Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

497 reviews

meghancolbert's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This book is so heavy and so dark. It’s chilling to see how accurately Butler predicted the 2020s in 1993. It’s a difficult but necessary read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Rape, Addiction, Gun violence, Drug abuse, and Child death

Moderate: Sexual content

Minor: Racism

chadconnecticut's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

My first Butler novel, after being introduced to her work last year via BLOODCHILD. There really is no one out there doing it like she did, and this novel’s spirit, soul, and prescience are wound through every page. The current discourse surrounding science fiction, climate fiction, and dystopian genre fiction seems to hinge on the way the subject material treats its readers, with so many people grasping for work that tackles the intersections of political and climate breakdown with thought and maturity. 

And while there’s much handwringing over this, it seems anything current readers are grasping for is simply reinventing the wheel that Butler shaped nearly 30 years ago. This book is sobering and pulls no punches, but it also grounds itself firmly in the hope and possibility of community. 

Butler is one of the greatest to ever do it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism, Gun violence, Blood, Drug abuse, Animal death, Slavery, and Murder

Moderate: Racism, Xenophobia, and Trafficking

Minor: Rape

tafeeeeee's review against another edition

challenging 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

5.0

I was nervous to start reading because I  know Octavia Butler's books can be heavy and dark. It was hard at times but I never wanted to stop reading. I'm left wondering how close we are to this dystopian world. 

The narrator's voice is amazing. I want to listen to more of her narrations. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Addiction, Death, Gun violence, and Slavery

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Cannibalism, Physical abuse, and Blood

chealey14's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, Incest, Gun violence, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Rape

jess_eliza's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense slow-paced

• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Body horror, Blood, Violence, Rape, Mass/school shootings, Sexual assault, War, and Sexual violence

gustgustgust's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

4.25

This book shocked me. It was written in the '90s and yet it felt prophetic. If it was written in this year, people would say it was too on-the-nose. 

The story is beautiful. the main character, Lauren Olamina, is such a beautiful, complicated character. The relationships are complicated and dense and tentative. The real shining moment is just the world Bulter weaved. It felt not only like it happened, but that I was watching it happen in front of me. It's not for me to adapt, but it is definitely something that would make an incredible series if given full opportunity to be as dark, grim, and haunting as it needs to be. 

The only thing that knocked it down for me was there was a lot of violence, and I understand that the world needed it so it's just a personal taste thing. I don't think anything was don't to scandalize or be outrageous, it was true to the world, I just got pulled out going "oh no, this is too much, too real" 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Racism, Rape, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Gun violence, Misogyny, Child death, Death of parent, Torture, Classism, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Slavery, Murder, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, Sexism, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic, Pregnancy, and Sexual assault

pbandjane_library's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gun violence and Rape

Minor: Cannibalism

greenlivingaudioworm's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Sexual content, Animal cruelty, Grief, Child death, Sexual assault, Death, Death of parent, Rape, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Vomit, Violence, Outing, and War

daysanchez's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Pedophilia, Sexual harassment, Blood, Child death, Drug use, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Violence, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Colonisation, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Animal death, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Cursing, Medical trauma, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Torture, and Sexual content

mads_reads_books's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Police brutality, Colonisation, Child death, Animal death, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, Body horror, Classism, Cannibalism, Slavery, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Rape, Violence, Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, Drug abuse, Death, and Ableism