Parable of the Sower

I really like Butler's writing style and imagination. I also love that I know I won't have to overlook heaps of misogyny to be able to enjoy her stories.

This dystopian world didn't feel far-fetched at all. Everything about it seemed almost one step away from where we are now. In the Twitter Age, we communicate about these kinds of things all the time on social media, but in 1993 I imagine the it was a little more novel, being before the YA dystopian craze that followed The Hunger Games. Adding the hyperempathy element was also interesting if not all that critical to the story.

All in all, I struggled to connect with the characters and main goal of the protagonist. That's not necessarily Butler's fault as books centered around religion tend to not be my thing. I think how religion is formed is interesting though, and this was intriguing in that way. I also liked Lauren's steadfastness. She's so much older than her years. I found the dystopian and survival aspects of the book the most interesting and tended to glaze over the Earthseed stuff. I read it all, but those parts left my head immediately upon finishing the words. Given the book become more and more about Earthseed as events unfold, that hindered my overall enjoyment.