With Stories like Twilight and the Sookie Stackhouse Series, Where Are the Actual Talented Writers Hiding?

Vampire-mania is in full swing! With writers like Stephenie Meyer, and Charlaine Harris taking over, it's hard to find the real talents out there. Twilight has spawned an entire phenomenon of the vampire genre. From movies, to television shows, to collectible junk, vampires are everywhere. It is difficult to find a 14 year old girl (or seventy year old woman for that matter) that hasn't heard of Twilight. HBO has picked up Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series and created True Blood. But, are these the best vampire stories? Are these the best writers?

In a word: No.

I have read all the Twilight Series books. In my opinion, they are horribly written. Yes, they are teen books and definitely written in a teen perspective, but... ugh! Even though I really didn't enjoy the series, they are a quick read. I wanted to read the series just to see what all the hype was about, and now that I have read them, I feel like I am "in" on the joke when someone talks about how great the books are. I'm able to laugh on the inside (OK, on the outside sometimes too) at the person's enthusiasm about how "Jacob is the right one for Bella!"

The first book, Twilight, is so full of teen aged angst that at times, it is difficult to read (not being a teenager and full of that angst already). If you haven't read it, I can sum it up for you rather quickly: Bella likes Edward but doesn't know why. Edward doesn't like Bella but she doesn't know why. Whine, whine, and whine. Now Edward likes Bella. Done. It takes about three days, maximum to read, and even though it isn't necessarily good, you can't stop reading it!

The second book, New Moon, is SO depressing that it almost hurts to read! Edward leaves Bella in the beginning of the book, and SHOCKINGLY, he comes back at the end, but first we need to read hundreds of pages about Bella going crazy without him! It is so predictable that one wonders why Meyer tried to drag out the "mystery" of whether he will come back or not.

I'm not going to waste anymore time recapping the last two books, other than to say, Eclipse actually isn't too bad (considering). Breaking Dawn, on the other hand, is one of the worst, grossest, strangest books I have ever read. It's just downright creepy!

The movies have blown the world up, and suddenly, even old ladies and teen aged boys love Twilight. I shudder to think what is going to happen once all four movies have been made and the "fans" see what the fourth book really is about. True book fans already know and are hoping that Meyer will change her mind and continue the series.

On the positive side of this, Meyer has written an adult Science Fiction book entitled The Host, which actually is pretty amazing. It's a little unnecessarily long (she is a little long winded) but the story is very original. It has to do with alien hosts, not vampires and werewolves. I was convinced I knew how this book was going to end and didn't want to finish it because I thought it was a stupid way to end this great book. When my husband finally talked me into finishing it I was caught completely off guard! It was fantastic and so moving I was sobbing (and I'm not a crier)!

Then there is Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series. I couldn't get through them. I found her writing to be very young and unrefined. Not that the stories themselves weren't interesting, I just couldn't stand her writing style! I got through two of the books in that series and couldn't do any more.

So my question is, these two women are among the most popular vampire genre writers now, but should they be? I personally am in love with Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series. Hamilton just released her 18^th book in this series and I can't wait to finish it! In all honesty, the first one is this series (Guilty Pleasure) isn't my favorite story of all time, but the series as a whole deserves a lot more attention than it has received to date.

This series is my personal favorite! There is adventure, love, magic, and mystery. Enough to make even the toughest of critics happy. This series follows Anita Blake, a vampire hunter who can raise the dead. Oh, and did I mention that she usually is torn between her love for the master vampire of the city and the local ruler of the werewolves? I enjoy the style of writing that Hamilton uses. She also has another series about Meredith Gentry, a faerie princess just trying to live a normal life.

Christopher Pike is another author that I believe needs more attention than he has been given. He has a six book series The Last Vampire that I was obsessed with when I was a kid that he has just re-released for teens in a two book combination set. These follow the story of an ordinary woman who becomes a vampire.

Of course there is Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles. This series has also spawned movies and a small cult following. In my opinion, the movies are pretty good, and this is a series that every vampire fan should read.

If you are more into the romance or mystery genres, don't worry! "Vampire fever" has hit there too! All too often I pick up a book that I guess is a Science Fiction title based on the title and cover art, only to find out that it is a romance novel! Just walk around your local bookstore and you will be amazed at all of the books that have vampires and werewolves on their covers! Even books for young children have been taken over by vampires! My personal favorite is a series called Vampirates! (Get it, get it? Vampire pirates!)

Often, the "better writer" or "better story" doesn't get the attention or followers that they deserve. Instead of getting caught up in the nonsense of the most popular author at the moment, I wish that people would think for themselves. If you truly believe that Twilight is the best book on the planet (and I work with some of these people so I know you are out there) then that's great! But if you only like Twilight because it is EVERYWHERE and you can't really express why you like it, I hope you take the time to read some of the "original" vampire writers and see what you have been missing!