--- product_id: 317506258 title: "Parable of the Sower" price: "C$2593" currency: NIO in_stock: false reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.ni/products/317506258-parable-of-the-sower store_origin: NI region: Nicaragua --- # Parable of the Sower **Price:** C$2593 **Availability:** ❌ Out of Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Parable of the Sower - **How much does it cost?** C$2593 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Currently out of stock - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.ni](https://www.desertcart.ni/products/317506258-parable-of-the-sower) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description From a celebrated, award-winning author, a modern classic about a young girl fighting for survival in a post-apocalyptic world, perfect for fans of N.K. Jemisin and Margaret Atwood. Fifteen-year-old Lauren Olamina lives inside a gated community with her preacher father, family, and neighbors, sheltered from the surrounding social chaos and anarchy caused by climate change and economic crisis. In a society where any vulnerability is a risk, she suffers from hyperempathy--a debilitating sensitivity to others' emotions. Precocious and clear-eyed, Lauren must make her voice heard in order to protect her loved ones from the imminent disasters her small community stubbornly ignores. But what begins as a fight for survival soon leads to something much more: the birth of a new faith . . . and a startling vision of human destiny. Includes a foreword by LeVar Burton and an afterword by N. K. Jemisin Lauren's story continues in The Parable of the Talents. "In the ongoing contest over which dystopian classic is most applicable to our time, Octavia Butler's 'Parable' books may be unmatched."-- The New Yorker Review: Read it or become it - exceptional book, written as fiction but coming true Review: A compelling take on a disintegrating America - It's 2024. California, and much of the rest of the world, is drifting towards total chaos, with communities reduced to walled enclaves, government services gutted, and unrest fuelled by a pyromaniac drug-craze. Lauren lives with her preacher father, step-mother and brothers in one of these enclaves, struggling to keep it together and constantly on the watch for invaders and thieves. When, finally, their enclave falls, Lauren loses what remains of her family and is forced onto the road with just two fellow survivors, where they head north on the slimmest of prospects of jobs and safety. Despite all this, Lauren draws hope from her self-written creed, Earthseed, a philosophy founded on self-reliance and the mantra that God is Change, and - cautiously at first - she teaches this to inspire others. However, due to an accident of her birth, Lauren is also burdened by hyper-empathy, a sharing of the feeling of others that can strengthen her but can also weaken her when pain surrounds. And balancing these on the journey north will test Lauren to the limit. Because of its reputation, I've meant to read this for years, but never got around to it till now - and then only really because it tipped me over the free P&P limit! However, it's easy to see why it has this reputation with a well-realised edge-of-catastrophe world and a constant feeling of desperation. While this makes it a challenge to read, Lauren's humane outlook centres the novel, helped by her calm planning and all-too-credible weighing of risks. This contrasts with Cormac McCarthy’s similar (but later) novel, The Road, where desperation has already won-out and survival is all that there is. Butler’s novel instead wants to show how, against terrible odds, something can still be pulled from the wreckage. While the novel's Earthseed is a nice aspect that feeds into the narrative, I was less convinced by the hyper-empathy. At first, it seems like it's going to be very important, but then it largely gets lost, only becoming intermittently relevant, and then only to hamper Lauren in very practical ways. I don't think Butler maybe got what she wanted from this. In any case, while an oppressive read, an enjoyable one. And, with its extrapolation of negative societal trends, it's quite the thing to read at the start of 2024. ## Features - This acclaimed post-apocalyptic novel of hope and terror from an award-winning author "pairs well with 1984 or The Handmaid's Tale" and includes a foreword by N. K. Jemisin (John Green, New York Times). - Precocious and clear-eyed, Lauren must make her voice heard in order to protect her loved ones from the imminent disasters her small community stubbornly ignores. But what begins as a fight for survival soon leads to something much more: the birth of a new faith . . . and a startling vision of human destiny. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | 2,379,477 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) 119 in Dystopian 152 in Post-Apocalyptic 1,977 in Literary Fiction (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.4 out of 5 stars 22,618 Reviews | ## Images ![Parable of the Sower - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/711AIl67KYL.jpg) ## Available Options This product comes in different **Media Language, Media Format** options. ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Read it or become it *by C***N on 26 February 2026* exceptional book, written as fiction but coming true ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ A compelling take on a disintegrating America *by D***L on 31 January 2024* It's 2024. California, and much of the rest of the world, is drifting towards total chaos, with communities reduced to walled enclaves, government services gutted, and unrest fuelled by a pyromaniac drug-craze. Lauren lives with her preacher father, step-mother and brothers in one of these enclaves, struggling to keep it together and constantly on the watch for invaders and thieves. When, finally, their enclave falls, Lauren loses what remains of her family and is forced onto the road with just two fellow survivors, where they head north on the slimmest of prospects of jobs and safety. Despite all this, Lauren draws hope from her self-written creed, Earthseed, a philosophy founded on self-reliance and the mantra that God is Change, and - cautiously at first - she teaches this to inspire others. However, due to an accident of her birth, Lauren is also burdened by hyper-empathy, a sharing of the feeling of others that can strengthen her but can also weaken her when pain surrounds. And balancing these on the journey north will test Lauren to the limit. Because of its reputation, I've meant to read this for years, but never got around to it till now - and then only really because it tipped me over the free P&P limit! However, it's easy to see why it has this reputation with a well-realised edge-of-catastrophe world and a constant feeling of desperation. While this makes it a challenge to read, Lauren's humane outlook centres the novel, helped by her calm planning and all-too-credible weighing of risks. This contrasts with Cormac McCarthy’s similar (but later) novel, The Road, where desperation has already won-out and survival is all that there is. Butler’s novel instead wants to show how, against terrible odds, something can still be pulled from the wreckage. While the novel's Earthseed is a nice aspect that feeds into the narrative, I was less convinced by the hyper-empathy. At first, it seems like it's going to be very important, but then it largely gets lost, only becoming intermittently relevant, and then only to hamper Lauren in very practical ways. I don't think Butler maybe got what she wanted from this. In any case, while an oppressive read, an enjoyable one. And, with its extrapolation of negative societal trends, it's quite the thing to read at the start of 2024. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Bleak , thought provoking and real *by C***E on 1 June 2024* I am lost for words about this book. The fact it was written in the 90s , set here and now in 2024 to 2027 - the foresight is astounding. Take everything that's wrong in the world and times it by 10 and this is what you have. Although there are many real world issues if you examine it deeply enough . Such as drug addiction, homelessness, modern day slavery, having to pay for basic resources, economic and climate collapse, child abuse ,,food shortage. The list goes on. It is an extremely bleak, hard hitting story . Lauren is the 18 year old narrator, who is wise beyond her years. She is a balance between cold, harsh, doing what needs to be done and kind, compassionate when needed and has a vision for a better world. Her hyperempathy is such an unusual condition and it makes it seem empathy is a negative in this situation. There is a huge age gap romance , that made me super uncomfortable and gave me the ick. Badly. It has left me extremely thoughtful about whether or not we are already living this type of dystopian existence ? Please check triggers as mentioned above. Also R@pe ( graphic) , Canaballism , child abuse/ neglect and lots of graphic gore . ## Frequently Bought Together - The Parable of the Sower (Parable, 1) - Parable of the Talents (Parable, 2) - The Handmaid's Tale --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.ni/products/317506258-parable-of-the-sower](https://www.desertcart.ni/products/317506258-parable-of-the-sower) --- *Product available on Desertcart Nicaragua* *Store origin: NI* *Last updated: 2026-08-18*