Book Bloggers in the Chat

Recently, I read Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler. Judging by the name, I thought it would be an old timey book similar to classical literature but it’s actually set in the dystopian future. Not too far away either, the events occur over a couple of years but it starts in 2024. The book is actually a journal written by the main character, Lauren, who tells us all the events in the story. Each chapter is also prefaced by a short poem or verse, describing God as change.  The story starts out as Lauren, her family, and her neighbors in a gated community with a wall trying to get by. Water is expensive, it’s difficult to get food, and it’s violent. All the good dystopian stuff. The format the book is written in makes the reader feel like they're getting flashes of that life. One day things are normal and the next, someone’s dead. It’s very glaring and you don’t get details of events happening in the moment, just recounts given by Lauren. Through the book, you can see Laurens t...

 The frontier is a rather frequent location in quite a few sci-fi, fantasy, and historical fiction stories. When talking about a frontier I do not necessarily mean the wild west, just the far edge of any civilization, be it magical kingdom, galactic empire, or a boomtown in the Yukon. These settings are generally characterized by scarcities of food or water, problematic weather (magic poison fog, deserts, extreme cold), rampant crime, a mean populace, and limited public services (with the general exception of the mail).        Using the frontier as a setting for a story allows the author lots of latitude in what the characters can legally get away with without requiring a massive suspension of disbelief. The lack of law enforcement makes the frontier an ideal setting for stories that involve conflict between different criminal elements without having to expect the interference of the law.     In addition to the criminal element that a frontie...

By: Grace I started reading this book without knowing what it was about; the book cover was really cool, with flowers and vines and a nice orange glow to the title. I assumed it was going to be another cool fantasy novel. However, I was very very wrong. As a warning, the book includes / mentions sexually explicit scenes, rape, self-harm, mental and physical abuse, suicide, and animal harm. Despite the triggers, I think the book was really captivating and well written, and sends a clear point throughout the book.  The novel starts out in Prince Emory's point of view, where he is going to rescue the "damsel" in order to wed her and become the king. The rest of the novel is in Ama, the damsel's, point of view, who wakes up and doesn't remember anything about herself. She knows nothing except for the things Emory tells her; he gives her a name and tells her she will be his future bride. As the novel progresses, Emory, who seems to be represented as the hero who saved ...