4. Parable of the Sower

Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler

This was a brutal second installment of this brilliant series by Octavia Butler. It continues the epic tale of Lauren Oya Olamina and Earthseed, her burgeoning religion and community Acorn. At the end of the first novel Olamina, her husband Bankole and their fellow survivors had just arrived at Bankole's sisters land only to find it burnt to ground and Bankole's relatives murdered. This novel picks a couple years later after the survivors had rebuilt the land into the community Acorn.

After a hopeful, but difficult few years of growth, the community is attacked by Christian Extremists and the tale turns brutal. During the ensuing struggle Olamina never gives up her vision of the Earthseed Destiny.