"Parable of the Talents celebrates the classic Butlerian themes of alienation and transcendence, violence and spirituality, slavery and freedom, separation and community, to astonishing effect, in the shockingly familiar, broken world of 2032. Long awaited, Parable of the Talents is the continuation of the travails of Lauren Olamina, the heroine of 1994's Nebula-Prize finalist, bestselling Parable of the Sower. Parable of the Talents is told in the voice of Lauren Olamina's daughter--from whom she has been separated for ...
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"Parable of the Talents celebrates the classic Butlerian themes of alienation and transcendence, violence and spirituality, slavery and freedom, separation and community, to astonishing effect, in the shockingly familiar, broken world of 2032. Long awaited, Parable of the Talents is the continuation of the travails of Lauren Olamina, the heroine of 1994's Nebula-Prize finalist, bestselling Parable of the Sower. Parable of the Talents is told in the voice of Lauren Olamina's daughter--from whom she has been separated for most of the girl's life--with sections in the form of Lauren's journal. Against a background of a war-torn continent, and with a far-right religious crusader in the office of the U.S. presidency, this is a book about a society whose very fabric has been torn asunder, and where the basic physical and emotional needs of people seem almost impossible to meet"--
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Add this copy of Parable of the Talents to cart. $6.56, good condition, Sold by Goodwill Industries rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Eugene, OR, UNITED STATES, published 2000 by Grand Central Publishing.
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Cocked Spine. Creases on Cover and/or Spine. Cover and/or Pages Tearing in Areas. The cover has visible markings and wear. Purchasing this item from Goodwill provides vocational opportunities for individuals with barriers to employment.
Add this copy of Parable of the Talents to cart. $6.58, good condition, Sold by Goodwill Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Hillsboro, OR, UNITED STATES, published 2000 by Grand Central Publishing.
Add this copy of Parable of the Talents to cart. $7.94, very good condition, Sold by Solr Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Skokie, IL, UNITED STATES, published 2000 by Grand Central Publishing.
Add this copy of Parable of the Talents (Parable, 2) to cart. $8.21, good condition, Sold by Seattle Goodwill rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Seattle, WA, UNITED STATES, published 2019 by Grand Central Publishing.
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May have some shelf-wear due to normal use. Your purchase funds free job training and education in the greater Seattle area. Thank you for supporting Goodwill's nonprofit mission!
Add this copy of Parable of the Talents (Parable, 2) to cart. $8.21, good condition, Sold by Valleys Books & More rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Roanoke, VA, UNITED STATES, published 2019 by Grand Central Publishing.
Add this copy of Parable of the Talents (Parable, 2) to cart. $8.22, fair condition, Sold by Goodwill of the Olympics rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from TACOMA, WA, UNITED STATES, published 2019 by Grand Central Publishing.
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Fair. An acceptable and readable copy. All pages are intact, and the spine and cover are also intact. This item may have light highlighting, writing or underlining through out the book, curled corners, missing dust jacket and or stickers.
Add this copy of Parable of the Talents (Earthseed Books) to cart. $8.49, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Ruby rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2019 by Grand Central Publishing.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of Parable of the Talents (Earthseed Books) to cart. $8.49, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Diamond rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2019 by Grand Central Publishing.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of Parable of the Talents (Earthseed Books) to cart. $8.49, very good condition, Sold by Half Price Books Inc rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2019 by Grand Central Publishing.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of Parable of the Talents (Parable, 2) to cart. $9.72, good condition, Sold by Goodwill Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Hillsboro, OR, UNITED STATES, published 2019 by Grand Central Publishing.
I enjoyed the first book, Parable of the Sower, so I had to read this. Butler's post-apocalyptic America seems to particularly resonate now, as we descend into the depths of a pandemic. I was especially struck by the near clairvoyant depiction of the fundamentalist US president who, "wanted to make America great again."
I enjoyed the continuing journey of Butler's main character Lauren Oya Olamina. I don't want to give up the many plot twists to future readers. But I will say the novel contains a well-crafted narrative shaped by the journals of the main character, her daughter, and in a few instances her brother. It works very well as the reader tries to figure out how these different threads join together in a final truth. I found the final denouement subtle, and devoid of a trite ending, and the author provides an emotionally well-founded bittersweet explanation for the final outcome.
That said, I can only wonder what the series might have been. I understand that Octavia Butler was working on a continuation (perhaps several volumes), but she hit writer's block before she passed away, and only left the two books in this series. Aside from the solid emotional narrative of the paths of the three main characters, the success of Earthseed, after some grave trials, seemed just too good to be true, and kind of rushed at the end. Almost like the author was trying to wrap the book up and move on. That could have contributed to Butler's inability to continue the narrative. At least it left this reader with the feeling that while her work was done on Earth, but there could well have been more to unwind in space.
