Fledgling
A beautiful new edition of Octavia Butler's last standalone novel, with a new introduction by Nisi Shawl.
Octavia Butler's last standalone novel is the story of an apparently young, amnesiac girl whose alarmingly un-human needs and abilities lead her to a startling conclusion: she is in fact a genetically modified 53-year-old vampire. Forced to discover what she can about her stolen former life, she must at the same time learn who wanted—and still wants—to destroy her and those she cares for, and how she can save herself. Fledgling is a captivating novel that tests the limits of "otherness" and questions what it means to be truly human.
Octavia Butler's last standalone novel is the story of an apparently young, amnesiac girl whose alarmingly un-human needs and abilities lead her to a startling conclusion: she is in fact a genetically modified 53-year-old vampire. Forced to discover what she can about her stolen former life, she must at the same time learn who wanted—and still wants—to destroy her and those she cares for, and how she can save herself. Fledgling is a captivating novel that tests the limits of "otherness" and questions what it means to be truly human.
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Community Reviews
For a book about vampires that definitely has a different take on the genre, you would think that it would be more interesting. For me, it wasn’t interesting. I wasn’t able to finish it. I gave it a try and wanted to begin enjoying it, but as much as I love vampires, I couldn’t continue. It was very boring for me. It’s one of those books I know it would take forever to read because I would dread picking it up. Also, even though the main character is supposed to be a 50 something vampire, the fact that she is in a child-like body and engaging in.....activities? That creeped me out. That aside, all the characters seemed very wooden. There was nothing carved into them to make them stand out aside from their names telling me who was who. This book was just not for me, but I’ll give it to my used bookstore so it can find its home!
Fantastic! Much like Salem's Lot, I wasn't expecting the story I got. I wasn't ready and I was glad for it. I could not put this book down. I wanted to learn all I could about the Ina.
I really liked this one! As typical to her style, she mixes marginalized groups, sci-fi/fantasy with themes of justice, equality, acceptance, communal living. This just happens to be with vampires.
It may initially make you uncomfortable, but I think that's intentional, like with many of her books. I love the similarities between Shori and Lauren from The Parable series. I think she does a great job bringing you into the character's world and touching you with the pain they feel and the desperate urge for justice. And in spite of it all, you leave feeling hopeful.
"I awoke to darkness.
I was hungry--starving!--and I was in pain. There was nothing in my world but hunger and pain, no other people, no other time, no other feelings."
So begins Octavia Butler’s last novel Fledgling. Although Shori awakens with no memory of who or what she is, she is the lone survivor of a brutal and racist attack on her home and family. She is a fifty-three-year-old "girl"~a youngster to her people, the Ina, a race of "long-lived blood drinkers" (they also walk the night~but of course) who have lived beside humans for at least ten-thousand years (as far back as their written history extends).
With the Ina, Butler has created a new race of vampires unlike those we have heard or read about before (although their presence on Earth may account for some of our legendary vampires) and she has managed to both integrate their story into current vampire mythos and make it believable and interesting. Through the character of Shori she builds on this new race even further. Shori is a result of genetic engineering, a mix of (dark-skinned) human and Ina DNA, an attempt to give the gift of day to the Ina.
As Shori works to relearn about her Ina heritage; to negotiate both the human, Ina, and symbiotic relationship she must forge with those she feeds on (but doesn't kill~the Ina don't kill i they can avoid it); as well as try to both avoid those who would try to destroy her and hers and figure out why they are aiming for her destruction; we are taken on that journey with her.
Butler once described herself as a
"fifty-three-year old writer who can remember being a ten-year-old writer and who expects someday to be an eighty-year-old writer. I'm also a comfortable asocial~a hermit in the middle of Seattle~a pessimist if I'm not careful, a feminist, a black, a former Baptist, an oil-and-water combination of ambition, laziness, insecurity, certainty, and drive."
I can imagine that i hear in the confident, almost arrogant Shori, who is fiercely intelligent, intuitive and quick to action, some kind of strange autobiographical voice for Butler. Shori is forging, a new race in a new territory. It is a true loss that we did not hear Butler's voice as an eighty-year-old writer, Fledgling is one of the best from the best.
I was hungry--starving!--and I was in pain. There was nothing in my world but hunger and pain, no other people, no other time, no other feelings."
So begins Octavia Butler’s last novel Fledgling. Although Shori awakens with no memory of who or what she is, she is the lone survivor of a brutal and racist attack on her home and family. She is a fifty-three-year-old "girl"~a youngster to her people, the Ina, a race of "long-lived blood drinkers" (they also walk the night~but of course) who have lived beside humans for at least ten-thousand years (as far back as their written history extends).
With the Ina, Butler has created a new race of vampires unlike those we have heard or read about before (although their presence on Earth may account for some of our legendary vampires) and she has managed to both integrate their story into current vampire mythos and make it believable and interesting. Through the character of Shori she builds on this new race even further. Shori is a result of genetic engineering, a mix of (dark-skinned) human and Ina DNA, an attempt to give the gift of day to the Ina.
As Shori works to relearn about her Ina heritage; to negotiate both the human, Ina, and symbiotic relationship she must forge with those she feeds on (but doesn't kill~the Ina don't kill i they can avoid it); as well as try to both avoid those who would try to destroy her and hers and figure out why they are aiming for her destruction; we are taken on that journey with her.
Butler once described herself as a
"fifty-three-year old writer who can remember being a ten-year-old writer and who expects someday to be an eighty-year-old writer. I'm also a comfortable asocial~a hermit in the middle of Seattle~a pessimist if I'm not careful, a feminist, a black, a former Baptist, an oil-and-water combination of ambition, laziness, insecurity, certainty, and drive."
I can imagine that i hear in the confident, almost arrogant Shori, who is fiercely intelligent, intuitive and quick to action, some kind of strange autobiographical voice for Butler. Shori is forging, a new race in a new territory. It is a true loss that we did not hear Butler's voice as an eighty-year-old writer, Fledgling is one of the best from the best.
I saw a lot of mixed opinions about this book but I absolutely enjoyed it! I was captivated from the beginning and couldn’t put it down (finished it in like 4 days) I just kept wanting to know more 🤣 One of my more favourite books from Octavia Butler. I really enjoy her writing style and the way she adds a nice mix of sci-fi with a whole lot of reality.
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