Preview

Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Audible Plus auto-renews for $7.95/mo after 30 days. Upgrade or cancel anytime.

Fledgling

By: Octavia E. Butler
Narrated by: Adenrele Ojo
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $21.49

Buy for $21.49

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

This is the story of an apparently young, amnesiac girl whose alarmingly unhuman 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.

©2005 Octavia E. Butler (P)2020 Recorded Books
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: Romance
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Featured Article: The top 100 horror books of all time


This list encompasses the full spectrum of what horror can be—campfire-worthy tales, stomach-churning gore, and incisive social commentary. The classics are accounted for, but it also spotlights more recent titles, because that’s the nature of the genre—it is as perennial as it is ever-evolving, conjuring whatever frights most haunt our collective consciousness. Each title does have one thing in common: It makes for devilishly good listening. So cut the lights and press play—if you dare.

What listeners say about Fledgling

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    565
  • 4 Stars
    188
  • 3 Stars
    122
  • 2 Stars
    33
  • 1 Stars
    33
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    508
  • 4 Stars
    180
  • 3 Stars
    88
  • 2 Stars
    24
  • 1 Stars
    33
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    500
  • 4 Stars
    170
  • 3 Stars
    98
  • 2 Stars
    35
  • 1 Stars
    29

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

narrorator...

I remember the story from when I was younger. it's a great great story. but this narrorator sounds like shes having a contestant orgasm. it's really off putting from the story. but I really wanted to hear the story so I had to tolerate it. ew though. it was hard.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

44 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Narrator was not dynamic

I might have liked this book better if I read it instead of listening to it. The narrator spoke without feeling, just matter of fact like. It left me feeling like no one felt any emotion, or what they did feel was mild. This also made the story very anticlimactic. I was surprised when it ended. The stories of the Ina were interesting, and would be more so if told in a dynamic voice, but the story seemed to lack a point. The delivery of all the information just seemed off.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

26 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Got bogged down in the middle w/unnecessary detail

I've read more recent books from Butler and loved them. Good, not great, but enjoyed.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

An interesting one

I have loved to many of Butlers books but found this one not quite the same. I wanted to like it more. Worth a listen but different from her other work.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

A different type of Vampire Story

This was a vampire story told in a different way. The story was ok. I’ve heard how great this book was and maybe that’s why I only thought it was ok. My expectations were high. Again, it was ok, not great. I recently finished Fevre Dream by George R R Martin and that was a great vampire book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

good performance, great story

It tickled at first, hearing this woman doing men's voices. A
As the story progressed I realized that it was done quite well and takes you into this very unusual vampire story.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Story but weird immoral & mental alignment.

I loved the plot. It was written simply but well enough to allow me to picture every emotion and the surroundings the author set out to convey. Octavia E. Butler is a brilliant writer. I have now listened to all her books on Audible and like always, she did not disappoint with this book. However, I felt immoral in the sense of the pedophilic imagery that was being constructed. It would have been one thing if it were just vampire or Ina sleeping with one another but the incorporation of human adults sleeping with what was a physically young child put me in a state of immoral/ mental unalignment. I struggled with deep moral dissonance having to accept the she was technically "grown" but even still a child compared to her own kind. It was weird that even the human adults could visibly see that she was a child but still went ahead to sleep with her and then further became okay with the idea only when they were told that she was in fact older than them in human years. It's like those pedophiles who say that the child they are courting has an "old soul." If this line of thought in this book can be accepted then should the pedophiles line of thought also be? But at the end of the day, what gave me solace was understanding that pedophilia is proclaimed on those who engage in sexual acts with children. Young ones are regarded as children becuase they do not have the ability to fully consent largely in part becuase their prefrontal cortex (moral center) has not fully developed skewing thier ability to make well informed or sound decisions. Basically, they are easily impressionable and/ or gullible. In this case Shurri/ Renae is only regarded as a child becuase she has not delevoped to the point of being able to reproduce which is not necessarily regarding her mental development. But to counter that train of thought somehow, males of her kind cannot mate with her becuase "she is too young..."
The more I try to apply logic to this story the more I undergo a weird immoral/ mental alignment. But overall, great story. Very captivating nonetheless! I gave the performance 4 stars becuase the reader seemed to be whinging the whole time. I have noticed a theme in Octavia's books were she seems to be writing from a persepective that illustrates the anxiety one feels when placed in a specific situation but I think the narrator over did it a bit and just seemed to come across as whinning the whole time...

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Little weird but cool - awful narration

Definitely the horniest Octavia E. Butler book I’ve read so far, for better and for worse. She does the classic “so she’s 53 but she looks 10” thing bad anime does, which was pretty disgusting but that and some lackluster repetitive writing towards the end (Shuri reiterates her feelings in the same words a lot) were my only problems. Butler’s greatest strength imo is her concepts and i adored her take on vampire existence and community, particularly community. The narration was pretty bad, though. The narrator attempted accents she had no ability to portray and it was quite laughable a lot of the time. The weakest Butler I’ve read but still a fun ride.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Compelling Story - Superb Narration

Butler develops a novel exposition on a traditional vampire theme that held me in thrall from start to end. I loved her writing, plotting and character development. I thought the novel was a thought provoking study on free will and privacy.
The narration was by far the best of all the many audiobooks I have listened to. Adenrele Ojo clearly did a lot of preparation. The accuracy of her reading and the tenor of her voice was exceptional. I am so appreciative of her effort.
I hope you enjoy the reading and writing as much as I have.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful

I absolutely loved this book. I had a hard time not listening all day. The story was exciting and compelling. The reader did an excellent job. I just might listen again

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!