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A review by ash_valkyreader
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
dark
emotional
reflective
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? No
5.0
Series or Stand-alone: Duology
Genre: post-apocalyptic, grim, afrofuturism, sci-fi
First time or Reread: First time
Finished or DNF: finished
Spice: 🚫
Steam: 🚫
Representation: black main character, disability (in a way)
Triggers: drugs, murder, rape (child included), death of children, canablism, sickness, brutalization, parental abuse, torture, animal harm, home fire, homelessness, suicide. Note: discriptions varied in intensity. No rate was in explicit detail. Deaths were. There are several passages I skipped over.
Review:
This book was absolutely a brutal look at humanity. It is dark post-apocalyptic fiction that provides commentary on climate change and social inequality. It was pitched to me as “it’s kind of like if Handmaidens tale was written by Maya Angelou but darker” which is one hell of a pitch. And I can see where they are coming from on all accounts. I will never forget this book. The book is written in a journal format and told well with prose that stick with you.
Plot:
Lauren starts off this book as a young girl navigating a California that is falling apart. She lives in a walled community that keeps out the desperate street poor and crazed cultist. By comparison her life is tranquil. Her father is a professor and preacher and community leader. They survive on community strength and his good sense. They are able to scrape by on farming and the little money they bring. The climate has left them with little water and much disaster. Slowly things fall apart. Those outside the wall are getting in the wall. Lauren is smart and keen so she begins to devise a plan to survive. She means to survive. Along the way she develops Earthseed. Her religion and her way of making sense of the world, surviving it, and maintaining her humanity. Eventually all her preparations are put to the test and she must make her way some place safer - better.
Genre: post-apocalyptic, grim, afrofuturism, sci-fi
First time or Reread: First time
Finished or DNF: finished
Spice: 🚫
Steam: 🚫
Representation: black main character, disability (in a way)
Triggers: drugs, murder, rape (child included), death of children, canablism, sickness, brutalization, parental abuse, torture, animal harm, home fire, homelessness, suicide. Note: discriptions varied in intensity. No rate was in explicit detail. Deaths were. There are several passages I skipped over.
Review:
This book was absolutely a brutal look at humanity. It is dark post-apocalyptic fiction that provides commentary on climate change and social inequality. It was pitched to me as “it’s kind of like if Handmaidens tale was written by Maya Angelou but darker” which is one hell of a pitch. And I can see where they are coming from on all accounts. I will never forget this book. The book is written in a journal format and told well with prose that stick with you.
Plot:
Lauren starts off this book as a young girl navigating a California that is falling apart. She lives in a walled community that keeps out the desperate street poor and crazed cultist. By comparison her life is tranquil. Her father is a professor and preacher and community leader. They survive on community strength and his good sense. They are able to scrape by on farming and the little money they bring. The climate has left them with little water and much disaster. Slowly things fall apart. Those outside the wall are getting in the wall. Lauren is smart and keen so she begins to devise a plan to survive. She means to survive. Along the way she develops Earthseed. Her religion and her way of making sense of the world, surviving it, and maintaining her humanity. Eventually all her preparations are put to the test and she must make her way some place safer - better.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Child death
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, Gun violence, Child death, Drug abuse, Cannibalism, Slavery, Racism, Classism, Physical abuse, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, and Body horror
Minor: Animal death and Suicide