Reviews tagging 'Fire/Fire injury'

La Parabole du semeur by Octavia E. Butler

385 reviews

micaelabrody's review against another edition

4.5

not much i can say that anyone hasn’t said better, but. one of the few books about god that managed to not feel very christian even as it explicitly draws on christianity. butler is a master at the use of brutality contrasted with hope - without feeling saccharine or cheap. she has an economy of language in her prose that makes the violence feel more impactful and visceral, and of course immediate (reading that “2024” at the beginning of the book was downright chilling). while i know i read fledgling in college for a class i don’t remember this so it really was like a great intro to one of the greats’ work. i do wish i’d been able to read this when i was less busy with both work and mania and looking forward to reading it again one day.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Death, and Rape

angielina's review against another edition

adventurous dark inspiring tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• 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: Death, Death of parent, and Gun violence

Moderate: Drug use, Cannibalism, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Rape

sofipitch's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

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

4.25

One of the most realistic dystopias written, there's no real world building quirk that can separate the reader from this one, no big brother, book burners, handmaidens or hunger games. No nukes are dropped or anything that can make us go "well that hasn't happened yet. It simply posits that this is what things will look like if we do not change, which made Earthseed's main tenant, god is change, make a lot more sense. I'm curious about what the second book holds because my biggest complaint would be that it feels like the book just stops, maybe because the ending of them making an earthseed community felt so for seen in advance. I'd like to know if it succeeded and how

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Minor: Slavery, Cannibalism, and Fire/Fire injury

abi_lowe's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Rape, Violence, and Death of parent

Moderate: Cannibalism, Police brutality, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Colonisation, Racism, Addiction, and Gun violence

eed8's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Gun violence, Violence, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Child abuse, Slavery, Animal death, Cannibalism, Rape, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Drug abuse, and Racism

rin_dawg's review against another edition

dark reflective sad tense slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Racism, Slavery, Rape, and Police brutality

bessadams's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Child death, Gun violence, and Death

Moderate: Blood, Sexual content, Rape, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, Slavery, Death of parent, Drug abuse, and Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Trafficking, Addiction, Police brutality, Incest, Animal death, and Racism

skimkaye's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

3.75

It was fine. I liked the overall plot and themes. Pacing was a bit all over the place, but I dont generally mind that. I really liked the commentary on religion with people saying that Earthseed was made up or not anything, and Earthseed itself criticizing other religions while becoming one. The characters were the biggest disappointment to me, they are all very flat and need fleshing out. Lauren is hyper hyperempathetic but even her own internal monologue is emotionless. Bankole is a creepy old man and everyone else is just fine with it. Characters like Travis and Jill are introduced and then barely mentioned. 

I think that I just wanted more from this book. I will probably read the sequel though.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Cannibalism, Slavery, Racism, Rape, Violence, Gun violence, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, and Death of parent

boombaeyah's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful 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? Yes

4.5

in a world full of greed, violence, and scarcity there is still hope for humanity in the form of one divine truth: change. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Drug abuse, Rape, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Sexual violence and Racism

tey_lynn's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Slavery, Gun violence, Blood, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Drug abuse, Cursing, Murder, Gore, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Death, Child death, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Vomit, Grief, Cannibalism, and Animal death