Fledgling (novel)

Fledgling is a science fiction novel by Octavia Butler and published in 2005.

Plot summary

The novel tells the story of Shori, who appears to be a 10 or 11 year old African-American girl, but is actually a 53 year old member of a race called "Ina". It is eventually revealed that the Ina are the race that has formed the basis of humanity's vampire legends. They are nocturnal, extremely long-lived and derive sustenance from the drinking of human blood. They are physically superior to humans, both in strength and in the ability to heal from injury, but they lack the evil and malevolence toward human beings typically found in vampires of legend. In fact, the Ina's relationships with the humans whose blood they drink are non-lethal, symbiotic and mutually desired, though they keep their existence as a separate race a secret from most humans.

The story opens as Shori awakens with no knowledge of who or where she is, in the wilderness, hungry and suffering from critical injuries. Although she is burned and apparently has major skull trauma, she kills and eats the first animal that approaches her. After she kills again and heals, it becomes clear that she has complete amnesia, having no memory at all of her former life. After discovering a burned village that feels familiar but of which she has no memory, a construction worker named Wright picks her up on the side of the road, and they begin a symbiotic relationship in which he receives great pleasure from her biting him and drinking his blood.

Wright takes Shori with him to his home. While there, Shori feeds on other inhabitants of the town, and develops a relationship with an older woman named Theodora. Shori and Wright decide to return to the burned-out, abandoned village near where she woke up to try to learn more about her past. When they return, they question a human in a near by town who tells them that another man has been returning to the site regularly. They arrange a rendezvous with this man, and he reveals himself to be Iosif, Shori’s father. The burned out town was once her home, where she lived with her sisters and mothers. Iosif does not know what happened to the settlement, but believes that Shori is the only survivor. They also learn that Wright’s and Shori’s mutually beneficial relationship makes Wright Shori’s symbiont. The two will share this special bond for their lifetimes. Furthermore, it becomes apparent that Shori’s dark skin is the result of genetic modification with which the Ina were experimenting to make their kind resistant to daylight. Iosif invites Shori and Wright to come stay with him and Shori’s brothers. Shori and Wright visit Iosif’s settlement, but decide that they must return to Wright’s house to gather their belongings and decide what to do next.

When Shori and Wright return to Iosif’s settlement, they find it burned down like Shori’s home was. Shori and Wright meet the only two human symbionts who survived, Celia and Brook. Shori adopts Celia and Brook as her own symbionts, and the four flee to another house that Iosif is known to keep. When they are at this new house, they are attacked by several men with gasoline and guns. The group manages to escape, killing a five of the men in the process, and decide to visit the Gordon family, an Ina family that Brook has met.

When they arrive at the Gordon family settlement, they are welcomed. The Gordon family offers to help Ina get back on her feet. Shori arranges to have Theodora brought to the Gordon family compound. Because the Gordons are aware of the danger of attackers, they set up human guards during the day to protect them from the attackers. One day, a band of men approaches the compound. The human symbiont guards, under Shori’s direction, are successful at defending the compound and manage to capture three of the attackers alive. That night, the Gordon family interrogates the intruders and finds that the attackers were sent by the Silks, another Ina family. The Gordons suspect that these attacks on Shori are motivated by disdain for the genetic experimentation that created Shori.

The Gordon family calls a Council of Judgment on Shori’s behalf. This Council will meet to discuss what the Silks have done and decide on a punishment. Thirteen Ina families and their symbionts come to the Gordon settlement for the Council. While the Council is happening, Katherine Dahlman sends one of her symbionts to kill Theodora, Shori’s symbiont. So in addition to issuing a punishment the Silks, the Council must also punish Katherine Dahlman. The Silks have their sons taken from them, to be adopted by other Ina families. Thus the Silk line will die out. Katherine Dahlman is sentenced to have her leg amputated. However, she refuses this punishment and is consequently executed.

As the book ends, Shori is invited to live with a group of female Ina, the Braithwaite family, to whom she is distantly related.

Critical Reception

• Charles, Ron. Love at First Bite at The Washington Post, October 30, 2005.
• Doctorow, Cory. Octavia Butler's "Fledgling": subtle, thrilling vampire novel at BoingBoing, January 17, 2006.
• Gates, Rob. Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler at Strange Horizons, March 6, 2006.
• Cheuse, Alan. Posthumous Sci-Fi: Octavia E. Butler's 'Fledgling' at NPR, February 23, 2007.