Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

496 reviews

nathanielrj's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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? Yes

4.25

Such strong characters and realistic view of the future in capitalist America. Butler knows what's up and it's on full display here.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Police brutality, Child death, Death, Body horror, and Racism

Moderate: Sexual content and Sexual assault

Minor: Drug abuse

amorphousbl0b's review against another edition

dark 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Murder, Violence, Death, and Drug use

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Blood, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, and Sexual violence

Minor: Trafficking, Police brutality, and Slavery

glitchreads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

I went into this very much blind. I knew basically it was dystopian situation but that’s it. I was surprised by how prevalent the religious aspects are. I enjoyed that tho. We start in a walled community that, while poor, is taken care of, housed, fed, educated. The situations going down hill and eventually we see what it’s live as a traveler in this world. Where danger is pretty much the only guarantee. More travelers are bet, dangerous situations left and right. We get to see a lot situations going on which was interesting. 

Also, the chapters felt very long but since it’s a journal format it makes it easier to pause mid chapter. 

“She believed, like Dad that if you kill yourself, you go to hell and burn forever. yet, when things got too much for her, she decided to trade pain for eternal pain in the hereafter. How could she do that? Did she really believe in anything at all? Was it all hypocrisy?” 

“My God doesn’t love me or hate me or watch over me or know me at all, and I feel no love for or loyalty to my God. My God just is.” 

“All struggles are essentially power struggles. Who will rule, who will lead, who will define, refine, confine, design, who will dominate. All struggles are essentially power struggles , and most are no more intellectual than two rams knocking their heads together.” 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Slavery and Gun violence

Minor: Rape

jackgoss's review against another edition

challenging dark sad slow-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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Gun violence, Grief, Murder, Rape, Violence, Death, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Cannibalism and Slavery

jeanned_arc's review against another edition

dark tense

• 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Rape, Death of parent, Drug use, Violence, Sexual violence, Slavery, Cursing, Drug abuse, and Death

badbadwolf's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark hopeful sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Murder

Moderate: Slavery, Rape, Pedophilia, Gun violence, Blood, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Trafficking, Racism, Drug use, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Child death, Cannibalism, Kidnapping, Gore, Drug abuse, and Animal death

gabriella_'s review against another edition

dark emotional sad 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? It's complicated

4.25

This was a great introduction into Octavia Butler for me. The writing style was gripping and the characters were fantastic. The plot was heavy but in a realistic way (especially for a dystopian, it made sense and is even more eerie to read in 2024). I wasn’t a big fan of the “starting a religion” stuff, though.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Rape, Vomit, Ableism, Animal death, Classism, Drug use, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Body horror, Abortion, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Cannibalism, Cursing, Death of parent, Infidelity, Child death, Drug abuse, Child abuse, Miscarriage, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Pedophilia, Grief, Infertility, Mental illness, Gore, Gun violence, Sexual assault, War, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Sexual content, Pandemic/Epidemic, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Trafficking, Police brutality, Racism, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Violence

yesthattom's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful inspiring 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Addiction, Xenophobia, War, Violence, Sexual violence, Rape, Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, Trafficking, Murder, Medical trauma, Torture, Slavery, Sexual assault, Racism, and Mass/school shootings

kylamunoz's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Gun violence, Murder, Drug use, Animal death, Death of parent, Death, and Child death

zydecovivo's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

I’m sure I have heard of this book before this year, but I wasn’t convinced until I read Star Child, a biography of Octavia E. Butler. After finishing, I wish I had read this in high school. It’s dark and dismal. But Lauren’s journey feels more real than any other dystopian novel I’ve read. The future Butler portrays also feels more real than any other I’ve seen. It is almost prophetic, especially since I am writing this in the year 2024, mere months before the novel starts. The world is ravaged by climate change, corrupt governments, addiction and illness, and a society in the process of crumbling. Lauren is a young adult who has known nothing else except the stories the older adults have told her about a bygone golden age. And she needs to survive. Could there be anything more relatable to anyone born in the last 30 years? I immediately borrowed the second book and am excited to see what’s next. I can also see why this could be seen as a religious text. I feel like this novel as a whole is one where you could re-read multiple times and still find new meanings and subtext every time. This is one I want to buy for my bookshelf and is added to my favorites list. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Gun violence, Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, Violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Drug abuse, Murder, Addiction, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Child death, Classism, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Hate crime, Police brutality, and War

Moderate: Rape, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, and Slavery