Reviews with content warning for Cannibalism - Parable of the Sower

Reviews tagging 'Cannibalism'

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

432 reviews

knownothing's review against another edition

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dark slow-paced

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

3.25

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bookishevy's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious 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

4.75

Octavia Butler has yet to disappoint me. I finished Parable of the Sower (Earthseed #1) last night just as Women's History Month was drawing to a close, and I loved it.

The story starts in July 2024. Teenager Lauren Olamina and her family live in a gated community just outside Los Angeles. Beyond their wall is total social chaos. Diseases, drugs, everythjng's expensive, especially water, which has become scarce due to climate change. There's hardly any work, so vagabonds steal, kill, and set things and people on fire. On top of all this, Lauren suffers from hyperempathy, a condition that makes her extra sensitive to others' sensations Their community does all it can to keep dangers from breaching its barriers, but when things get dire, Lauren and survivors must venture outside and make their way north with hopes of a better future.

This is a different kind of book from Butler. It's science fiction, but, for me, with the exception of Lauren's ability to physically feel what others feel, it's too real. The world Butler envisions in 2024 is scary, and although we're not there yet, I can see it happening. Lauren's odyssey takes her and others she meets while migrating to northern California through many dangers. Everyone she meets has a story about what led to them hitting the road. Themes of these stories include racism, classism and slavery. The story paints a bleak picture of the future of humans. TW: violence, rape, canibalism. And Lauren feels everything around her. A disability.

But in a world that breeds hopelessness, Lauren is still optimistic about the future and is working on building a community that will live on principles she discovered. Even with all the anarchy around them, Lauren and her people still find ways to be kind and love on one another, which is hard to envision, because I was like, "How can they be having sex while surrounded by death?" But you know what? In situations like those, you have to grab happiness wherever and whenever you find it. Lauren's outlook and her willingness to trust others gave me hope, which is good because this is all very possible. LOL!

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ams5x9's review

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challenging dark sad tense slow-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

3.5

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nogoodtulip's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful inspiring tense medium-paced

5.0

Set in a very plausible and not-too-distant future collapsed american society, Parable of the Sower is enthralling in its character’s struggle for survival against a world consumed by destitution, violence, and corporate oppression. The blossoming of our main character Lauren’s new religion of Earthseed and the vision of a new and transformed world that it brings drives the story forward and teaches us that we cannot build something new without first risking everything.

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rauvolfia's review against another edition

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dark hopeful reflective sad slow-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

4.0

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reneerianne's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad 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? No

4.5

What an amazing read. I can see why this is compared to the likes of 1984 and The Handmaid's Tale, though I did find it to be a completely different type of book. I loved reading this in the year 2024, which is also where the story begins. Though we're not quite there yet in terms of climate change and climate refugees, we are, unfortunately, well on our way to get there. It's remarkable how (despite the dates) this story stands the test of time. It still feels very modern even though the book is more than 30 years old. I really loved the characters and the elements of found family. I did find some scenes hard to read due to the violence and injuries (check the trigger warnings!), but they added to the overall feeling of powerlessness. I didn't relate as much to the parts about religion. However, I think it's very fitting to turn to religion in dire situations like these. Overall, a very good read and plausible exploration of what might happen over the next couple of decades as climate change gets worse... Now onto a happier read.

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msteasam's review against another edition

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4.0

I didn't realise going in that this book is set in a world ravaged by climate change. Society has more or less collapsed, storms and fires kill thousands, and people have turned to drugs and cannibalism to survive.
This book is really confronting but has some very unique ideas about religion and human progress.

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