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Parable of the Sower

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Parable of the Sower

Written by: Octavia E. Butler
Narrated by: Lynne Thigpen
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About this listen

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 Dystopian Fiction Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction Women's Voices Fantasy Emotionally Gripping Scary
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Great teller. Compelling characters. The story is sad and will stick with you. Some features of the dystopia feel contrived while others are real and unique to this body of work. The story is worth your time.

A Good General Dystopian Survival Guide

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Such a gorgeous way to experience this Butler classic - the narrator strikes a strong balance between having a soft empathic voice appropriate to the character, while conveying stoicism and shock describing the horrible atrocities in the plot. Definitely listening to the sequels!

Prophetic and heartbreaking

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A gripping and powerful read from start to finish. I found it a similar approach to science fiction as The Handmaid's Tale. The narration was excellent.

Gripping and powerful

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interesting premise and well presented by the reader. an open ended finale could be more satisfying

a wild adventure

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This is a gripping story about people, morality, and surviving climate change. The narration is so well done - fantastically captures the characters and the feelings.

Amazing story, amazing narrator

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Amazing world building, great dialogue and thoughtful descriptions. I loved it and will recommend to fellow fiction lovers!

Amazing

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An essential work, stunningly perfomed by the great Lynne Thigpen.I don't know how I missed this one back in the '90s, but it's amazing to go back and see how many stories I love were influenced by this brilliant speculative fusion. Both a rip roaring adventure tale and a description of human darkness and resilience echoing Elie Wiesel's Night and the slave narratives.

Rightly influential

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Couldn't put it down. I powered through this and then immediately read Parable of the Talents. The narrator was excellent. As a woman, I struggle to find fantasy novels that don't make me physically cringe with their description of women, or their complete lack of realistic female characters. When describing this issue to a friend, he recommended Olivia Butler.

I was shocked to find out when this book was written. You'd think it was written during the Trump era, but it was merely predicting things that would come to pass, like the resurgence of the Reagan era "Make America Great Again" slogan.

This deserves to be considered a classic, ala Atwood's Handmaiden. The book doesn't focus on the plight of women, but of racism and classism, and the general tendency of humanity to form in and outgroups.

100% Must Read, excellent female-authored fantasy

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My only regret is that her body of work is complete. This author should had the time to write more.

The best of dystopian sci-fi

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Narrators suite the book well, excellent performance. Amazing book. Not only a stark reminder of what could lie ahead if thing go poorly in t he world but also a message of hope for those struggling with the currently conflicts, both human and natural, that plague the world

An eerily plausible depiction of the near future.

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