The Twilight Phenomenon

If you haven’t read the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer you may not even be aware of the cult-like following of fans. The three- (soon to be four-) book series started with a vivid dream that has exploded onto the literary scene and the NY Times Bestseller list. The books, Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse (and soon-to-be released Breaking Dawn) are designated as a young adult series by the publisher, but don’t be deceived. Ms. Meyer’s books are beloved across all demographics.

What’s it all about? I hesitate to tell the premise of the books because to be honest, when I first heard about the stories I had no interest in reading them. But at friends’ insistence that I would surely enjoy the books and would most likely become obsessed with the characters, I set out to prove them wrong. Wrong. I inhaled all 498 pages of Twilight in two days. I’m not a fast reader. In fact, I move my lips in my head when I read. I could not put this book down. It has all the good stuff-romance, danger and the struggle against evil with teen angst, vampires and sexual tension expertly woven in. Stephenie has a unique and disturbing talent of making readers feel what her characters are feeling. This phenomenon has sparked a fierce fandom of “Twilighters” to rival J.K. Rowling fanatics. You’ll find a multiplicity of fan sites dedicated to scooping and sharing the latest Twilight gossip and information. Rabid fans have crashed many a server in their attempts to devour all that is Twilight. A few of my favorites for information are StephenieMeyer and Twilight Lexicon. But if you just can’t find time to read the books don’t worry, the movie will be out soon.

Summit Entertainment optioned the right to make Twilight into a movie, slated to hit theaters December 12, 2008. The film which was shot mostly in the Pacific Northwest (the book is set in Forks, Washington) was directed by Catherine Hardwicke (Thirteen), and is starring Kristen Stewart (Into the Wild) and Robert Pattinson (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) as main characters Bella and Edward. While both actors have enjoyed some notoriety, Twilight promises to thrust them into super-stardom, and reports from the set say their chemistry is just right. MTV.com has been posting a “Twilight Tuesdays” series of video interviews with the director and main actors that cause frenzied fans to watch them over and over and lament the wait until 12/12.