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Parable of the Talents cover art

Parable of the Talents

Written 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

What the critics say

 

  • 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)

What listeners say about Parable of the Talents

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  • jam
  • 2020-10-04

overall satisfaction

This is a brilliant and thorough world to visit. I'm very glad to have done so. at time I was over saturated with too many forgettable characters. most often though, the characters were full and rich, with much to to teach me. the 1st book is better. this one is great though. and if by the 3/4 mark you tire of it, know that the end is satisfying.

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Amazing!

It’s heavy stuff but incredibly well written and prescient as hell. Climate change, a post-collapse America turning to alt-right and Christian values again resurge in an effort to literally “make America great again”. It’s scary how on point this is for being written in ‘98, and is a fantastic piece of writing. Especially with the full context of the previous book. The narrators are also great!

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Uneven

This story is paced fairly consistently, until the last few chapters, which seem greatly rushed by comparison. The narration is fine but the editing is choppy. Butler is prophetic in her storytelling, and she takes great care to build ip her characters.

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If you loved the first book, you'll love the 2nd

Everything positive that can be said about the first book, Parable of the Sower, can be said of the sequel. I loved it, couldn't put it down. It had the same heartbreaking realism, but overall, it left me satisfied with the series.

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Inspiring

What a beautiful story! Love the contradicting point of views and the different obsessions, all the while with acute observations on society’s faults!

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Book is incredible - narrator is awful

This book is amazing, but the narrator is constantly swallowing and sounds like she is drinking water while reading. It’s so awful I had to stop listening and bought the book to read instead.

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Trouble with the montage

The story is perfect and the storyteller compelling but the montage is deeply problematic: cutting abruptly sometime and with long silence other time…. Very disturbing.

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something off with the exiting

It's a fantastic novel and the narrator is so pleasant to listen to. However, between chapters and breaks in the story the audio is chopped and edited together in a way that takes me out of the story. I don't even know if it's something that ca be fixed, but it was jarring.

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Excellent Narration

The Narrator was perfect!
I have also listened to the first book. The narration was new to me then, but it set the tone and remained consistent. Good job.

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Excellent!

This was a great sequel. For anyone who liked the first book, this one will not disappoint.

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