2012 Puddly Awards
 
 
Follow us on TwitterFollow us on FacebookFollow us on Google+Follow us on TumblrSubscribe to RSS

Recently Viewed clear list

Q&A | May 1, 2012

Gregg Allman: IMG Powell’s Q&A: Gregg Allman

0 comments By Gregg Allman

Describe your new book: This book is the story of my life — the ups, the downs, and the music. If someone were to write your biography, what... Continue »
  1. $19.59 Sale Hardcover add to wish list

    My Cross to Bear

    Gregg Allman 9780062112033
spacer
Ships free on qualified orders.
$13.99
New Trade Paper
Ships in 1 to 3 days
Add to Wishlist
Qty Store Section
8 Burnside Featured Titles- Genre
2 Burnside Science Fiction and Fantasy- A to Z
11 Local Warehouse Science Fiction and Fantasy- A to Z
5 Remote Warehouse Science Fiction and Fantasy- Fantasy

More copies of this ISBN

This title in other editions

Fledgling

by Octavia E. Butler

Fledgling Cover

ISBN13: 9780446696166
ISBN10: 0446696161
All Product Details

 

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Fledgling 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. 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 is a captivating novel that tests the limits of otherness and questions what it means to be truly human.

Fledgling is a captivating novel that tests the limits of otherness and questions what it means to be truly human.

Review:

"The much-lauded Butler creates vampires in her 12th novel that have about as much to do with Bram Stoker's Dracula as HBO's Deadwood does with High Noon. They need human blood to survive, but they don't kill unless they have to, and (given several hundred years) they'll eventually die peacefully of old age. They are Ina, and they've coexisted with humans for millennia, imparting robust health and narcotic bliss with every bite to their devoted human blood donors, aka 'symbionts.' Shori is a 53-year-old Ina (a juvenile) who wakes up in a cave, amnesiac and seriously wounded. As is later revealed, her family and their symbionts were murdered because they genetically engineered a generation of part-Ina, part-human children. Shori was their most successful experiment: she can stay conscious during daylight hours, and her black skin helps protect her from the sun. The lone survivor, Shori must rely on a few friendly (and tasty) people to help her warn other Ina families and rediscover herself. Butler, keeping tension high, reveals the mysteries of the Ina universe bit by tantalizing bit. Just as the Ina's collective honor and dignity starts to get a little dull, a gang of bigoted, black sheep Ina rolls into town for a species-wide confab-cum-smackdown. In the feisty Shori, Butler has created a new vampire paradigm — one that's more prone to sci-fi social commentary than gothic romance — and given a tired genre a much-needed shot in the arm." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Review:

"[Butler's] writing is vivid and tense....The book is laced with emotionally and erotically charged encounters....It's a fascinating read, uncomfortable, horrifying, and ugly at times, but always compelling." Boston Globe

Review:

"Butler has a reputation as a master for good reason, and her narrative flows quickly and seamlessly along as Shori seeks those who would destroy her. Gripping and memorable..." Booklist (Starred Review)

Review:

"A finely crafted character study, a parable about race and an exciting family saga. Exquisitely moving fiction." Kirkus

Review:

"Readers familiar with...Parable of the Sower and Bloodchild will recall that [Butler] never asks easy questions or settles for easy answers." Gerald Jonas, The New York Times

Review:

"There's not a drop of Bela Lugosi in these pages, but Fledgling exercises the same hypnotic power the old Count projected onto his victims. Squirming in my chair, I was totally hooked, sometimes nauseated, anxious to put it down, but unable to look away." Ron Charles, The Washington Post

Review:

"At first glance, Fledgling's only flaw is that it ends. Yet the conclusion is a satisfying one, with no loose ends. The real problem is that despite this, it leaves the reader wanting more. More Shori. More Ina. In a word, more books." Seattle Times
back to top

About the Author

Octavia E. Butler is the author of 11 novels, including Kindred, Dawn, and Parable of the Sower. Recipient of a MacArthur Foundation genius grant, the Nebula Award, the Hugo Award, and numerous other literary awards, she has been acclaimed for her lean prose, strong protagonists, and social observations that range from the distant past to the far future.
back to top

What Our Readers Are Saying

Add a comment for a chance to win!
Average customer rating based on 5 comments:
Elizabeth Bee, January 22, 2012 (view all comments by Elizabeth Bee)
Were you kind of intrigued by the sexy Twilight vampires, but turned off by the flat characters, anti-feminist messages, and bland writing? Read this instead. Your brain will thank you. You also get deep questions about race in America, the meaning of "family," and the relationship between love and sex. Plus it is a rip-roaring, page-turning, girl-on-the-run thriller. What's not to love?
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
(1 of 1 readers found this comment helpful)
report this comment
Roxie Katz, September 13, 2011 (view all comments by Roxie Katz)
Absolutely stunning book. The book made me cringe and think and read faster and cheer and cry. I can only imagine where the next book would have taken us. It leaves me with two questions: Why, in this day of remake upon remake, has no creative person not made a film of a Butler book? and Why was she taken from us so suddenly?
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
report this comment
pig_girl, May 27, 2011 (view all comments by pig_girl)
Fledgling was one of my first adult sci-fi books, and I am now hooked on Octavia. I recommend Fledgling to any of my friends who like vampire books or movies. The added layers of the racial tensions and amnesia just give this book a even deeper reading experience. Even after reading it multiple times, I can stay up all night just to finish it, its that addictive!
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
report this comment
View all 5 comments
back to top

Product Details

ISBN:
9780446696166
Author:
Butler, Octavia E.
Publisher:
Warner Books
Subject:
Science Fiction - General
Subject:
Fantasy - General
Subject:
Young women
Subject:
Vampires
Subject:
Horror fiction
Subject:
Science Fiction and Fantasy-A to Z
Copyright:
2007
Publication Date:
20070131
Binding:
TRADE PAPER
Language:
English
Pages:
310
Dimensions:
8.04x6.34x.83 in. .58 lbs.
back to top

Other books you might like

  1. $9.95 Used Hardcover add to wish list

    Casanegra: A Tennyson Hardwick Story

    Blair Underwood and Steven Barnes and Tananarive Due 9780743287319
  2. $10.99 Google eBooks add to wish list

    Joplin's Ghost

    Tananarive Due 9781416510475
  3. $8.50 Used Hardcover add to wish list

    Powers (Annals of the Western Shore #03)

    Ursula K. Le Guin 9780152057701
  4. $17.71 Google eBooks add to wish list

    Parable of the Talents

    Octavia E. Butler 9781609803650
  5. $5.50 Used Mass Market add to wish list

    Parable of the Sower

    Octavia E. Butler 9780446601979
  6. $7.95 Used Trade Paper add to wish list

    Four Ways to Forgiveness: Stories

    Ursula K Le Guin 9780060760298
back to top

Related Subjects

Featured Titles » Genre
Fiction and Poetry » Science Fiction and Fantasy » A to Z
Languages » Foreign Languages » Spanish » Fiction and Poetry » Horror » General
Languages » Foreign Languages » Spanish » Fiction and Poetry » Science Fiction and Fantasy » Fantasy » General

Fledgling New Trade Paper
0 stars - 0 reviews
$13.99 In Stock
Product details 310 pages Warner Books - English 9780446696166 Reviews:
"Publishers Weekly Review" by , "The much-lauded Butler creates vampires in her 12th novel that have about as much to do with Bram Stoker's Dracula as HBO's Deadwood does with High Noon. They need human blood to survive, but they don't kill unless they have to, and (given several hundred years) they'll eventually die peacefully of old age. They are Ina, and they've coexisted with humans for millennia, imparting robust health and narcotic bliss with every bite to their devoted human blood donors, aka 'symbionts.' Shori is a 53-year-old Ina (a juvenile) who wakes up in a cave, amnesiac and seriously wounded. As is later revealed, her family and their symbionts were murdered because they genetically engineered a generation of part-Ina, part-human children. Shori was their most successful experiment: she can stay conscious during daylight hours, and her black skin helps protect her from the sun. The lone survivor, Shori must rely on a few friendly (and tasty) people to help her warn other Ina families and rediscover herself. Butler, keeping tension high, reveals the mysteries of the Ina universe bit by tantalizing bit. Just as the Ina's collective honor and dignity starts to get a little dull, a gang of bigoted, black sheep Ina rolls into town for a species-wide confab-cum-smackdown. In the feisty Shori, Butler has created a new vampire paradigm — one that's more prone to sci-fi social commentary than gothic romance — and given a tired genre a much-needed shot in the arm." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)
"Review" by , "[Butler's] writing is vivid and tense....The book is laced with emotionally and erotically charged encounters....It's a fascinating read, uncomfortable, horrifying, and ugly at times, but always compelling."
"Review" by , "Butler has a reputation as a master for good reason, and her narrative flows quickly and seamlessly along as Shori seeks those who would destroy her. Gripping and memorable..."
"Review" by , "A finely crafted character study, a parable about race and an exciting family saga. Exquisitely moving fiction."
"Review" by , "Readers familiar with...Parable of the Sower and Bloodchild will recall that [Butler] never asks easy questions or settles for easy answers."
"Review" by , "There's not a drop of Bela Lugosi in these pages, but Fledgling exercises the same hypnotic power the old Count projected onto his victims. Squirming in my chair, I was totally hooked, sometimes nauseated, anxious to put it down, but unable to look away."
"Review" by , "At first glance, Fledgling's only flaw is that it ends. Yet the conclusion is a satisfying one, with no loose ends. The real problem is that despite this, it leaves the reader wanting more. More Shori. More Ina. In a word, more books."
spacer
spacer
  • back to top
Follow us on...



Powell's City of Books is an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, that fills a whole city block with more than a million new, used, and out of print books. Shop those shelves — plus literally millions more books, DVDs, and eBooks — here at Powells.com.