Reviews tagging 'Torture'

La Parabole du semeur by Octavia E. Butler

155 reviews

jaymem's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Police brutality, Trafficking, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Trafficking, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

elly29's review against another edition

challenging 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? Yes

3.75

I'm glad I read this, but it was a stressful read that didn't have the payout I was looking for (ie, space colonization). Written in the 1990s and set in the 2020s (eep, the novel starts in 2024), it was a look at a potential and dire future of massive distrust, climate change, poverty, comapny-endorsed slavery, violence, and just short of societal collapse.

There were a few gems: the Earthseed religion and how God is Change. The slow growth into a spirit of community, and how the way to succeed is by working together.

But, at times a hard, hard read. Mostly about survival among the dregs of a dead civilization. And it was hard because this could be a potential future for us.

Lots of content warnings: rape, murder, pyromania, cannibalism, dismemberment, starvation, child death...

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Slavery, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, and Torture

Minor: Trafficking

lilybear3's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

4.75

I listened to this as an unabridged audiobook read by  Lynne Thigpen.  They have a lovely voice that is graceful, yet captures the heaviness. This is one of the best dystopian novels I have read.  Her messages on social injustices and climate change are true and prophetic.  I was highly engaged for the majority of the book, but I lost a little interest towards the end when

more and more people joined the group on the journey. It was about when Emery and Mora showed up

.  There were a lot of scenes and imagery that felt like it was added for shock value, but I think that is the reality of the world they live in.  I was not a fan of the age-gap relationship, but I interpreted it as commentary on how children mature way too fast when in an environment that forces them to grow up.  Characterization was fantastic.  There were great descriptions while also characterizing through the characters' actions.  Watching Lauren grow into her own and write about her spiritual and philosophical beliefs was so interesting.  I thought the ending was fitting, it wasn't amazing, but acceptable.  I'm glad I read this classic.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Slavery

Minor: Cannibalism

kurumipanda's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Torture

mischorda's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Incest, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism

madeleinebay's review against another edition

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

punkhunk's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

Octavia Butler managed to reel me in immediately. i was so captivated by this book i struggled to put it down. highly recommend this, all of the themes are relevant to now, especially important now. 

this book may end up influencing my own religious beliefs, and it's a work of fiction. the belief is real, despite the book taking place in an alternate future of our world. 

i do see where Butler is coming from with her depiction of what she was observing 30 years ago. we may still even get to the point of ecological and societal collapse she describes here, if we don't snap out of our war ridden ways. 

amazing book. please read this. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Incest, Excrement, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Car accident, and Murder

clemencepct's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child death, Violence, Cannibalism, and Murder

Moderate: Gun violence, Rape, Slavery, Torture, and Death of parent

karingforbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.0

Definitely a memorable book. I enjoyed the lens of a budding religious founder; had a The Power vibe a bit. I wasn’t super attached to any of the characters but I think maybe part of that was the MC’s hyperempathy and that she shuts herself off because of that. Therefore we don’t really get to connect with most of them. I thought the dystopian aspect of society was eerily close to home but that’s the sign of a good dystopian, like 1984 or Earth, that they could extrapolate from their current circumstances and predict what would realistically happen however long into the future. Thought provoking book with good writing. 
Side note on that: the editor didn’t do a great job. There were two instances of ‘tried’ being typed ‘tired’ and one of ‘slave’ being typed ‘salve’ which are clearly vastly different words. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood and Cannibalism

Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Drug use, Gun violence, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

cinderrunner's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative inspiring 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? No

5.0

Amazing, thought provoking yet simplistic writing. Its a shame how relevant this book still is 30 years later. A truly brilliant work

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism