Book review: Parable of the Talents
During a recent bar discussion some comrades of mine semi-debated which was the better novel: Octavia Butler's "Parable of the Talents" or Ursala Le Guin's "The Dispossessed". I had never heard of Octavia Butler, which was rather embarrassing since like Le Guin, they both live(d) in Seattle, so I couldn't enter the debate. Having loved "The Dispossessed," however, I immediately got to reading "Parable of the Talents" - one of two books in Butler's Parable or Earthseed series. I would like to start off by noting that comparing "Parable of the Talents" and "The Dispossessed" is much like comparing apples to pears. So, if you've read either novel, don't run out and get the other in the hopes of finding a similar read. "Parable of the Talents" is mostly presented as diary entries made by a mother and daughter. The mother is the main heroine and the initiator of a new religion/movement - Earthseed.