The Twilight Series
By: Harmony Wheeler |
Friday August 01, 2008 |
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There's a new J.K. Rowling in town. |
| What started as a mother's secret attempt to record a dream she had has turned into an international hit. Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series has topped Harry Potter on USA Today's list of bestselling books, and Summit Entertainment will release a movie version of the first book on December 12. Twilight, the first book in the series, was on the New York Times best-seller list for a year. New Moon, the second book, found itself in a similar top spot in the U.S., Spain, and Germany. Eclipse, the third book, has sold in over 15 countries. Friday, August 1, thousands of fans gather at more than 1,500 bookstores for the midnight release of the final book in the series, Breaking Dawn. When Meyer, a Mormon mother of three, first started writing in June of 2003, she kept her writing a secret. At the same time, she found she couldn't stop writing about the characters in her dream. The dream Meyer had about a vampire confessing his desire to both love and kill a mortal girl became chapter 13 in her first book. Thinking everyone would laugh at her story, she told only her sister. She says on her website, "I was so intrigued by the nameless couple's story that I hated the idea of forgetting it; it was the kind of dream that makes you want to call your friend and bore her with a detailed description." When she finished the first draft, Meyer's sister encouraged her to try to get it published. Meyer went to the internet for help and eventually found an agent. Twilight was published by the fall of 2005 and Meyer's other books followed. The series follows the relationship between teenagers Bella, a mortal, and Edward, a vampire. In the first book the two meet and must fight off a group of rival vampires who want to drink Bella's blood. As their relationship continues to grow, the two slowly fall in love, but struggle with the fact that they can only be together permanently if Bella becomes a vampire. Realizing that his presence endangers Bella's life, Edward leaves town in the second book. While he is gone, Bella meets werewolf Jacob Black. As Jacob helps Bella fight off another group of vampires that want to take her life, he begins to fall in love with her. When Bella reunites with Edward, however, she is forced to choose between Edward and Jacob. Bella decides who she loves most in the third book. At the same time she continues to fight off the same group of vampires from the second book. Meyer and her published have kept most of the fourth book's plot secret. The book's MySpace page gives this description: Bella is more sure than ever that she has made the right choice... But a new enemy stalks closer, seeking to tear Bella and Edward apart forever, one with ties to both Vampire and Werewolf... Will the new threat force both sides to settle their blood feud once and for all? Because when the dawn breaks an angel will fall. As with the Harry Potter series, Meyer's books become darker with each installment. However, Meyer says her books are unique because they are more about life than about death. The books also differ from other vampire stories because they don't follow the same mythology. Meyer, herself, has only read one vampire novel and has yet to read Bram Stoker's Dracula. She doesn't watch R-rated films and calls herself a chicken. Her books lack gore, lust, and bad language. The character Edward and his family drink the blood of animals to satisfy their hunger. Meyer's clean, family-friendly books have attracted fans from all over the world. Her books have been translated into 20 languages and now that she has started writing she can't stop. Meyer has released The Host, a suspense love story that involves aliens, and plans to write sequels to the novel. She also has many other mysteries and adventures in mind that she would like to write someday including a mermaid story and a ghost story. Although Breaking Dawn marks the finale of the Twilight series, fans won't have to wait long for more Bella and Edward. New and old fans will get the chance to take of bite of Twilight the movie this December and according to Meyer's website, Meyer is working on a new book that will retell the Twilight series from Edward's perspective. It won't be long before thousands will gather once again for the midnight release of Midnight Sun. Visit the Stephenie Meyer website to find out more about the Twilight series and for the upcoming movie, visit the Twilight Movie official site. |
