An article cum book review- in honour of the recent twilight craze
Meyer going on Rowling: The next big thing?
Book Watch- Twilight
Breaking Dawn-the fourth and last installment of the Twilight series by the now world renowned author Stephanie Meyer sold a whopping 1.3 million copies on its first day of print in the U.S alone. The three books earlier in the series have sold 7 million copies worldwide and have been translated into 20 languages. In the midnight release of Breaking Dawn on 2nd August, long queues of people eagerly awaiting the release formed outside bookstores dressed as vampires or werewolves for the occasion. The immense popularity surrounding this author has announced the arrival of the next big thing after Rowling.
Twilight, the first book in the series, was published in 2005, after being rejected by nine publishers and ignored by five. Rowling too had faced 12 rejections before publishing her first book. As with the Harry Potter series, Meyer’s books became an immediate success, with the first three in the series spending 143 weeks in total in the New York Times bestseller list. However, the similarity between the two authors ends there. While the Harry Potter series has universal appeal, the Twilight series seems to target only young adults, and especially girls.
The story revolves around Bella, a shy clumsy heroine, who falls for a vampire named Edward. Complications arise in this vampire romance as Edward struggles to rid himself of his bloodlust. With the introduction of a werewolf, a classic love triangle is formed. Characters weave in and out of the story throughout the four books, and excitement peaks in the last book with the promise of a battle of epic proportions. It is a paranormal romance series, with a mild sprinkling of horror. As critics have rightly pointed out-the story bears less similarity to Dracula than to Romeo and Juliet.
The story is not without its flaws. The heroine is stereotypical- always needing to be rescued. A lot of melodrama accompanies Meyer’s flowing narrative, and Edward has been made into an ideal flawless character- which makes him difficult to identify with.
Meyer has also been accused of purist propaganda- lacing this bloodthirsty literary genre with conservative social values. The story tends to ramble-stretching out over four books. This is a tendency publishers would have never allowed previously but which has gained popularity only after the 7 book Harry Potter series.
Taken as a whole, the story is entertaining and makes for a good read. Twilight- the first book in the series- is now being made into a motion picture, and is to release in theatres on 21st November. Rounding off the comparisons, Robert Pattinson- the actor playing Edward- also played Cedric Diggory in the 4th Harry Potter movie.
Book Watch- Twilight
Breaking Dawn-the fourth and last installment of the Twilight series by the now world renowned author Stephanie Meyer sold a whopping 1.3 million copies on its first day of print in the U.S alone. The three books earlier in the series have sold 7 million copies worldwide and have been translated into 20 languages. In the midnight release of Breaking Dawn on 2nd August, long queues of people eagerly awaiting the release formed outside bookstores dressed as vampires or werewolves for the occasion. The immense popularity surrounding this author has announced the arrival of the next big thing after Rowling.
Twilight, the first book in the series, was published in 2005, after being rejected by nine publishers and ignored by five. Rowling too had faced 12 rejections before publishing her first book. As with the Harry Potter series, Meyer’s books became an immediate success, with the first three in the series spending 143 weeks in total in the New York Times bestseller list. However, the similarity between the two authors ends there. While the Harry Potter series has universal appeal, the Twilight series seems to target only young adults, and especially girls.
The story revolves around Bella, a shy clumsy heroine, who falls for a vampire named Edward. Complications arise in this vampire romance as Edward struggles to rid himself of his bloodlust. With the introduction of a werewolf, a classic love triangle is formed. Characters weave in and out of the story throughout the four books, and excitement peaks in the last book with the promise of a battle of epic proportions. It is a paranormal romance series, with a mild sprinkling of horror. As critics have rightly pointed out-the story bears less similarity to Dracula than to Romeo and Juliet.
The story is not without its flaws. The heroine is stereotypical- always needing to be rescued. A lot of melodrama accompanies Meyer’s flowing narrative, and Edward has been made into an ideal flawless character- which makes him difficult to identify with.
Meyer has also been accused of purist propaganda- lacing this bloodthirsty literary genre with conservative social values. The story tends to ramble-stretching out over four books. This is a tendency publishers would have never allowed previously but which has gained popularity only after the 7 book Harry Potter series.
Taken as a whole, the story is entertaining and makes for a good read. Twilight- the first book in the series- is now being made into a motion picture, and is to release in theatres on 21st November. Rounding off the comparisons, Robert Pattinson- the actor playing Edward- also played Cedric Diggory in the 4th Harry Potter movie.
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