I’ll read both volumes of the serie so you’ll find both reviews below:

Back to some sci-fi book and finally reading Parable of the Sower after it being recommended many many times.

I almost wrote the previous paragraph saying “lighter reading” but that would far from what the book. Imagine McCarthy’s The Road and you’ll be close to the background world of Parable of the Sower.

The main differences would be in race relations, and in the clear mention of slavery either in its most common definition or wage slavery most common in company towns.

The book is extremely gripping. The main issue I had was following a character (Lauren) for which religion is such an important part of life. Beyond the initial quote at the begining of each chapter, overall there are only a few chapters where the Earthseed religion is discussed in details. But because the first few chapters go either into details about it or through details of the Baptist life in the community Lauren grew up in, it was extremely hard for me to get into the book at first. It’s not the first time this was the case. In The Power, the chapters following Roxy/Mother Eve were among the hardest to read for me for the exact same reason.

I don’t know if that’s a common theme in Olivia Butler’s books but in contrasts with other sci-fi books of the era. No computer. No Tech-Will-Save-Us bullshit. Extremely low tech as every one and everything is in survival mode.

But, one thing I extremely liked is how modern the overall theme was. Ecological collapse, monster fires, social fragmentation or the collapse of society. One thing which reveals the book’s era is the Pyro drug and how it’s considered in the book and its characters.

Final word

Go for it, it’s worth it.

I am a bit concerned about its sequel, Parable of the Talent where I expect the religion to take a bigger place given how this volume ended.