Parable of the Talents

By: Octavia E. Butler

Narrated by: Patricia R. Floyd, Peter Jay Fernandez, Sisi Aisha Johnson

Length: 15 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

Environmental devastation and economic chaos have turned America into a land of horrifying depravity. Assault, theft, sexual abuse, slavery, and murder are commonplace. Taking advantage of the situation, a zealous, bigoted tyrant wins his way into the White House.

Directly opposed is Lauren Olamina, founder of Earthseed - a new faith that teaches "God Is Change". Persecuted for "heathen" beliefs as much as for having a Black female leader, Earthseed's followers face a life-and-death struggle to preserve their vision.

Best-selling author Octavia Butler's fluid writing and keen observations about race, gender, politics, and religion make for a moving parable that will be pondered for generations. A powerful reading from three standout narrators captures the multi-generational sweep of this poignant tale.

Butler's acclaimed novels have won numerous awards, and she is a recipient of a "genius" grant from the MacArthur Foundation. Parable of the Talents was selected as one of the best books of the year by Publishers Weekly.

©2007 Octavia Butler (P)2007 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

• Nebula Award, Best Novel, 1999

"Octavia E. Butler is one of the finest voices in fiction....period." (Washington Post Book World)
"These...are the keynotes of Talents: family and characters, warmth and endurance, hope and determination. It's a worthy book, well up to Butler's standard for thoughtfulness and insight." (Analog Science Fiction & Fact)
"Though not for the faint-hearted, this work stands out as a testament to the author's enormous talent, and to the human spirit." (Publishers Weekly)

Harrowing and amazing

I've never reacted so strongly to a book. This was an extremely difficult experience, at times, but so very enthralling, and ultimately fulfilling. I wish Ms. Butler had been able to finish her planned sequels, but can see why she wasn't able, as this story is truly the epitome of "per aspera ad astra" with an emphasis on the hardship part.

Perfect

Perfect continuation of wonderfully written and narrated story. It is meant for everyone who values good sci-fi that aged like vine.

Sad that this leaves us with a lot of questions

This obviously isn’t the end of the series but is the end of the main character. She is not painted in a sympathetic tone in this book but I enjoyed the three character (maybe 4?) narration. Octavia Butler has always delivered solid content. Her stories challenge you to look at the world around you a little closer…the fact that she used the MAGA slogan and ideology was very telling. Great read.

Incredible and eerily relevant!

Absolutely loved this series and what a fantastic ending to Olaminas and Earth seed's story! I finished this within a few days! I'm sad there are no more books in this series! SO GOOD!

Brilliant

I was thrilled to learn about this follow up to Parable of the Sower. I can’t believe I’m just learning about this incredible author, Octavia Butler. Her work takes on a completely new perspective as a reader in 2024. What might’ve been sci-fi when it was written seems frighteningly plausible now. The story is completely engrossing, the narrator is absolute perfection, she’s a combination of Oprah and Viola Davis…in my humble opinion. I can’t believe these titles were included in membership, can’t recommend highly enough. Thank you Audible!!!!

Wonderful book!

Recording stopped abruptly in several places, usually at the end of passages or chapters. I don’t believe any of the story was left out, but because of the transitions, and without the physical text, it’s hard to know for sure. However, the story itself is amazing! Absolutely amazed and inspired. And also encouraged me to ponder deeply about the present world around us, and the future world we are shaping.

I didn't want it to end

Such an incredible book! I started it immediately after listening to Parable of the Sower, and I was completely captivated. The story ran the gamut of human experiences, building, growing, suffering, grief and joy. Like many others, I found myself making connections that are eerily similar to life in 2024, and asking how can my community be prepared, would we be able to do the things that Olamina did? The series was perfectly written, and something tells me, that her daughter would eventually join Earthseed ✨

A powerful read

The narrator did an amazing job, I truly felt more connected to the characters and they were the ones doing the reading. The audio quality was great.

Gripping and real

The story is gripping and feels so real. It's not an easy or pleasant book, but it's interesting, full of ideas and opinions and peopled with great characters.
I really liked the narrator too.

arasa

Ms Butler is my favorite sci-fi writer. I look forward to all her books on tape. The Parable of the Talents was great and much entertaining as usual.