Books by author: Octavia E. Butler

I picked up Fledgling from the library shortly after hearing about Butler's untimely death. I've never read any of her other novels, but I heard good things about this one last Fall, and it's been on my list of books to check out since then.

Fledgling is a reimagining of the vampire mythos, told from the perspective of a young, amnesiac vampire. The opening 100 pages are wonderfully engaging, as Butler shows us the world through her protagonist's eyes. After this terrific start, the pace bogs down a bit, and the racism themes become a little too obvious, but overall, it's pretty well constructed. It would have been more thought-provoking if things weren't so black and white, but it's enjoyable nonetheless.