Fledgling Book Review

Seattle native Octavia Butler has crafted a unique take on the tired vampire story in her 2005 novel, Fledgling. Full of rich characters and Butler’s views of the modern family, Fledgling explores the politics of a unique vampire society through the eyes of narrator Shori, a young, biracial vampire suffering from amnesia.

The reader learns the history and culture of Butler’s vampires right along with Shori as she struggles to reconnect to the community she once had. After years of fashionable, vacant vampire stories, Fledgling offers a breath of fresh air to the genre, exploring politics, romantic relationships, and loss through without relying on stereotypes.

Butler truly was a sci-fi writer for everyone. Fledgling is a delicious novel.