4 Stars

Octavia Butler

Fledgling

Seven Stories Press

ISBN 1-58322-690-7

2005

As one would expect from a distinguished science fiction writer, this "vampire as alien" novel is an exciting, fresh approach to the motif of vampires as a naturally evolved species. (Although they have their own origin myths, they don't know for sure whether they came from another planet or evolved alongside humanity on Earth.) The Ina, as they call themselves, cannot breed with Homo sapiens, but they depend on human "symbionts" not only for blood but for emotional connection. These vampires' venom is addictive, so that once bonded, their symbionts, of which each Ina has a household full to avoid draining any one individual, can't leave their Ina or even want to. In addition to the ravishing pleasure of giving blood and sometimes sharing sexual passion with the Ina, they also gain the advantage of improved healing faculties and extension of their lifespan to a couple of centuries. Shori, the first-person narrator, looks like a child, even though she is really over fifty years old (still childhood for her species). At the beginning of the novel she has lost her memory in the aftermath of a brutal attack that destroyed her home and killed everyone in it except her, both Ina and human. A young man driving by picks her up and quickly becomes enthralled by her. Gradually she discovers her true nature, connects with other Ina clans, gathers a new group of symbionts, and searches for the murderers of her family. She discovers that she is targeted for assassination because she's the result of a genetic experiment in adding melanin to vampires' bodies through insertion of human DNA, in order to make them less sensitive to the sun. (Ina don't disintegrate or burst into flame in sunlight like movie vampires, and unlike any folklore or pre-NOSFERATU literary vampire. They are simply terribly vulnerable to its damaging effects.)

Butler, who died shortly after the publication of this novel, used vampire motifs in a science fiction context in such works as her classic short story "Bloodchild" and her "Patternmaster" novel series. In FLEDGLING she explores issues such as free will, symbiosis versus predation, interactions between species, and what it means to be human. Because of Shori's dark skin, the text also obliquely addresses human interracial relationships. Moreover, the fact that she looks like a child, even though she is fifty years old and potentially dangerous predator, introduces a daring element into the book when her rescuer, Wright, becomes involved in an eroticized blood-sharing bond with her. The reader is forced to consider whether age differences are meaningful across species so alien to each other in many ways despite their mutual dependence. One of the best vampire novels of 2005, a "must-read" for fans of the genre.

Reviewed by Margaret L. Carter