After all the noise that accompanied the release of Twilight Break Dawn Part One, it is no surprise that any information on the second part of the story is being widely anticipated by fans everywhere. Well, with the folding in of Summit Entertainment into Lion’s Gate Entertainment, it is not even surprising that we are seeing a bit of synergy with the announcement that the first trailer for the film will be shown with the release of The Hunger Games, due out in March.
It’s a smart bet to make, that announcing the running of the trailer at the opening of The Hunger Games is bound to bring in some of that huge Twilight crowd, and they may even stay and watch the movie after! Jon Felthiemer, Lion’s Gates CEO has said that the opening of The Hunger Games will be the largest release ever for the company. But then, the film is a big gamble for them too.
If you are beginning to feel like the movie action is overshadowing the books, you are not alone. It certainly seems as if lately every time I turn around, there is another paranormal film based on one of my favorite books. It is great to see so many vampire-themed books getting the added exposure, but I fear this is going to tip everything towards a “flavor of the month” mentality that will quickly see the general public moving on to whatever they want now. And where will that leave all of us who have loved our vampire stories long before they showed up on some directors “to do” list?
Title: Vampire Pond
Author: Peter Joseph Swanson
Release: Feb 12 2012
Pages: 280
Genre: Historical Vampire
During medieval times monsters were everywhere and vampires lurked in the most likely of places. A little band of gypsies arrive in the countryside of an English village, fleeing the fears and inquisitions of Spain. Along the way, they meet up with ancient curses, wolves that circle but don’t kill and an Abbey that was built to celebrate a miracle. What they are told is that the village is cursed, by a vampire that lives in a nearby pond. If they want to be accepted by the village, to stay and live in the place, they must help them to destroy the vampire and his curse. For the village has not had any luck at all since the vampire appeared, and the only way they know to be able to rid the village fields of their wealth of boulders and grow wheat again is to first be rid of the vampire.
Green magic is afoot in this charming little novel of a time when many believed in the dark side of the supernatural, and who is to say it wasn’t there? With some remarkable characterizations that will have you picturing this novel as a Peter Jackson film, the author has brought to life a fine village of personalities, including witches, ghosts and even the Goddess herself. A magical journey to a realm of both forbidding darkness and sly humor, Vampire Pond is another wonderful little gem from the pen of Peter Joseph Swanson.
If you have been following the fortunes of the various vampire books making their way to the big screen, you are probably aware that Seth Grahame-Smith’s big hit from the previous year Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is being filmed as we speak with Tim Burton in the producer’s seat and Timur Bekmambetov of “Wanted” fame taking on the director’s chores. With two like this, both known for wide ranging and fantastical vision, it is no surprise that the film has the feel of a surreal fantasy with historical elements and lots of paranormal atmosphere.
I was pretty excited to see that they have finally released the first trailer for the film, and even more excited when I got a chance to see it. Benjamin Walker is looking awesome as the man in the tall black hat. Man – this looks to be one of the big BG films for the year! But don’t take my word for it – check it out for yourself!
Audio books are such a great concept. You grab the CD and listen to it in a variety of ways. I know folks who have their little stash of great audio books for the drive to work. Heck, back when I lived in Los Angeles, it was a sanity saver on those long drives up the 405. Or you could light the candles, sit in your comfy chair at home, and have a quiet night listening to your favorite book being read. I have a friend who saves her audio books for cleaning day, and then spends the afternoon cleaning her home, audio book in player, headsets firmly in place. She is a cleaning maniac with her favorite installment firmly in place.
So I thought- how cool would it be to gather up some really great audio books of all our favorite vampire tales? Face it, listening to a vampire tale when you control the setting is a work of art in itself. Many of these are really amazingly well done audio books and I know that many great theatre actors make a nice living on the side doing lots of audio books. So sit back, enjoy the ride, and listen to some of the best vampire literature out there – told by some of the best storytellers in the audio world.
Abraham Lincoln – Vampire Hunter
Seth Grahame-Smith’s masterpiece is now out on audio. Read by Scott Holst, who has done everything from video games to Japanese anime and even was on the TV shows Futurama and Drew Carey. We all know the story by now, our fave prez is actually a vampire hunter and we get to have the fun of listening to the whole alt world unfold yet again.
Last Sacrifice – A Vampire Academy Novel
Although part of a series, this is surely one of the more dramatic of them all and well worth the bucks for the 11 CD story that you get. Rose is on trial for her life – Lissa is in line for the Royal Crown and it seems that jealousy and betrayal have reared their ugly heads at the Vampire Academy. Read by the talented Emily Shaffer who has made a name for herself in television, theatre and audio books (this is her seventh) – so you can be sure this will be a great sit-around-the-house treat for all.
Interview with the Vampire
Anne Rice’s introduction to the modern vampire and probably one of the most famous vampire tales today, this audio book is a treat to hear. Read by F. Murray Abraham, who won an Academy Award for his portrayal of Antonio Salieri in Amadeus, this is an audio book that shows what top of the line writing coupled with amazing acting can deliver. Heck by two and give one as a gift!
Anita Blake Vampire Hunter – Burnt Offerings
Anita Blake is the kind the kick ass now and asks questions later, especially if you are a vampire. This time around she is very busy with an arsonist that is causing problems in the city of St, Louis. What is worse, the fires seem to be deliberately taking out vampires along the way, her vampires! Once again, Kimberly Alexis narrates and as usual does an amazing job at it. Is it any wonder she has been dubbed the go-to gal for all the Anita Blake audios?
That’s it for today folks – though there are plenty more where these came from. I hope you get a chance to find some time and just hang and listen, for there are few pleasures as good as these. It brings back the days of radio for me, when everyone just gathered around the radio and listened to the latest Tom Mix serial. (No I am not old enough to remember, but my Dad always talked about it) Maybe this is a good theme for your next dinner party – dinner and a story, all at the same time. Have fun – we will bring you more ideas soon.
Title: Here Be Sexist Vampires
Author: Suzanne Wright
Release:January 13, 2012
Genre: Urban Vampire
Sam Parker is a very different kind of vampire and she certainly doesn’t talk, act or even fight like the vampires you generally read about. She is one tough cookie, who finds dealing with “posh blokes” more than a little irritating. Even if they are the ones that come with messages from The Grand High Master of the Vampires himself. And this one has. It seems that Sam, a lowly Sventes vampire, may have attracted the notice of the most powerful vampire around. And he wants her for his personal army.
Now, before you roll your eyes and think this is just another vampire book, think again. I could not stop smiling and laughing as I read this one. Wright has a great ear for humor and she has brought that to this fun story that takes on all the many sometimes silly layers and conventions that vampire novels have evolved into lately.
There are the three levels of vampires, with the very appropriate names, the tough chick with a heart of gold (and not-so-flat chess, she will hasten to tell you) that is the heroine of our story. Then there is the messenger, that Sam figures is “blowing smoke up my arse” when he says she is wanted for the army. You get the picture.
Soon enough Sam finds herself head to head with an arrogant SOB who informs her that she might as well head home, because women didn’t join the Legion. The one she had just been invited to try out for, that is. And although she defeats Jared, the arrogant SOB who turns out to be her commander, in the end she is offered the opportunity to stay, as his co-commander.
Even though Jared may in his mind know he wants her like few others, there is the little problem of putting her “in her place”. Which just may be a bit harder then he imagines. Here Be Sexist Vampires, indeed!
Well, now that the shouting and craziness has finally died down about the movie, I thought it would be fun to share a few notes I found recently from when they were out here in Vancouver shooting the film.
These are in no particular order of importance, but they are fun to think about:
- The make-up took over two hours every day for all the principle actors, including those hand-painted contacts.
- They may have looked cool, but with the freezing temps we were having in Vancouver, as soon as a shot was done, Taylor would make a bee-line for the heaters and grab a blanket. Man- that guy just couldn’t stay warm!
- Stephanie Meyer didn’t care for the look of the original engagement ring, so she sketched out what she thought it should look like. Lucky for her there are some incredibly talented designers there and they had a new one, made to order, in time for the shoot.
- To make the vampires look like they are running incredibly fast, a harness is used to practically drag the actors along when they are running in the forest. Doesn’t sound scary, but you try it!
- They had to re-shoot the original “tent scene” because the first time around they didn’t feel it was erotic enough. Yup- needed more steamy thoughts – I guess.
And finally- this just in:
At a chat with an un-named blogger there was much talk about the casting for The Hunger Games and Kellen Lutz admitted that he really wanted to read for it but was told no. Apparently there is a rule that if you are involved in the Twilight Franchise you cannot cross over and act on what is expected to be the next big one – The Huger Game. Too bad – cause Kellen would have been great!
That’s it for now – more chit chat on all our favorite vamps soon!
It appears that vampires, and their ilk such as zombies, are infesting even the upper echelons of literature. When publications such as the LA Times review vampire-centric comic books like The New Deadwardians, a vampire meets Edwardian England style comic from the good folks at Vertigo, then we know that finally we are being met with approval.
Or so I thought, until I chanced upon an article in nothing less than The Atlantic that looked at the pervasiveness of horror and especially zombies. James Parker makes the case in Horror for Kids that soon all writers will feel an obligation to pen some type of horror, particularly one with zombies in it. He starts with Colin Whitehead’s top seller from last year: Zone One and then goes on to discuss one of the funniest titles for a zombie book I have seen a while. This is R.L. Stine’s entry into the mix: Why I Quit Zombie School.
But even with the upcoming movie from Tim Burton, Abe Lincoln: Vampire Hunter getting tons of press, I still wonder if vampires are in danger of being over-exposed. Hmmm- for a vampire that could be a very bad thing, indeed. And speaking of the new Burton epic, there are some very cool looking new pics out from the set. Check them out here:
And then, of course the other big news for vampire lovers is that Lestat is coming back in a new film version of Anne Rice’s The Tale of the Body Thief. It should be good, Imagine Entertainment is handling production and Rice sounds very relaxed about the whole thing. She says she feels no need to get involved, that she has no problems letting the production folks handle everything. Well, she does have that Werewolf book tour to do!
Title: Love You to Death: The Unofficial Companion to the Vampire Diaries
Author: Crissy Calhoun
Release: September 2010
Pages: 240
If you watch Vampire Diaries, then you know what a great show it is. It is so much more than just another Gothic retelling of vampires, and because it is there is so much more to it then what you see on the surface of the show.
This unofficial companion to the series will give you more insight into the characters, the background on the development of the original book series as well as on the author L.J. Smith and why she decided to write The Vampire Diaries. It is also packed with info on all the actors in the series, explorations of the different themes in the first season and of course episode by episode discussions.
In Love You to Death you will also get a look at the thinking behind the adaptation of the books into the show with great in-depth interviews with show creators Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec. There is even a section where they interview some of the biggest fans and bloggers of the show, and of course plenty of great photos.
