Reviews tagging 'War'

La Parabole du semeur by Octavia E. Butler

60 reviews

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

teresabg's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring tense medium-paced

4.5

Very hard to rate this because it is a fantastic book and frankly I think most people would benefit from reading it but I also found it very challenging, so rating it lower that 5 stars simply because of my own struggle to stomach it at times. 

The writing is beautifully accessible and easy to get buried into, but the unflinching exploration of violence and destruction really tested me. Ultimately though, I think it is this very uncensored description of gutwrenching things that makes this book feel so sincerely hopeful. Lauren Olamina is unafraid of looking right into the heart of pain despite the fact that she will be wounded by it also and see in destruction a possibility for a new and more beautiful world. 

In the current climate of the world, I think I really needed to meet Lauren, to peer into a hope that is not ignorant of pain but that fearlessly accepts it and continues to flourish into hope. What good is hope if it is only used to dismiss the reality that is tugging at the heart? 
Thank you Nish for knowing me well enough to recommend this book at this time in my life.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, War, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual violence, Rape, Murder, Drug abuse, Cannibalism, and Slavery

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

starri_night's review against another edition

adventurous 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

3.5

So the main character spends a good chunk of their time talking about the religion that they have created which is a spin-off of Christianity and other religions like Buddhism. Personally, it didn't really resonate with me and I didn't like how the main character tried to force it on everyone because they thought it was the truth. In my humble opinion, the entire story would have remained the same. If not for the religion. Despite this, I will most likely read the the sequel see what happens

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Violence, War, and Death of parent

Moderate: Drug abuse and Addiction

Minor: Animal cruelty

jessife's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.0

A slightly terrifying look at what climate change could do to our society - dystopian catastrophe but still gripping and hopeful

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Rape, Racism, Violence, Sexual violence, War, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Mass/school shootings, Grief, Drug use, Death, Slavery, Drug abuse, Child death, Sexual assault, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Gun violence

mutua1core's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Racism, Slavery, Gore, Police brutality, Pregnancy, War, Animal death, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Rape, Sexual content, Addiction, Gun violence, Classism, Sexual assault, and Violence

keyradiator's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative tense fast-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? No

5.0

This book is really a marvel. Octavia Butler's writing is accessible, evocative, crisp, and visceral; reading her and Ursula K. Le Guin made me realize I took entirely too long reading several mediocre science fiction books from more mainstream authors.

There is a thing or two in this book that are structurally suboptimal, but overall, the pacing is biting and cohesive, the characters have deeeeep stories and flaws, and the world building is some of the best I've ever read.

This book is dark. You can't quite prepare yourself for just how dark it gets, yet, somehow Butler manages to make a beam of hope cut through all of the noise that carries you through. Please read this book!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Police brutality, Child abuse, Classism, Gore, Grief, Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexual content, Gun violence, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Rape, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, Abandonment, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Sexual violence, Slavery, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Excrement, Murder, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Car accident, Sexual harassment, Violence, Child death, Medical content, Trafficking, Self harm, Sexual assault, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Mental illness

Moderate: Police brutality, Cannibalism, Body horror, Animal death, Vomit, and War

Minor: Self harm, Car accident, Child abuse, Addiction, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Excrement, Animal cruelty, Confinement, Toxic friendship, Suicidal thoughts, and Racism

lynxpardinus's review against another edition

dark reflective sad

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexual assault, Death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Rape, Violence, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Addiction, Gore, Adult/minor relationship, Slavery, Child death, and Grief

Moderate: Sexual content, Blood, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, Suicide, War, Sexual violence, and Incest

Minor: Fatphobia, Excrement, and Vomit

Adult/minor relationship warning is also for a relationship between a grown adult and an 18-year-old.

puppyphant's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing sad 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

I suspect Octavia E. Butler may actually be able to see the future. She wasn't dead on, but alarmingly close. And it's an amazing novel overall. It's never boring and is a perfect balance between the horrors of an apocalyptic setting and the comforts of a community. After reading I felt more appreciative of what I have but also more aware of my own capability to adapt to change.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Gun violence, War, and Death

Moderate: Gore, Slavery, Child abuse, and Child death

Minor: Rape and Mental illness

unsuccessfulbookclub's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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

5.0

Wowwwwwww. Dark, fascinating, exciting, deep, complex… a perfect dystopia. With an end filled with a strange hope. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Slavery, War, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Drug abuse, Vomit, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Child abuse and Child death