A review by tbrnichols
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

dark hopeful tense 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

3.75

I found the world-building to be kind of bewildering and under theorized and I didn't super understand how like remembering that subsistence agriculture existed was such a super power for Lauren and made her vision more compelling. And also I'm not totally convinced that this is what societies actually look like when they're in collapse or really hard times. But I really liked the theological aspect of it and her determination and self-reliance and desire to use knowledge as a shield and trying to control only what she could but accepting and shaping change was very compelling but with the squirreling away and refusing to trust society it did at times feel a bit paranoid. Something that occurred to me about Earthseed's success was that she cooperates to a kind of otherwise unseen degree in a way that reminded me of the ACX post about early Christianity and game theory but also she is not quite as extreme as they are, since she does murder in self defense quite often. But that good Samaritan instinct still seemed vital in achieving her goals. I found the pacing a bit odd, like the extra world building that happened when the slaves joined felt very distracting and like it took up part of the book where I was expecting a climax that never really happened, but I still thoroughly enjoyed those portions and the theology and I'm excited to read parable of the talents. Also it was nice to read this at the same time as Old Path White Clouds and make some of the connections between Earthseed and Buddhism and I heard a surprising amount of people say "God is change" in the real world while reading this book so maybe God is change and coincidence and maybe the most compelling part of this book is the theology which feels really impressive for a fictional text.