There was a big fuss about Fledgling even before she died, actually. It was the first novel of hers in eight years -- fans had been chomping at the bit, wondering if she had given up writing. Then when it finally came, it was completely out of left field. ("A vampire book? Is this the same Octavia Butler?") She gave a couple interviews that suggested it was a writer's-block-clearing book, and so some fans hoped that the next book might be more "typically" her--

And then there was no next book.