Post by dinadan on May 5, 2005 20:28:04 GMT -5
I just finished Parable of the Sower and I have to say, I think I've just become a huge fan of Octavia Butler. She manages to be a feminist without being anti-male, environmentally aware without being some kind of vegan nutjob, and to be a compelling writer of science fiction that is not way beyond the bounds of reason. In fact, the near future she describes (the world of 15 years from now) is within the bounds of possibility--and perhaps, scarily enough, even likely. Her writing style is interesting--the narrative takes the form of diary-like entries of the main character. It is captivating, and I can't wait to read the sequel, Parable of the Talents.
The story is about a girl afflicted with hyperempathy syndrome--a condition which allows her to share in the pain and pleasure of other people. The world she lives in has gone mad--on the outskirts of L.A. in a US that is divided, where inflation has skyrockets to the point that $1000 can feed one person, stintingly, for about a week and a half, and where the price of clean water is higher per gallon than the price of gasoline (and the price of gasoline is astronomical). Gangs of drug addicts roam the streets, setting fires and killing to enjoy the thrills of their high.
Amidst this, Lauren Olamina--the novel's protagonist--discovered that she no longer believes in the God of her father, a Baptist minister. She has discovered a single truth: God is Change. She extrapolates from this a religion that she can believe in, and she calls it Earthseed; and the desinty of Earthseed is to take root among the stars. Everything about her religion is based on survival--the survival of humankind. She does this by forming a tribal group, everyone looking out for each other.
It's a very good novel, and the ideas in it (as I've said else where) remind me a lot of Frank Herbert in his Dune books, and a lot of Daniel Quinn (Ishmael, The Story of B, My Ishmael and Beyond Civilization). It's good, heady stuff. I highly reccomend it.
The story is about a girl afflicted with hyperempathy syndrome--a condition which allows her to share in the pain and pleasure of other people. The world she lives in has gone mad--on the outskirts of L.A. in a US that is divided, where inflation has skyrockets to the point that $1000 can feed one person, stintingly, for about a week and a half, and where the price of clean water is higher per gallon than the price of gasoline (and the price of gasoline is astronomical). Gangs of drug addicts roam the streets, setting fires and killing to enjoy the thrills of their high.
Amidst this, Lauren Olamina--the novel's protagonist--discovered that she no longer believes in the God of her father, a Baptist minister. She has discovered a single truth: God is Change. She extrapolates from this a religion that she can believe in, and she calls it Earthseed; and the desinty of Earthseed is to take root among the stars. Everything about her religion is based on survival--the survival of humankind. She does this by forming a tribal group, everyone looking out for each other.
It's a very good novel, and the ideas in it (as I've said else where) remind me a lot of Frank Herbert in his Dune books, and a lot of Daniel Quinn (Ishmael, The Story of B, My Ishmael and Beyond Civilization). It's good, heady stuff. I highly reccomend it.
