Book cast vampires in a good light

Remember that episode of “Are You Afraid of the Dark: The Tale of the Nightly Neighbors” when a young boy thinks his next-door neighbors are vampires? Or the episode where two movie theater workers run into the creepily pale, long-fingered Nosferatu, who comes to life off the screen? As children, vampires seemed scary ... there was Tom Cruise in “Interview with the Vampire” or the teenage delinquent blood-suckers in the film “The Lost Boys.” Now with the release of her hit series, author Stephenie Meyer makes vampires sexy, charming and redeeming in her book “Twilight.”\nThe book, close to 500 pages, tells the story of Bella Swan, a beautiful high school girl who moves from sunny Phoenix, Ariz., to the gloomy town of Forks, Wash., to live with her father. Bella expects her time there to be dreadfully mundane, and she misses the sunny warmth of Phoenix. She is pale and scrawny, and she feels like an outsider. Yet there are some kids in school who are just a bit paler than her, and they don’t miss the sun at all. The Cullen kids: Edward, Rosalie, Emmett, Alice and Jasper are the children of the prominent town doctor, Carlisle Cullen. They are always pale, never eat at lunch and don’t talk to other students, until of course Edward and Bella fall in love.\nEdward is attracted by Bella’s scent and fights all temptation to bite her and turn her into a vampire. The Cullens are a new breed of vampire, using their abilities for good and hunting animals rather than humans. As Bella becomes more and more curious and enthralled by Edward, he lets her in on his family’s secret life. They don’t sleep in coffins but live very much like humans. They don’t sleep or eat as they don’t have to, and they have the ability for some human emotions such as love and jealousy.\nAlthough Edward is really a 100-something-year-old vampire trapped in a 17-year-old’s body, he falls in love with Bella. The character of Edward Cullen is articulately portrayed by Meyer. He is the Greek Adonis of the vampire world and his family is stunningly beautiful. He is a gentleman and finds it his duty to protect Bella from any harm. But when another mysterious vampire threatens her life, the entire Cullen family must come together to rescue a human.\nI literally could not put this book down. I know, I know: A story about romance and vampires may seem like a young adult book, right? But I think almost any one can relate to Meyer’s story of high school life with a twist. “Twilight” is like the new Harry Potter series for those interested in vampires rather than wizards and witches.\nEven an actor from Harry Potter is playing Edward Cullen in the “Twilight” movie slated for release in December 2008. Cedric Diggory, a.k.a. Robert Pattinson, will lend his face to Edward’s character. I admit I was sad to see Cedric die in the fourth Harry Potter film, but now Pattinson is back and will be better than ever in this film version of “Twilight.” Pattinson plays the debonair and suave Edward, while actress Kristen Stewart (“Into the Wild,” “Panic Room”) plays Bella Swan. \nThe best part about this book is that there are three more books, including the last, “Breaking Dawn,” slated for release in August, to finish up the series. More books will eventually mean more films. So feed your bloodthirsty frenzy for vampires with Meyer’s “Twilight” and discover how good vampires can be.