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Parable of the Talents (Paperback)

by Octavia E. Butler (Author)
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 365 pages
  • Publisher: Women's Press Ltd,The (1 April 2000)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0704346451
  • ISBN-13: 978-0704346451
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 249,051 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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    #8 in  Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Authors, A-Z > B > Butler, Octavia E.

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

Octavia Butler tackles the creation of a new religion, the making of a god, and the ultimate fate of humanity in her Earthseed series, which began with Parable of the Sower, and now continues with Parable of the Talents. The saga began with the near-future dystopian tale of Sower, in which young Lauren Olamina began to realize her destiny as a leader of people dispossessed and destroyed by the crumbling of society. The basic principles of Lauren's faith, Earthseed, were contained in a collection of deceptively simple proverbs that Lauren used to recruit followers. She teaches that "God is change" and that humanity's ultimate destiny is among the stars.

In Parable of the Talents, the seeds of change that Lauren planted begin to bear fruit, but in unpredictable and brutal ways. Her small community is destroyed, her child is kidnapped, and she is imprisoned by sadistic zealots. She must find a way to escape and begin again, without family or friends. Her single-mindedness in teaching Earthseed may be her only chance to survive, but paradoxically, may cause the ultimate estrangement of her beloved daughter. Parable of the Talents is told from both mother's and daughter's perspectives, but it is the narrative of Lauren's grown daughter, who has seen her mother made into a deity of sorts, that is the most compelling. Butler's writing is simple and elegant, and her storytelling skills are superb, as usual. Fans will be eagerly awaiting the next instalment in what promises to be a moving and adventurous saga. --Therese Littleton, Amazon.com



Product Description

Invoking a world or war-torn devastation, and with a far-right religious crusader elected as president, this is a book about a society whose very fabric has been torn usunder.
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Customer Reviews

18 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (18 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent stuff, not a cop-out in sight!, 7 Jan 2000
By A Customer
This sequel to Parable of the Sower is fantastic, but do not expect the going to be easy. Butler again challenges what people think. Leave all your assumptions behind you. Well worth reading, never disappointing.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Startling, disturbing, enthralling and yet hopeful, 17 Feb 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Parable of the Talents (Hardcover)
I came to this book after reading the Parable of the Sowers 8 times and being disturbed and shaken. The writing, as in the previous one, is masterful and pacing, - you keep going and going, not like in a thriller where you want see what happens - but because you are drawn into the world. The characters mean so much to you. I could barely read the section on the imprisonment. I had to put it down several times, jump around, come back. It is a disturbing dystrophic world yet the characters are disturbingly real and close. I wish and hope that Olamina got some happiness. As a mother I ached for her child and her problems and was upset by her child's selfishness as well. Less brutal than the Handmaid's tale, it was nonetheless a tale that will stay with me a long time. As with all Butler's tales, I am glad I own it, so I can go back to it.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A Timely Parable, 1 Oct 2003
This review is from: Parable of the Talents (Earthseed) (Paperback)
Governments and religions are big subjects. It's amazing that Octavia E Butler can make them seem so accessible; that the answers to the squabbles over 'who's right and who's wrong' could actually be so simple, if only we were prepared to be honest with ourselves.

This is a book that speaks to the here and now. If you're concerned about what is happening in the world today, read it. If you have ever asked yourself about religion and the function it serves in our society, read it. If you just like a good book with a strong storyline, read it. It can offer something on all of these levels, and personally speaking, I have yet to stop thinking about the questions it raises.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars On the Dregs of Human Behavior
Butler, in her afterword to this book, indicates that Parable of the Sower and this book where conceived and partially written as one book. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Patrick Shepherd

5.0 out of 5 stars Great things are worth waiting for!
Like many others I anxiously but patiently (if that is possible) awaited Octavia's latest novel, this follow-up to her "Parable of the Sower. Read more
Published on 16 Aug 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars I'm waiting for her next one!!!
I have read all of Octavia's books, except for Survivor, which is hasn't been in print for some time. I am glad to say that I have never been let down. Read more
Published on 29 May 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars What can I say that hasn't already been said?
Octavia Butler drags you to the edge, shoves you over,then delivers you to the bottom without a scratch. Her work can scare you, but she never leaves you without hope. Read more
Published on 1 May 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars It has finally arrived, and well worth the wait!
After reading Butler's "Parable of the Sower" in 1995, I waited breathlessly for the release of this, the sequel to her stunning first success. Read more
Published on 24 April 1999

4.0 out of 5 stars This is masterful story telling at its finest.
The book was excellent and kept me interested however as I am finding with most of her novels she seems to end them in the middle of a thought. Read more
Published on 31 Mar 1999

4.0 out of 5 stars worth the 4 year wait
I feel the same way about Butler that others do. She is my favorite sf writer and one of my favorite fiction writers (why isn't her picture on her books, anybody know?). Read more
Published on 4 Feb 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars An Deeply Probing Delightful Parable
I was mesmerized, horrified, grief-stricken, and elated by turns. This book took me through so many emotions, that I was exhausted when I finished. Read more
Published on 3 Feb 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars I loved this book. Butler gives hope in a dark time.
Consistent with her other novels, Octavia Butler creates characters that you trust, understand, and love; characters who are up against substantial odds. Read more
Published on 17 Jan 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars Speculative Fictions Finest Hour
I'm a huge fan of Ms. Butler's books. As an African-American woman it was a relief to finally find a futuristic novel than had black people actively taking part in the future... Read more
Published on 14 Jan 1999

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