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

Compelling, Inspirational, Smart Dystopian Tale

I loved the pacing of the performance, the narrator seemed to embody the character of Lauren Olamina. The imagery was engaging, and the geography tested my mental map of California (I've lived in both L.A. and the Bay Area). The theology of Earth Seed had me thinking of the Process Theology I've studied in classes.

Highly recommended Spec Fic!

50% Brilliant

Where does Parable of the Sower rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Parable of the Sower is one the best audiobooks that I've listened to, for the first half.

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

The narrative of the slow unraveling of Lauren's community paired with her own transformation into adulthood is facinating and beautifully put together. Unfortunately this level of narrative doesn't carry into the second half of the book. I'll save the spoilers, and only say that the pace, character development, and cast of characters get extremely herky-jerky. This is not at all the fault of the producers of this audiobook, but a problematic feature of Butler's novel.

Have you listened to any of Lynne Thigpen’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Lynne Thigpen is terrific as a narrator. She is very well cast for the part. I haven't heard any of her other performances, but this one is delivered with a smart understanding of the character and appealing aesthetic sensibility. Both the idealism of young Lauren, and her character's innate wisdom and strength come through clear as a bell.

Provocative and beautiful

Parable is a beautifully written tale. Fans of The Colony, The Walking Dead or FTWD, or any apocalyptic tale will find themselves at home in this tale of a society ending. The story is about finding a balance between surviving moment to moment, daring to hope, and planting a future. It’s a very thought provoking story that keeps you wanting more and rooting for humanity... to either survive or die out. Sometimes both at the same time.

Thigpen’s narration wasn’t bad, but it was just that, a narration, not a performance. It kept throwing me off because the protagonist is a teenager, and Thigpen is a mature woman.

Essential Reading

Butler is an essential American author. Love her work. But why not have the same reader perform both books in the series? Dreading starting Parable of the Talents with a different voice as Lauren.

Terrific voyage in a possible dystopic near future

Another epic installment by Octavia. She was truly forward thinking. I hope we break a different way.

Good Dystopian

Really good read for older teens and adults. Interesting characters that are not predictable along with unpredictable plotline.

A dystopia that’s almost too close for comfort

I loved this book. It easily and rightfully makes one reflective upon current events. It was a bold but impactful choice to set the story in such a near future. I’m glad I stuck with it, but was almost completely turned off by the narrator, who is clear and properly emotional but who speaks so slowly that at 1.3x speed she sounds like she’s speaking at a completely normal rate.

Simply Amazing

Great story that is very well paced and intensely described. Butler paints a future that is very frightening and very plausible. I loved this novel.

Depressing

A short gripe at the start of this review, can you please put the chapter breaks at the chapter breaks? None of them seem to line up and I like to use the sleep timer set to "End of Chapter" to help me figure out how long I have been listening and then to switch to another title. Them not lining up means 30-40 minutes in which I may here "Chapter X" multiple times and then end in the middle of a chapter.

The story is interesting. When reading I thought of it as a very 80's vision of the dystopian future, where the emphasis is more on the rise of gang and drug violence coupled with economic exploitation of the working class, rather than on ecological devastation coupled with exploitation of the working class. There is a general lack of science fiction elements in spite of it taking place 5+ years from when I am writing this, and it mostly focuses on the grinding unpleasantness of the world from the view of someone being grinded.

It did not grab me the way everyone hopes a book will, but it was alright.

would love to hear more

I loved this narrator!! An interesting dystopian written from a young adult minority voice. A dark tale of hope. oxymoronic yes. but Octavia pulled it off!!