As many of you may know, the Twilight book series by author Stephanie Meyer has become quite a pop-culture sensation.  The series has sold millions of books worldwide and has even sparked a successful motion picture.  Wanting to see what all the fuss was about, I picked up volume one of the series and gave it a quick read.  The story was interesting enough to make me want to continue, so I read the next three novels as well.  Below are my thoughts:

 

The basic plot of the Twilight series is easy to sum-up: Girl meets boy…only boy also happens to be a vampire, though a sort of “reformed” vampire as it turns out.  In other words, he no longer kills people.  But that doesn’t mean he’s not tempted to do so, and it doesn’t mean that other vampires are as reformed as he is.  Anyway, romance ensues; but from the beginning it is destined for tragedy…or is it?  Read the books to find out.  But read the rest of this post first.

 

Do the books have any literary value?  Not much.  That’s not to say they are horribly written.  Author Stephanie Meyer knows how to tell a gripping story.  However, the narrative often drags and the dialogue can be strained at times.  Her writing does improve as the series goes on.  Is Meyer in the league of Tolkien or Lewis?  Not by a long shot.  Is she comparable to even J. K. Rowling or Stephen King?  Not yet, but she might be one day.

 

From a Christian perspective, the series has a couple strengths.  First off, moral absolutes are assumed throughout the series.  Good is truly good.  Evil is truly evil.  Repentance, at least on a human level, is possible and to be desired.  Secondly, the books have no sexual immorality to speak of.  And third, family relationships are valued and protected by the characters within the series.  None of this is really surprising when one learns that Meyer is a practicing Mormon. 

 

Though the books need not be dismissed as evil or demonic, Christians should be aware of several things before reading them or allowing their children to do so.  Number one, the series is a bit heavy on romance – not sexual romance, but extremely passionate romance.  This can be a huge stumbling block for young women, not to mention married women who are dealing with a marriage that is lacking in the romance department.  Number two, due to the gripping nature of the narrative, the series can be a huge time-sink.  One should make sure one’s other duties are prioritized and in their proper place before beginning.   And number three, the books do contain some pretty violent and vividly painful scenes.  I don’t think the violence ever becomes gratuitous, particularly given the subject matter.  But in my opinion, they are not appropriate for anyone 16 or below. 

 

As an aside, let me close by saying that I have always found the concept of the “reformed vampire” to be a bit fascinating (Meyer is not the first author to imagine a vampire who is conflicted and desperately trying not to be a monster).  As a matter of fact, I think the idea is slightly comparable to the life of a believer.  Though we’ve been renewed in the inner man, our flesh still craves for sin.  The Christian life is a life of learning to say “no” to our evil desires and to say “yes” to righteousness…Twilight’s Edward is attempting something similar.