Reviews tagging 'Slavery'

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

470 reviews

bree_reads_too_much's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

Fitting that I read this book in 2024 the year this book begins in. I finished it while listening to the sirens outside that never seem to cease, as I live in a city and a state with a large drug and houseless problem. 

This book written and published, I believe in the early 90’s about a dystopian near future (2024-2027) and is about faith, question faith, community, perseverance and survival. I found it powerful, dark, painful and terrifying at times because with the state of the world we currently live in, this reality feels far too inevitable. Even as I was gutted by the terrible things these people saw and lived through, I couldn’t put it down.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Racism, Rape, Murder, Violence, Sexual assault, and Physical abuse

caseybones's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful 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? No

4.25

I put off reading this book for years because all I’d heard was how traumatizing it is and how difficult to read. I didn’t find that to be the case. The subject matter is distressing and difficult to face but nothing is overly graphic or unnecessarily explicit. Nothing feels gratuitous.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Child death, Violence, and War

Moderate: Sexual violence, Murder, Rape, Child abuse, and Cannibalism

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

htoo's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

It’s really a 3.75 but I’m rounding it up to four because it’s Octavia E. Butler and I’ve enjoyed her other works. The story takes a while to get into, things didn’t start getting interesting until halfway through the book. I kind of procrastinated in finishing this book because of the writing/narrative style. The prose was okay but not profound in any way. I find the Earthseed poetry cringy. To be honest, majoring in English has lowkey ruined reading certain books for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Slavery, Trafficking, Rape, Cannibalism, and Pedophilia

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

happy_birthday's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

5.0

a very worthwhile post-apocalypse! a lot more shooting poor people in the face than I expected

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Slavery, Sexual violence, Violence, Rape, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Child death, and Trafficking

it'd be a little easier to list the content warnings this book doesn't have

albearcamus's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

A tale of suffering, survival and humanity. Definitely a fascinating depiction of life in a world ravaged by climate change and bad politics (sounds familiar). Butler blends intersectionality into a tale that makes you feel for the characters and their survival. 
I found it excellently written, smooth and easy to read. The characters were mostly realistic and the situations believable for the world they’re in. 
Definitely recommend. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Rape, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Child death, and Slavery

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