Parable of the Sower

As someone who’s read this twice and even taught it in 9th Grade, it leaves something to be desired. Things that are a little too few and far between: stretches of world-building to make the apocalypse more loved in and undergird; the social critiques; motif bricklaying (e.g. the astronaut stuff); romance plots that aren’t a little skeezy; and explanation for what caused the apocalypse (not always necessary, but could be helpful here).