I can fully understand the almost cult-like following that has grown up around this series by Stephenie Meyer. Although written for young teens, it has an appeal that will cross age lines and bring to it’s fan base a wide variety of people. It’s appeal is going to transcend fantasy, romance and suspense as this book (and I’m going to infer that the series is written in much the same manner throughout) touches on all of these elements.

It’s a dark series, make no mistake, but it’s not so dark as to be off putting. Much like the 1970’s television series, Dark Shadows, the human characters are very real in their lives and responses to being faced with the paranormal. The non-human characters are not so easily pigeonholed. Being Vampires, they have to fit a certain “traditional image”, yet Ms. Meyer has taken some liberties with the ones depicted in these novels.

I read one critique of this series that definitely put down the fact that the cult of Vampires depicted in this series are trying to be “good” and not drink the blood of humans. They cannot deny their need for blood to survive, but resist the very strong temptations presented to them while trying to co-exist among the human population of this small, Pacific Northwest town. She does sprinkle in the “true” vampire who does prey on humans and these are truly evil and provide the suspense.

Ms. Meyer has given her Vampires super-human qualities — to the extent that one can’t help but wonder why these denizens of the dark have not taken over the world, because it is patently clear that no human is up to combating them. The only way to kill one it seems is not with a silver bullet nor can you fend it off with a cross, but rather it must be torn limb from limb and the parts burned. Unless there is another weakness to their super-human strength and abilities revealed later in the series, this fact is what I would label the “fatal flaw” of these works.

Now for the story:

Bella is caught between loving her mother and father who are divorced and living thousands of miles apart. Bella’s mother has recently remarried and Bella has decided to go and live with her father in Forks, Washington despite the fact that she hates everything about Forks — from the dreary weather that always seems to be either foggy, raining or snowing but NEVER sunny to it’s small town atmosphere which she finds stifling. She feels enough like an outsider in Phoenix where her mother lives enough, but feels even more outcast in Forks. But, she’s determined to give her mother some space to make the new marriage something lasting.

Bella’s few belongings that are suitable for a colder, damp climate, fit easily into her suitcase — she doesn’t have much to begin with, and her books require only a couple of shipping boxes. Despite her mother’s trying to get her to take more things, she’s determined to travel light and she arrives on her father’s doorstep with only those things she wanted in the first place. Thwarting her parents successfully seems to be pretty easy for Bella, but she seems to only do it for those small things. She’s basically a rule follower although you’ll see her flouting more rules as the book goes on.

Her first day of school is one that she dreads. She hates being the new girl. She hates being stared at and is quite positive that she will be looked down on for her generic and decidedly un-chic clothes. She finds that she’s not so out of step with the kids at school. Only a few are dressed in name brand clothing and there’s only one brand new expensive car in the school parking lot, so the ancient truck that her dad bought her fits in OK.

At lunch, her new friend introduces her to others, but Bella notices a table where there are four kids who seem different. For one thing, they are as pale as she is. For another, they seem to be ostracized by the rest of the school kids and she immediately identifies with them for these reasons.

She asks who they are and is told they are the foster children of a local doctor and his wife. She’s told they don’t mingle with the other kids and that they don’t talk to them either. Bella is intrigued by them, though and wants to know more, but doesn’t want to seem overly interested in them.

When she walks into her science class after lunch, she discovers that the only empty seat is next to one of the Cullens — Edward to be exact and she’s totally baffled by his reaction to her. He scoots his chair as far away from her as possible and acts very angry with her although she knows of nothing she could have done to deserve that anger.

When class is over, Edward almost literally bolts for the door. Bella is nearly in tears over this rejection of her by him.

At the end of the day, she goes to the office to complete her paperwork and finds Edward there trying to get switched out of the Science class with her. Once more she finds herself wondering why he so dislikes her.

A few days later, there is an ice storm and altough Bella makes it to school with no mishaps, as she’s leaving her truck, another schoolmate’s van starts a slide into her truck and, unless stopped, will end up crushing her between the two vehicles. Edward is suddenly there, pushing her to the pavement and shoving the van out of the way.  Bella, Edward and the driver of the van are all taken to the hospital with various injuries.

The next day in class, Edward is less hostile and Bella confronts him about his initial reaction. Edward dances around an explanation, but it’s obvious that he’s attracted to Bella as she is to him.  As the book progresses and Bella finds out about what Edward truly is and they fall in love with each other, it becomes apparent that Bella wants to become a Vampire herself. When her mother’s life is threatened by one of the others and Bella almost loses her own life once again, her desire to become a Vampire becomes even stronger.

Of course the movie releases in 10 days, so if you’re one of those who likes to read the book before seeing the movie, you need to get cracking. Stephenie Myers has been touted as the “next JK Rowling” and while I personally didn’t get quite as enraptured by Twilight as I did by Harry Potter, there is still a definite appeal for me in this book.

Appeal enough that I’ll be reading others in the series.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyers
Published by Little, Brown and Company 2008
ISBN: 978-0-316-03837-9

This young man amazes me with the depth and complexity of his writings. I can only predict that he will get better and better as he matures and hits his writing peak.

Eldest is the second in the Inheritance Cycle trilogy and begins with a synopsis of Eragon which was the first book.

Our Rider, Eragon, having defeated the Urgals at Farthen Dùr which is home to the Dwarves, and suffering a wound from the Shade, Durza must now go to the elves in Ellesméra for training.

Meanwhile, we return to Eragon’s home in Carvahall where his cousin Roran now becomes the focus of the Ra’zac who still seek Eragon and Saphira for the evil king Galbatorix’s ends. After a prolonged battle with the entire village, Roran realizes that he must send the children and women into the Spine to keep them from the King’s soldiers and the Ra’zac. His fiance is among those who are slated to go up into the hills, but a confrontation with her father where he disowns her for becoming secretly engaged to Roran delays her departure and sets up her capture by the Ra’zac. The villagers overwhelm the solders who retreat with Katrina and her father in the custody of the Ra’zac and Roran swears to follow them and rescue Katrina. Their retreat is not without penalty, however, as the Ra’zac swear to return and kill every villager and burn the village, so Roran convinces the majority of them to follow him to the Varden stronghold in Surda.

Mustering an entire villiage, what belongings are transportable, livestock and supplies to sustain them on their travels is a monumental task, but Roran is undettered by it. They make it to the port city of Narda where they  commission barges to take them further down the coast to Terim. There they find the Jeod, Brom’s friend from Earagon who helps them steal a ship to take them to the Varden in Surda.

Meanwhile, Earagon is training with the elves and the rider know as Oromis who’s dragon is crippled. He learns much about magic and swordplay, but it’s not until the Agaetì Blödhren where the greivous scar he received in the fight with Durza that brings him to his knees is healed by the dragon tattooed on the two elven women’s skin. This also accelerates the changes in his physical self that make him look more and more like an elf, give him a greater strength and stronger magic. His studies are not quite complete before he is summoned by a scrying to return to Surda to fight the massed soldiers of the Empire who seek to break the Varden and all their allies.

Roran and his villagers arrive at the battle just in time to throw themseves into the fray and help tip the outcome towards the Varden. Roran is responsible for the killing of the two strongest magicians that are with the King’s army which also helped turn the tide, but our hero, Eragon is not yet finished with his battle.

When Earagon and Saphira are nearly spent from fighting the soldiers and the king’s magicians, a new menace appears in the form of a Rider on a red Dragon. It is Murtagh who was believed to have been killed by the Urgalls in the battle at Farthen Dùr. Murtagh spares Earagon’s life and so ends our story which will be picked up in the third and last book, Brisingr which was released this month.

Eldest by Christopher Paolini
Copyright 2005 by Alfred A Knopf
ISBN 978-0-375-92670-9

Three precious dragon eggs have been hoarded by the evil King Galbatorix over the last century in the hopes that they will choose a rider and hatch. Riders who will become his minions in his quest to conquer the world.

But others have their own plans and one egg is stolen. It’s captors are taking it to a safe place when they are waylaid deep in the forest of Du Weldenvarden by a Shade who kills two of them, giving the third the chance to work magic and send the egg to a place she hopes will be found by another ally.

The egg is instead found by Eragon, an orphan boy who lives with his uncle and cousin on a remote farm.

Finally, after a century of waiting, the dragon’s egg has found her rider and hatches. Eragon must hide the dragon hatchling while she grows and matures; something she does quickly.

But the forces of King Galbatorix are ever searching for the egg and he is gathering forces of monsters and sending them across the Empire in a destructive march that is razing whole towns in their quest for the egg. When two hooded strangers appear in Carvahall, Eragon must flee or be captured.

His unexpected aide in escaping the Ra’zac is the storyteller, Brom who turns out to be a Dragon Rider himself, although he has no dragon. Brom takes on the task of teaching Eragon swordsmanship, magic and dragonlore.

And so they begin their quest for revenge against the Ra’zac which takes them across the Empire to the port city of Teirm. There they meet an old friend of Brom’s and a witch and a werecat who will help Eragon later in a battle against the Krull in the underground keep of Tronjheim.

This is the first of a series of books called the Inheritance cycle. Second in the series is Eldest and third is Brisingr. Christopher Paolini began writing this series at the age of 15 and Eragon was self-published in 2001. Random house picked up the book in 2003 and in 2006, the movie was produced and released by Fox 2000. Christopher began writing the second book of the series, Eldest, which was published in 2005. The third in the series, Brisingr, is slated for release in September of 2008.