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mamaquiereleer's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Slavery, Sexual assault, and Trafficking
Moderate: Rape, Sexism, Kidnapping, Child death, and Gun violence
Minor: Domestic abuse, Vomit, and Suicide
samdalefox's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Although the series works as a duology, I was surprised Butler didn't write more so I looked it up. Apparently she envisioned a seven part series! That's how long Earthseed was imagined to fully resolve. Source: https://electricliterature.com/now-more-than-ever-we-wish-we-had-these-lost-octavia-butler-novels/ I feel sad we will never get to hear the rest of the Earthseed story, but I'm also glad to have the existing series to the highest standard.
The Parable of the Talents reads just as well as the first one and predominently focuses on the difficulty of maintaining their community and advancing Earthseed. There are very clear historical references to the injustices suffered by Black and Indigenous people, which should also set alarm bells ringing in contemporary readers as we start to see the same signs of Christo-facism in the West now. Without ruining the plot, I appreciated the 'positive' ending as it felt realistic. It was at once hopeful, aspirational, yet also sombre. Butler hinted at the sacrifices and consequences of attaining such the achievement.
I enjoyed gaining the perspective of Lauren's daughter, I think that was a clever move and showed how others' perceived Lauren besides those that directly support or oppose her theology. I do understand the symbolism of the Christian 'parable of the talents' (The Bible, Matthew 25:14–30) but I was surprised that the book ended with that verse, mirroring the choice to end with the respective verse in Parable of the Sower. To me, it felt like it was saying the ultimate motivation behind Lauren was still her Christian beliefs, not Earthseed at all, which felt wrong to me. Perhaps this choice would have evolved as the series did, we will never know. In summary, I loved it, definitely read it.
I will add all my favourite quotes from the book here at a later date (there are so many of them!)
Graphic: Slavery and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Sexual violence, Violence, Death, Torture, Sexual assault, and Rape
Minor: Grief, Medical trauma, Sexism, Abandonment, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Confinement, Murder, and Religious bigotry
jwells's review against another edition
It's an interesting question to what extent Butler wanted her invented religion to actually inspire us readers. Did she make it up just to tell a great story? Or did she hope we'd come away from these books with new levels of commitment to achieving space colonies, because that's the spiritual destiny of the human species?
The community building aspects of Earthseed are lovely, but I can't really buy into the idea that we need space colonies as a communal goal. I mean, it would be cool if we could, someday, but I could think of lots of other good communal goals we could work on.
Graphic: Child abuse, Violence, Sexism, Physical abuse, and Slavery
Moderate: Lesbophobia, Rape, Gun violence, and Confinement
hayleemarie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Classism, Grief, Gun violence, Misogyny, Murder, Violence, Rape, Kidnapping, Death, Genocide, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Torture
fluoresensitive's review against another edition
Moderate: War, Violence, Trafficking, Torture, Slavery, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexism, Racism, and Sexual harassment
rorikae's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Somehow even more so than with Parable of the Sower, Parable of the Talents is a harrowing story. Lauren's life is an incredibly hard one and this book has every trigger warning possible. Butler dives into what the world would look like as it falls apart and how different people would choose to find their place. Some find it in fascism and having power over others. Other people seek out small communities and look to the stars.
Lauren is never the most likable character, which is part of what makes her such a fascinating protagonist. She has a very strong goal but this goal often comes before other people, including her direct family. Butler does an exceptional job of creating a character study of one woman seeking to find power and influence in life through what she believes is a calling. The other perspective that runs through this novel (which I won't spoil) is a helpful contrast to Lauren's perspective. After an entire book of Lauren's journals with Parable of the Sower, I think one of the reasons why Parable of the Talents is somehow even better is because of this contrasting point of view. We get to see how other people view Lauren and how some of the choices she makes look to those who are not in her own head.
This is one of the best duologies that I have ever read. Butler is considered one of the greats in SF for a reason. This book is a must read, especially regarding how scarily close some aspects are to our current reality.
Graphic: Confinement, Grief, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Sexism, Murder, Body horror, Bullying, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Child death, Blood, Child abuse, Trafficking, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Self harm, and Violence
Minor: Pedophilia, Death of parent, and War
derik_rochlitzer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Murder, Sexism, Classism, Death, Addiction, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Drug use, Genocide, Grief, Abandonment, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Misogyny, Rape, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Trafficking, and War
random19379's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Self harm, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Genocide, Child death, Slavery, Rape, Sexism, War, Violence, Trafficking, Suicide, Sexual violence, Racism, Police brutality, Pedophilia, Homophobia, Grief, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, and Confinement
lunaliz's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Physical abuse, Slavery, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Child abuse, Pedophilia, Death, Grief, Sexual assault, Homophobia, Rape, and Sexism
Minor: War, Racism, Vomit, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, and Suicide
atalea's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
3.75
As an apocalyptic book, it is one of the strongest I have ever read. Events and motivations felt real and possible, which made the book even more scary. The main portion of the book felt like a true apocalyptic survival story á la The Walking Dead and I could totally see this as a movie.
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Slavery, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Confinement, and Rape
Moderate: Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Misogyny, Deportation, Sexism, Death, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Blood, Sexual violence, Murder, Child abuse, and Gun violence
Minor: Drug abuse, Adult/minor relationship, and Suicide