Octavia E. Butler's Parable of the Sower begins in 2024. The novel presents a near-future United States damaged by climate change, social breakdown, economic inequality, and water shortages.
The story is told through the journal entries of Lauren Olamina, who lives in a walled community in Southern California. Lauren possesses hyperempathy, a condition that makes her feel the pain and pleasure she observes in other people. Her ability shapes both her fears and her understanding of the society around her.
After violence destroys the community, Lauren travels north with other survivors. During the journey, she develops Earthseed, a belief system centered on the idea that “God is Change.” The group later establishes a settlement called Acorn.
The novel was published in 1993, so its 2024 opening date was then a projected future. Readers often discuss the book's dates because several of its environmental and political pressures resemble real-world concerns, but the story remains a work of speculative fiction.