Alas, I have finished this teenage vampire/werewolf trilogy. I am probably dumber for it, but truth be told, I watch and read a lot of television shows, movies, and books that probably lead to the same result, so I can't be too harsh a critic. As with her prior two books in this series Twilight and New Moon, I was primarily interested in the background of the vampires and werewolves. This book contained some good urban legends and myths about the two cultures and where they came from. But, as with the others, I found the main character, Bella, insufferable. When she is not being an inexplicable klutz (a trait many people seem to find endearing in female characters, but I only find irritating), she is whining about how much she wants to be turned into a vampire, spending inappropriate amounts of time with a werewolf who is in love with her and then expressing profound annoyance at his declarations of love despite her encouragment, and in general setting back the feminist movement about 10,000 years. But, again, I have to admit that good stories and entertainment can still come from stereotypical and offensive characters (Harold and Kumar comes to mind...). In this allegedly final installment, the vampires and werewolves (heretofore mortal enemies) come together to protect the small town of Forks, WA from something sinister that is decimating the Seattle population. Of course, Bella, narcissist that she is, is at the center of the chaos and she must manipulate her bloodsucking boyfriend (Edward) and her canine best friend (Jacob) to put their immortal lives on the line to save hers. I am a sucker (pun intended!) for trilogies - even poorly written ones - and vampires, so Meyer's books satisfied those needs, but I think I am going to turn to Anne Rice next and see if she can also satisfy my need for well-written dialogue and likeable characters.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer
Alas, I have finished this teenage vampire/werewolf trilogy. I am probably dumber for it, but truth be told, I watch and read a lot of television shows, movies, and books that probably lead to the same result, so I can't be too harsh a critic. As with her prior two books in this series Twilight and New Moon, I was primarily interested in the background of the vampires and werewolves. This book contained some good urban legends and myths about the two cultures and where they came from. But, as with the others, I found the main character, Bella, insufferable. When she is not being an inexplicable klutz (a trait many people seem to find endearing in female characters, but I only find irritating), she is whining about how much she wants to be turned into a vampire, spending inappropriate amounts of time with a werewolf who is in love with her and then expressing profound annoyance at his declarations of love despite her encouragment, and in general setting back the feminist movement about 10,000 years. But, again, I have to admit that good stories and entertainment can still come from stereotypical and offensive characters (Harold and Kumar comes to mind...). In this allegedly final installment, the vampires and werewolves (heretofore mortal enemies) come together to protect the small town of Forks, WA from something sinister that is decimating the Seattle population. Of course, Bella, narcissist that she is, is at the center of the chaos and she must manipulate her bloodsucking boyfriend (Edward) and her canine best friend (Jacob) to put their immortal lives on the line to save hers. I am a sucker (pun intended!) for trilogies - even poorly written ones - and vampires, so Meyer's books satisfied those needs, but I think I am going to turn to Anne Rice next and see if she can also satisfy my need for well-written dialogue and likeable characters.
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