Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Thousands of incredible audiobooks and podcasts to take wherever you go.
Immerse yourself in a world of storytelling with the Plus Catalogue - unlimited listening to thousands of select audiobooks, podcasts and Audible Originals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Parable of the Sower

By: Octavia E. Butler
Narrated by: Lynne Thigpen
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

Buy Now for £20.99

Buy Now for £20.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Summary

Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author Octavia E. Butler paints a stunning portrait of an all-too-believable near future. As with Kindred and her other critically-acclaimed novels, Parable of the Sower skillfully combines startling visionary and socially realistic concepts.

God is change. That is the central truth of the Earthseed movement, whose unlikely prophet is 18-year-old Lauren Olamina. The young woman's diary entries tell the story of her life amid a violent 21st-century hell of walled neighborhoods and drug-crazed pyromaniacs - and reveal her evolving Earthseed philosophy. Against a backdrop of horror emerges a message of hope: if we are willing to embrace divine change, we will survive to fulfill our destiny among the stars.

For her elegant, literate works of science fiction, Octavia E. Butler has been compared to Toni Morrison and Ursula K. LeGuin. Narrator Lynne Thigpen's melodious voice will hold you spellbound throughout this compelling parable of modern society.

©1993 Octavia E. Butler (P)2000 Recorded Books, LLC
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

Kindred cover art
Wild Seed cover art
Fledgling cover art
Unexpected Stories cover art
Eden Rising cover art
Slashed cover art
The Sky Above cover art
Folk of the Fringe cover art
Binti cover art
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes cover art
A Psalm for the Wild-Built cover art
Salvage the Bones cover art
28 Days cover art
The Road cover art
Survive the Chaos cover art
EMP Shelter from the Storm cover art

What listeners say about Parable of the Sower

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    360
  • 4 Stars
    111
  • 3 Stars
    47
  • 2 Stars
    6
  • 1 Stars
    3
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    373
  • 4 Stars
    73
  • 3 Stars
    12
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    2
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    312
  • 4 Stars
    94
  • 3 Stars
    40
  • 2 Stars
    10
  • 1 Stars
    5

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Surprisingly absorbing

At first it seemed not for me, but after the fist 15 min I was absolutely hooked.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

At once terrifying and inspiring

An incredible performance of an important piece of literature. Like bell hooks writing fiction. Was Octavia Butler into Alfred North Whitehead? God is change.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Extraordinary story and well read

This is one of the most extraordinary stories. I’ve listened to in a very long time. It’s heartfelt, well considered, and deeply moving. It feels so possibly real and a potential future that we could face very soon. The characters are genuine and the wish for survival for the lead character drives the reader on wood. Can highly recommend this book. Although it can be tough to listen to their is an extraordinary amount of hope.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The Unexpected

I loved the twists and turns. The love for humanity even in desperate times. I wanted more, I wanted to listen again, a sequel, continuation...

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Exceptional. Can’t believe I’ve not listened to it before!

What an excellent writer. This is the first book of hers I’ve ever read but it won’t be the last. She’s so bold yet so subtle in her storytelling. The plot rips along like a blockbuster movie but it never feels contrived or unrealistic. The characters are beautifully drawn and the themes are nuanced, yet it’s pretty shocking and terribly exciting. Don’t listen before bed! One of the best audiobooks I’ve listened to in a while. The only downside is the terrible cover, which nearly put me off buying it!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Well told story with its feet grounded in past

Well told story with its feet grounded in past, but looking to a future that is not too far from happening.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Beautiful story

This is an apocolyptic story of a young girl, personal and written with an incredible depth of thought of where our world might go one day in the not so near future. It has tragedy, tenderness, hope and promise delivered with a haunting reality. Gives one a lot to think about

I have am about to start Mrs Butler's Parable of Talents having just finished listening to this one. Can't wait.

The narration fit well with the subject and was pleasing in tone. Happily Recommended and am now a big fan of Octavia Butlers writing.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Fantastic performance

Good though flawed writing. Amazing performance. Engaging and entertaining. The originality of the story wore off for me about half way through and the plotting became somewhat predictable. Reads a bit like the personal hero fantasy of the author.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A prescient tale for our time!

Brilliant story, very thought provoking. It gave me lots to think about, and will be rattling around in my head for years to come.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Heavy, hopeful, resilient.

What a book. Octavia Butler punches hard. The Parable of the Sower feels too real, almost palpable - maybe that's what makes it such a good book. The protagonist is likeable and easy to connect to, which is good because she is the driver. The characters that she meets along her hard road are sometimes complex and sometimes clear as day. The world is scary, desolate, real and haunting. Underneath the many layers of the story is a directional pull toward compassion and solidarity, after listening to this I am left with a feeling akin to a call to action - to be kind, to remember love and empathy as a way to survive the harshness of our very real, very scary world.

The book is well read, the voice actors narration is steady and easy to get along with, and I think, a nice voice.

Watch out, this book is brutal and not for the feint of heart!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!