Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
By now everyone knows that Meyer’s first book Twilight has been released as a movie, and hundreds of thousands of teens have rushed off to see it. But I wonder how many adult fans of the horror genre have been suckered in. I know one 50something who went along expecting a vampire horror movie! Maybe he should have read the book first.
Anyway now I am on book three of the series. The love triangle is complete, Bella loves Edward who loves Bella who also loves Jacob (as a brother/friend) who loves Bella. Edward is a vampire and Jacob is a werewolf; enemies for all time. Now their traditional battle is personal. But more than that, the bad vamps from the Twilight have found Bella and Edward and are sworn on revenge.
But once again the popularity of this book cannot be based on the plot. This story has been told many times before. The popularity of this series is firmly based on the characters that simply jump off the page and wrap themselves around your heart. As a reader, you care about what happens. Is Bella going to live with Jacob, or die to be with Edward? And how will the loser in this triangle cope with the grief? Those questions keep the pages turning, not the veneer of adventure.
OK so this is modern pulp fiction. But I will admit, I thoroughly enjoyed it. There are not many books that will keep me awake until the wee hours of the morning just to find out what happens.
