The “Twilight” saga by Stephanie Meyer has become a phenomenon akin to the following behind the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling. The book series tells the story of Bella Swan, a teenaged mortal who falls in love with vampire Edward Cullen. There are four books in the series: “Twilight,” “New Moon,” “Eclipse,” and “Breaking Dawn.” The books follow Bella as she falls in love with Edward, faces constant danger from unfriendly vampires, and becomes embroiled in a love triangle with her best friend, Jacob Black.
The books have created a rabid following of teenage girls, and the series has spawned piles of Twilight-related goods, from T-shirts pledging wearers to “Team Edward” or “Team Jacob” to Twilight perfume. The author, Stephenie Meyer, is Mormon, and her books have been said to push the “True Love Waits” movement to teenagers – the books do not contain gratuitous sex, despite the romantic focus of the stories.
The first book was turned into a movie by the same name and released in November 2008. The film stars Robert Pattinson as Edward and Kristen Stewart as Bella. British actor Pattinson became an overnight teen sensation because of the role, and was regularly mobbed at his appearances promoting the film. Pattinson and Stewart are set to star in the upcoming “New Moon” based on the second book in the series, set for release in November 2009.
