Parable of the Talents

, #2

by

Paperback, 464 pages

English language

Published Dec. 31, 1999 by Warner Books.

ISBN:
978-0-446-67578-9
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(2 reviews)

Environmental devastation and economic chaos have turned America into a land of depravity. Taking advantage of the situation, a zealous bigot wins his way into the White House. Lauren Olamina leads a new faith group directly opposed to the new government. This is the story of the group's struggle to preserve its vision.

As the government turns a blind eye to the violent bigots who consider a black female leader a threat, Lauren Olamina must either sacrifice her child and her followers or forsake her religion. The plot contains profanity, sexual situations and violence,

7 editions

reviewed Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler (Earthseed, #2)

Sometimes you have to bury your gifts to ensure survival

This book definitely felt like a bridge to what could have been the next in a whole series. In fact I wonder if what was put in the epilogue traces the overarching plot of what could have been. I really would have liked to see a conversation between Olamina's space colonization desires with her daughter's view of "let's make sure we've figured out how to live on Earth in peace before we head to the stars."

This book does seem to put a cap on the 'Pox that treats it as just a stumbling block in the world's progress, but I would like to have heard Butler's answer to the question of "now that we've overcome our greatest trials, how do we move forward?" I guess what I'm asking for is more spiritual and philosophical introspection, but the narrative stays pretty focused on events.

reviewed Parable of the talents by Octavia E. Butler

Jaw-droppingly prescient

Jaw-droppingly prescient for a novel written 25 years ago. "Hunting for scapegoats is always popular in times of serious trouble," notes Butler in an interview in the afterword of this edition. "So is hunting for the great leader who will restore prosperity and stability... He turns his true believers - his thugs - loose on those he chooses as scapegoats and he looks around for an external enemy to use as an even bigger scapegoat and a diversion from the reality that he doesn't really know what to do. Because of him, innocent people lose their freedom, lose custody of their children, lose their lives."

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