skip to main |
skip to sidebar
My first impression of this series was that it was less about the supernatural and more of what love means to individuals who have found it:
There are two main rules for those belonging to the Night World. The first is to never tell a human about the existence of vampires, werewolves, witches, or anything of their secret history. The second is to never fall in love with a human. Break either, and the consequence is death, for the Night Worlder as well as the human. The Night World series are basically short stories of what happens when these rules are broken:
In Secret Vampire Poppy's life is brought to a sudden stop when she is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Her best friend, and secret crush, since kindergarten, James a vampire of the Night World, is her only hope of survival. But saving Poppy would mean death for him, foremost because it would be an unwritten confession that James had fallen in love with a human, and in order to change her, James must tell her his darkest secret. The two rules would be broken. Once his decision is made, James gets an unwanted visit from his immoral cousin, Ash, who puts Poppy and James in danger of the wrath of the entire Night World Council...
In Daughters of Darkness three vampire sisters escape the tyrannical island which was formally their home in exchange for freedom in the outside human world. Upon learning of their absence, the girls' brother, the infamous Ash from Secret Vampire, is sent by his family to bring them back home. What the arrogant, bad-boy vampire does not expect is to find his soulmate while attempting to persuade his sisters to return home, much less that the girl would be human. Discovering this, Ash is faced with his own immorality and reminded constantly of the way he acted towards humans before he found himself tied to one. I suppose this is what we would call poetic justice, a vampire who hates humans, labeling them 'vermin,' unwillingly loving what he once hated. Of course, the Night World Law forbids them to be together and most certainly would present them with death for claiming that they were soulmates. The Night World Council would not hesitate to kill Ash's youngest sister, Jade and her soulmate as well, who happens to be the younger brother of Mary-Lynette, the human girl Ash is fated to be with forever. The only solution for them is to stay hidden in the human world, if they aren't caught first...In the last book of Night World Vol. 1, Spellbinder two witch cousins, direct decedents of the most powerful witch, Hellewise, fight each other for the affections of a human boy. Blaise fights simply to have him, to conquer. Thea fights to protect him from her somewhat twisted cousin Blaise, and fights her own emotions, which include pure love for the human boy Eric, and fear of death by the Night World Council should they find out her one and only love is human. Throughout the story, Blaise uses underhanded methods to win Eric, bewitchment and allure, none of which work because his love for Thea is pure and cannot be tainted. In the midst of it all, a dangerous spirit is released from the void endlessly searching to avenge deaths of centuries past. It is Thea's duty to send the spirit back and with Eric by her side, she is confident that they will live through it. Then the Inner Circle of Witches appear at Thea's home to chastise her for using forbidden spells, and find that an even greater punishment must await her for breaking the two most important rules of the Night World...
I really liked this one, although it was a little hard to follow because the stories switched so often. I can't get over how scary 'salem's Lot was and I actually jumped when I heard the wind "scratching" at the window a few days ago. I suppose this book was unnerving because some of it is actually believable, such as entire families inexplicably disappearing in the dead of night, or mysterious strangers spontaneously arriving in a town where if you weren't born there, you were considered an outsider and thought the worst of. Also disturbing was the fact that the town itself was so isolated and withdrawn within its own borders that I assume no help would ever have arrived. What happened to Father Callahan was also disturbing. Supposedly, he lost his faith at the end, and he made reference to Cain. Judging by the fact that Barlow allowed him to live, I think that Father Callahan was made to wander like Cain, safe from any harm, but always wandering. The one question I have is how Barlow could have bestowed such a punishment on Father Callahan? Otherwise, despite the extinction of 'salem's Lot, things ended optimistically, with two people who know the truth fighting for tomorrow.
Nearly everyone has inexplicably disappeared in 'salem's Lot. Although, these disappearances can be explained by those who know the truth, and that is a pitiful number. With the loss of Susan Norton to the vampires, only Matt Burke, Ben Mears, Jimmy Cody, and a little boy named Mark Petrie, who was nearly turned by Danny Glick, know what evil has taken up residence in 'salem's Lot. The introduction of Mr. Barlow rises horrible fears in the reader, for there is no doubt what this man, if he can be considered as such, is doing to the people of 'salem's Lot. Though his motives are unclear at the moment, it is certain that Barlow is turning every man woman and child in the town, or rather, having his 'minions' turn them. What he hopes to accomplish by these actions is not known, whether it is out of pure evil or the building blocks of a greater plan. The concept of an entire town disappearing and not a soul knowing of it is very unsettling. What's more, Susan's claim of "there's lots more of us now" does not put the odds in the favor of those who know the truth. Initially, there were only five of them, one of which is now, undoubtedly, feeding information on Ben, Matt, Jimmy, and Mark> With Susan on their side, the vampires must know that some individuals know what they are and will certainly expect action from the group....
I'm reading this one on recommendation. 'salem's Lot is Stephen Kings second novel and is mainly about rising author Ben Mears and his experiences in a town which he visited shorty as a child. In order to write his new novel on the infamous Marsten House, where a man killed his wife 32 years prior, Ben returns to Jerusalem's Lot to examine the house, hoping it will serve as a muse for his novel. The town, like many others, is a source for gossip, mostly including the new 'outsiders' that have recently moved in for who knows how long. The book frequently switches stories, ranging from insignificant townspeople in shaky marriages to the grieving family of two boys, both of whom are assumed dead. So many stories combined in one book seems impossible to follow, but the individual accounts of each person connects to the other in some way. No doubt the characters will meet up at some point in time.
When the Marsten House is inexplicably occupied by two seemingly harmless businessmen, strange occurrences take place in the dry old town of 'salem's Lot, including the disappearance of one of the Glick boys, and the 'death' of the other. From the inferences told by old Matt Burke, puncture marks on the neck of his former student Mike Reyerson and the reaction Mike had after Matt introduced him to a crucifix, one can assume what is lurking about in 'salem's Lot. Indeed, Matt assumes as much, causing others who he confided in to question his sanity.
Now, Ben Mears and his girlfriend Susan Norton are determined to prove him right, ignoring rational thought. All three want to think that Danny Glick and Mike Reyerson had died from the same unknown causes, but Matt's description is impossible to ignore, with his encounter with Mike, having been announced dead hours before, and the high evil laugh of a child in the guest room which Mike had occupied before his 'death.' With these factors in mind, Matt, Ben, and Susan, consider the impossible and embrace the evil in 'salem's Lot.
As I have guessed, condemned E Block inmate John Coffey had been wrongly convicted for unspeakable crimes against the Deterick twins. What I found extremely curious was that Cold Mountain Penitentiary's warden, Hal Moores, could actually pick up a pen and sign away the form that would make Coffey's execution final after he had given his wife back the life that her brain tumor would have stolen. Could he honestly believe that a man gifted with such abilities would be capable of harming two young girls in such a way? All along, it had been another more likely person to murder the girls, whom John Coffey tried without success to help. In all honesty, when the true murderer was identified, it was not to my surprise. What knotted my stomach the most was that John Coffey, a truly good soul who only wanted to help, had died for another man's crime, and by those who knew the truth. I cannot understand how Paul just let it happen, regardless of Coffey's wishes. Towards the end, Stephen King, seems obsessed with death. He explains how each of the guards on E Block had died, along with Melinda Moores and Paul's own wife. He explains the horrible, but (lets be honest) deserved fate of Percy Wetmore and how he lived the rest of his empty life. Furthermore, he includes the death of poor little Mr. Jingles, whom Coffey had restored life to and also elongated it, as he had done with Paul, if he did not exactly know he was doing it. Lastly, Paul Edgecombe reflects on his own long and unnatural lifespan and, or so it seems to me, gives the reader a foreboding feeling of death with the last line of the novel, which is, undoubtedly the single most intriguing line that I have ever read: "We each owe a death, there are no exceptions, I know that, but sometimes, oh God, the Green Mile is so long."
I absolutely love the works of Stephen King and plan to read more of his novels this year. So far, I am completely fascinated by The Green Mile, the story of prison guard Paul Edgecombe, set in Depression Era 1932. At Cold Mountain Penitentiary, "Boss Edgecombe" supervises convicted killers until their DOE (date of execution) when he and his fellow guards will take the condemned on their last walk down The Green Mile, a lime green colored path of sorts that leads to 'Old Sparky', the electric chair, where justice awaits. Paul tells of the final days of several convicted killers, including one Eduard Delacroix (who "tamed" a mouse by the name of Mr. Jingles that most on E Block are taken with, and who suffered a horrific death by arrogant, politically connected Percy Wetmore), William Wharton, (an absolutely psychotic youth), and the curious John Coffey, a colossal man with solemn eyes, who was convicted for the rapes and murders of twin girls. Found with their lifeless bodies cradled in his arms, a group of men reported Coffey's continuous screams of "I tried to take it back, but it was too late."
Unexplainable events took place soon after John Coffey's arrival at E Block. The giant of a man seemingly cured a urinary infection that had mercilessly plagued Paul. Another was that John Coffey took the dying Mr. Jingles in his hands and restored life to the odd little mouse after Percy Wetmore had crushed him on the eve of Delacroix's execution. After both these episodes, little black bugs emerged from Coffey's mouth, turned white and disappeared into oblivion. No other word can describe Coffey's actions except a miracle.
Now, being so far into the book and having read of Coffey's unique ability, I wonder. I wonder if Coffey had only been trying to help the two Deterick girls. What if he had been trying restore life to them just as he did the mouse only they were too far gone and were beyond his help? "I tried to take it back, but it was too late." I wonder if Coffey had been trying to take back what the real murderer had done to the twins. I wonder if John Coffey had been wrongly convicted of this heinous crime.
It came as no surprise that Henry did indeed pass away. The explanation of his not being able to control this aspect of his life was because it already happened when Clare was thirteen. Apparently, Henry never had any conscious control over his life and excepted his death with good grace at the end. What makes Henry's death sickening is that Clare's own father and brother were the ones to shoot him on a day when the two had decided to go hunting and Henry had, unfortunately, time traveled to that exact instance while being rendered helpless due to his poor physical state resulting from the blizzard he had been trapped in. Of course, with careful observation, one could have predicted Henry's death from the beginning of the story, when thirteen year old Clare awoke to her dying husband's-to-be cries of 'Clare! Clare!' and found her brother and father near a red stained patch of grass with another self of Henry's at the scene. Henry was, no doubt, aware that he had occupied that patch of grass moments before.
The ending to The Time Traveler's Wife was sad, but also happy in a way. Past selves of Henry's continuously visit Alba in the future, and so he is able to spend stolen time with his beloved daughter. On the other hand, Henry never appears to Clare, except for one final time when Clare is 82. Until then, Clare continuously waits for Henry on his word that they will see each other again. It seems that no matter the circumstances, Clare is destined to always wait for Henry, always filled with the anticipation and relief that comes with his reappearances. Unhindered by his death, Clare forever waits for her love.
