Twilight

The book might just surprise you. It's better than I expected. It's YA, nothing is going to change that. BTW, I liked her first adult book very much.

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Bleacheddecay

I just meant that they suffer from a blood disorder. Think about it, yea they live forever, but they can only lurk in shadows, can be killed by a veggetable, and need to consume blood to sustain life. None of that seems very "romantic" to me. Sounds like someone who needs help from the make a wish foundation.

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...uh the post is up there...

yeah, i bet if i actually took the time to pick up a copy of the book and read a few chapters, i think i'd probably be surprised how decent it is. does that mean i will? well, no.

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letterboxd

Also, as the lore has went on numerous inconsistancies have arisen. One, all of a sudden in the past ten years for some reason vampires have Herculenian strength, which seems strange for beings which thrive on human blood to even live. Plus, technically aren't they just refined zombies?

Perhaps but they are still the most refined, seductive and elegant monster template we have in fiction. Part of the appeal is that, though they are powerful they also have weaknesses. This interesting dichotomy works well because it's true, in a way for all of us. Vampires are also often (depending on the book or movie) some of the most human of the monster templates.

In many books these things you mention have been changed or altered so that they are not as weak. In Twilight the Vampires can be in the light, for instance.

Each different vision of the vampire is interesting in it's own way. As is often the case in many pieces of speculative fiction, vampire lit is often simply and more palatable way of discussing issues of the day. I find much of what has been created in such works quite delicious.

Clearly it leaves you cold and that's fine. Each to their own. Clearly there are great numbers of people on all sides, love em, hate em, simply don't care about em.

LOL! I'm addicted to books. I run several book groups including a YA one, so, I "had" to do it!

Folklore is rarely consistent from it's myriad sources. For a truly interesting study, check out vampires from different cultures. The Asian vampires in particular are quite different from the occidental ones.

Generally the difference is vamps and zombies are these:

More often science or nature produced than magically
Flesh eating vrs blood drinking
Slow vrs fast or normal speed (usually)
Less intelligence vrs more (usually)

The trailer is starting to get to me now. It looks like Twilight will be "okay" but not excellent.

It kind of reminds me of Blood and Chocolate's trailer.

Very good point. I haven't read a whole lot of vampire lit. I've been limited to the first Twighlight book, Dracula, and Salem's Lot (the last two I just loved and are two of my favourite books of all-time). I intend to read some Anne Rice eventually. Oh and I guess I Am Legend is vampire lit too (superior to the movie version IMO).

Anyways one of the things that I've noticed with Stoker and King's interpretation of the vampire is the incredible power these monsters have but at the same time the debilitating weaknesses that hold them back. As soon as Van Helsing and company figure out Dracula's weaknesses he becomes easy to drive from London. This along with their sophistication and seductive qualities make them the most interesting monsters IMO. Zombies are nothing more than mindless cannibals and werewolves nothing but big hairy brutes...but vampires are something cunning and human and something truly evil.

One of the main problems I have with Twighlight is it gives Edward and family hardly any weaknesses. He can go in the sun. He's unbelievably beautiful. Unbelievably strong. Unbelievably charasmatic. His only drawback is the thirst. So essentially Meyers says to her readers imagine the most attractive man you can and then imagine he's horribly in love with you (Bella of course is just a paper stand in for the female reader). Lazy lazy lazy.

Anyways I know it's a young teen book and I can understand the fascination younger girls have for it. I just don't get the older women and teenagers who swoon over such a one dimensional character like Edward.

Sorry if I stepped on any toes...just my opinion.

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I agree. I personally couldn't stand Edward. I found Jacob far more to my liking.

Bella's biggest strength for me was that she was very tough but for some reason she is obsessed with Edward and he with her. WHY??

I seriously hope there is a storyline reason, preferably a supernatural one.

The message that all girls are waiting for a prince sort of sickens me. I feel that's part of this "romance."

If someone had treated me the way Edward treats Bella at first, he'd be waaaay off my list but she's like a glutton for punishment. Ugh.

I didn't like Dracula at all btw. There were no characters I liked and gave a rats rear end about in the book. That always ruins a book for me.

Salem's Lot was pretty good and the last King I read for quite some time. LOL.

I Am Legend was too whiny for me. The vampires acted like zombies (that's a big problem IMO) and I was very happy when it was over. The only value in the story for me was the final realization of who the monster really was.

anyone seen the movie yet? ... it was released at 12 this morning

I went and saw Twilight Sunday. I was actually impressed with it, I mean I knew it would be good, but it was awesome.
I really enjoyed the book series too, I'm not really a romance fan, but I really felt moved by the storyline.
But I'm still a die-hard Harry Potter fan.

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"One Ring to rule them all,
One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them..."

The Lord of the Rings

That was a good movie.

i feel like a complete dork for loving these books, but i saw the movie at midnight that thursday night it came out... and i LOVED it... the only problem is Edward ruins relationships for all girls cause no guy could ever measure up to that

For me it was a better movie than a book.

BTW, locally I'm seeing some movies including Twilight that have two showings in a given theater. One showing says Adults only.

Teens must be bugging some folks?

Have you read Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler?

Sounds like it's right up your alley. It has every quality that you describe, and yet it is probably like no vampire novel that you have ever read. It will shock, surprise, entertain and enlighten you. If you haven't read it yet, get it immediately!

Needless to say, it is by far my own favorite vampire story

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“A Boss in Heaven is the best excuse for a boss on earth, therefore If God did exist, he would have to be abolished.”
-Mikhail Bakunin

My thanks! I have just put it on hold at my library! I look forward to reading it!

that makes some sense. the teeny boppers were kind of annoying in my theatre. i mean i've read the books and i really like them, but i'm not shouting lines out here and there... that can ruin a movie for many and i think it's a good idea to do actually. wish they had that by me

I can see that would be irritating. Of course I have two well behaved teens who haven't read the book and don't care to see the movie. LOL!

So many people seem to not like or trust teens just due to age. I find that sad. Of course many teens do act like nut bags. I have to admit that. I run a few teen groups.