In the beginning, there was The Count. Starting with an historical figure (Vlad the Impaler of Romania), Bram Stoker took a bit of folklore and added a lot of imagination to create a vampire myth that still scares readers to this day. Stoker’s “Dracula” was the textbook example of vampire stories for many years- because of his tale, we know what vampires look like, how they survive, and what they can (and cannot) do. It was through “Dracula” that we learned about garlic and stakes, of crosses and coffins.
Anne Rice reinvented the vampire legend with the introduction of “Interview With the Vampire,” the first of the Vampire Chronicles, which was followed shortly by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, who brought vampires back to popular literature with a series of books about the Prince vampire Count Saint-Germaine. Now comes the newest addition to the folklore; “The Twilight Saga” by Stephanie Meyer. The series begins with “Twilight” and continues with “New Moon” “Eclipse”, and “Breaking Dawn”.
Meyer’s vampires stray the furthest yet from the creatues of old. These vampires can move easily in daylight (although they exhibit an interesting phenomenon when exposed to direct sunlight that keeps them inside except on cloudy days). They do not drink human blood, preferring the more humane choice of feeding on animals. And they love humans…passionately and against all better judgment. The novels center on the relationships between vampire Edward Cullen, his human love, Bella Swan, and Jacob Black, a love interest for Bella who’s not quite human himself. They are written for young adults, and Stephanie Meyer was hailed as the “new J. K. Rowling” when the first book came out in 2005. I must admit that I liked the novels for the most part…but (with one exception- more on that in a bit), “Harry Potter” this ain’t.
My biggest problem is that Meyer has a tendency to repeat things ad nauseum. It’s not enough to describe a character’s beauty; it has to be pounded in hundreds of times during the course of the novels. Besides that, the characters are likeable but not overly interesting as individuals, there’s a lot of descriptive language that is for the most part unnecessary, and there are changes of voice that are sometimes a bit jarring. But, that being said…
What is GREAT about these novels- the element that makes them so fun to read - is the dark romance at the center of the story. True love between a human and vampire should be dangerous and scary, bringing with it questions about life, death, human frailty, and the appeal of immortality. The books convey all of that and more, and ultimately make us care about how the characters deal with the paths they have chosen. While I enjoyed all of the novels, the fourth in the series, “Breaking Dawn”, is far and away the best of the lot. Somewhere between the first and last books, Meyer learned how to write, and she has a created a novel that is (finally!) as quick moving, well plotted, and full of interesting characters and situations as any of the Harry Potter novels. It also “grows up” a bit, presenting themes that are more adult in nature while still keeping a lighter tone. I can’t wait to check out her first “adult” novel and see how it compares.
If you’re a fan of vampire lore and supernatural love stories, give this vampire series a try. And don’t blame me if it..
Wait for it…
Sucks.
Anne Rice reinvented the vampire legend with the introduction of “Interview With the Vampire,” the first of the Vampire Chronicles, which was followed shortly by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, who brought vampires back to popular literature with a series of books about the Prince vampire Count Saint-Germaine. Now comes the newest addition to the folklore; “The Twilight Saga” by Stephanie Meyer. The series begins with “Twilight” and continues with “New Moon” “Eclipse”, and “Breaking Dawn”.
Meyer’s vampires stray the furthest yet from the creatues of old. These vampires can move easily in daylight (although they exhibit an interesting phenomenon when exposed to direct sunlight that keeps them inside except on cloudy days). They do not drink human blood, preferring the more humane choice of feeding on animals. And they love humans…passionately and against all better judgment. The novels center on the relationships between vampire Edward Cullen, his human love, Bella Swan, and Jacob Black, a love interest for Bella who’s not quite human himself. They are written for young adults, and Stephanie Meyer was hailed as the “new J. K. Rowling” when the first book came out in 2005. I must admit that I liked the novels for the most part…but (with one exception- more on that in a bit), “Harry Potter” this ain’t.
My biggest problem is that Meyer has a tendency to repeat things ad nauseum. It’s not enough to describe a character’s beauty; it has to be pounded in hundreds of times during the course of the novels. Besides that, the characters are likeable but not overly interesting as individuals, there’s a lot of descriptive language that is for the most part unnecessary, and there are changes of voice that are sometimes a bit jarring. But, that being said…
What is GREAT about these novels- the element that makes them so fun to read - is the dark romance at the center of the story. True love between a human and vampire should be dangerous and scary, bringing with it questions about life, death, human frailty, and the appeal of immortality. The books convey all of that and more, and ultimately make us care about how the characters deal with the paths they have chosen. While I enjoyed all of the novels, the fourth in the series, “Breaking Dawn”, is far and away the best of the lot. Somewhere between the first and last books, Meyer learned how to write, and she has a created a novel that is (finally!) as quick moving, well plotted, and full of interesting characters and situations as any of the Harry Potter novels. It also “grows up” a bit, presenting themes that are more adult in nature while still keeping a lighter tone. I can’t wait to check out her first “adult” novel and see how it compares.
If you’re a fan of vampire lore and supernatural love stories, give this vampire series a try. And don’t blame me if it..
Wait for it…
Sucks.
4 comments:
Maybe A Vampire not being able to live without someone elses blood is a Metaphore for humans and the love we seek in life. Maybe thats why Vampire books and the idea just in general always finds a way to seep into the Pop culture.
Ive never really found anythinng beautiful about Vampires unless i look at it that way. ive read only parts of Anne Rice's INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE which Hollywood struggled to adapt to the screen, I havent reade this new woman yet but i am very curious as to what she may have to bring.
Why are Vampires so popular? And why are they so glamorized, they're are people who think they're Vampires, they call themselves Vampires, nobody calls themselves a werewolf, nobody aspires to be a werewolf.
Maybe because if Vampires did exist they could hide very easily amongst us, in fact id actually rather bump into a Vampire than some of people ive crossed paths with around here on a dark night.
Maybe there is something very human about the idea of Vampires and something that stirs the fantasies all at the sane time.
Vampires are rebels, people aspire to be rebels. They make others into Vampires with their bite, people want their own families and a sense of belonging to a group.
They want to be independent and accepted all at one. Most people strive for the same.
I doubt that the simple act of drinking anyone or anything's blood for that matter is what makes anyone want to be a Vampire,
if that was in a job description id doubt it would have many applicants.
I think most of all people want to feel powerful and put up on a pedestal somehow, "Look at me aren't I beautiful and amazing and and differnt, I'm not like you."
"But my silly little blood suckers you are just like us." that's the point. Minus the whole blood drinking thing, I mean you could of had a V
Good observations! I've actually thought a bit about this, and I believe people romanticize vampires for several reasons:
For one, they're extraordinarily powerful. They are strong. Some can read minds. Others can fly. Who wouldn't want to be have superhero powers?
For another, they live outside of time and place. They are completely free to wander anywhere on the planet at will, with no threat of retaliation from "regular" people, the government, or the law. Pretty enticing stuff.
And last, they have the one thing that men throughout the ages have seeked to attain- immortality. The thought of existing to the end of time is fascinating, but I think that most people who actually stop to consider that notion carefully would (if they have any humanity at all) choose a different path. Through vampire folklore and literature we can live vicariously, following these creatures through centuries of existence. Something that I hope to never be offered the chance to do myself.
I can't say if you'll like the books, but if vampire lore interests you at all, I think you might find the..."evolution", if you will...of Meyer's breed of vampire quite interesting.
Y'all want vampires? Look no further than a classic trilogy of movies that make sucking corpes dry like being at a rave. I'm talking about Blade. Leave your romantic fantasies to Jane Austen. Sharpen your fangs for a kick ass good time. I don't know about the rest of the world, but when I think vampire, nothing crosses my mind faster than a sunglassed Wesley Snipes. Ka-Pow!
"Blade"? Really?? He's not even a full-blooded (hehehe!) vampire! But fun? Yeah. Kickass? FUCK yeah! Fine, I'll give you that one.
BUT...if you're ever in the mood to watch a "real" vampire movie, here are two that are sure to make your balls crawl back up into your body:
"Fright Night". But that's a comedy, you say? Au contraire mon cher. It has its goofy moments to be sure, but there's enough teeth-baring and stake plunging to keep the horror fans happy.
"Salem's Lot". This movie scares the absolute shit out of me. It builds slowly, and the tension rises until you're a quivering mess (or is that just me?). God forbid you watch it at night. Alone. In the Dark. Holy fuck. One of the best adaptations of a Stephen King novel EVER.
I wish I could include the Gary Oldman version of "Dracula" on this list, because he's beyond creepy and the atmosphere is very...well, atmospheric. But come on...Keanu Reeves? Winona Ryder? I like hot chicks with bared breasts as much as the next guy, but not when they're dripping with blood and about to have their heads whacked off. With GOOD vampire movies, the more left to the imagination, the better.
Just my humble opinion.
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