Rating: 
Summary: Very bleak
Review: I would be the first to say that Octavia Butler is an excellent writer. However, I found this particular tale too depressing. My problems actually did not lie with the violence of the book. I was extremely bothered by an impression that every single character in this story was a victim (and that includes the villans). Even the ending did not seem any more hopeful. What is the point?
Rating: 
Summary: Speculative Fictions Finest Hour
Review: 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. Butler's vision of the years to come are both terrifying and wholly believable yet she manages to instill a sense of hope. I checked this novel out from the library and read it in two days. When I had finished I went to the nearest bookstore to purchase it for my own library. I cannot recommend this (or all of her other fiction) enough.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent, but not one of her best
Review: I'm a huge Octavia Butler fan but this is not one of my favorites of hers.
Rating:
Summary: Another great book by Octavia Butler!
Review: I've read reviews of this series that have criticized Ms. Butler for having such a bleak view of the future and I agree that her vision for the next 50 years isn't easy to swallow. She tends to focus her work more on societal deterioration and not so much on technological advances like so many other sci-fi writers. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy novels like Neal Stephenson's "Diamond Age" but it didn't encourage me to run out and get a Computer Science M.A., reading this book by Ocativia Butler made me think about my community and scrutinize the things I wasn't doing to improve it. Yes, at times "Parable" is hard to read, but it has a big enough dose of reality to serve as a much needed wake-up call to humanity. There is definitely more to life than IPOs and open source software! As a Black woman I also enjoyed that Butler is the ONLY sci-fi writer I've read that knows the meaning of the word DIVERSITY. The main characters in her books are always Black women but they don't live in an all-Black world. Butler is always careful to include characters of all hues and nationalities. I can't recommend this book enough. Go for it!
Rating:
Summary: The future is already here
Review: In reading the Parables I couldn't help but think that the science fiction label put on these novels is entirely inaccurate. Butler's "future" is already here -- the walled communities, the police harassing the homeless, the gangs of vigilantes, the cults in the hills, the Christian fundementalism spurring on reactionary conservatism... strip away your blinders and it's all sitting there in front of you. Thank you for giving me back my sight, Ms. Butler, my Shaper. Now, the question is, what will I do with what I've learned? <smile>
Rating:
Summary: Great things are worth waiting for!
Review: 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." Knew I wouldn't be displeased and was correct. Strangely, however, it took me 4 weeks to read, partially because it is a painful rendering of a very plausible future and partly because my life does not allow for much leisure reading. She takes you down and down and down with always glimmers of hope through Earthseed which is a perfect description of human beings struggle to understand life and spirit and hope and what the future holds. A necessary multiple read as there are so many parables and parallels with other literature and real life events. I appreciate the integrity she apparently puts into the writing . A must read!
Rating:
Summary: Acorn Head Woman
Review: Not necessarily a better read than Parable of the Sower, but more cleverly crafted. Interspliced with Olamina's journal entries is input from her adult daughter which adds a perspective not available in the first book. To me Parable of the Sower had a greater feeling of urgency. Wondering how Olamina would survive propelled me through the pages. Parable of the Talents feels slower and more repetitive. I lost count of how many characters were raped or molested. The majority of characters feel so flat and insignificant, it's hard to be concerned when tragedy finally catches up with them. But I don't think that hurts the novel. At heart it's an examination of what could happen after an economic collapse, how different classes struggle to maintain what they have, and how opportunists try to take even more for themselves. More importantly it looks at how religion can become a trap for the desperate or a tool for setting them free. While individual characters feel flat, the society Butler shows us feels very real. Clearly she's a well educated author, alert to the trends in modern politics and where they might be leading us. If you have any interest in anthropology, sociology, or politics you'll enjoy Parable of the Talents.
Rating:
Summary: Acorn Head Woman
Review: Not necessarily a better read than Parable of the Sower, but more cleverly crafted. Interspliced with Olamina's journal entries is input from her adult daughter which adds a perspective not available in the first book. To me Parable of the Sower had a greater feeling of urgency. Wondering how Olamina would survive propelled me through the pages. Parable of the Talents feels slower and more repetitive. I lost count of how many characters were raped or molested. The majority of characters feel so flat and insignificant, it's hard to be concerned when tragedy finally catches up with them. But I don't think that hurts the novel. At heart it's an examination of what could happen after an economic collapse, how different classes struggle to maintain what they have, and how opportunists try to take even more for themselves. More importantly it looks at how religion can become a trap for the desperate or a tool for setting them free. While individual characters feel flat, the society Butler shows us feels very real. Clearly she's a well educated author, alert to the trends in modern politics and where they might be leading us. If you have any interest in anthropology, sociology, or politics you'll enjoy Parable of the Talents.
Rating:
Summary: A work of art
Review: Octavia Butler brings closure to the life of the main character. She does this through a journey of joy, pain, revenge, and redemption. When you think that things couldn't get any worse, they do. However, Butler does so good a job at drawing the reader in, that you can't put it down. This is a definite gift for Christmas.
Rating:
Summary: What can I say that hasn't already been said?
Review: 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. Ms. Butler's skill and talent grows with every project. I can't wait to see what's next.
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