Parable of the Sower

by Octavia E. Butler

No cover — Octavia E. Butler: Parable of the Sower (2023, Grand Central Publishing)

English language

Published 2023 by Grand Central Publishing.

ISBN:: 978-1-5387-6549-4

(241 reviews)

In 2025, with the world descending into madness and anarchy, one woman begins a fateful journey toward a better future.

Lauren Olamina and her family live in one of the only safe neighborhoods remaining on the outskirts of Los Angeles. Behind the walls of their defended enclave, Lauren’s father, a preacher, and a handful of other citizens try to salvage what remains of a culture that has been destroyed by drugs, disease, war, and chronic water shortages. While her father tries to lead people on the righteous path, Lauren struggles with hyperempathy, a condition that makes her extraordinarily sensitive to the pain of others.

When fire destroys their compound, Lauren’s family is killed and she is forced out into a world that is fraught with danger. With a handful of other refugees, Lauren must make her way north to safety, along the way conceiving a revolutionary idea that may mean …

In 2025, with the world descending into madness and anarchy, one woman begins a fateful journey toward a better future.

15 editions

laprunminta reviewed Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler (Earthseed, #1)

Review of 'Parable of the Sower' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

[mild spoilers] There were a lot of things I didn't like about this book, but it's well worth a read.

First, the main character starts to think through her own religion, complete with scripture verses. I had a hard time taking the verses seriously, since they were so broad as to be meaningless. Second, the romances seemed forced and awkward. Still, there's a ton to think about, especially in the meaning of community and its relevance today.

nekokat reviewed Octavia E. Butler's Parable of the sower by Octavia E. Butler

Review of "Octavia E. Butler's Parable of the sower" on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

A quick read, if not an easy one. Similar to [b:The Road|6288|The Road|Cormac McCarthy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1600241424l/6288.SY75.jpg|3355573], though slightly less grim. I thought it was a little heavy-handed at times and overall the plot and characters could've used some tightening up.

Ben P reviewed Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

Review of 'Parable of the sower' on 'GoodReads'

4 stars

Great story, featuring excellent writing that has truly held up over the decades. Only a few of the ideas presented here seem dated or goofy (primarily the language used to address futuristic drugs). For whatever reason, I didn't immediately consider the potential differences between a post-apocalyptic book written by a woman of color and similar books I'd explored that were written by white men or women. Having a strong, black female youth as a narrator is refreshing, and the maximized potential for even more obvious and egregious examples of class war, racial tension, and misogyny as "civilization" breaks down is explored more comprehensively than in any other work of fiction I've read. Thus, the landscape described by Butler seems (sadly) infinitely more realistic. Looking forward to the next book in the series.