Fantasy

Last night I watched Twilight with some lucky fans who squeezed into the surprising small theater for the preview. They were linked arm in arm, wearing their Team Edward T-shirts, and the squealing that started when the lights dimmed continued when a major male character appeared on screen for the first time (Jacob, Edward, Carlisle, James, in that order of appearance). I sure hope director Catherine Hardwicke meant for those early scenes to be funny, particularly the first meeting between Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward (Robert Pattinson) where he looks like he's about to throw up and then stares at her throughout biology class, because the crowd couldn't stop laughing. (Not haha-laughing, but the I'm-so-giddy-my-throat-can't-stop-gurgling-over laughing). And any appearance by Jasper (Jackson Rathbone), who is silent nearly the whole film with a fixed expression of sheer terror, also brought on the chuckles. For a teen-angst romantic drama, this film was getting more yuks than You Don't Mess With the Zohan.

But then the romance, and the action, kicked in, and Twilight settled into a brisk-paced drama sure to please readers who were waiting for Bella's rescue/Italian dinner, for the first kiss, for the baseball game, and the climactic ballet-studio fight sequence to play out on the big screen. Any tense moment between Bella and Edward (and it must be said, the pair have some great chemistry) was punctuated with a choked cry of ecstasy from some girl in the audience, so it was tough to really watch it as a film. Stewart is a perfect Bella, and Pattinson, while certainly looking the part, was probably two degrees too timid to carry off the more heroic aspects of Edward fans have come to love. (With his natural accent he was more masculine in Harry Potter; here, he's doing a James Dean-esque affectation that works as mysterious but not so much as... well, a hero) The forest confrontation was particularly awkward, because as Edward flits about demonstrating how menacing he can be ("I've killed people"), you don't fully believe him. If they keep making more films, Pattinson needs to dial up the cojones if Edward's going up against the Volturi. As much as I like Pattison, as I drove home I couldn't help thinking about the actor Stephenie Meyer envisioned as Edward when she wrote the books, The Tudors' Henry Cavill, and thinking there was a little more studliness to be desired.

The only other sore spot in the film were the portrayals of Bella's classmates. Mike, Eric, and Tyler, it must be said, on-screen were completely annoying clowns who like to give each other noogies and wedgies between classes (and that's it). It's completely unrealistic for Bella to be friends with them. (Also noteworthy: in the film version Eric is Asian-American and Tyler is black, as is the nomadic vampire Laurent. Played by Edi Gathegi, Laurent is particularly inspired casting, but the caricatures created of Bella's friends might make some think this idea was too forcefully PC.)

If you aren't a fan of the books (and I am, even though I'm trying to write this review objectively), this movie will likely confuse you. The point from A to B to C leaves many unfilled holes of logic; the attraction between Bella and Edward on screen alone is never fully fleshed out, which would leave newbies going, "So.... he loves her, but is that because he wants to eat her? And why would she rather die than stay away from him again, despite this?" On the plus side, the movie leaves out many of the more overwrought purple prose from the book and is snappier, funnier (particularly anything featuring Bella's dad Charlie, played by Billy Burke).

But you know what? In the end, it doesn't matter. Will Twilight please its fans? A resounding yes. Will I watch it again? Of course-- though in my house, and any gurgling squeals should indeed be my own. -- Ellen

This time, you get to hear from all four of us!

Hi from Vicky Holmes
When I'm on tour, I often get asked, "What's it like being an international bestselling author?" Well, my everyday life isn't hugely different from being an author who hasn't sold any books at all: I still spend a lot of time thinking up stories and writing and discussing tiny character details with my co-writers and editors. Sitting at my keyboard, wrestling with a hundred different ways to kill cats or studying a map to figure out if four bears could really walk that far in a day, I never stop to think about hundreds of thousands of books being printed, packed in boxes, shipped in trucks, unpacked in bookstores and warehouses, and sold to long queues of readers.

And that's the difference: YOU. The readers who buy our books, and send them shooting up the bestseller charts, and make it possible for me to come on tour and have amazing experiences that I could never have dreamed of. I am constantly amazed by your response to each new book, or series, or character--and when you express your opinions, by mail or online or when I see you on tour, I really do listen! You are all part of the Warriors Clan, and I'm honoured to have each one of you as my Clanmate.

Hi from Kate Cary!
My goodness, here I am writing an Amazon blog! When we started Warriors we had no idea that it would be so successful. Watching the series grow in popularity (and in depth) has been enormous fun. The Warriors world has become so complex that, now, when I sit down to write a Warriors book, I have to begin by reminding myself of the family trees, romantic relationships, and Clan politics before I start. Which is great because, the more deliciously elaborate the Warriors world gets, the more I enjoy it. The cats have all become old friends. Characters like Firestar and Graystripe and Sandstorm have become so real that they almost speak for themselves while I'm writing. I just put them in a situation and simply record their reaction; nowadays I consider myself more their spokeswoman than their guide.

Of course the greatest joy is our connection with our fans. It's their excitement that fuels our creativity, series after series. They are so loyal and energetic and utterly brilliant with their RPG sites and fan fiction and art, not to mention their awesome YouTube animations [ed.: see below ]. I love it when Vicky returns from a tour and sends me a parcel of stories and letters and drawings she's collected. I can hear all the voices of all the fans who have put so much time and effort into their own Warrior creations. It's like being part of a huge, happy family. Thank you Warriors fans. As Vicky would say, "you rock!" Your enthusiasm has changed my life most wonderfully and I will always be grateful.

Hi from Cherith!
When Vicky first asked me to write a Warriors book, I was delighted, because I have loved cats all my life, and as soon as I saw the storyline I realised what awesome books these would be. But I had no idea how Warriors was going to change my life!

It has given me a tremendous sense of achievement to write my share of the books and watch how the series grows and becomes more complex as we add more cats and more settings. I don't know how Vicky continues to come up with so many fresh ideas, though it's great for Kate and me to be able to contribute ideas of our own. I was especially happy when my new kittens, Bramble and Sorrel, came to have roles to play in the world of Warriors as Brambleclaw and Sorreltail.

I was even more excited when I was asked to tour the US in the spring of 2005, which was a wonderful experience. I loved meeting our fans and talking about Warriors with them. Since then, I've been able to make contact with fans through online chats, and through the stories, letters and artwork they send to the Erins. I'm so impressed that we have such loyal and creative fans. A big thank you to all of you!

Hi from Tui Sutherland!
I am so thrilled and grateful to be part of this Erin Hunter team! A million thank-yous to Vicky and Cherith and Kate for including me, and to all the wonderful Warriors fans for supporting and loving these books as much as we do. I remember editing the very first book and how much I loved all the different new characters--I just wanted more of Sandpaw and Dustpaw and Lionheart and Tigerclaw and, of course, Firepaw! I also remember how exciting it was when we hit the bestseller list for the first time.
And somehow the stories just keep on coming from Vicky's magical giant brain! I do think it helps that we can have a new generation every couple of years--that's one of the many advantages of having cat heroes instead of people (another one: never having to describe what they're wearing). :) On the other paw, coming up with that many new cat names is a crazy challenge of its own! At least in the Seekers series there are many fewer characters to name. :)

But most of all, it's the terrific fans that help keep the series going. We love finding them all online; the YouTube tributes to the warrior cats are SO awesome, and if we ever run out of cat names, we know we can rely on the imagination of our Internet community to help us out. :) I had my first online encounter with Erin Hunter fans earlier this year, in a web chat at Wands and Worlds, and it was SO much fun! I love (and am so grateful for) how welcoming and warm and funny and brilliant everyone is. Erin Hunter's readers are the best! We love you all!

Until next time, all best wishes--
Vicky, Kate, Cherith and Tui x

[Ed.: I've added a sample of a pretty professional fan animation here:]

One of the toughest things you can ask a writer to do is ask "Why should someone read your book?" Because, ultimately, unless you've written an accounting manual or a how-to money making tome, why should anyone read any particular book?

Knowing this, I thought I'd put Joe Abercrombie, creator of the First Law heroic fantasy trilogy, on the spot. After all, he's been on an amazing creative and critical run, so why not throw down a little challenge his way? And, I've been remise in not covering his books before on Amazon. Frankly, if you like George R.R. Martin or other serious but fun fantasy, you should pick up some Abercrombie.

And here's why, straight from the author's mouth (and he's not joking about number six)...

1. Because it contains all the mystery, magic, court intrigue, high and low adventure, reeking cities, wind-blasted wildernesses, swords and armour, peculiar towers, and below-par poetry that one could hope for in a work of heroic (or unheroic) fantasy.  An epic sweep of love and war, all positively packed into three enormous books.

2. Because its frequent explosions of visceral action are the closest you can get to being hit in the mouth with a mace and still keep all your teeth.  Its selection of rooftop chases, duels to the death, chaotic melees in all weathers and full-scale pitched battles are so exciting they may cause you to lose control of your bodily functions.

3. Because its combination of satirical bite, puns in the face of death, gallows humour in all weathers and full-scale reversals of expectation are so hilarious they may cause you to lose control of your bodily functions again.

4. Because its characters – from the nine-fingered barbarian trying to escape a life of violence, to the crippled veteran who only wants to find the truth, to the irascible bald old wizard with a plan to save the world – are some of the brightest heroes you’ll ever read about.

5. Because its characters – from the nine-fingered barbarian endlessly steeped in blood, to the crippled veteran who makes his living torturing the innocent, to the scheming bald old wizard with a plan to destroy the world – are some of the darkest villains you’ll ever read about.

6. Because Junot Diaz says you should, and he’s got a Pulitzer Prize.

Harry Potter fan-sites got a very special delivery from Hogwarts today with a sneak-peek at the new trailer for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. And it seems appropriate that the trailer will make its big-screen debut next week in front of Twilight, who zoomed into the Half-Blood Prince's original pre-Thanksgiving release date when the Potter pic moved to Summer 2009. [via Leaky Cauldron]

--BTP