Book of the Week: Eclipse
Stephenie Meyer had better be writing very, very fast. The legions of teenage fans who got hooked with Twilight and devoured its sequel New Moon will make quick work of the 600-plus page Eclipse, the third volume in the saga of star-crossed love. Fall 2008, the scheduled release date of the fourth book, Breaking Dawn, will seem eons away for members of "Team Edward” and “Team Jacob,” the camps into which readers divide themselves.
In Eclipse, Bella is back, still madly in love with vampire Edward, still torn about her heartfelt friendship with werewolf Jacob. Unfortunately for her, Victoria, an evil vampire, is also back, still seeking revenge on Bella. The series of Seattle murders that scare all the members of small town, Forks, are at the heart of Victoria’s plans; she’s creating an army of new vampires to wipe out both Bella and the Cullens. The new vampires’ single-minded bloodlust troubles Bella who desperately wants to become a vampire so she can spend eternity with Edward. She is also haunted by the thought of losing Jacob, whose vampire-hunting werewolf pack will play a significant role in the confrontation between the two vampire groups.
Meyer has invented some fascinating vampire history, especially that of several members of the Cullen clan. She has also captured that “This thing happening to me right now is the most important thing ever to happen in the history of the world!!!” quality of teen feelings and decisions. Readers will swoon over the continued intensity of the teen angst and love that captured them in the first two novels and will avidly, impatiently, breathlessly await the next volume.
