Holly is a young trans vampire, who has recently joined a vast underground colony. Modeling themselves after the honeybee, these vampires dutifully perform their assigned duties and defer only to the Hierophant, their founder. All Holly wants is to be fully accepted, for the Hierophant to give him a new name, which will wipe away the last of his human past and mark him as a true member of the colony.
But the Hierophant seems to be rebuking Holly at every turn, and Holly begins to wonder if this is really where he belongs.
The Mellification was an interesting story. At about two hundred pages, this is a novella rather than a full novel. And though it's a good plot, I think the length counts against it. This story introduces not only Holly, his partner Cain, and the Hierophant, but it also throws in some perspective switches and introduces you to Lila and Claudia -- two vampires locked in an eternal rivalry that dates back to their time as humans. It would have really benefitted from being expanded into a full length novel. Then we could have really delved into the founding of the Hierophant's colony as well as everyone's backstory. (Personally, you can't introduce me to a pair like Lila and Claudia and not tell me more...)
As you might imagine, there wasn't much room for a solid conclusion after all the exposition, much less a satisfying one. Though the ending Nat Buchbinder chose does seem oddly fitting, I can't help but feel it would have carried more weight had we been given more time and story to connect with the characters.
Length aside, this story was filled with fascinating characters. If you're interested in a brief gothic horror story, you may enjoy Nat Buchbinder's The Mellification.