Top Five Paranormal Countdown - #5

         Hi, folks. Welcome to my top five paranormal series countdown!

 Ah! This is my genre, the fantasy world of the paranormal. Purists will divide it up into sub-genres of paranormal fantasy, urban fantasy, or paranormal romance, but to me the lines are blurred. Whatever you want to call it, it’s where vampires, werewolves, angels, demons, witches, and fae folk cavort. It’s where humans fall in love with supernatural beings and vice versa. It is where ordinary mortals discover the immortal within. It’s… I could go on and on.

For the last decade, I’ve immersed myself in these kinds of books. And there is no more magical moment than finding one that I like and discovering there is a series! My Kindle is currently loaded with present and future favorites, and for the next several weeks, I’m going to share with you what I consider to be my top five favorites of all time. I’ll tell you what I liked about them, what I didn’t like, and what I stole for my own paranormal series, The Red Wolf Novels.

Coming in at number five is Stephenie Meyer’s cross-over smash, The Twilight Saga. Oh, I can see some of you squirming at this pick already! The series is often maligned by paranormal purists, and I agree with many of their complaints. But I have to admit, I devoured each and every one of the four tomes (the books average over six hundred pages), and I sat through all four, uh, five movies (that’s right, they made the last one in two parts).
Why?
        I’m glad you asked.
What I liked…
The local ambience…
I love it when authors incorporate the color of the locality into their works. Forks, WA, the rainiest and gloomiest of small towns, is a perfect place for vampires to hide out, even the real kind of vampires that die in the sun. Forks is a real place, and the Twilight Saga has turned it into a major tourist destination. The true beauty of the area doesn’t come out so much in the books as it does in the movies.
 
The werewolves…
They are heroic in their purpose and purport. If there was any rightness in Meyer’s world, Bella would have ended up with Jacob.
 
Bella comes into her own…
Thank God, Bella comes out of her shell and becomes the true heroine she deserves to be in the last book.
 
The romance…
It’s really what the story is all about. Without it, the paranormal tale takes its place far back in the pack of also-rans.
 
The influence…
… this series has had on the genre is immeasurable. How many YA readers, or adults for that matter, discovered paranormal fantasy by way of Meyer’s books? Many of us authors owe her a begrudging nod of thanks for that.
 
What I didn’t like…
The romance…
Wait, didn’t I just say I liked it? Not exactly. Bella and Edward have one of the sickest, most dysfunctional relationships since Romeo and Juliet, but without as good a supporting story around it. There were times I wished I could reach into the pages and shake Bella.
 
The vampires…
Glittering in the sun? Please! I did kind of develop a thing for Alice, though. *blushes*
 
Edward…
       I… I… I… No, I just don’t get it.
What I stole…
Some of the werewolf elements…
I already told you I liked them, right? I admit this is where I lifted the idea of the lycanthropic gene existing in the human population and getting triggered by environmental factors. In the Red Wolf Novels, the gene occurs in about a hundredth of a percent of the population and can be triggered by the presence of vampires, other werewolves, or a bite. And the main reason werewolves exist is to protect humans from vampires.
 
The romance…
Just kidding. If you see any similarity between Bella and Edward and any of Clifford Crane’s dalliances, just please come and shoot me.
----------------
 
Next time… number four in my top five.
What is your all-time favorite paranormal book series? I’d love to hear your comments. Maybe you can introduce me to one of my next top five.
 
    And you might just find your next favorite paranormal series below. Check out the Red Wolf Novels, currently with an average reader rating on Amazon of 4.45 out of 5 stars!

The Draculata Nest -----------------------------------------------------------------------

Click on the link to order:
ebook for Kindle    ebook for Nook    ebook for Kobo    in Paperback
in Charlotte    Smashwords

The Dragon of Doughton Park ----------------------------------------------------------
Click on the link to order:
ebook for Kindle    ebook for Nook    ebook for Kobo    in Paperback
in Charlotte    Smashwords

Comments

  1. Kristy BerridgeJune 6, 2013 at 5:06 PM

    I wholeheartedly agree on every point. I don't care if I'm crucified, I will admit I devoured the books and movies and went back for seconds.

    ReplyDelete

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