Parable of the Sower / Parable of the Talents / Kindred

by Octavia E. Butler

Genres: Fiction, Science Fiction, Dystopia, Fantasy, Post Apocalyptic, Book Club, Womens

948 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1999

About the author

Octavia Estelle Butler was an American science fiction writer, one of the best-known among the few African-American women in the field. She won both Hugo and Nebula awards. In 1995, she became the first science fiction writer to receive the MacArthur Foundation "Genius" Grant.

After her father died, Butler was raised by her widowed mother. Extremely shy as a child, Octavia found an outlet at the library reading fantasy, and in writing. She began writing science fiction as a teenager. She attended community college during the Black Power movement, and while participating in a local writer's workshop was encouraged to attend the Clarion Workshop, which focused on science fiction.

She soon sold her first stories and by the late 1970s had become sufficiently successful as an author that she was able to pursue writing full-time. Her books and short stories drew the favorable attention of the public and awards judges. She also taught writer's workshops, and eventually relocated to Washington state. Butler died of a stroke at the age of 58. Her papers are held in the research collection of the Huntington Library.

Reviews

[Cmadler · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's hard to rate/review an omnibus edition like this, particularly when it contains a duology and an unrelated work. All three are good works, and taken together, I'd call this a strong 4-star book.

Parable of the Sower paints a realistic and frightening picture of a collapsing American society and, aside from the pseudo-religious aspects, is quite good. By itself, I would rate Parable of the Sower a strong 4 stars.

Parable of the Talents is fair, but the longer timeframe detracts from the story a bit. By itself, I would rate Parable of the Talents 3 stars.

Kindred, the stand-alone work in this volume, is the highlight of the compilation, and a truly outstanding novel. By itself, I would rate Kindred 5 stars.

[DeValerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was way before it time. It painted a bleak picture of our future as human beings. However, it also showed that friendship, love and trust are key to our survival and that no one can survive this life alone.

[Adrienna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Parable of the Sower, young adult girl, Lauren, who was birthed from a drug mother, at 15 and father turning 55 on the same day, goes through various stories, religion, and wonders if it is all a hypocrisy for the peace and to get along speech. There are a glimpse of so many incidents, characters, and people described in her world/community and her thoughts of her father as a Baptist preacher and married to a Spanish wife (her step-mother). (So far, there seems to be more telling like a storyteller in this book). As the story progressed, Lauren got her wish to leave her inhabitants after the death of her father (body not found) and earthquakes in CA. She takes a friend and her boyfriend, then later drifters, and the story doesn't quite read syfy to me. The only things it is futuristic (timeline starts in 2024, Lauren has her own religion and God is CHANGE to her, not male or female, and most events are normal to me).

Rate this book: 3 stars (liked it, mediocre read, numerous characters to follow but Lauren seems to be the main character).

Parable of the Talents shares the journals of Taylor Franklin Bankole and Lauren Oya "Olamina" as their daughter named after Lauren reads them (Larkin, named Lauren and her father Laurence). Earthseed (in my terms is simply we are the seed of the earth also known as the dust of the earth) but described as a cult of strange people who lived in the hills that are crazy foolish people who believe in a god of change--talent is based on the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25, which is the Earthseed (movement). This story grabbed my interest to continue reading the pages to see how everything is put together as far as the movement Lauren created as a destiny of survival but later got caught into a slavery-collared community. Slavery again in 2027 and beyond...but one to survive has to learn their captors motives, ways, and habits and use this to find a way of escape!

4 stars

Kindred: Edana "Dana" is able to travel into her past century and cross into time and space to see her deceased ancestors. This book is amazing, and thought of writing something similar but see it is done! I hope someday I can write as well. Loving this story thus far.

5 stars.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a fan of Octavia E. Butler who had read all her books I had always meant to get to her best known novel, Kindred. This edition, an omnibus with two of her other novels, includes a pedantic introduction to "Kindred" which I'd advise skipping over or at least not reading until after you've read the novel itself.

"Kindred" is a powerful story that is at once a page turner and something that makes you think as Dana, her protagonist, learns about her ancestry and about the world of slavery in antebellum Maryland. For both its content and Butler's lean, clear writing style, this richly deserves its reputation as a modern American classic.

[Vernelle Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read all of Ms. Butler's books. However, the "Parables" are by far my favorite. It's a lot scarier to set sci fi in the immediate future than 100 years ago. Expecially living in the desert of southern California, I can relate to her apocalyptic tales of anarchy.

[Sga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not really into sci-fi? I'm not either. Yet these three books are amazing. What's up genre fiction?

[Karima · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based on the Biblical parable in which seeds are sown; some are lost on the wayside, some fall on rocky ground, some are devoured by birds, and some fall on good earth, yielding thirty, sixty, a hundredfold.
This book, first published in 1993, is the first in a trilogy, in which Butler writes about America's uncertain future. The setting is California, 2024-25. Lauren Olamina is a fifteen-year-old "hyperempath", she feels the pain of others as her own. The novel is told through Lauren's diaries.
When Butler first started on this series, in 1989, she envisioned a utopian civilization, where everyone had some sort of hyperempathy. She abandoned that idea but created Lauren. A brave young woman who develops her own belief system she calls Earthseed.
This is brilliant writing all the way but I felt that the idea of the hyperempath did not quite work. Pages and pages could go on with no reference at all to Lauren's affliction, as it is posed. Then, all of a sudden, we would be reminded of it. It seemed as if Butler started out with this concept and forced it onto the character. The book would have been just as strong without it.

[Lois · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only finished Parable of the Sower. Pretty depressing sci-fi in many ways. Too heavy for me just now.

[Mari Stroud · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spookily prescient in the same way as Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, though in the end much more optimistic. In Jarrett it's like she's looking down into Santorum's head.

[W.]

THIS IS THE SECOND BOOK I COULDN’T FIND LISTED SEPARATELY BY GOODREADS. WHAT’S UP WITH THAT?
I’m reading only The Parable of the Sower. I’m not far into it and wonder if I even want to finish it, because it’s an apocalyptic book full of ugliness and suffering. At my age (senior citizen), I’ve seen and read about enough actual suffering that I’m not so eager to have it also be what I read about recreationally. I think I’d rather read a more hopeful view of humanity’s future… but maybe this book will provide some hope. We’ll see.

Later: I decided not to finish it. There’s enough horror and environmental degradation in the real world now. I don’t need to read a fictionalized version, on top of that.

[Nancy Wellinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the Dicks (Philip K.) and Bradburys (Ray) were spinning yarns of futuristic thread, Octavia E. Butler was heads-down, creating masterpieces, though she rarely showed up on high school or college syllabi. Her voice is so clear and unapologetic as she reveals the return of slavery in the not-too-distant future, reminding us that we often regress and rarely progress in hard times. PotS starts out bleak, but her characters spring to life, under the leadership of a precocious 18-year-old woman with a powerful vision for building community in a world where it's every man for himself. Nothing against Issac Asimov or Frank Herbert, but how about giving female sci-fi novelists a platform, especially one of color with such searing wisdom?

[Faye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ugh. I read this to fulfill a prompt for a reading challenge. Had never read anything by this author. A lot of buzz about her, Good and bad. Even racist comments which is really upsetting to me.

I went into this giving her the benefit of the doubt (i ignored the same kind of buzz about Spare). The writing is beautiful but the storyline seemed to jump around. I have a hard enough time keeping focused on a regular day!

This Genre for me was Woo Woo, "out there" and I just had a difficult time following it. Just my opinion. The narrator did a beautiful job.

Don't rate your experience off of mine. Neutral recommendation. Read at your own rusk. LOL.

[Gianna Mosser · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first encounter with Butler, and I was blown away by the politics and poetics in the work. The fervid violence of contemporary society is built into a landscape in decay and destruction. And the optimism of the new world order her protagonist imagines, as well as the depth of the shared empathy among the modern-day slaves, makes this book infectious and vicious at the same time in its critique of heteronormative capitalism.

[Maureen Wingfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love fantasy and sci-fi and randomly came across a copy of Fledgling years ago that turned me on to Octavia Butler. I was hooked and proceeded to read everything I could find from her including the Parable series and the Lilith novels. It was a phase I can only liken to when I discovered Isaac Asimov and hungrily consumed all of the Foundation series and related works.
I am excited now to start her Patternist series!

[Lisa Latas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the series - highly recommend it! Some of her predictions for the american "future" (our current and near future) are scarily accurate...including the tag line of a presidential candidate to "make america great"...chilling at times and not entirely unthinkable given our current "culture war", as some in the media would call it.

[Bernadette H · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a re-read. I first read it in 1993 when it was first published. I remember thinking 2027 was so far away. Octavia Butler’s Parable of The Sower was prophetic in many ways. Excellent character description and storyline. I was gripped from start to finish.

[Stephanie Hill Alexander · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hate science fiction and this was way too out there for me.

[Margaret · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not my choice this was a book club book. I didn't finished it.

[R · Rating 5 out of 5]

She makes us look at what our current environment can beget...

[Mike Marlow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very dark and beautiful but very sad. These are all books that I'm glad I've read, but I can't imagine wanting to read them again. It would hurt too much. But they are most certainly worth reading.

[Hunter McCleary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marvelous! Can't wait to read the final installment.

[Greg Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scarily spot on with America's future. Strong characters, strong voice.

[Angelio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two books that I will come back to over and over again. Reading them as if it was the first time, finding something new, something grounding.

These two books are loved and cherished.

[Sally Melcher mckeagney]

Highly recommend!