Audiobook
$0.00
with membership trial

Hardcover
$14.79

Paperback
$10.54

Buy used: $10.54

FREE delivery September 1 - 7. Details

Select delivery location

Used: Like New | Details

Sold by BookOutlet USA

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.

Have one to sell?

Sell on Amazon

Flip to back Flip to front

Listen Playing... Paused You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

See this image

Follow the Author

Octavia E. Butler

Fledgling Paperback – January 2, 2007

by Octavia E. Butler (Author)

4.4 2,820 ratings

See all formats and editions

"A master storyteller, Butler casts an unflinching eye on racism, sexism, poverty, and ignorance and lets the reader see the terror and beauty of human nature." -- The Washington Post

This is the story of an apparently young, amnesiac girl whose alarmingly unhuman 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.

Print length

320 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Grand Central Publishing
Publication date

January 2, 2007
Dimensions

5.35 x 1.1 x 8 inches
ISBN-10

0446696161
ISBN-13

978-0446696166
See all details

Octavia E. Butler
8,014
Paperback
70 offers from $7.92
Octavia E. Butler
15,255
Paperback
108 offers from $6.12
Octavia Butler
256
Hardcover
49 offers from $28.55
Octavia E. Butler
19,020
Paperback
in Black & African American Science Fiction
142 offers from $3.12
Octavia E. Butler
2,323
Paperback
58 offers from $5.47
Octavia E. Butler
2,454
Paperback
43 offers from $7.15

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

OCTAVIA E. BUTLERwas a renowned writer who received a MacArthur "Genius" Grant and PEN West Lifetime Achievement Award for her body of work. She was the author of several award-winning novels including Parable of the Sower, which was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, and was acclaimed for her lean prose, strong protagonists, and social observations in stories that range from the distant past to the far future. Sales of her books have increased enormously since her death as the issues she addressed in her Afrofuturistic, feminist novels and short fiction have only become more relevant. She passed away on February 24, 2006.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Grand Central Publishing (January 2, 2007)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0446696161
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0446696166
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.8 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.35 x 1.1 x 8 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #62,492 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #81 in Vampire Horror
- #617 in Contemporary Literature & Fiction
- #3,817 in Paranormal & Urban Fantasy (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.4 2,820 ratings

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Videos

Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!

Upload your video

Important information

To report an issue with this product, click here.

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Octavia E. Butler

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

OCTAVIA E. BUTLER (1947–2006) was the renowned author of numerous ground-breaking novels, including Kindred, Wild Seed, and Parable of the Sower. Recipient of the Locus, Hugo and Nebula awards, and a PEN Lifetime Achievement Award for her body of work, in 1995 she became the first science- fiction writer to receive the MacArthur Fellowship ‘Genius Grant’. A pioneer of her genre, Octavia’s dystopian novels explore myriad themes of Black injustice, women’s rights, global warming and political disparity, and her work is taught in over two hundred colleges and universities nationwide.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5

2,820 global ratings

5 star
4 star
3 star
2 star
1 star

How customer reviews and ratings work

Reviews with images

See all photos

Sort reviews by

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Bingereader

Vampires meet Lolita, but in reverse

Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2021

Verified Purchase

I purchased this book because I started a new video series on my YouTube channel called Horror Around the World. This video series started off with Black Authors. I choose a handful that I wanted to read from a horror standpoint. I tend to read reviews first before I commit to a book. I look for clues to whether the person's opinions are near my own in the likes and dislikes department. However, in this case I didn't read any reviews until after I had read the book and was forming my own thoughts. This book is definitely more than I was bargaining for. In the synopsis, you read that "the story is of an apparently young, amnesiac girl whose alarmingly inhuman needs and abilities lead her to a startling conclusion: She is in fact a genetically modified, 53-year-old vampire". I was looking for those boxes to be checked. Amnesia...check, vampire check, what I wasn't anticipating was 10 year old sex with adults, both men and women.

Our main character Shori, wakes to find herself in a dark cave suffering from some severe injuries. She is in and out of wakefulness for a few days before she gets too hungry she has to find something to eat. Her instinct leads her to a deer that she captures and eats raw. At this point in the story we are assuming she isn't "normal" and since I went in knowing this book was about vampires, I knew why she was feasting on the animal. She needed it for strength and healing. What I was surprised about was that she was eating the entire animal, dragging it back to the cave like a big cat. In all the vampire stories I have read they only drink the blood.

Days go by and Shori finally is well enough to search for answers on where she is and what has happened to her. This leads her to a burned down ruin that she has no memory of and then the highway, where she gets picked up by a 23 year old stranger by the name of Wright. This is when the book reveals itself to the type of book you will be reading because after a discussion that Shori is not excited about she bites Wright which causes him to reevaluate the situation and conclude that he has sexual feelings for this 10 year old girl. At this point in the book I was flabbergasted and then creeped out. Shori has no memory of who is is or what has taken place in the recent past. She does not know her name and so Wright calls her Renee, which means reborn. Wright takes her back to his cabin outside of Seattle and the two get it on.

Here's the thing that is new to me: girl vampire protagonist. She is the one molesting and raping the adults in her life. She at first feeds off of them for sustenance and as the humans get aroused by her venom she then has sex with them. That of course doesn't make the situation better, it's just as bad. The venom is like being roofied and so even though the victims are enjoying themselves they didn't necessarily consent. Later, after the adults realize she isn't a ghost or a dream they consent. But, that is also a piece of the book that is talked about. Do the humans have any control over their emotions. Once you are bitten by a vampire do you have a conscious decision in staying with the vampire or are you compelled/sired to this being. Wright is given the option to leave Shori/Renee at the beginning. She will erase his memory of her if he wishes, but Wright believes that now it would kill him to be without her. He can already feel how the addiction is too great. Wright is aware of the situation, but can't or won't change it.

There is another vampire book that I've read that did this. In the Vampire Academy series, a character searches for a vampire and when she finds him she allows herself to be consumed by his reality. She is in love with him and although she knows it's wrong to be with this vampire, that the "relationship" they are having at the moment isn't real....she wants so desperately for it to be true and lives this fantasy for a few weeks. Allowing the vampire to continually bite her. She lives in euphoria, but deep down she knows and decides to leave. According to the Fledgling world, that isn't a possibility. Once the human is bitten so many times leaving their vampire will kill them.

Another way this book is like the Vampire Academy is that in this world vampires are born. You can not bite a human and turn them into a vampire. Humans are blood bags only. They are called symbionts. They are food companions. In the Vampire Academy human volunteers offer themselves as blood bags for the pleasure of the bites. The experience is addictive. What the symbionts get that the latter humans don't is an extended life. In Fledgling if you are a symbiont you will never get sick or get cancer and you will live for at least 200 years.

With the lore of this story, not only is Shori getting a companion for their human lives and a continuous food source, but the companion is getting protection and a longer life. I guess that is an even trade. This book would be a perfect 5 star read IF Shori wasn't in the body of a 10 year old.

Let's talk about the age difference. In vampire years Shori is 53. However she matures like baby Yoda. It takes her body a lot longer to develop. So even though her body is of a 10 year old child, her actual age is 53. The other vampires know this and the symbionts know this. But it's still is morally wrong in our society to have sexual relations with a child and so this book was definitely uncomfortable to read. Octavia never allows the reader to forget this age difference because she is always mentioning how the adults are always picking her up and putting her on their laps like a child. Her naivety of her past also pushes the child-like persona.

Lastly, I want to talk about the racism in this book. We learn right away that Shori is a little black girl. With the people she encounters that is not an issue, but to certain vampire families she is an abomination. Not only because her DNA has been mixed with humans in order to walk in the sunlight, but because she is black. Milo Silk calls her a "clever dog". The racism isn't prominent in the book, it only takes place at the end when there is a family council or trail. What I don't understand is how can their be no other vampire races. That was the part that confused me. If the vampires are only born I guess I can see that, but its just difficult to comprehend in this fictional world so like our own.

I read this book in 2 sittings because it is so engrossing. Yes it made me feel uncomfortable. Just as Lolita made me feel uncomfortable, but the plot kept me reading and the vampire lore was just so interesting. I'm definitely interested in reading Octavia again in the future. She is an excellent writer. The subject matter is taboo, but the story itself is very engaging. Highly recommend.

31 people found this helpful

Helpful

Jerrilyn Brown

page turner!

Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2023

Verified Purchase

Had a great time reading Fledgling. Shori was complex and thoughtful. Characterizations made it easy to picture each new person in the plot. I will read more Octavia Butler!

Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2006

Verified Purchase

Ok, so vampire stories have been barbecued, fried, roasted, fricasseed, and otherwise done-to-death. But none have done what Ms. Butler does here: provide a rational framework for such creatures, an entire history for not just one vampire, but an entire species, with its own culture, laws, and social structures, that provides some explanations for the various legends. And within this structure, she has created not only a reasonable story, but a sharp look at racism, prejudice, free will, and addiction.

The Ina, as they call themselves, are a separate species with written records dating back some ten thousand years, but who cannot live separately from humans; their physiology requires human blood to sustain them. Shori is a genetic experiment by the Ina, a partial cross with humans designed to alleviate the two major problems the Ina face, their inability to withstand sunlight and their need to be comatose during daylight hours. She's black, looks like a ten or eleven year old girl (although she's 53 years old), and starts the story with no memory of who she is due to some severe injuries. The story revolves around her search for who she is and how she sustained those injuries, a story that leads down the paths of killers by compulsion, group `marriage', and courtroom battles, Ina style. The story is not extremely complex, and the situations the heroine finds herself in will be easily recognizable to any reader, but it provides a strong framework for Butler's philosophical expositions:

First, the Ina bond with their human symbionts, a bond that is at least as strong as those formed by human couples, and that both human and Ina receive benefits from the association: for the humans, a much extended disease-free life span; for the Ina, not only a food source but a family. But the humans are also bound, a physical addiction to the chemical compounds in the Ina saliva, leading to ruminations on free will versus happiness. Also investigated here are the benefits and problems of a `group marriage'.

Second, the Ina can impose their will upon a human symbiont, making them do things they would otherwise never consider, and can erase memories or make it impossible for the human to divulge information, which opens up a raft of introspection about who is really responsible for a given action, and who and to what degree someone should be punished for actions outside of the accepted societal norms.

Third, emotions can and often do override any rational thought - and it is within this item that the seeds of prejudice and racism reside, that these items are not rational and cannot be fought purely with reason. Someone who is different in appearance, abilities, or thought patterns is an immediate target for suspicion and fear, as this person is obviously not `one of the tribe' and is therefore a possible enemy. How can this reaction be stopped and when must action be taken against those who cannot accept these differences?

By providing this culture of the Ina, Butler holds up a mirror to our own culture, forcing queries about accepted norms, very typical of Butler's works. But this book is not as powerful as her Kindred or Wild Seed, perhaps because, other than Shori, there is little character development, there are places where the erotic overtones of the relationships overwhelm her more subtle points, and the conclusion of the book feels a little unfinished (perhaps a sequel was planned?). Still, a very different take on the vampire legends, good for much more than just entertainment.

--- Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat)

11 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English

MCPete

Not her best

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 31, 2023

Verified Purchase

Big fan of Octavia but this was far from her best work. Lacked direction and originality unlike her other works which are excellent

J. Willis

Boring take on the vampire genre

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 28, 2011

Verified Purchase

It seems a writer cannot write a vampire book these days without twisting the genre in someway in order to make it their own. What did Butler do? Well the Vampires in her book do not live forever, just a very long time. They do need human blood to survive but only a small amount at a time meaning that they don't kill their victims and taking blood is extremely pleasurable for the human. In order to survive a vampire will have around 6-8 humans who live with them and act as personal blood banks each taking it in turns to give them blood/sex whatever. The bond between the vampire and these humans is apparently so strong that if one of the humans dies the vampire is practically crippled by the pain this brings.

The book follows `Shori' a female vampire who has been genetically modified to make her black and therefore more comfortable in sunlight. She wakes in a forest suffering from amnesia and has to firstly find out who and what she is, how to survive, where to find others like her and work out who wants to kill her.

I had quite a few problems with this book. Firstly although Shori is technically 53 years old, she only looks about 12 so when she has sex with her human companion it's a bit disturbing to read. It's never made clear if the human in question wants to have sex with her because they share some kind of blood bond or if he finds young girls sexually attractive as they go at it quite soon after meeting.

Most of the book is spent wittering on needlessly about the complicated lifestyle of Butler's vampires while `Shori' finds out about her vampire nature and the ways of her human companions. It got boring and very very silly. Also the fact that Shori is genetically engineered is a theme that in my opinion is not fully explored, I feel that Butler really missed a good opportunity here. I did however finish this book because the writing itself was not bad and I think I will try this author again as she seems to be a very popular writer.

5 people found this helpful

Davide Benedet

Catchy topic, but the story lacks something

Reviewed in Italy on March 30, 2022

Verified Purchase

I really liked the start of the story, but going on the story seems a bit straightforward and the plot twists are not really twists.
Also, reading other reviews I had high expectations about the plot and the details of the characters, but i was a bit disappointed.
Overall it is an easy book, take it without big expectations.

Cardenio

Vampyres Reloaded

Reviewed in Germany on November 30, 2010

Verified Purchase

There are so many vampire novels around these days. No doubt, Stephenie Meyer started a hype and now everybody and their brother thinks they can write a vampire novel. Well, the myth is well-known but, of course, it gets boring to only explore what Bram Stoker gave us as parameters to work in. New myths are invented, old myths are being expanded. It is not enough to show mystical creatures who only come out at night and give human beings unearthly sexual pleasures while sucking them dry: they have to be unearthly beautiful, twinkle like diamonds, move like gods...

Entrance Octavia Butler. She takes the vampyre myth, renames it, resizes it, turns it around and suddenly we have man's classier cousin. Stronger, faster, better healing powers, the improved model all over - but still a little human, and co-dependent on humans, and devoted to humans. The ina (as Butler calls this improved model of humanity) don't kill humans, they feed on enough of them to live and meanwhile give some of their "vampire-ness" to the people they... and here it gets complicated and deliberately so: do they own the human beings who live with them? Are they part of their family? Butler assumes a complicated stance toward something that is caring and giving on one hand but dangerous and addictive on the other. She mixes a story about traditions, sexuality, and racism with a trial extraordinaire and puts it in easy-to-read yet beautiful prose. This is a vampire novel nobody needs be ashamed to have read and nobody needs be afraid would be made into a movie.

Read On!

Philia Libri

Eine großartige Geschichte über Akzeptanz und Zugehörigkeit

Reviewed in Germany on May 24, 2014

Verified Purchase

Fledgling ist eine Vampirgeschichte der anderen Art. Mehr noch als um den antiken Mythos des Blutsaugers geht es hier um Themen wie Gleichberechtigung, Akzeptanz und Liebe in allen ihren Facetten.

Shori erwacht alleine und schwer verwundet in einer Höhle. Sie weiß nicht, was passiert ist. Sie weiß nicht, wer sie ist und vor allen Dingen weiß sie nicht, was sie nun tun soll, wohin sie sich wenden soll. Auf der Suche nach Antworten trifft sie auf einen jungen Mann, der nicht nur bereit ist, ihr zu helfen, sondern ihr auch Wärme schenkt und zu einer Art Familie für sie wird.
Nach und nach erfährt Shori mehr über sich selbst und ihre Vergangenheit - unter anderem, dass sie zu einer nicht menschlichen Rasse gehört, die womöglich schon länger als die Menschen auf der Erde verweilen und sich von deren Blut ernähren. Es stellt sich heraus, dass ihre Familie ermordet wurde und sie die einzige Überlebende ist. Verzweifelt macht sie sich gemeinsam mit Wright auf die Suche nach anderen ihrer Art und den Mördern ihrer Familie. Dabei stößt sie auf Abneigung von Seiten der Menschen sowie der ihrer eigenen Art. Doch Shori gibt nicht auf und kämpft für ihren Platz in dieser Welt und für eine Familie, in der sie sich geborgen fühlen kann.

Eine faszinierende Geschichte, die nicht nur Rassismus, sondern auch die für uns so klaren Moral- und Wertvorstellungen unter die Lupe nimmt und dabei eines ganz klar zu verstehen gibt: Liebe passt in keine Schublade und jeder - sei er blau oder grün, von dieser Welt oder einer anderen, ob er regelkonform oder nicht lebt - hat das Recht geliebt zu werden.

One person found this helpful

Translate review to English

See more reviews

Follow the Author

Fledgling Paperback – January 2, 2007

Customers who viewed this item also viewed