Received an eArc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Before you read the rest of this review, know that I gave Parable of the Sower 3 stars. Maybe reading it right after Trump took office in 2025 was not the right choice. However, honestly it was Olamina and Bankole’s relationship that really made it hard for me to stick with the book among some other smaller issues with the book.

So I was on the fence about reading the second book. However, when I saw that it was being adapted as a graphic novel, I decided to go ahead and try finishing the duology that way.

First off, having the story framed from Olamina’s daughter’s point of view in the future really helped me at the beginning. She voiced many things that bothered me about the first book.

Secondly, this book was even more concerning for how it is mirroring many aspects of today. I had been warned that the first book really had echoes of today’s political climate in it. There were some, but not as many as I expected. This book however had even more than I would have imagined. I could see this being a great book to read in a group with a focus on analysis because there was a lot to dig into.

That being said, my ratings are usually based on enjoyment. That seems like the wrong word to use in this case, but I did like the sequel more than the original. Would I have been more drawn in with the original story? Maybe. But overall I would give it 3.5 stars which I will round up to 4 here. Worth a read.

I. . . don’t know how to review this book. I’m not going to lie: this was difficult to read. Not cause it was badly written or drawn or anything though. No, it was difficult cause too much in this story is reflective of the current state of the United States, and the state of the world as certain ideologies amp up others with similar views around the world, that I could only read it in spurts. That doesn’t mean I regret reading it though. This is something that should be read by more people specifically cause it is difficult. We often think of dystopian as future related, but it often reflects things in the present and there were things that happened during, and before, these novels were originally written that has unfortunately come back around. Things we should be aware of. . . There’s a reason the books these were adapted from gained popularity in 2020.

I can’t myself speak to whether or not the creators of the graphic novel did well adapting Butler’s work, but I’ve seen others speak well of them. I’m hoping to read the novels next year if I don’t get to before the year is over. I’m glad I decided to read the graphic novels first though as it’s a good to be prepared and I do like them. The writing is really well done and the art style makes the story even more powerful. It tore me up emotionally as we followed these characters especially the ones we met in the first book and had seen survive so much already.

I will say though that I have never hated a character more than I hated two characters in this story including our PoV character Asha/Larkin. I do not like her at all. That didn’t ruin my opinion of this being a 5 star read, of course, and I still recommend people check it out.

Note: Please check the CWs beforehand. I tried to make sure I covered everything, but there was a lot.

NetGalley ARC Educator 550974

Lovers of graphic novels and Ms. Butler's work will want this one for their collection. The art and words will evoke great emotion in the readers. Instead of reading and closing your eyes in an attempt to "see' Ms. Butler's words, you will be able to see them with Duffy's art. I hope that Duffy will do other books, please. A masterpiece brought to life graphically in a way that will draw in new readers and entice older readers.

I wasn't able to finish this book, but (similarly to the first one) the art was brilliantly done - a sure highlight that added to the already compelling narrative and rich characterisation. Octavia Butler is a fantasy/speculative fiction queen; and Damian Duffy once again brings her work to life in a wonderfully woven tapestry.

I don't really know what to say about this series that hasn't already been said. The adaptations are really well done! You are truly right there experiencing everything with Lauren, and the art style really made you feel all of the emotions alongside the characters too. The story is all too relevant for today's climate, like Butler could actually see the future.

This duology truly took my breath away. This one specifically required me a lot of strength and will to get through. I'm not sure why, but I struggled to get to the end of it. It wasn't bad, but it was a lot.

The adaptation of Parable of the Talents is a fascinating display of selection and composition skill. Several pages have become favorites of mine.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this advanced reader's copy.

Such an incredible ending to the graphic adaptation of Butler's series. The art is gorgeous and the storytelling is exceptional.

The artwork was very detailed and the story was compelling, but I was not able to read most of the text boxes because I could not get them to increase in size on any of the three devices I tried to read this on. Ended up skimming the story.

Graphic novel adaptations are great for helping readers access different facets of a well-known story to novels, in engaging alternative parts of the brain. They’re also a great way to retell a story to emphasise particular plotlines. Additionally, because they’re so accessible, they’re a very cool way to get younger people reading. This adaptation of the great Octavia E. Butler’s *Parable of the Talents* will do all three. It’s useful to have read the previous graphic adaptation of *Parable of the Sower* (2020), also by Duffy and John Jennings (the illustrator), but this is not essential.

*Talents* tells the story of Olamina from her daughter, Larkin’s perspective as she goes through her mother’s old diary. It covers the period after Olamina has gotten married to Bankole, mainly their time at their Earthseed “commune” at Acorn, the trials they face there from raids and more, and the birth of Olamina's child. We learn about where and how Larkin grew up. *Talents* ends with the leaving for space of Olamina's followers. It feels just as timely as *Sower*—a central theme here is American Christian nationalists in power—but is marginally less bleak (noting that there are still very difficult themes, like rape and enslavement).

I’m not a fan of Earthseed personally, and am never sure if Butler intended for the religion to be taken seriously (as some people do), or just to offer it as an alternative, and a possible critique of religions in general. It always strikes me that Olamina comes across as something of a fundamentalist. It’s intriguing that *Talents* is from the POV of Olamina’s daughter, who is essentially a stranger to her and not at all a fan of Olamina and her followers or teachings. Interestingly, most of Larkin’s issues are with Olamina herself, rather than Earthseed.

John Jennings's artwork n this graphic adaptation is fantastic, and vividly brings the story to life. It's, in fact, what makes this version of *Parable of the Talents* worth reading.

Thanks to Abrams ComicArts for early DRC access.

And in case you’re not interested in another doom and gloom story warning us about our fate, Talents is more than that, it is an epic sci-fi story, a survival guide, and a spiritual roadmap. The things that Butler wrote about with President Jarret making America great again, the Alaska-Canada War, or his persecution of anyone that is considered other, non-American or LGBTQIA+, under the guise of Christianity in the late ’90s resonate HARD in the era of Felony-47, his cronies, and the co-opting of Reagan’s infamous slogan.

In the late ’90s, Sower and Talents would have been a crystal ball to the future, but today, they are a disturbing reflection of our times. While Duffy and Jennings do a fantastic job interpreting the horror of this recognizable world, they do a better service to the work in relaying Butler’s vision of hope and salvation for humanity.

Parable of the Talents is the sequel to Parable of the Sower. You will definitely need to read Sower before Talents, as it relies heavily on the reader being familiar with Earthseed and overall state of the United States when the story occurs. I read Sower years ago and have been meaning to read Talents since then.

This graphic novel adaptation of Parable of the Talents is very well done. The illustrations enhance the story and provide the gut-punch and rawness that is characteristic of Octavia Butler's words/descriptions. The story itself is good and I'm glad to finally know what happened with Earthseed. There is more optimism and hope in the story than I was expecting. It does feel a little rushed, but that is probably a result of edits that had to be made going from a full length novel to a graphic novel format/length.

John Jennings is an imaginative and very talented artist, his illustrations bring this story to life. Very enjoyable to consume this story through the visual design choices made. Well done.

Thanks to NetGalley and Abrams ComicArts for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Book Summary: Parable of the Talents is told in the voice of Lauren Olamina’s daughter, Asha Vere—from whom she has been separated for most of the girl’s life—interspersed with sections in the form of Lauren’s own journals. Asha searches for answers about her past while struggling to reconcile with her mother’s legacy—caught between her duty to her chosen family and her calling to lead humankind into a better future among the stars.

What I Thought:

I had enjoyed the Parable of the Sower: Graphic Novel Adaptation, so this was an instant click for me as I wanted to continue reading about this dystopian world. However, I don't believe it is a prerequisite to read the first book because the narrative helps situate the reader in the correct time and place of the story. I liked the illustrations, and I took my time reading a bit at a time. As a user of the platform, I read my graphic novel in NetGalley Reader, which was the perfect format to experience the book.




Expected Publication 22/04/25
Goodreads Review 08/04/25
#ParableoftheTalents #NetGalley.

This adaptation was well done and matched level of the previously adapted book, Parable of the Sower. Color was used to convey energy and emotion as the characters navigated hope and horror through their journey. While there is a lot of violence and destruction depicted on the pages, I believe Duffy did a great job of illustrating the soul of this book. This graphic novel is definitely for mature readers, but it provides another gateway into Octavia Butler's writing that is valuable. Today's readers will be stunned and horrified to find that this book was not written recently and it will be an interesting catalyst for reflection in conversations.

This book was beautifully done and took real care to pay homage to the original work. I would highly recommend.

In the conclusion to the Earthseed duology, Butler's work comes to life with unflinching social commentary that is ripe with parallels of our time.

There was SO many passages I wanted to highlight. So many scenes that I see and feel mirror the reality of our time. My heart was heavy while my mind raced with how dangerously close we are in a religious fascist regime. Lauren is fierce fmc. Unforgettable, resolute, and strong. She is unlike anyone you'll ever meet, and be the blueprint to finding solace in one's belief in the goodness and partnership of community.

Beautifully illustrated, if you find yourself wanting to read the text and can't, this is the perfect supplement to start your journey of reading Butler's work.

This perfectly captured the original text, maintaining the story, tone, author's voice, etc. The graphics added more to the story, bringing to life the Octavia Butler's world. I particularly enjoyed the graphics dealing with the religion our main character was writing/creating. The graphic novel is quite long and expansive and doesn't try to condense the story (which I appreciate).

I would recommend reading Butler's duology first if you haven't already, then pick up the graphic novel adaptation of Parable of the Sower, then pick up this final adaptation. You could read just the graphic novel adaptions, but I personally think they're best looked at as an addition to and way of re-experiencing the duology and not as a replacement for it.

Recommended for fans of dystopian literature, climate change, apocalyptic-esque stories, sci-fi-ish stories. This is a heavy read that deals with some serious and uncomfortable topics, so check out trigger warnings if needed.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy for review

I have not yet read Parable of the Sower or Talents, but have been curious about them for a while after reading Octavia Butler's Patternist books. I figured a graphic novel adaptation would be a good way to become more familiar with the story, particularly as it's very relevant to current events and a topic of discussion among plenty of readers in my own life. I borrowed the Sower graphic novel from the library before reading Talents. Both books feature an intense art style that really amps up the darker elements of the story. There is a lot of visual noise, texture, and variety on top of an already grim plot. At times I found this combination to be quite a lot. Effective, but a lot. I also found the style misleading in terms of characters ages; children seemed to be portrayed as much older sometimes. It was also difficult to read portions of this book on a tablet or phone, as you had to flip back and forth between panels that spanned two pages and were confusing if accidentally read page by page. Narrative wise, they managed to fit a lot of story into these graphic novels. There are some time jumps, but as I haven't read the original books yet I can't really compare. I'm glad these stories were adapted. I think Butler is an important author with many insights and lessons on our world, so I hope this format means it will reach other audiences. The art style combined with the story may be off putting to some, while others will find it unique from a lot of other styles being published today.

Another wonderful adaptation of the "Earthseed" series. The authors did an excellent job of "translating" the second novel into this format. It is a great way to visualize the story on a deeper level. Highly recommend for any fans of this series and Octavia E. Butler.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.