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A review by the_wistful_word_witch
Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
*POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD*
HOLY SHIT. This is a great book (and series), but DAYUM, it's an emotionally destructive read on so many levels. I had to stop for breaks at several points just because it all became too much for me. Ms Butler wrote The Parable of the Talents in 1998, but damned if she wasn't describing what happened in the 2016 US elections!! 🤯
I feel like Larkin was too harsh in her reflections on her mother Lauren, given everything that Lauren went through and the fact that Larkin was literally stolen from her. Larkin only met her mother 'occasionally' after she found Lauren - when they were in their 30s and 50s, respectively. She had no clue what her mother had done to find her, despite reading her journals, which are only glimpses into the past - and had definitely been brainwashed by Marc (who I pretty much detest). If anything, Larkin had already made up her mind about her mother before they even met, and damned her without any evidence.
It's sad to see the deterioration of the US in the books, which seems to be coming to pass in real life, although without the level of violence and destruction in the book... yet. It's also sad to see that the 'good Christians' are up to their same old, violent bullshit - trying to convert the heathens by killing the heathen in them to save the person, to paraphrase. Even in a fake future, it never changes. Religious fascists always think their religion is the one and only true faith, and others WILL convert - by any means necessary - or they will die.
I think that's what Earthseed's tenets speak to me so much. They're not trying to force anyone to believe in some imaginary being. They are deep truths that we can all see happening around us. Like the saying goes, "the only constant in life is change".
There are some bright spots in the series, such as Lauren finding people who loved her, managing to reconnect with her daughter - no matter how strained their relationship was, at least she knew Larkin was alive and doing well, and living to see Earthseed grow and getting to watch the first 'seeds' shoot off into space to fulfil her Destiny.
I really wish Ms Butler had lived long enough to finish writing the series because I think books about Earthseed's struggles to create better lives on new planets would have been super cool, with a lot of possibilities to encounter other life forms. Guess we'll have to leave that kind of story to other writers...
HOLY SHIT. This is a great book (and series), but DAYUM, it's an emotionally destructive read on so many levels. I had to stop for breaks at several points just because it all became too much for me. Ms Butler wrote The Parable of the Talents in 1998, but damned if she wasn't describing what happened in the 2016 US elections!! 🤯
I feel like Larkin was too harsh in her reflections on her mother Lauren, given everything that Lauren went through and the fact that Larkin was literally stolen from her. Larkin only met her mother 'occasionally' after she found Lauren - when they were in their 30s and 50s, respectively. She had no clue what her mother had done to find her, despite reading her journals, which are only glimpses into the past - and had definitely been brainwashed by Marc (who I pretty much detest). If anything, Larkin had already made up her mind about her mother before they even met, and damned her without any evidence.
It's sad to see the deterioration of the US in the books, which seems to be coming to pass in real life, although without the level of violence and destruction in the book... yet. It's also sad to see that the 'good Christians' are up to their same old, violent bullshit - trying to convert the heathens by killing the heathen in them to save the person, to paraphrase. Even in a fake future, it never changes. Religious fascists always think their religion is the one and only true faith, and others WILL convert - by any means necessary - or they will die.
I think that's what Earthseed's tenets speak to me so much. They're not trying to force anyone to believe in some imaginary being. They are deep truths that we can all see happening around us. Like the saying goes, "the only constant in life is change".
There are some bright spots in the series, such as Lauren finding people who loved her, managing to reconnect with her daughter - no matter how strained their relationship was, at least she knew Larkin was alive and doing well, and living to see Earthseed grow and getting to watch the first 'seeds' shoot off into space to fulfil her Destiny.
I really wish Ms Butler had lived long enough to finish writing the series because I think books about Earthseed's struggles to create better lives on new planets would have been super cool, with a lot of possibilities to encounter other life forms. Guess we'll have to leave that kind of story to other writers...
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape, Slavery, and War