It’s gritty, it’s sensual, it’s emotional, and it has an even blend of action scenes and quieter, interpersonal moments. While the subject matter of the story may seem like it fits the horror genre, the actual meat of the story is more murder mystery and then eventual courtroom drama, and as such fits a lot more of the tropes of a noir. The prose is exceptionally well written, engaging and in the moment, so that it feels vibrant and alive as Shori tells of her experiences. From this point on the story follows the mystery of what lead up to these events as Shori sets out to piece together who and what she is from various clues, and help along the way. The audience knows, of course, that she is a vampire, but she is unaware of what she is, grappling with instinctual urges, hunger, and a confusion of identity. Written in first person, this story opens with the lead character discovering herself, as she awakens in a cavern with amnesia.
So, tread lightly if this is content that you find particularly disturbing. I should give warning, however, that it contains sexual content involving a very young character, and this content can certainly be uncomfortable or distressing to read. It isn’t strictly speaking a horror novel, although it is about vampires of a sort, but it uses vampire mythos to explore many other much more human concepts.
Warnings: depictions of racism, underage sexįledgling is a speculative vampire novel that leans heavily into worldbuilding lore and explorations of race and identity. Fledgling is a captivating novel that tests the limits of “otherness” and questions what it means to be truly human. 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. Fledgling, Octavia Butler’s last novel, is the story of an apparently young, amnesiac girl whose alarmingly un-human needs and abilities lead her to a startling conclusion: she is in fact a genetically modified, 53-year-old vampire.
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