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Fledgling

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4.5 out of 5

917 global ratings

5 star		73%
4 star		12%
3 star		8%
2 star		3%
1 star		4%

Fledgling

byOctavia E. Bulter

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A vampire story for readers who don't like vampire stories

Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2016

I'm a huge fan of Octavia Butler, though her writing can make me squirm at times. This was the last of her novels I hadn't read, so I started it, not even knowing what it was about. When I realised it was a vampire story, I nearly put it down, because that genre of fantasy doesn't interest me in the least. But something had already piqued my interest, despite my discomfort with the subject, so I kept reading... and got completely hooked. Butler's conception of vampires both acknowledges and far transcends the common mythology and movie portrayals; it is far more complex and interesting. Through the eyes and experiences of the central character and a fascinating, page-turning plot, Butler challenges the reader with some of the most profound moral issues facing humanity, especially racism, responsibility, loyalty and honour, what is "family," and the possibilities for loving relationships and commitment. Far beyond the suspension of disbelief required to accept vampirism - especially this novel concept of vampirism - the reader is stretched to "think outside the box" of relationships as most of us have been conditioned to do. There's plenty here to give humans pause to consider new and liberating possibilities. An excellent choice for readers of enquiring minds and compassionate hearts.

43 people found this helpful

Top critical review

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Pedophile’s dream

Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2019

I really wanted to like this because i heard a lot of good things about the author but really couldn’t get behind the plot. The main character is a 57 year old vampire in the body of a prebuescent black girl who loves to have sex with people are are physically mature. There are many times where the book shoves this idea down your throat. Though the premise offers a lot of interesting parts it felt very convienant for the main character to get flashbacks at the right time. The sexual part of the novel is hard to ignore because they kept saying she’s a child both physically and as a vampire but she’s still having sex with mature human men and women. The author tried to offer an animalistic view on it by having the vampires be seperqated by their genders aside from their groupies they need for blood. There’s a very sub/dom thing going on with the groupies too, they get a lot of benefits from the vampires venom and are able to live longer and they go crazy if their vampire dies and its hard for them to be converted to new vampires because of the smell on them.
This book also came out around the same time as twilight.

35 people found this helpful

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From the United States

Pedophile’s dream

Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2019

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I really wanted to like this because i heard a lot of good things about the author but really couldn’t get behind the plot. The main character is a 57 year old vampire in the body of a prebuescent black girl who loves to have sex with people are are physically mature. There are many times where the book shoves this idea down your throat. Though the premise offers a lot of interesting parts it felt very convienant for the main character to get flashbacks at the right time. The sexual part of the novel is hard to ignore because they kept saying she’s a child both physically and as a vampire but she’s still having sex with mature human men and women. The author tried to offer an animalistic view on it by having the vampires be seperqated by their genders aside from their groupies they need for blood. There’s a very sub/dom thing going on with the groupies too, they get a lot of benefits from the vampires venom and are able to live longer and they go crazy if their vampire dies and its hard for them to be converted to new vampires because of the smell on them.
This book also came out around the same time as twilight.

35 people found this helpful

Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2018

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Not even 3% in, and there's a statutory rape scene between a young child and an adult? Oh nononononono. And, from what I'm reading in other reviews, there's more of them? Oh nonononononoNO. I don't care if it's a vampire who's "not really" a child, I'm too disturbed by Butler depicting such scenes to continue reading this book or any other of her work, and I'm not about to desensitize myself or "push past" it like some other reviewers did just to finish the story.

And I'm pretty disappointed, as I really enjoyed the first book of hers I read (Dawn) and was hoping to read more of her work. But nope, not anymore.

35 people found this helpful

Do good deeds cancel out bad

Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2018

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Warning some minor spoilers.
The court was in session. The accused, beloved and well known for the great work they had done in the community. Indeed, the accused was an excellent advocate and many had benefitted from them and their lessons. Today however, despite their stellar reputation they stood in judgement. The question on everyone’s mind was does one horrible deed undo a life time of good. One by one the council of judgement cast their votes and though some ruled in favor, the verdict was guilty. This book is brilliantly self-aware of this complex issue and while it clearly was using it to demonstrate a different example, the book itself is a prime example the concept. While the writing is stellar and many of the story telling very relevant to society and culture, it also commits a horrific crime.

One of the things people will say about Octavia Butler is that her work doesn’t preach. She doesn’t pass moral judgement and instead leaves the cards out on the table for you the reader to do so. This is not entirely true because the book does a fabulous job of doing just that when it comes to discrimination and race. None of the characters are described with their race, which makes a potent point about how we view race and how someone whom is ignorant to the notion of racism might thing. It isn’t that they don’t see color, it is that the main doesn’t recognize the big deal. Those that do are the ones to point it out first. Later on we’re shown discrimination and how making yourself the judge of purity or whom gets to belong is arbitrary, hurtful and hypocritical. We can clearly see how the actions of these individuals do not square with the way they choose to live their own lives and the harm they ultimately do to themselves and others. This is an example of how story telling portrays a moral. Shows you the moral and the way everything plays out from start to finish. This is moral judgement, so to say Butler does not have morals is utterly false and therefore problematic when she actually doesn’t have morals in her story.

There are many books that have a porn like appeal. Books that try to make romance and rush to the sex portions without any build up. They’re usually bad. This book fits that genre, seeing as the build up is practically non-existent and the situation makes no sense. There is clearly no reason for it to happen and the book doesn’t make any justification or put any caveats to it. It simply happens and without a doubt for the sake of the reader. Whomever you are who enjoyed this book, hell, who reviewed it positively. Seriously, what the heck man? There isn’t any development or story, it is utterly and completely cheap and meaningless sex between a literal child (as far as we know at the time) and an adult. Honestly no one could be faulted for burning this book now and not bothering with the rest of it because a start like that is pretty damned irredeemable. It puts the Steven King IT sewer orgy to shame in how utterly pointless it is and disgusting in terms of what sorts of fantasies it envisions.

The problem with this book comes up very early and very fast. Vampire stories in general are often related to sex and this one is no exception, but this one does take it to different places. It has been said to me that the point is about sexuality as it is uncomfortable, frightening or alien. The older vampire books such as Carmilla or Dracula make this much more evident, were as newer vampire books tends to gloss over the alien aspect and just make it into a power and romance fantasy, like your twilights. Fledging bridges the gap between these two, but doesn’t go nearly far enough into alien as it should. Primarily because the sex starts before character development and it starts between a child and a grown man. This is a problem.

Before this review mentions how Butler succinctly tells a tale with a moral about discrimination, but when it comes to the sex, Butler is shocking mum. The book does on many occasions bring up the fact that our main, who has sex and kind of a lot of it, looks like a child. People are a little uncomfortable, but ultimately this doesn’t stop them. Perhaps there is a tale here about exploitation of children or minorities? If so it doesn’t go anywhere, because aside from the brief discomfort characters will have, it’s glossed over entirely. People are quickly given a pass and an excuse why it is okay for the main to have so much sex and why it is okay for the grown adults to have it with her. Oh, because she’s really much older than she looks and really because reasons? Actually it’s never even remotely addressed to any satisfaction. Perhaps you might suggest that this is the point, to make me uncomfortable, but the problem gets worse, not better. As the book progresses people don’t get less comfortable, or even stay equal uncomfortable with the sex and the fact that our main looks like a child and has at best a few months of wisdom due to amnesia, they get more comfortable. Worse still the romantic relationships shared between child main and grown adults actually grows deeper and more involved. The story tells us some people feel uncomfortable but shows us this relationship really working and that is a judgement. That is a problem.

So is this a terrible book? It’s complicated. The aspects on race, discrimination, judgement and hypocrisy are stellar. There are some great points on love and polyamory too along with a myriad of other great things in this book. Butler herself is one of the greatest authors alive right now. However this book has a trial where it points out, correctly so, that great people can also commit great crimes. The book correctly points out that a history of doing good things does not give you a free pass to do one terrible. This very book delivers the argument on why it deserves to be panned for the treatment of pedophilia. Real people are really hurt in the real world by this kind of abuse and the way this book handles it is horrific. Its remarkable for a book to be so excellent in some areas to be so terrible in this one, but maybe that’s the point. Maybe Butler intends us to judge her work poorly for this one aspect, though the narrative doesn’t seem to bare that out. Maybe the sequels address this appropriately, but I cannot see myself reading them.

21 people found this helpful

A vampire story for readers who don't like vampire stories

Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2016

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I'm a huge fan of Octavia Butler, though her writing can make me squirm at times. This was the last of her novels I hadn't read, so I started it, not even knowing what it was about. When I realised it was a vampire story, I nearly put it down, because that genre of fantasy doesn't interest me in the least. But something had already piqued my interest, despite my discomfort with the subject, so I kept reading... and got completely hooked. Butler's conception of vampires both acknowledges and far transcends the common mythology and movie portrayals; it is far more complex and interesting. Through the eyes and experiences of the central character and a fascinating, page-turning plot, Butler challenges the reader with some of the most profound moral issues facing humanity, especially racism, responsibility, loyalty and honour, what is "family," and the possibilities for loving relationships and commitment. Far beyond the suspension of disbelief required to accept vampirism - especially this novel concept of vampirism - the reader is stretched to "think outside the box" of relationships as most of us have been conditioned to do. There's plenty here to give humans pause to consider new and liberating possibilities. An excellent choice for readers of enquiring minds and compassionate hearts.

43 people found this helpful

Michaela Tillman

Could Not Finish

Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2019

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Couldn't finish after multiple descriptive sex scenes of someone in AT LEAST their twenties and another person described as looking around ten-years-old.

9 people found this helpful

The Atheist Hindu

A Nice Twist on Vampire Lore with Too Few Actual Twists

Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2019

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Fledgling

From my blog, pearsonally.com/reviews

A Nice Twist on Vampire Lore with Too Few Actual Twists

Review written June 16, 2019

Reinventing the vampire novel may not have been Octavia Butler's intention, yet she created a very believable (as far a vampires go) blend of bloodsucker fiction with her last standalone novel, Fledgling (2005, Seven Stories Press). In this work, the vampires -- collectively called Ina -- have their own language, scripts and culture. And I'm sorry to disappoint you, these vamps cannot turn humans into Creatures of the Night. There is, however, an interesting symbiotic relationship Earth's 2 main species, Ina and human; one which increases the believability of the basic storyline, and still makes me wish I knew an Ina.

The storytelling is clear, and her writing style is sparse, securing only a minimum of words which allow the reader to visualize our protagonists' environs and motivations, while giving us a first person narrative that is engaging and empathic. Shori is a black vampire, and without giving much away, that's not her only engaging characteristic. Shori has a defendable story which begins with weakness and ends up with strength, while molding the invented characteristics of her bloodsucking lifestyle and its maintenance into a well thought narrative. This carries us well through the first 80% of the story before it begins focusing on a single event for the last several chapters.In a few occasions, her sparse writing with multiple characters becomes both confused and confusing. At the end of one chapter, the writing lacks specifics on which humans are leaving a compound, but I pictured two characters leaving for a few days which were also the 2 companion characters of Shori at the beginning of the next chapter. The 2 very same humans at that point both were and were not involved in the beginning of that next chapter. I tried to assuage my confusion by going back to read the departure scene, and the unspecificity due to the sparsely worded writing style kept me confused.

The only major disappointment here is from the last several chapters, where there is a large Council of Judgment called to address the murders which happened to Shori's family. Here, the suspicions molded through the first part of the book are given solidification during the 3 days of the Council meeting. With no surprises whatsoever in the last several chapters, the ending leaves us with a dry taste, wishing for, wanting for a twist.

Although enjoyable and inventive, this cannot get my highest recommendation; though with a 3.75 out of 5, I hope interested readers will try this genre bending tome.

Justinian Vonkost

A great book dealing with themes of identity

Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2018

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If there is one thing, one phrase, one idea that I have come to dislike when it comes to discussing fiction it is that themes and allegories have to be subtle, especially when it comes to genre fiction like fantasy or science fiction. Part of my reasoning for the dislike stems from this phrasing often being used as justification by fans to avoid discussion about elements of media that they like that may make them uncomfortable and may make them dislike aforementioned media. It also tends to be use by creators as a kind of deflection to avoid critical analyses of their work. Now to be clear, I am not suggesting that having one's themes be more apparent automatically makes a terrible story better. Nor am I suggesting that stories in which the themes are not the main focus or serious automatically worse in my eyes. Yet I believe that part of my disenchantment with much of modern speculative fiction is in part due to many creators taken this maxim to heart, leading to stories that lack an identity, leading to cookie-cutter fabrications rather than stories with unique identities. Furthermore I think when people used the word subtle in that phrase, they really are referring more to nuance. Issues, like racism or xenophobia, are deceptive in their simplicity. And many creators tend to approach these issues with an often less than satisfactory approach, often breaching a theme and suggesting a position that is not supported by the story or actions of the main characters. This is why I can appreciate a book like Fledging, a book that can deftly handle these and other issues with insight and nuance while unequivocally taking a stance on said issues. With unique characters, ideas, plot, and themes that actually support one another, it makes for an interesting read.

2 people found this helpful

An oh-so original take on Vampires

Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2016

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An oh-so original take on the vampire mythos, "Fledgling" is a compelling and difficult to put down novel which does something I didn't think was still possible....put an entirely fresh spin on the oldest boogymen haunting our nights. This is the first novel of Octavia Butler I've ever read and I was sad to learn she had passed. I intend to read all of her works and if the rest are anywhere near as good as "Fledgling", she has left us with a wonderful legacy of her life and talent.

13 people found this helpful

Good, but not her best

Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2017

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While I did enjoy this novel, it was not her best. It works as a stand alone, but she has intended it to be a series before she died. I would have been interested to see where she took the story.

The novel shares some themes with her Xenogenesis series, commonly referred to as the Lilith's Brood trilogy. She asks a lot of questions about being and belonging and delves into personal change, fitting in, conforming (or not), sense of self, and dependence among other things. While she explored all of those things to a really stunning degree of introspection and awareness in (particularly the first novel of) Lilith's Brood and with a setting and story that was unlike anything else I've read, I feel like Fledgling was a rehash, with a more conventional setting and characters. In comparison it lacked the depth and sometimes painful honesty of the other tale and certainly the uniqueness. I probably would have been happier with this book if I'd read it first, but had it been my introduction to Octavia Butler, I'm not sure I would have been as eager to seek out her other novels. And if you don't read at least Dawn you're missing out.

2 people found this helpful

Excellent new look adventure lore

Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2020

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I loved this twist on vampire more as it explores cultural exploitation, racism and a good old fashioned murder mystery. This novel does a great job of calling out my biggest problem with most vampire stories, the age disparity and pedophile like relationships, by making you question the very nature of the vampire familiar society.

The sexual relationship can be some what triggering for those of us who are sensitive to age disparities. I had to walk away to a while and if I had not been the admin for my book club I would not have gone back. But once I got past it, Butler weaves a world in which you see this young woman as an adult.

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