Fledgling

Fledgling is a science fiction novel by Octavia Butler 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... more

Fledgling is a science fiction novel by Octavia Butler 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... less