Sci-Fi/Fantasy Book Group: Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler set for June 27

Parable of the Talents is the continuation of the travails of Lauren Olamina, the hero of Butler’s 1994 novel, Parable of the Sower. 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.

Parable of the Talents celebrates the 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.

As Ms. Butler herself explained, “Parable of the Sower was a book about problems. I originally intended that Parable of the Talents be a book about solutions. I don’t have the solutions, so what I’ve done here is looked at the solutions that people tend to reach for when they’re feeling troubled and confused.”

The Sci-Fi/Fantasy Book Group meets on the fourth Monday of each month. The next meeting is Monday, June 27, from 6:30 to 7:45 pm. Register via Zoom.