Parable of the Talents

By: Octavia E. Butler

Narrated by: Patricia R. Floyd, Peter Jay Fernandez, Sisi Aisha Johnson

Length: 15 hrs and 26 mins

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)

Revolutionary text, mediocre narration

I’m not going to review Octavia E. Butler - hopefully you are here because you already know how mind-expanding her work is. My review is for the narration, which I think took away from this amazing text.

The narrators for Lauren and Larkin take a lot of artistic liberty in their reading. They add strong emotional intonation to many phrases, to such a degree that it seemed to detract from the author’s original intention. I found it distracting and thought the narration limited my enjoyment of the book.

Lovely

Just as impactful and insightful as the first of the series. Only sad the series ain’t finished.

Second reading

I believe this is my second read of this book, and it's more fascinating than the first time.
Ms. Butler could easily be labeled a prophet but she really studied human behavior and gifted us with a series of books to caution us.

Wonderful sequel

The storyline and narration are excellent, cleverly told and frighteningly prescient.
Unfortunately at several points in the recording, chapter endings are badly spaced and the end of a chapters bumps into the beginning of the next chapter. Not a big deal but an annoying editing error.

Great voice acting, production needs work

This book is great, and really well acted. But the editor needs to make the end of chapter breaks slightly longer. It can be jarring to end an emotional chapter and have the next chapter start abruptly and loudly immediately after with no break. Didn't detract too much, but it definitely broke the mood of several key moments.

loved it

A great book and it made me a bit uneasy as to how realistic it now seems in the near future

Why is the novel not talked about more

This book was so eerily similar to current day that it is scary. So many of the same phrases, beliefs and etc. this was such a great book. I absolutely loved it

Absolutely mesmerizing

I plan to write out all of the verses from Earthseed: The Books of the Living, by hand in a notebook, so I can return to them, and reflect throughout my life. Thank you Octavia Butler.

RIP Ms. Octavia E. Butler

Another great listen from a woman who deserved her flowers while she existed and long after her passing. I so thankful that I discovered her writings a few years ago. She had a hell of an imagination and is possibly even a prophet...

I have always loved this book....

What did you love best about Parable of the Talents?

The vision and sheer terror that Octavia Butler can communicate while telling a story of hope. it's a gift she has.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Parable of the Talents?

The enslavement parts. I've read this book several times but hearing voices put to this part...unsettling.

What three words best describe the narrators’s performance?

Good. The voice of her daughter was my favorite. I would like to listen to her read more. What else has she done??

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I always have an extreme reaction to Octavia Butler--you're dead if you don't. I didn't cry this time, although I thought I might.

Any additional comments?

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