Review: Parable of the Sower

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Published way back in 1993 (!) this work of science fiction has an uncanny resemblance to many aspects of life in the USA in 2020. I did not know what this book was about before I started. I only knew these two things - it was science fiction and authored by a black woman (Octavia Butler). My repertoire is light in this realm, so I decided to give it my full attention.

Small business are outlawed, most people live behind walls and arm themselves against common thieves and outlaws. No one goes out without a gun. No one. There are no church services. It is not safe, so people worship in groups in their homes. There is no school attendance. Kids are taught in their homes in small groups. The walls serve to protect the law-abiding against the "illegals" but this system is failing as the outlaw class grows more and more bold, aggressive and blood-thirsty. Police and fire departments do not respond to calls unless they are paid in advance. (Defunded)they became privatized and now only the very wealthy can get any real protection or response.

The central character, our heroine Lauren, is an empath, feeling the pain of others. An inconvenient thing when there is so much horrific violence everywhere. Still, she learns how to protect herself and studies survivalism, becoming a low-key prepper.

The story is set in California. All state lines throughout the USA are closed. People are shot dead if they try to leave one state to enter another.

The author has drawn a frightening picture of the future. Along the way, she has accurately (and I think accidentally) created a fictional version of antifa and similar militant groups seeking to operate outside laws, outside decency, and outside humanity.

The author has developed a theory of god that she repeats throughout the book, like the chorus to a long song with many stanzas. God is change, she says. We can't fight change, she adds at one point. Her theory of god is interesting but not compelling and it does not color or change the chain of events.

This book scared me because it is already happening. As Butler predicts throughout this book, the unraveling begins with the dissolution of the family. No good thing follows this.

A great read!

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