Litcadia
Rate this
Earthseed #1

Parable of the Sower

Octavia E. Butler

4.66

From a celebrated, award-winning author, a modern classic about a young girl fighting for survival in a post-apocalyptic world, perfect for fans of N.K. Jemisin and Margaret Atwood.

Fifteen-year-old Lauren Olamina lives inside a gated community with her preacher father, family, and neighbors, sheltered from the surrounding social chaos and anarchy caused by climate change and economic crisis. In a society where any vulnerability is a risk, she suffers from hyperempathy—a debilitating sensitivity to others' emotions.

Precocious and clear-eyed, Lauren must make her voice heard in order to protect her loved ones from the imminent disasters her small community stubbornly ignores. But what begins as a fight for survival soon leads to something much more: the birth of a new faith . . . and a startling vision of human destiny.

Includes a foreword by LeVar Burton and an afterword by N. K. Jemisin

Lauren's story continues in The Parable of the Talents.

"In the ongoing contest over which dystopian classic is most applicable to our time, Octavia Butler's 'Parable' books may be unmatched."—The New Yorker

AdultFictionScience FictionFantasy
Pages
368
First published
January 1, 1993
Language
English
Edition
Ebook

More editions

▾

Pick a cover to preview.

Shelved by 5 Litcadians

Reviews

  • Started May 5, 2025 · Finished May 5, 2025

  • Finished May 4, 2025

    I hate to say it but I was bored from the beginning. The main character was more preachy than profound. The "religion" stuff got old fast, and the relationship dynamics were weird and uncomfortable - especially the age gap. Sure, it's visionary in some ways, but not enough to save it for me.