#5 in Dystopian
Parable of the Talents
- 424
- Pages
- about 8 h
- Reading time
- Nebula Award for Best Novel
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About the book
Parable of the Talents is a science fiction novel by the American writer Octavia E. Butler, published in 1998. It is the second in a series of two, a sequel to Parable of the Sower. It won the Nebula Award for Best Novel.
Reading order · Earthseed
- Parable of the SowerStart here
8.38.3 / 10 - Parable of the TalentsThis book
8.48.4 / 10
Where the score comes from
The sources average 8.5 across 360 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 70% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Dystopian average of 7.7. That is how 8.4 comes out. A further +0.10 comes from the small bonus for major awards.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 8.2 | 22 | 6% |
| Hardcover | 8.5 | 338 | 94% |
Reader voices
The most-liked reviews on Hardcover (credited to their authors).
“Back during the election, I think I remember Octavia Butler and this book specifically being referenced as eerily prescient. I don't think I clued in to how specifically prescient it was in that the nation would elect a reactionary demagogue working from a elitist form…”
“Talents is a direct continuation of Sower, so much so I almost wish they were published together as one book. Some of the problems I had with Sower are answered here along with further, overall improvements. Gone are the paragraph long monologues of Lauren preaching.…”
Frequently asked
How long is Parable of the Talents?
It has 424 pages — shorter than 53% of the ranked books in Dystopian.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
Same shelf — Dystopian — with scores between 7.5 and 8.5, closest to this book.
