Status
Checked out
Publication
Grand Central Publishing (2007), 320 pages
Description
Fiction. Science Fiction & Fantasy. HTML: Fledgling, the late Octavia E. Butler's final 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..
Media reviews
Even for a dyed-in-the-wool science-fiction fan like myself, the opening chapter of "Fledgling" asks a bit much of the reader. Shori, the narrator, awakens in darkness, hungry and in pain without any memory of who or what she is. But within a few pages, we begin to figure things out it along with
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her. And within a few chapters, we're utterly seduced by the forward motion of the narrative. Bitten, is how the narrator herself might put it. Show Less
How many of our happy relationships involve a degree of dominance or dependence that we can't acknowledge? This is Butler's typically insidious method: to create an alternative social world that seems, at first, alien and then to force us to consider the nature of our own lives with a new, anxious
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eye. It's a pain in the neck, but impossible to resist. Show Less
A finely crafted character study, a parable about race and an exciting family saga. Exquisitely moving fiction.
Fledgling is a reprint of a terrific vampire tale that provides a deep look at family, race relationships and sexuality, yet is loaded with action.
User reviews
LibraryThing member nbmars
Shori, a young member of the Ina race of vampires, has survived a massacre of her matriarchal community. She is rescued by a 23-year-old human male, Wright Hamlin, who takes off Shori’s dirty, wet clothes and estimates she is a child of about ten or eleven. Nevertheless, Wright is sexually
It turns out that Shori is sexually attractive to all sorts of adults, and neither she nor they resist the temptation to give in to their desires. Part of the appeal is that when Shori bites them, they become “addicted” to her via some chemical in her venom. But the adults in this story want Shori even before they get her venom. The venom just makes it impossible to leave her.
Shori not only appears to be a prepubescent child, but she is also, quite anomalously, black. All the other Ina are ghostly pale and cannot go out in the day. Shori, the product of genetic engineering experiments between vampires and humans of color, can withstand the sun and does not need to sleep during the day. In all other respects, however, she is like the vampires. But since the massacre, her memory is gone.
Shori’s amnesia helps her cope with the fact that she lost most of her immediate family in the carnage as well as losing her “symbionts,” or human lovers that vampires need to keep with them in order to feed upon their blood. Once a symbiont has been addicted to a particular Ina, that symbiont can die if the Ina dies first. [In science, symbiosis means a close and often long-term interaction between different biological species. Some symbiotic relationships are obligate, meaning that both symbionts entirely depend on each other for survival and cannot live on their own. There is also facultative symbiosis, meaning that they can but do not have to live with the other organism.] The Ina usually have around eight symbionts of both sexes, in order to get sufficient nourishment without killing any one symbiont. Wright in particular has a hard time at first with the idea of sharing Shori, but he, like the other symbionts, is now dependent on the venom, as well as that child sex he loves so much, and so he adjusts.
The symbionts are well loved and are free to form relationships among themselves in addition to those they have with their vampires. Further, their immune systems improve from the venom and they can live longer than non-symbiont humans.
Shori collects new symbionts, starting with Wright, and soon finds other Ina to help her bring justice to the mysterious group that destroyed her family and that is still pursuing her and her new symbionts with deadly intent.
Discussion: It seems as though Butler is trying to subvert the usual expectations about optimal organizational patterns for human societies, but a couple of factors vitiate her effort, in my opinion.
First, while these communes seem all lovey and wonderful, they aren’t presented as naturally possible; rather, the humans are all addicted to the venom, cannot live without it, and therefore have no choice but to live with one another. I would have liked to see what would be possible without the deus ex machina venom.
Secondly, Shori, who turns out to be fifty-three in Ina years, only appears to be ten in human years. Physically she is totally pre-pubescent (as we learn from Wright’s apparently titillating inspection of Shori at the beginning). There is something quite unsavory about the adults who love picking up Shori, putting her on their laps (reinforcing the image that this is a prepubescent child), and then f&*@-ing her all night, with or without the venom (although of course, the venom makes it even better).
Thirdly, the author makes Shori black, and wants no one to see that as a barrier. But what makes this possible is that absolutely nothing about Shori is black except her dark skin. On the one hand, that may be Butler’s point. But on the other, it denies legitimacy to black culture, seeming to say that blackness is okay as long as you are white in everything but the fact that you don’t burn as much in the sun.
Fourth, Butler spends an inordinate amount of text time talking about the quotidian activities of the symbionts and the Ina, from the turkey sandwiches ingested by the humans to the endless discussions of the housing, history, and politics of the Ina. Charlaine Harris makes all of this fun, but Butler just makes me want to take a nap.
Finally, there is no growth in the book. The only characters who make changes are those responding to increasing dependency on the drug of vampire venom. This doesn’t denote inner growth to me; rather, it seems to me like a plot device was substituted for a fully realized story.
Evaluation: Very disappointing and kind of creepy! With all of her faults, I’ll take Charlaine Harris and Sookie Stackhouse any day!
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attracted to Shori and is ecstatic to discover she is hot for having sex with him as well. And that’s just the beginning of this probable attempt to challenge our assumptions about how to get along that instead sounds to me more like a pedophilic reverie.It turns out that Shori is sexually attractive to all sorts of adults, and neither she nor they resist the temptation to give in to their desires. Part of the appeal is that when Shori bites them, they become “addicted” to her via some chemical in her venom. But the adults in this story want Shori even before they get her venom. The venom just makes it impossible to leave her.
Shori not only appears to be a prepubescent child, but she is also, quite anomalously, black. All the other Ina are ghostly pale and cannot go out in the day. Shori, the product of genetic engineering experiments between vampires and humans of color, can withstand the sun and does not need to sleep during the day. In all other respects, however, she is like the vampires. But since the massacre, her memory is gone.
Shori’s amnesia helps her cope with the fact that she lost most of her immediate family in the carnage as well as losing her “symbionts,” or human lovers that vampires need to keep with them in order to feed upon their blood. Once a symbiont has been addicted to a particular Ina, that symbiont can die if the Ina dies first. [In science, symbiosis means a close and often long-term interaction between different biological species. Some symbiotic relationships are obligate, meaning that both symbionts entirely depend on each other for survival and cannot live on their own. There is also facultative symbiosis, meaning that they can but do not have to live with the other organism.] The Ina usually have around eight symbionts of both sexes, in order to get sufficient nourishment without killing any one symbiont. Wright in particular has a hard time at first with the idea of sharing Shori, but he, like the other symbionts, is now dependent on the venom, as well as that child sex he loves so much, and so he adjusts.
The symbionts are well loved and are free to form relationships among themselves in addition to those they have with their vampires. Further, their immune systems improve from the venom and they can live longer than non-symbiont humans.
Shori collects new symbionts, starting with Wright, and soon finds other Ina to help her bring justice to the mysterious group that destroyed her family and that is still pursuing her and her new symbionts with deadly intent.
Discussion: It seems as though Butler is trying to subvert the usual expectations about optimal organizational patterns for human societies, but a couple of factors vitiate her effort, in my opinion.
First, while these communes seem all lovey and wonderful, they aren’t presented as naturally possible; rather, the humans are all addicted to the venom, cannot live without it, and therefore have no choice but to live with one another. I would have liked to see what would be possible without the deus ex machina venom.
Secondly, Shori, who turns out to be fifty-three in Ina years, only appears to be ten in human years. Physically she is totally pre-pubescent (as we learn from Wright’s apparently titillating inspection of Shori at the beginning). There is something quite unsavory about the adults who love picking up Shori, putting her on their laps (reinforcing the image that this is a prepubescent child), and then f&*@-ing her all night, with or without the venom (although of course, the venom makes it even better).
Thirdly, the author makes Shori black, and wants no one to see that as a barrier. But what makes this possible is that absolutely nothing about Shori is black except her dark skin. On the one hand, that may be Butler’s point. But on the other, it denies legitimacy to black culture, seeming to say that blackness is okay as long as you are white in everything but the fact that you don’t burn as much in the sun.
Fourth, Butler spends an inordinate amount of text time talking about the quotidian activities of the symbionts and the Ina, from the turkey sandwiches ingested by the humans to the endless discussions of the housing, history, and politics of the Ina. Charlaine Harris makes all of this fun, but Butler just makes me want to take a nap.
Finally, there is no growth in the book. The only characters who make changes are those responding to increasing dependency on the drug of vampire venom. This doesn’t denote inner growth to me; rather, it seems to me like a plot device was substituted for a fully realized story.
Evaluation: Very disappointing and kind of creepy! With all of her faults, I’ll take Charlaine Harris and Sookie Stackhouse any day!
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LibraryThing member kayceel
- Shori wakes badly hurt, confused, blind and HUNGRY. She soon realizes that she has no memory of where or even who she is, but when she meets a young man (who mistakes her for a 10-12 year old girl), and he tells her she must be a vampire, she begins to unravel her past. Shori quickly finds
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herself and her new friend in escalating danger. Fascinating take on the ‘vampire’ story, in which vampires, or the "Ina,” are a completely different race of people. Butler takes on issues of genetic testing, race and prejudice (Shori is an Ina genetic experiment using African American, etc., genes to improve the Inas – for example, her ability to walk in the sun) in this fantastic book – I’m upset there won’t ever be a sequel… Show Less
LibraryThing member kmaziarz
A young woman awakes in a cave, blind, horribly scarred, suffering from severe head injuries, desperately hungry, and afflicted with complete amnesia. After she has healed enough to move around, she wanders out of the woods and finds herself on a road. As she walks aimlessly down this road, she is
Returning later to a burned ruin near where she’d woken up, the girl—dubbed Renee by Wright—discovers that others of her kind had once lived there along with normal humans. But when an adult male of her kind shows up and declares himself to be her father, Renee, whose real name is Shori Matthews, begins to put together the pieces of her history. The vampires’ own word for themselves is Ina, and they share few characteristics with monster-movie vampires. Shori discovers that she is actually 53 years old, despite appearing to be a human child of ten or eleven, and that she is the result of genetic experiments to create a new race of Ina who are able to move around in the daylight. She is a cross-breed between Iosif, her pale-skinned Ina father, and a black human woman. The Ina live in gender-segregated communities, and Shori is the only survivor of the deliberately-set fire which destroyed her mothers, aunts, and sisters. She still remembers nothing about that fire, and Iosif has no idea who could have done such a thing or why.
It isn’t until Shori’s male family is killed the same way her female family had been that Shori realizes she herself is the target. She finds refuge with a sympathetic Ina family and finds herself battling for her very existence against a family of racist, miscegenation-fearing vampires. Shori, Wright, and other members of her family are facing a grave threat, for these other vampires will stop at nothing in their quest to root out the impurity that Shori represents.
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picked up by 23-year-old construction worker Wright Hamlin who believes her to be a 10-year-old black child and wants to take her to a hospital. The girl is not sure why, but she knows she doesn’t want to go, and in the ensuing struggle she bites Wright. Not until that moment did either of them realize the girl’s true identity: she is not a 10-year-old human child at all, but a juvenile vampire, and her bite has now bound Wright into a symbiotic relationship. He takes her home and hides her and their bond grows tighter as she recovers. Returning later to a burned ruin near where she’d woken up, the girl—dubbed Renee by Wright—discovers that others of her kind had once lived there along with normal humans. But when an adult male of her kind shows up and declares himself to be her father, Renee, whose real name is Shori Matthews, begins to put together the pieces of her history. The vampires’ own word for themselves is Ina, and they share few characteristics with monster-movie vampires. Shori discovers that she is actually 53 years old, despite appearing to be a human child of ten or eleven, and that she is the result of genetic experiments to create a new race of Ina who are able to move around in the daylight. She is a cross-breed between Iosif, her pale-skinned Ina father, and a black human woman. The Ina live in gender-segregated communities, and Shori is the only survivor of the deliberately-set fire which destroyed her mothers, aunts, and sisters. She still remembers nothing about that fire, and Iosif has no idea who could have done such a thing or why.
It isn’t until Shori’s male family is killed the same way her female family had been that Shori realizes she herself is the target. She finds refuge with a sympathetic Ina family and finds herself battling for her very existence against a family of racist, miscegenation-fearing vampires. Shori, Wright, and other members of her family are facing a grave threat, for these other vampires will stop at nothing in their quest to root out the impurity that Shori represents.
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LibraryThing member Pferdina
A new way to think about the topic of vampires. What if they are a species living in parallel to humans on Earth? What if the two species have developed a symbiotic relationship, forming large family groups living together in out-of-the-way places?
This is the story of Shori, a child of the Ina.
This is the story of Shori, a child of the Ina.
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Found wandering on a country road in rural Washington, suffering from amnesia, Shori must learn about her people at the same time she tries to rebuild her family and find out who is trying to kill her. Show Less
LibraryThing member gaskella
Published shortly before the author died, Fledgling is another different and slightly SF take on the vampire novel.
Shori looks like a twelve year old black girl, but is actually a genetically engineered 53 year old vampire – as long as she covers up, she can go about in daylight. She awakes
This is a novel of big themes – race, sex and fitting in dominate. It’s written to shock - Shori is a sexual being but her body’s young appearance makes it really awkward for us to read. One thing that came through for me in the discussions was the subtle master / slave relationship between the Ina and their ‘families’ of symbionts – who once bonded to their Ina cannot live without them.
Although I enjoyed reading the book, ultimately it underwhelmed as the author did far too much explaining about the Ina, telling us in too much detail rather than showing. This reduced the immediacy of the otherwise sophisticated plot and also made for some plodding dialogue. Once Shori found her friends, the quasi-courtroom setting made the last section drag too. This being Butler’s last book, I have no idea whether it is typical, but do happen to have ‘Parable of the sower’ which has more of a SF sound on my TBR pile to read some time.
Shori looks like a twelve year old black girl, but is actually a genetically engineered 53 year old vampire – as long as she covers up, she can go about in daylight. She awakes
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injured in the woods with amnesia and once she kills and heals, goes in search of her family with the help of her ‘first’, a man who stops to help her and ends up being her symbiont. They discover that her family has been wiped out, and go in search of other of her kind. Luckily they end up finding a friendly ‘Ina’ group, for that’s her race’s real name, and they initiate her into their ways. It becomes clear that her family were murdered by other Ina, and the novel takes on a courtroom mode as Shori tries to prove their guilt.This is a novel of big themes – race, sex and fitting in dominate. It’s written to shock - Shori is a sexual being but her body’s young appearance makes it really awkward for us to read. One thing that came through for me in the discussions was the subtle master / slave relationship between the Ina and their ‘families’ of symbionts – who once bonded to their Ina cannot live without them.
Although I enjoyed reading the book, ultimately it underwhelmed as the author did far too much explaining about the Ina, telling us in too much detail rather than showing. This reduced the immediacy of the otherwise sophisticated plot and also made for some plodding dialogue. Once Shori found her friends, the quasi-courtroom setting made the last section drag too. This being Butler’s last book, I have no idea whether it is typical, but do happen to have ‘Parable of the sower’ which has more of a SF sound on my TBR pile to read some time.
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LibraryThing member BlondeBibliophile
Whoa! There was a few factors of this book that was a little "out there" for me (sexually speaking), but I still really enjoyed it. It is one of the most interesting books I have read in a while.
LibraryThing member stubbyfingers
The story of "Fledgling" was very similar to another book by Octavia E. Butler--"Dawn"--but it just wasn't as good. In "Fledgling", the main character is an amnesiac vampire with human DNA waking up among humans and learning to deal with vampire society and vampires who hate her for her
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super-vampire qualities brought on by her human genes. In "Dawn", the main character is a human waking up from a coma among aliens and learning to deal with alien society and humans who hate her for her super-human qualities brought on by the aliens tinkering with her genes. Very similar, but somehow some of the pizazz is missing from this one. While I was reading "Dawn" I was thinking, "Wow, this is cool!" While I was reading "Fledgling" I was thinking "This is good." It's very readable, it's very engaging, and it's a very interesting idea, but this is not Butler at her best or at her most original. Show Less
LibraryThing member kaydern
This isn’t your average vampire pop fiction in the least!
Fledgling is the story of Shori, perhaps the most adorable vampire in the history of fiction. She’s lost her memory, but she quickly goes about re-learning all the important survival techniques of her kind, first and foremost acquiring
While this novel was easy to read and enjoyable enough, it didn’t grab me. Considering how many people died or were injured, I didn’t find the book suspenseful at all. I agree with the commenters here, at least part of this was the fault of the pacing. I think it goes deeper than that though, since I spent most of the book offhandedly wondering why some passages or plot was included at all.
I’ve reached the dubious conclusion that this book is about how lousy humans are at working together, especially when race is involved. I say this because the only time humans get along reasonably well is when they are in the thrall of Ina, their benevolent overlords by way of chemical addiction. How bleak is that? I think it’s safe to say Butler has very little faith in intra-species cooperation. I bring race into it because the Ina, an example of highly intelligent, highly learned species, still have virulent racists and racist apologists. If the Ina can’t avoid killing each other over their skin color, what chance do we have?
In light of that, there were a lot of creepy and unnecessary details that cluttered up the book. Like my other people have mentioned, the pedophilic-but-only-on-the-outside relationship between Shori and Wright was a huge distraction that mostly left me feeling uncomfortable. I think anyone trying to read this book because they like lots of sexual tension and hot undead people strutting about is going to feel gross afterwards.
I complain, but I really did enjoy relxing while reading this book. If like me you’re a social-activist type who likes literary analysis, this will be a surprisingly good read from out of the fantasy section. If you like strong, cool female leads and don’t mind vampires, I would lend you this book and ask if you want to gush about Shori later. If you want to read a book about vampires and how sexy they are... I would look elsewhere
Fledgling is the story of Shori, perhaps the most adorable vampire in the history of fiction. She’s lost her memory, but she quickly goes about re-learning all the important survival techniques of her kind, first and foremost acquiring
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and getting friendly with her unwitting blood donors. Over the course of the story she learns first about her family and then about Ina (what vampires call themselves) society. The drama is that a group of people have been killing off her family, and she is determined to find out who they are and stop them.While this novel was easy to read and enjoyable enough, it didn’t grab me. Considering how many people died or were injured, I didn’t find the book suspenseful at all. I agree with the commenters here, at least part of this was the fault of the pacing. I think it goes deeper than that though, since I spent most of the book offhandedly wondering why some passages or plot was included at all.
I’ve reached the dubious conclusion that this book is about how lousy humans are at working together, especially when race is involved. I say this because the only time humans get along reasonably well is when they are in the thrall of Ina, their benevolent overlords by way of chemical addiction. How bleak is that? I think it’s safe to say Butler has very little faith in intra-species cooperation. I bring race into it because the Ina, an example of highly intelligent, highly learned species, still have virulent racists and racist apologists. If the Ina can’t avoid killing each other over their skin color, what chance do we have?
In light of that, there were a lot of creepy and unnecessary details that cluttered up the book. Like my other people have mentioned, the pedophilic-but-only-on-the-outside relationship between Shori and Wright was a huge distraction that mostly left me feeling uncomfortable. I think anyone trying to read this book because they like lots of sexual tension and hot undead people strutting about is going to feel gross afterwards.
I complain, but I really did enjoy relxing while reading this book. If like me you’re a social-activist type who likes literary analysis, this will be a surprisingly good read from out of the fantasy section. If you like strong, cool female leads and don’t mind vampires, I would lend you this book and ask if you want to gush about Shori later. If you want to read a book about vampires and how sexy they are... I would look elsewhere
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LibraryThing member satyridae
The best amnesiac vampire book ever. Okay, maybe the only, but still. I think listening to it rather than reading it made the clunkiness of the prose a little more obvious, but the brilliance of the concepts behind the occasional creakiness of the words shines through. I found some clear lines
As close to horror as I'm likely to get.
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connecting Butler's Pattermaster series to this book. Her exploration of what makes up a family is fascinating and well-done.As close to horror as I'm likely to get.
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LibraryThing member OswinsSouffle
When I started this book, I had forgotten why I even had it. Reading books without having a general idea of what they are about isn't a preference of mine but it is surely turning into a habit.
I do believe that if I remembered she was a 50-some year old vampire, I wouldn't have questioned whether
But, I can't lie and say that was the biggest issue in the book for me. Really, I had a problem with Wright. There were just so many things he did which made so little sense to me.
I have never really gotten into vampires but I watched enough True Blood and lived a regular life to know the basics of the mythology. So, as I was reading the book I regularly took Wright's reactions to things to be twisted by either his addiction or by Shori's pull. But, I could never really give Shori complete credit for the way he was. Part of that has to be him. With Theodora, I understand the parts that were her and where the element of addiction and/or the pull came in. But with Wright things were so much more complicated. Or simple. Or something. I don't know.
Was his possessiveness his personality or was it born from everything Shori being a vampire brought into a the picture? What about his anger? Why did he just bunch the wall? Who does that?
When someone else says that Shori was a vampire, his reaction to it was mind-numbing.
"I don't know how to deal with all this, Renee...Shori. It's like being told that extraterrestrials have arrived, and I'm sleeping with one of them “.
Dude, seriously? Are you kidding me here? You're sleeping with someone who you have known to be a vampire for, what, weeks? You've surely known within the first 30 minutes of your relationship when she bit you and drank your blood. If you didn't pick it up after that, you should have around the time she started to frequently drink your blood. Did you not? You called her a vampire. She called herself one, no? You researched things together. What did you thinks she actually was? Just a psychologically unstable girl who appeared to be around 10 years old (who you hoped was older because she is so mature...) that drank human blood?
I remember there was this time when Wright was being his usual self and was just talking and Shori was like, “Oh, I like that he can speak his mind and won't lie to me”. Girl, who exactly is lying to you? You bite just about every human that comes within reaching distance to you.
Another thing is that she has no memories of anything before the book. So, throughout it she feels certain things. She knows things without knowing. Is aware of more then she knows. I get that. She has amnesia.
One of the things she felt was that Wright and her were being bond together. There was this part where she was saying he could leave her but only in that moment. She felt that. She had a feeling that this was his last chance to be capable of leaving her and she tells him that. He fumbles around but says he cannot leave. He can't see his life without her. It's not in his mind to be able to do that. For me, at that point, she should have known that even if it was the last chance for him to leave that whatever was binding him to her was already bounded too tight to make such a decision even likely.
She offers family and total companionship to a lonely person and then adds an euphoric drug on top. She shouldn't be surprised that people will stay. She shouldn't be surprised that when she goes to a lonely person and gives such an opportunity that they'd stay. The surprise she be if they don't. But, regardless of that these scenes kept popping up. They were prominent. Will they stay or will they go? Seriously?
Things like that continued throughout the book. Not scenes that are identical but things that had me just sitting there like, “seriously?”.
I do believe that if I remembered she was a 50-some year old vampire, I wouldn't have questioned whether
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or not I jumped into a lolicon story. But, I didn't so throughout the book I could never really get past the fact that regardless of actual age the main character had the appearance of a 10-year old. But, I can't lie and say that was the biggest issue in the book for me. Really, I had a problem with Wright. There were just so many things he did which made so little sense to me.
I have never really gotten into vampires but I watched enough True Blood and lived a regular life to know the basics of the mythology. So, as I was reading the book I regularly took Wright's reactions to things to be twisted by either his addiction or by Shori's pull. But, I could never really give Shori complete credit for the way he was. Part of that has to be him. With Theodora, I understand the parts that were her and where the element of addiction and/or the pull came in. But with Wright things were so much more complicated. Or simple. Or something. I don't know.
Was his possessiveness his personality or was it born from everything Shori being a vampire brought into a the picture? What about his anger? Why did he just bunch the wall? Who does that?
When someone else says that Shori was a vampire, his reaction to it was mind-numbing.
Dude, seriously? Are you kidding me here? You're sleeping with someone who you have known to be a vampire for, what, weeks? You've surely known within the first 30 minutes of your relationship when she bit you and drank your blood. If you didn't pick it up after that, you should have around the time she started to frequently drink your blood. Did you not? You called her a vampire. She called herself one, no? You researched things together. What did you thinks she actually was? Just a psychologically unstable girl who appeared to be around 10 years old (who you hoped was older because she is so mature...) that drank human blood?
I remember there was this time when Wright was being his usual self and was just talking and Shori was like, “Oh, I like that he can speak his mind and won't lie to me”. Girl, who exactly is lying to you? You bite just about every human that comes within reaching distance to you.
Another thing is that she has no memories of anything before the book. So, throughout it she feels certain things. She knows things without knowing. Is aware of more then she knows. I get that. She has amnesia.
One of the things she felt was that Wright and her were being bond together. There was this part where she was saying he could leave her but only in that moment. She felt that. She had a feeling that this was his last chance to be capable of leaving her and she tells him that. He fumbles around but says he cannot leave. He can't see his life without her. It's not in his mind to be able to do that. For me, at that point, she should have known that even if it was the last chance for him to leave that whatever was binding him to her was already bounded too tight to make such a decision even likely.
She offers family and total companionship to a lonely person and then adds an euphoric drug on top. She shouldn't be surprised that people will stay. She shouldn't be surprised that when she goes to a lonely person and gives such an opportunity that they'd stay. The surprise she be if they don't. But, regardless of that these scenes kept popping up. They were prominent. Will they stay or will they go? Seriously?
Things like that continued throughout the book. Not scenes that are identical but things that had me just sitting there like, “seriously?”.
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LibraryThing member GingerbreadMan
When Shori wakes up in the cave, badly burned and with a broken skull, she doesn't remember what's happened to her, or who lived in the torched houses nearby. She looks like an 11 or 12 year old little black girl, but is really a 53 year old vampire, genetically altered to be able to cope with
This is my first book by Octavia E. Butler, but will not be my last. Written in a clear, straight, simple prose, this is a vampire story stripped of all horror elements - but also of the tiresome predator with a soul clihé. Admittedly, the racism angle is not new by a long shot, and the plot itself is straight as an arrow (this is no whodunnit, rather a willtheygetawaywithit). But what makes this book interesting is mainly Butler's take on Ina (vampire) society and culture, and especially the realtionships between the Ina and the people she feeds from. Far from a soulless predator, in this world the Ina surrounds itself with a number of human symbionts, people who willingly give their blood for the narcotic substance in the Ina's saliva. This creates an interesting metaphore in which Butler explores both the matter of free will, sexuality and even love. It's cool how she unflinchingly presents a form of polyamorous, gender-insensitive symbiosis as just another way of being a family (with it's unique set of problems). A well-built parable this, commenting on several issues, as well as a neat, original take on the vampire genre.
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sunlight. And as she rediscovers her past and the circumstances of her family's death, she's faced with bigotry from her own kind as well as the subtleties and complexities of human/vampire relationships. This is my first book by Octavia E. Butler, but will not be my last. Written in a clear, straight, simple prose, this is a vampire story stripped of all horror elements - but also of the tiresome predator with a soul clihé. Admittedly, the racism angle is not new by a long shot, and the plot itself is straight as an arrow (this is no whodunnit, rather a willtheygetawaywithit). But what makes this book interesting is mainly Butler's take on Ina (vampire) society and culture, and especially the realtionships between the Ina and the people she feeds from. Far from a soulless predator, in this world the Ina surrounds itself with a number of human symbionts, people who willingly give their blood for the narcotic substance in the Ina's saliva. This creates an interesting metaphore in which Butler explores both the matter of free will, sexuality and even love. It's cool how she unflinchingly presents a form of polyamorous, gender-insensitive symbiosis as just another way of being a family (with it's unique set of problems). A well-built parable this, commenting on several issues, as well as a neat, original take on the vampire genre.
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LibraryThing member sabreader
Yes. A vampire novel. But not any old vampire novel. This is an amazingly rich and compelling story, and the vampires of Butler's world are all too human. Butler is also the only author to ever bring the issue of race into a story of vampires, which of course is not surprising given her other
Even if you're a bit leary of vampire stories, Fledgling is worth a read.
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work.Even if you're a bit leary of vampire stories, Fledgling is worth a read.
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LibraryThing member island_girl
Weak. So disappointing. I love Octavia Butler's work, and waited as long as possible before starting this one because I knew it was her last.
I shouldn't have rushed. OB's characteristic is power without glamour, of painful compromises that verge on change/accept or perish.
I bought the alliances of
But the interactions in Fledgling just read like GHB to me. No matter how many times it was stated, it was all about addiction. That's subject matter I'd enjoy reading OB's take on, but here it wasn't portrayed with tension, just excused and glamourised.
I didn't like anyone in the book, care about their travails or dilemmas, or want to know more about them.
And let's not even start in on the shoddy proofing. Spellchecking isn't enough, people.
I shouldn't have rushed. OB's characteristic is power without glamour, of painful compromises that verge on change/accept or perish.
I bought the alliances of
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her humans with aliens, for instance, and felt the regret of what the humans did to survive even while they were granted power previously impossible.But the interactions in Fledgling just read like GHB to me. No matter how many times it was stated, it was all about addiction. That's subject matter I'd enjoy reading OB's take on, but here it wasn't portrayed with tension, just excused and glamourised.
I didn't like anyone in the book, care about their travails or dilemmas, or want to know more about them.
And let's not even start in on the shoddy proofing. Spellchecking isn't enough, people.
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LibraryThing member jshillingford
It's been getting so difficult to find original vampire fiction these days. I received this book for Christmas and found it to be engrossing. The idea is unique, the writing smooth and the main character engaging. Shuri is a very special Ina (Vampire). She remains awake throughout the day and while
This is a must for fans of vampire fiction. It is a crying shame that there can be no sequel due to the unfortunate death of the author.
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the sun hurts her, she doesn't burst into flame. Unfortunately for her, prejudice isn't just limited to humans. This is a must for fans of vampire fiction. It is a crying shame that there can be no sequel due to the unfortunate death of the author.
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LibraryThing member ragwaine
Once again Butler writes a good story but doesn't seem to bowl me over with new ideas or spectacular imagery. I haven't read a vampire novel in a while so it was refreshing and fun to remember how erotic they can be.
Not a lot happened in the book but the pacing was good. Just when it started to
Not a lot happened in the book but the pacing was good. Just when it started to
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drag a new hook was added and there was enough revenge in it to keep me satisfied. Show Less
LibraryThing member MeganAndJustin
I was so excited for a new Octavia E. Butler book. Living in Seattle, I had the opportunity to see her speak at Elliot Bay Book Company, and I was glad that she spoke more about writing, positive obsession, and writer's block than about Fledgling, as the book was a bit of a disappointment. It
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touched on some interesting ideas, but the story was dry, without the visceral depth and rawness of many of her other books. And the biggest tragedy of all was that this was her last book, as opposed to just another novel after some dry years. Ms. Butler's future writing will be missed. Show Less
LibraryThing member Flamika
This has to be one of the most original vampire novels I've read in a long, long time. It brings us a really unique story about Shori Matthews, a vampire who has been modified to walk in the sunlight, but who wakes up with terrible injuries and no memories of her previous life. Butler's style gets
I think what I enjoyed most about this book was the maturity in it. It's the reality that renegade heroes and heroines aren't always praised and exalted for risky behavior. There are repercussions, and I like that those are addressed in the novel. This book may not be one that I reread again, but I was really impressed by it.
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the point across without making her descriptions seem clipped, and her characters are richly-developed.I think what I enjoyed most about this book was the maturity in it. It's the reality that renegade heroes and heroines aren't always praised and exalted for risky behavior. There are repercussions, and I like that those are addressed in the novel. This book may not be one that I reread again, but I was really impressed by it.
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LibraryThing member LDKalasky
One of the best books I have read in a long time! I found this book on sale at a local bookstore for $3! A page turner!
LibraryThing member alaskabookworm
This isthe first book by Butler I've read. Though I thought it original and well thought out, the Freudian sexuality of the vampires and their "kept" blood-donors/food supply disturbed me a bit, as did the "apparent" age of the young protagonist. (Smacked a bit too much of pedophilia.) I was
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fascinated by the book's setting in Western Washington, where I used to live. Being very familiar with the off-the-beaten-track places she describes, pulled me in. Nevertheless, other reviews of this book that I found online indicted its not her best; that it was meant to be the first part in a trilogy, never to be finished because she died. I have a couple more of her books that I look forward to trying, particularly "Kindred." For better or worse, this isn't a book I'll soon forget. Show Less
LibraryThing member go_devils006
Octavia Butler has completely recreated the mythology of the vampire in a very interesting way. Shori awakens in the woods, severely injured and with no memory. After recovering from her injuries, she wanders out onto a roadways and meets Wright, a human who will help her rediscover who and what
With that said, I feel that potential readers deserve fair warning. Like vampires in most other books, the ones in this book are portrayed as sexual beings. While the scenes in this book are not graphic, Shori, though she is a 50-something year old vampire, has the appearance of a 10-12 year old little girl. If you're not the type of person who can adopt the realities presented by the author (in this case, that Shori not only IS an adult, but also seems like one to the humans she is with) the book is likely to strike you the wrong way and I really wouldn't recommend wasting your time or money.
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she is. While I think the amnesia served more as a convenient device for setting up the world than as a compelling part of the plot, Fledgling offers a creative new spin on vampire mythology that raises questions of how intolerance and racism arise in a society. With that said, I feel that potential readers deserve fair warning. Like vampires in most other books, the ones in this book are portrayed as sexual beings. While the scenes in this book are not graphic, Shori, though she is a 50-something year old vampire, has the appearance of a 10-12 year old little girl. If you're not the type of person who can adopt the realities presented by the author (in this case, that Shori not only IS an adult, but also seems like one to the humans she is with) the book is likely to strike you the wrong way and I really wouldn't recommend wasting your time or money.
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LibraryThing member suedutton
yet another vampire book, but this has octavia butler's take on the genre. great world building. i enjoyed every minute of the book (hence the 5 stars), but it seem like just the introduction to a story - i wish there were a sequel.
LibraryThing member mellah12
One of the most interesting takes on vampire lore I have ever read. Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, have recommended it to others and am sad that the author is no long with us to write a sequel to this book!
LibraryThing member conformer
Butler's swan song (she died shortly after publication) maintains her pigeonhole-thwarting style of fiction; go into any given bookstore and you'll invariably find her books spread across the Fiction, Horror, Science Fiction, and African-American Studies sections. Fledgling is Butler's take on the
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vampire origin story, and her sparse prose, efficient dialogue, and precise storytelling make for a very clean, very empathic read. Show Less
LibraryThing member bohemiangirl35
Octavia Butler is one of my favorite authors! This, Parable of the Sower and Kindred are my three favorites of the ones I've read. Definitely on my "desert island" book list.
LibraryThing member krau0098
I have never read anything by Octavia Butler, and as she is a prominent writer in the Sci-Fi genre, I though it would be interesting to read one of her books. This is also the last book she wrote before she died. Overall it was an interesting take on vampire communities; and discussed issue of
Shori wakes up in immense pain, not knowing where she is or who she is. As time passes she heals; later she is picked up on the side of the road by Wright. Shori herself seems to be an 11 year old girl; but Wright is strangely drawn to her in very inappropriate ways. Shori realizes she needs his blood and after she takes blood from him the two of them cannot be separated. As time progresses Shori finds that she needs more than just Wright to satisfy her; she needs the blood of many. Eventually Shori finds that she is actual a 53 year old Ina; a very long lived (possibly alien) race that have a symbiotic relationship with humans. They need human blood andcompanionship to survive. For some reason someone wants Shori dead; it may be because of her dark skin and the fact that Shori is a genetic experiment to make Ina able to withstand the sun.
I didn't find any of the characters in this book to be particularly engaging, and the plot plodded along at times making it difficult to pay attention. This book is very outstanding though in the complexity of the Ina community and the mythos behind that community. This book and the race of the Ina are intricately detailed and very well thought out. This book also touches on issues concerning societal beliefs. Shori, as the only dark-skinned Ina, deals with a sort of racism. Shori appears to be 10 years old (but is really 53) and her sexual relationship with Wright may be disturbing to some readers. Shori and her Symbiants (humans that feed her) also have a very complex relationship; and Shori loves them emotionally and physically without any thought as to their gender or age.
All in all I enjoyed this book. It is an interesting take, actually a unique take, on vampire-type society. It make you think a lot about societal issues and introduces you to a whole new complex world and race. It is definitely more of a thinking book and the slow deliberate pace may put off some readers; I think that the creativity andthoughtfulness of the plot more than offset this pace though.
I am not sure if I will read more of Butler's works or not. Her writing was good but it was a bit too political for me at parts; she also seems to write book to inspire thought and as such they aren't great entertainment as much as food for thought. I would have to be in a particularly thoughtful mood to enjoy her works.
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racism, sexual freedom, and immortality. I listened to this on audio and the audio production was of excellent quality; my only complaint would be that the narrator's voice is very dispassionate which lends a coldness to Shori's character.Shori wakes up in immense pain, not knowing where she is or who she is. As time passes she heals; later she is picked up on the side of the road by Wright. Shori herself seems to be an 11 year old girl; but Wright is strangely drawn to her in very inappropriate ways. Shori realizes she needs his blood and after she takes blood from him the two of them cannot be separated. As time progresses Shori finds that she needs more than just Wright to satisfy her; she needs the blood of many. Eventually Shori finds that she is actual a 53 year old Ina; a very long lived (possibly alien) race that have a symbiotic relationship with humans. They need human blood andcompanionship to survive. For some reason someone wants Shori dead; it may be because of her dark skin and the fact that Shori is a genetic experiment to make Ina able to withstand the sun.
I didn't find any of the characters in this book to be particularly engaging, and the plot plodded along at times making it difficult to pay attention. This book is very outstanding though in the complexity of the Ina community and the mythos behind that community. This book and the race of the Ina are intricately detailed and very well thought out. This book also touches on issues concerning societal beliefs. Shori, as the only dark-skinned Ina, deals with a sort of racism. Shori appears to be 10 years old (but is really 53) and her sexual relationship with Wright may be disturbing to some readers. Shori and her Symbiants (humans that feed her) also have a very complex relationship; and Shori loves them emotionally and physically without any thought as to their gender or age.
All in all I enjoyed this book. It is an interesting take, actually a unique take, on vampire-type society. It make you think a lot about societal issues and introduces you to a whole new complex world and race. It is definitely more of a thinking book and the slow deliberate pace may put off some readers; I think that the creativity andthoughtfulness of the plot more than offset this pace though.
I am not sure if I will read more of Butler's works or not. Her writing was good but it was a bit too political for me at parts; she also seems to write book to inspire thought and as such they aren't great entertainment as much as food for thought. I would have to be in a particularly thoughtful mood to enjoy her works.
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Awards
Lambda Literary Award (Nominee — Science Fiction/Fantasy — 2005)
Gaylactic Spectrum Award (Nominee — Novel — 2006)
Endeavour Award (Finalist — 2006)
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work (Nominee — Fiction — 2006)
Locus Recommended Reading (2005)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2005-10-05
Physical description
320 p.; 5.13 inches
ISBN
0446696161 / 9780446696166
Local notes
fiction