil we will start fighting wars over water one day. The colour selection of red and orange felt very appropriate given this context. 

The message was pretty clear to me. Work together with your communities to prepare for change because change is inevitable. Prepare for climate change with both mitigation and adaptation. Prepare for natural disasters like earthquakes(my community lives on a fault line), floods (the tragedy that was the flooding up north in Hawkes Bay last year), unprecedented forest fires (I won't be forgetting the horror that was the 2020 forest fires in Australia), and more. And address the very clear inequalities that currently exist.

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librarymouse's profile picture

librarymouse's review

3.75
dark reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

There were some parts of this book I really liked and others I really didn't. The 39 year age gap between Lauren and her love interest who she first recognizes through associating him with her father is one of the major dislikes. I like both characters, but the situation is uncomfortable, especially when he is made out as a sympathetic, likable character. I'd had this book and the novel it was adapted from on my to read list for a while, and I'm glad I got around to reading this for school. It's really neat to see the roots of the literary solarpunk movement as it's rooted in afro futurism and the questioning of the continuing hegemony of colonial structures that are still being offered as solutions to the climate crisis today. It is weird to be reading this in 2024, though.

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wrentfree's review

3.5
challenging dark reflective sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

I feel like this is what the world is going to look like in a few years. Read only if you want to get depressed as heck.

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therewillbenewsuns's profile picture

therewillbenewsuns's review

4.0
dark tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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trippalli's profile picture

trippalli's review

2.5
challenging dark sad tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Very dark and violent, a graphic novel adaptation of a Octavia Butler classic. It's heavy in philosophy of God and belief systems and religion in an internally violent submission post apocalyptic living hell on earth.

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