Young adult vampire series follows path blazed by Harry Potter
Bobbie Johnston, a 61-year-old Cordova homemaker, was introduced to the "Twilight" series of books earlier this year by her daughter.
Donna Comstock, 37, Johnston's daughter, said she got turned on to "Twilight" by her intern at Juvenile Court, where she works a manager of courtroom operations.
Recently, Comstock persuaded her daughter, Devon, 16, to give the books a try as well.
Three generations of the same family reading the same books at once may seem unusual.
Mark Weber/The Commercial Appeal
Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" vampire series has caught the imagination of one Cordova family across three generations (from left): grandmother Bobbie Johnston, granddaughter Devon Comstock, 16, and daughter Donna Comstock.
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But it's pretty typical for the best-selling young adult vampire series by Stephenie Meyer that is poised for its movie debut in November.
"If you like the "Harry Potter" series, you would like these," said Donna Comstock of Cordova. "You think, 'this really could happen.' "
"I think a lot of it is about trying to change people's thinking," Johnston said. "Back in the day, vampires were evil things, and now it's like they're trying to assimilate them into society. It's a very modern interpretation."
Booksellers speculate that "Harry Potter" paved the way for this and other young adult fantasy genre books in which supernatural characters weave in and out of modern society, facing their social differences, just as regular humans deal with issues like race and class.
The series began in 2005 with "Twilight," in which Meyer introduced Edward, a teenage vampire who feeds only on animals, and Bella, a human teen who becomes his high school sweetheart.
The plot's focus on their relationship seems to have the most appeal with girls and women, though the books' publisher said there is crossover appeal.
"Thirteen million copies sold in the U.S. for the
'Twilight' saga," said Elizabeth Eulberg of Hachette Book Group USA. " 'Breaking Dawn,' the latest book in the four-book series, sold 1.3 million copies its first day on sale, setting a record for the publisher."
"Breaking Dawn" is the final book in the series, which includes "New Moon" and "Eclipse."
Carley Cianciolo, 25, marketing manager for Davis-Kidd Booksellers, said while "Twilight" joined "Harry Potter" on the New York Times Best Seller list, recent commercials for the movie, set to release next month, have ramped up sales considerably.
"When we had our release party (for "Breaking Dawn") in August, I noticed a lot of teenage girls had brought their mothers with them, so it's got a wider range than one might think," said Cianciolo, who counts herself among the books' fans. About 150 people attended the release party.
Cianciolo described the series as a "continual" seller, with as many as 400 of each book sold over the last two years. "Breaking Dawn," she said, has sold 236 copies since Aug. 2.
"(Sales) can't compare with "Harry Potter" -- we sold about 700 in one night -- but it is a continual seller," said Cianciolo. "Usually when a book comes out, we'll sell a couple copies, but this ("Breaking Dawn") has been a best- seller for a couple months."
Both Cianciolo and Donna Comstock mentioned one particularly appealing aspect. Despite a lot of blood, the books, they said, are "clean"-- minimal foul language, sexual content and violence.
Online reviews of "Breaking Dawn," however, have noted a departure from the other three books.
Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization that allows children and parents to write popular book reviews, posted one parent's comments that "the final book in this series is definitely more PG-15 rated than any of (Meyer's) others."
Still, the book ("Breaking Dawn") has remained popular with groups that study trends in youth literature. Stephanie Kuenn, communication specialist for the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association, said "Breaking Dawn" has not been out long enough to have been considered for the group's "Best Books for Young Adults," an annual list compiled from recommendations by a 15-member panel of youth librarians.
However, "Twilight" made the list in 2006. "New Moon" made the 2007 Teen's Top Ten list, which is chosen by young adult readers, and "Eclipse" has been nominated for the 2008 list.
"I would put money on "Breaking Dawn" becoming a nominee," said Kuenn.
Donna Comstock believes that the wholesomeness and easy readability help "Twilight" bridge the gaps between generations.
Devon Comstock said the books are just cool.
"I think it's cool, because it's the dead and the undead, I mean, I'd want to live forever, I'd want to go to school with vampires, that's just me," said the sophomore at Immaculate Conception High School. She also enjoys books by Ellen Hopkins and Mary Higgins Clark.
"The book describes modern-day high school with the good and bad, the rich and not rich," she said. "People can be mean. There's good and bad and neutral."
Meyer wrote on her Web site that the plot line developed from a central conflict she imagined one night in a dream.
"In my dream, two people were having an intense conversation in a meadow in the woods. One of these people was just your average girl. The other person was fantastically beautiful, sparkly and a vampire. They were discussing the difficulties inherent in the facts that A) they were falling in love with each other, while B) the vampire was particularly attracted to the scent of her blood, and was having a difficult time restraining himself from killing her immediately."
The themes of inner conflicts and transcending the personal boundaries resonate with audiences, Donna Comstock said, but there's a personal attraction for her family, too.
"I've always thought that vampires were fascinating, but ghosts, too," said Devon Comstock. "It started when I thought my old house was haunted."
Until seven years ago, the Comstocks lived in a house near Perkins and Quince, where they said they heard and occasionally saw the ghost of a man in a white shirt and black trousers.
"We all think outside the box, and really believe anything is possible," said Donna Comstock. "To enjoy these books you really just have to believe that anything can and will happen."
DIG DEEPER
For more information and reviews on the "Twilight" books:
stepheniemeyer.com/twilightseries.html
ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/yalsa.cfm
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