Parable of the Sower

By: Octavia E. Butler

Narrated by: Lynne Thigpen

Length: 12 hrs

Publisher's summary

Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author Octavia E. Butler paints a stunning portrait of an all-too-believable near future. As with Kindred and her other critically-acclaimed novels, Parable of the Sower skillfully combines startling visionary and socially realistic concepts.

God is change. That is the central truth of the Earthseed movement, whose unlikely prophet is 18-year-old Lauren Olamina. The young woman's diary entries tell the story of her life amid a violent 21st-century hell of walled neighborhoods and drug-crazed pyromaniacs - and reveal her evolving Earthseed philosophy. Against a backdrop of horror emerges a message of hope: if we are willing to embrace divine change, we will survive to fulfill our destiny among the stars.

For her elegant, literate works of science fiction, Octavia E. Butler has been compared to Toni Morrison and Ursula K. LeGuin. Narrator Lynne Thigpen's melodious voice will hold you spellbound throughout this compelling parable of modern society.

©1993 Octavia E. Butler (P)2000 Recorded Books, LLC

Amazing story

First rate story. Moving, insightful. A story of survival in a dystopian world told soulfully and moving. Excellent character and story development.

Refreshingly different and optimistic for this genre.

So important in 2018

This book is terrifyingly prescient. Set 6 -9 years in the future, there are so many parallels to 2018 it was very difficult to remember that it was written 25 years ago. Incredible.

I wasn't ready

If you could sum up Parable of the Sower in three words, what would they be?

When I was told to get this book by a former professor I was not prepared for it to become my favorite book of all time. The world that Octavia Butler weaves throughout Parable of the Sower is sad and ugly and also beautiful and hopeful. The religion that is created throughout the plot of the novel is spiritualistic and beautiful and one that everyone should aspire to have.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Olamina because she is the eyes you view this world through.

What does Lynne Thigpen bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

her voice gave power to Olamina's words. I dont think I would have had the same experience had i read it

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

yes. I didnt stop listening to it till i finished it.

Keeps your attention, you get invested, convinced

This is the second Octavia Butler novel I’ve listened to, Kindred being the first. Both are very good. Both I’d recommend. I don’t often listen to science fiction but Octavia was suggested to me and she does have a real gift for scene and dialogue that is just very convincing - even when the plot, in the hands of a lesser talent, would give me pause. I look forward to listening to more of her work. Her dystopian plot lines and twists don’t rise to the level of “A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World” (do listen to that one!) but her characters and dialogue are superior.

Beautiful...in a story of collapse

This book is truly food for the soul... especially at a period in history that often feels like collapse, decline, and social rot. A beacon of care and survival and material love.

Ahead of her Time

This was my first book by the author and I enjoyed every bit of it. The tone and cadence of the narrator's voice made the characters and story more engaging. Since this was written in 1993; a foretelling of a possible future. With the country's present unrest it's easy to see that it could become a dystopia. On one hand I'm hopeful like main character that things could change for the better. But on the other, maybe not?

Thought Provoking and Compelling

I'm convinced Octavia is espousing a benevolent, religious anarchism here that she believes only a few elites are capable of maintaining.

Beyond the philosophical, the book is a compelling story of survival in America-the-failed-state-edition.

Also, the narrator is awesome.

the parable within is more valuable than the story

critiques:

Octavia butler wrote this story from the POV of a protagonist who is presented as well versed and capable in many complex subjects with what comes off as very little or no experience herself.
Paternal love/relationships with men, starvation, community, abuse and the abused, survivalism, multiculturalism, white American people, firearm handling/use, agriculture, logistics, the strengths/weaknesses of people in emergency situations, personal defense, community planning are examples of the subjects that sound more like a person imagining effects and responses without any relatable background in any of them. The result is an author's story that lands somewhere between disingenuous and under prepared.

praise:
In spite of the flaws in the story in my opinion, the concepts it presents and the introspection it caused in me were worth noting.
The presentation of transformations, evolution of belief, and growth in the young woman protagonist are beautifully written and will give the reader cause to wonder about how these things have occured in their own lives.
There is a decent portrayal of struggles between the freedom of modern thought structures vs. tradional stricture.
My take-away, as both a father of girls and a white person (after i got myself past her constant indictments of both of those things) was to want to be better at both. Understanding our roles in our own lives and finding a balance between what and who we are is extremely difficult. This book does a good job at offering the kinds of critisisms that, if thought on correctly, can prompt us into taking an honest look at how/what the things we do as people can effect the people around us. For that i am grateful to her.
Also, the narrator is very, very good.

Sublime, heart-breaking, and hopeful

First, it is heartbreaking to know that Ms. Butler and Ms. Thigpen both left us over 15 years ago. Their pairing on this story was unparalleled.
I’ve been reading science fiction since the 1960s and without exaggeration or hyperbole I can confidently say this is the finest book of that genre I’ve ever read. It may be the finest novel I’ve ever read, full stop. If this isn’t taught in high school, our schools are failing our kids.
It’s message is so needed in 2021.

Worth your time!

Excellent narration by Lynn Thigpen. Frightening but hopeful story. Quite prescient and applicable to the current time.