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Parable of the Talents

By: Octavia E. Butler
Narrated by: Patricia R. Floyd, Peter Jay Fernandez, Sisi Aisha Johnson
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Publisher's summary

Environmental devastation and economic chaos have turned America into a land of horrifying depravity. Assault, theft, sexual abuse, slavery, and murder are commonplace. Taking advantage of the situation, a zealous, bigoted tyrant wins his way into the White House.

Directly opposed is Lauren Olamina, founder of Earthseed - a new faith that teaches "God Is Change". Persecuted for "heathen" beliefs as much as for having a Black female leader, Earthseed's followers face a life-and-death struggle to preserve their vision.

Best-selling author Octavia Butler's fluid writing and keen observations about race, gender, politics, and religion make for a moving parable that will be pondered for generations. A powerful reading from three standout narrators captures the multi-generational sweep of this poignant tale.

Butler's acclaimed novels have won numerous awards, and she is a recipient of a "genius" grant from the MacArthur Foundation. Parable of the Talents was selected as one of the best books of the year by Publishers Weekly.

©2007 Octavia Butler (P)2007 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

  • Nebula Award, Best Novel, 1999

"Octavia E. Butler is one of the finest voices in fiction....period." (Washington Post Book World)
"These...are the keynotes of Talents: family and characters, warmth and endurance, hope and determination. It's a worthy book, well up to Butler's standard for thoughtfulness and insight." (Analog Science Fiction & Fact)
"Though not for the faint-hearted, this work stands out as a testament to the author's enormous talent, and to the human spirit." (Publishers Weekly)

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What listeners say about Parable of the Talents

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wonderful and sad and inspiring

this book is amazing and heartbreaking and wonderful. amazing read especially for this time

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Read it!!

This book was suggested to me from a friend who had recently read it. The audible version for both books was superb! A dystopian fairy tale written in the 90s, I was a teen then, so comparable to the 2022 version we have become. And that slippery slope we sit on. There is love and heart break. The realist of her certainly drew me in. If you are questioning it, just listen to it. Or read it. I think I’ve found a new favorite author.

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edge of my seat

loved it. it captures what I believe will be our future in america. brilliant

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Sweet Adeline

Such a wonderful story love the way the story line traveled through time. and the message it left by using Earth Seeds as it leader. Thank you for opening my mind

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Not the ‘part two’ I was hoping for…

I was so thrilled with the first book -Parable of the Sower -that I had to continue. While I did listen to the whole book, and enjoyed most of it, the daughter character was so deeply irritating it was hard to push through her sections. I am glad I ‘found out what happened’. Just wish I could have skipped the daughter. Enjoy!

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Eerie Sense that this could happen

This world sucks you in, and you feel for each of the characters, though you don't always like their choices.

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Excellent listen

Narrator was excellent! The last in the series that I hadn't read so I thought I would listen to it on audible it was an easy listen.

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So amazing

Octavia Butler was so ahead of her time- these stories have relevance, meaning and power to speak to us today! Wonderfully produced. Two thumbs up.

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Lost a friend

I don’t know how easy a read this would be if you hadn’t read the first book. This was the bittersweet conclusion on the Parable series. It keeps you gripped by the tale and emotional as you are a bystander to their stories. I absolutely loved it! I lost several friends as OB is so good
at getting you attached to characters.

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Amazing but DARK

I powered through these books pretty quick. They are really dark but somehow hopeful. The ending was abrupt but didn’t feel rushed. I can’t help going back and forth from, what if Olamina’s reality was real, and then realizing in many ways it is just not where I live yet. Then I feel a crushing guilt that I’m not doing enough to help, then rethinking the projection of my life, feeling inspired to pour more energy into….It’s a great Fn book! God is Change;-)

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