false 60932 0446610380 9780446610384 1393 126 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170553715m/60932.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60932.Parable_of_the_Talents 29535 Octavia E. Butler 19480 2506 4 0 true Wed Aug 05 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 08 16:01:11 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 08 16:31:02 -0700 2009 Parable of the Talents, I'd like to make a general complaint about publishers who refuse to make it clear when a book is a sequel, or comes late in a series. I picked up this thick little volume at a book sale--the only Butler novel I could find, and shelved in the African-American Literature section, no less, despite being terribly and clearly dystopic science fiction. Because I've been trying to be better about reading books in order over the past several years, I checked both the back cover and inside list of Butler's published works. Not only was there no indication that this was a sequel, but it was also listed before Parable of the Sower on the inside flap, implying that this was the first book of the series.

I think it's a dirty trick by publishers who, I suppose, think readers are less likely to pick up the second book, and I think it does a disservice to the readers.

That being said, I'm not sure that my reading experience was at all marred by reading Parable of the Talents first, because I didn't even realize that I was reading a sequel until about two hundred pages in. This novel stands on its own incredibly well. Though, I'm sure, I missed out on some information which would have established the characters and the universe more firmly, I was actually only vaguely aware of this, and instead initially took this as one of the novel's strengths--that the universe felt complete and real; that the interactions within the universe by various characters did not need thorough introductions, because that's more true to how real people interact with the world around them.

Parable of the Talents is a post-apocalyptic novel set in the near-future United States. The ice caps are melting and religious extremists have taken control of the US government. Amidst this, Lauren Olamina attempts to found both a community, Acorn, and a religion, Earthseed, which places human destiny in the stars. It's told through a series of journals and writings by four different characters; this is effective, but I found the two male perspectives offered largely dispensable. This is really a novel about mothers and daughters, and Butler offers strong, distinctive voices and a unique perspective on this relationship in the writings of Lauren and daughter Larkin.

The characters here, both those two and the supporting cast, are very real. Though Lauren's husband Bankole is only with us for about half of the narrative, he's very realistically drawn; his concerns and characterizations felt incredibly true to life, and I found myself mourning the loss of him right along with Lauren.

I wasn't quite sure of how I felt about Earthseed, though, and the religious verse that opened each chapter. It's a fairly simple and self-evident philosophy, which suggests, to me, that we were meant to feel utterly sympathetic toward it. This made me a bit uncomfortable--was this Butler's way of proselytizing?--and it also meant that Larkin's later objections to Earthseed felt false, or at the very least, petulant.

The universe that Butler creates for us is a huge one, and quite immersive. Ultimately, I felt that the book could have easily supported another hundred pages. Instead, the ending felt rushed. We don't get to hear Lauren's voice after Earthseed becomes a successful movement, and I would have loved to experience it from her perspective.

But still, the long-awaited interaction between Lauren and Larkin touched me at the end. It was incredibly sad and very affecting. This was another well-done novel from Butler. I look forward to reading the first in the series, even if I know, ultimately, how it ends.]]>