Mid-August will bring us the second in the Percy Jackson franchise: Sea of Monsters. Based on Rick Riorden’s book, this time around Percy and his friends search for the famed Golden Fleece in order to save Camp Half-Blood’s magical borders from its foes. With most of the same cast as the first movie, I think we’ll see a good, fun film about this modern-day demi-god.

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones will also be released in August. Based on Cassandra Clare’s uber-best-selling novel (and the first of six in this series), will tell the story of Clary Fray, a seemingly normal New York teenager, who learns of her secret bloodline – and the war that’s been going on under her very nose for years. Starring Lily Collins as Clary, Jamie Campbell Bower as Jace, and an epic supporting cast including Aidan Turner (think Mitchell the vampire in Being Human and Kili in The Hobbit, *swoon*) as werewolf Luke. Described as an ‘epic adventure fantasy’, we can expect to see lots of demons, angels and, of course, Shadow Hunters.

I don’t think I’m alone in thinking late November is way too long to wait for the second Hunger Games movie: Catching Fire. I loved the first movie, and felt it was as true to the book as it could be, so I’m hoping the filmmakers do just as good a job of the second film. Katniss Everdeen – again played by Jennifer Lawrence – must again fight to save the people she loves – this time in the Quarter Quell. Expect more violence, more heartbreak and more political badness.

Finally, to round the year off: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, with the current release date being December 13th. If you’ve saw ‘An Unexpected Journey’ recently, I’m sure you’ll agree that this is another movie that can’t come too soon. A typical example of a bit of creative license being taken by the movie makers as compared to the book (hey, I thought it worked) – the two remaining Hobbit movies are bound to be box-office winners as well as visual feasts.

So what about you? Which movies are you hanging out to see on the big screen? Which ones won’t you bother at all with, and which ones will you wait for on DVD? Are you worried that turning your favourite books into movies will leave a permanent scar on how you feel about the story, or are you like me, expecting to see small changes that will hopefully enhance your memories of the time spent between pages?

Well, it looks as though 2013 is shaping up to be a huge year for those of us who enjoy going to the movies – especially those of us who like to see a much loved novel turned into something special for the silver screen.

There’s always that nervous anticipation: Will the filmmakers get it right? Will the heroine maintain her gutsy, confident and assured demeanour? Will the hero sound like he does in my head? Will he look like he does in my head? How much will they change? Will there be crucial scenes left out, while new ones are popped in to help with the move from page to screen?

There will always be changes – there has to be. No 400 page novel can be filmed word-for-word and then squished into two hours. But that’s (usually!) okay with me. As long as I can keep the book close to my heart, I like to look at movies as an extension of a favourite story.

So, to kick this year off, the first book-to-movie on my list (yeah, sadly there’s only room for a handful here, so we’re gonna miss a few hundred) is Beautiful Creatures. Based on the Supernatural Romance novel by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, release date is set for February 13 th in Australia, and the 14th elsewhere. The blurb goes something like this: ‘A young man and his mysterious new love interest uncover dark secrets about their families and the small Southern town where they live.’

Oz the Great and Powerful is due to hit the screens in early March. Based on L. Frank Baum’s 1900 novel ‘Wonderful Wizard of Oz’, this one is set before the 1939 film starring Judy Garland. But don’t think Oz is just for the little kids. There’s some fabulously dark themes running through these books. Some big names are associated with Oz the Great and Powerful, including director Sam Raimi (think: the early 2000’s Spiderman trilogy, The Evil Dead, The Gift…) and main cast members Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams and Rachel Weisz.

Another March release is the remake of Carrie, a remake of the 1976 horror classic based on the Stephen King novel of the same name. I’m guessing this one will be for an older teen/adult audience – if you know anything about Carrie’s story, you’ll know that there’s blood. Lots of it. And a Carrie remake – well, I’m not too sure about this one. It’s scary stuff – not just the blood and gore bit – but the whole ‘let’s remake a classic’ thing. Hmmm.

To round March off is The Host. Based on the novel by Stephenie Meyer (yes, she of the Twilight saga), The Host tells the story of an Earth that has been invaded by alien beings called ‘Souls’. Basically, Souls are parasites who take over human bodies. But Melanie Stryder isn’t so keen to let her invader – Wanderer – have her body to itself. I think this movie could go either way, (I’m hoping it’s awesome) especially since in the novel, much of the story happens between Melanie and Wanderer inside their shared mind.

So what about you? Which movies are you hanging out to see on the big screen? Which ones won’t you bother at all with, and which ones will you wait for on DVD? Are you worried that turning your favourite books into movies will leave a permanent scar on how you feel about the story, or are you like me, expecting to see small changes that will hopefully enhance your memories of the time spent between pages?

Mandy’s Top 5 Reads of 2012

So this year, my reading was a little more eclectic than usual. I also read a little less than usual. Maybe that’s because many of the books I read had me pondering their deeper meanings, their nuances, the actual craft of the author. Whatever it was, I still got to read some seriously awesome books. So here’s my top 5 titles, in no particular order:

1/ Red Queen by Honey Brown

Red Queen is one of those titles that’s not quite crime or thriller, not quite spec fic – it just IS. And wow, is it creepy. And beautiful. Brown’s writing has a real melody to it.

2/ Feed, Deadline and Blackout by Mira Grant

Yeah, yeah, I’m cheating here by bundling all three novels of the ‘Newsflesh’ trilogy together. But technically, they’re one story. And you should read them. Now. Before the dead begin to rise.

3/ Sea Hearts by Margo Lanagan

Back when I reviewed Sea Hearts here at Burn Bright in February, I wrote that I adored it. I still do. Margo Lanagan can twist words and sentences into heart-splitting scenes that will play in your memory forever.

4/ Bluegrass Symphony by Lisa L Hannett

I dipped into a few short story collections this year, most from Australian small press.  Lisa’s collection was a real standout for me (along with Felicity Dowker’s Bread and Circuses. But it would be cheating to add that in too. Oh. Oops). Hannett is another author whose words rise and fall like music; Bluegrass Symphony is as twisted and bleak as it is beautiful.

5/ Handling the Undead by John Ajvide Linqvist

More zombies. This time, in a very serious, heartbreaking novel that explores grief and loss. With lots of gory and mucky and cool horror stuff that smells like expensive cheese.

5 Most Anticipated Reads of 2012

Okay, most of these are already out there in the wild, jumping off bookshop shelves. Actually, most are jumping off MY shelf, coz I already have them in my To Be Read pile. I’m just a little backward and haven’t got to them yet. So, here are the five books I can not wait to sink my teeth into next year:

1/ Shine Light by Marianne de Pierres.

Oh. Yeah.

Do I really need to explain? Really?

2/ Stage Fright by Marianne Delacourt

Book three in the Davitt Award Winning Tara Sharp series has been screaming ‘Pick me! Pick me!’ from my bookshelf since the first week it was released. Tara’s noisy like that. I’ll be putting her out of her misery very, very soon.

3/ Illumination by Karen Brooks

Another one from the already-purchased-not-yet-read pile. The third and final book in the Curse of the Bond Riders trilogy, I can’t wait to see what this doorstop of a book has in store for characters Tallow and Dante.

4/ Dead Ever After by Charlaine Harris

The thirteenth and final book in the Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire series is due for release in early May next year. *Sigh*. I hope Sookie finds happiness. I hope she finds love (preferably with Sam, ahem). I hope we get a satisfying ending to the series that spawned the TV show, True Blood.

5/ The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

I know, I know, it’s not new. In fact, The Scorpio Races was released in 2011. But I didn’t know about it until it was recently recommended to me by uber-author, Alison Goodman (EON and EONA) And, you know, when Alison Goodman personally recommends something – you have to read it, right? I’ll let y’all know how I go.

Shine Light is coming… pt 3

The Creatures of Ixion

Shh… do you hear it, Baby Bats? Those murmurs in the shadows? The whispers of sightings in the wild? Well, allow me to confirm the rumours; it’s all true. Shine Light is suddenly emerging, more and more each day. Blogs, reviews, tweets and Facebook statuses all dedicated to the third and final instalment in the Night Creatures Trilogy. There are those who already have the answers, who know the fate of those burning bright on Ixion – and those who no longer do.

We’ve already revisited the people, the characters we’ve come to love (here and here) but what about the creatures? What about those who lurk in the shadows, what are their motives? Is there such a thing as pure evil, or is there more to it – are there personal choices and decisions at play here? How are the Ripers and the Night Creatures connected? Where are they from? What do they want? Why are the Ripers so threatening when they insist Ixion is for pleasure? And just what is the connection between the Ripers and the elders on Grave? For those who’ve read Angel Arias, a few of those questions have been answered but with that knowledge came more questions, more intrigue. So here’s a little reminder of those creatures, something to whet your appetite while we wait to be one of those who have their own copy of Shine Light to blog, review and tweet about…

Ripers

‘…pale as a dead person alive, eyes cold, hair flowing long and blacker than the night…skin tight… like a skeleton clinging to its flesh…’ The Ripers are the Guardians of Ixion, the enforcers of pleasure – but do they hide behind a more sinister plan?

And just what is it about the god-like Lenoir – the leader of the Ripers – that causes the little twists in Retra’s stomach?

Uthers

Mysterious creatures that live just beyond the corners of sight, the Uthers serve the Ripers, sparing all on Ixion from the mundane.

Night Creatures

‘Come to me,’ the Night Creatures whisper to Retra, urging her to leave the well-lit paths. ‘See you. Follow you. Want you.’

mandy

Hey there, Baby Bats! Welcome to part 2 of our countdown to the release of Shine Light, book three in the Night Creatures Trilogy. If you missed out on part 1, you can catch it over here. Here in Australia, we only have around twenty sleeps to go ’til the big day. And if you’re familiar with books one and two (Burn Bright and Angel Arias), you’ll know that’s twenty sleeps too many.

Okay, so last time, I gave you a quick little memory jog of some of your favourite characters. Here’s a handful more:

Rollo

With his freckled skin and red corkscrewing curls, Rollo is easy to find in a crowded club. Also from Grave, Retra first meets him on the transition to Ixion. But is Rollo really on the island of ever-night for pleasure, or does he have his own agenda?

Eve/Dark Eve

Runs the Cursed League with Clash. Blunt faced, tall and broad, Dark Eve wears a leather vest and pants – with silver daggers hanging from the chains around her belt. In hiding from the Ripers, she survives outside normal means.

Krista-Belle

The red-headed lover of Kero, and a friend to Retra. She just needs to learn to stay clear of the Ripers…

Kero

The leader of the White Wings, Kero owes Retra for her bravery – or stupidity. Can he help her find Joel?

Lottie

‘I burned too bright. I saw too much…’ and inadvertently she also gives Retra answers.

Charlonge

Patient and gentle with the baby bats at Vank, Charlonge sees what is outside the visible and is a keeper of secrets… including one of her own.

Ruzalia

‘Ruzalia…. Hair redder than fire and her blade as quick…’ Ruzalia and her crew of pirates kidnap from the barges heading to Ixion. Some say it’s a rescue. Others say she’s perverted and cruel and uses them as pets. Is the truth somewhere in between?

So … if you’re up to date and have read Angel Arias, you’ll have the answers to some of the questions posed above – and if you’re like me, you’ll have another fistful of questions you’re dying to know the answers to. For me, the fascination lies with Ruzalia. What’s her real story? And then there’s Dark Eve. What’s the connection between her and Ruzalia – is there more to it than we’ve been led to believe? Just how does Eve manage to exist the way she does? How do she and the others who belong in her gang – The Cursed League – survive away from the Ripers and the rules that govern Ixion? We’d love to hear your thoughts below (but remember – no spoilers please!)

Stay tuned for more info on the gangs, the places and the creatures of Ixion. In the meantime … Listen well, baby bats. Burn bright, but do not stray from the paths. Remember, when you live in a place of darkness you also live with creatures of the dark.

Mandy

by Mandy Wrangles

So, you like vampires, huh? Um, I hate to break it to you, but isn’t that a little passé? I mean, with the current glut of bloodsuckers out there, aren’t we supposed to be over them and chewing at the bit for the ‘next big thing’?  Everywhere we turn in the bookshop, online, television and the movies, another vampire and his/her crew have popped up. Generally, they’re pining for the short mortal life they once had, in love with a human and fighting their natural instinct to gut and devour them. Oh, and they’re always ridiculously good looking… aren’t they?

Well, no. Sure, some of the vampires of late might fit that mould, but it’s a modern day phenomenon. The Vampire Diaries, Twilight, Vampire Academy, House of Night, Evernight and about seven thousand and twenty-nine more. Some (lots) of them are even pretty cool. But have there just been too, too many? Do you groan out loud when you see a book or movie trailer for another vampire story? Or do your fingers twitch gleeful anticipation, does your heart begin to pump that little bit faster in anticipation of release day? Do you expect your vampires to charm the pants off you before they eat?

Or, has the (ahem) well run dry? Are bloodsuckers yesterday’s news?

I don’t think so. Yes, the current trend to elevate our favourite monsters into the stratosphere of all-things-hot-and-yummy might just be running its course. But what about those vamps who are the real thing? The monsters, the demons, the really, truly bad guy vampires? They’ve been around in folklore since – well forever – in many different guises. I don’t see them going anywhere soon. We might be a little full up with being fed the same old modern day bloodsucker, especially since so many are so similar. We all love a bad guy with a heart, but I hate to be the one to break the news – vampire hearts aren’t supposed to beat. And it’s those vampires – the ones with the shrivelled up life-muscle that I believe will never really go away.

Publishers and movie makers are moving away from vampires, looking for the next big thing – angels, shape-shifters, mermaids and co. But vampires have been with us forever, they’re not going anywhere in a hurry. They’ll morph and change, fit in with whatever it is society wants or needs from them. Let’s face it; that’s how they’ve survived this long already. I think we’ll see more vamps like those in True Blood and Being Human. I’m looking forward to seeing what author Claudia Gray does with ‘Balthazar’, her spin-off to the Evernight series. The vampires in Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments series also still have a way to go with their Shadow Hunter counterparts, and they’re certainly vamps who can’t always be trusted. (AND ride flying motorbikes!) Granted, most of them are hot (hey, I never said I had anything against a gorgeous vampire), but they’re more dangerous, more driven by their thirst and need to feed their murderous instincts. We’ll also see more classic vampire-types, like Lestat and his buddies from Anne Rice’s novels, Kurt Barlow from Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot and of course, The Master from Buffy and the granddaddy of them all, Dracula himself.

Vampires will make a big, bad comeback – not that they’ll ever really go away – and when they do, be careful. Keep the garlands of garlic slung around your window, the crucifix beside your bed. Because when bloodsuckers come knocking once more, they’ll be bigger, badder and thirstier than ever. And in the meantime, there’s nothing wrong with enjoying those impossibly good looking, angsty vamps. Just remember… they’re all monsters underneath.

My top 5 for this year(in no particular order.I can’t choose!)

* Eona by Alison Goodman

* Votive by Karen Brooks

* Divergent by Veronica Roth

* Burn Bright by Marianne de Pierres

* Angel Arias by Marianne de Pierres.

(hey, check it out. All Aussies except for Roth)

Most Anticipated for 2012 (again, no particular order):

* The Blood Keeper by Tessa Gratton

* Blaze Dark by Marianne de Pierres

* Insurgent by Veronica Roth

* City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

* Illumination by Karen Brooks. (confirmed 2012 release date with Karen this morning)

We all know strange things have been going on with vampires recently. Authors and filmmakers have been twisting mythology, setting new rules and boundaries for the most fabulous of all monsters. Vamps seem to take on all sorts of different guises – the ones who can walk around just like you or me in the sunshine, don’t have any hassles at all with crossing moving water and might even dine out on garlic bread with their pizza. Some have fangs, some don’t; others wear crucifixes as a fashion statement. But the common link is blood. Drinking it, that is. Other than that, it seems writers can do whatever they want with the once feared and gruesome bloodsucker… but should they?

American author, Richelle Mead has delved a little deeper into the basic vampire myth, drawing from Romanian Folklore; it’s this that makes her Vampire Academy series that bit different to everything else out there right now.

The series contains six books, with Vampire Academy being the first. It’s there we meet Rose Hathaway, who narrates the series, and her best friend Vasilisa (Lissa) Dragomir. Rose is a Dhampir, a vampire/human hybrid. Dhampirs have enhanced strength, suffer none of the weaknesses of actual vampires (heck, they don’t even need to drink blood) and quite often, serve as bodyguards – called guardians – to the real vamps. Those real vampires fall into two groups, which is where the Romanian Folklore kicks in.

There’s the Moroi and the Strigoi. Moroi are actually living, breathing creatures and while they need blood, they never kill to obtain it. In fact, there’s always lots of willing humans or Dhampirs ready and willing to bend a neck and get a quick endorphin rush in return. Sunlight doesn’t kill Moroi, but it does weaken them, and while their strength and senses are heightened compared to humans, they still die natural deaths. Moroi also each possess an ‘element’ of magic. Typically, this is either  Earth, Fire or Water. But occasionally, a Spirit user pops up amongst the Moroi – and this causes all sorts of problems for both the users themselves, those around them, and those who want to capture and use the Spirit user’s unique gift.

Then there’s the Strigoi. These guys are your typical bad-arse vampires, of the undead variety. They’re evil and they’re bloodthirsty and can be killed by all the usual methods – sunlight, decapitation, stake through the heart (as long as it’s pure silver) and fire. Moroi and Dhampirs can and are turned throughout the series into Strigoi – whether it be by force, or occasionally, by choice.

In book one, we learn that Rose is not only Lissa’s best friend, but once she’s finished her training at St Vladimir’s, wants nothing more than to be Lissa’s guardian for life. Lissa is the last member remaining member of the Dragomir bloodline, a Moroi royal family. The two girls share an unusual one-way psychic bond which enables Rose to be able to see through Lissa’s eyes and read her mind. It gives the reader an interesting insight – although all the books in Vampire Academy are told from Rose’s point of view, sometimes we get a sneak peak at what’s going on with Lissa. And sometimes – that information is a little hot and heavy.

Yes, both the girls have love interests. Lissa with the dark and handsome Christian; a fellow royal Moroi. Rose’s love interest is not so straight forward, and the backdrop of the entire series. She falls for Dimitri, a world famous guardian, stronger, more lethal and feared by the Strigoi than any other Dhampir. He also happens to be Rose’s instructor and teacher. Yep, you guessed it – even in a world of vampires, this is a big no-no.

Rose, Dimitri, Lissa and a whole gang of supporting characters (some of whom are going on to ‘Bloodlines’, Mead’s next series) become entangled in all manner of sticky situations throughout the six books. There’s love, lust, loss and heartache entwined with plenty of action for our kick-arse heroine. Rose is a strong protagonist, a girl who grows into a woman with strong values and is willing to fight and kill for what she believes in, no matter how high the cost to her own heart.

So should authors like Richelle Mead play with vampire lore and rewrite the myth? Well, yeah. Everything old becomes new again… right? I think this series works most of the time. It can be a little repetitive and sometimes feels formulated, but on a whole I think those who can’t get enough of the modern day vampire and like a bit of lovin’ with their bloodsuckers will enjoy Mead’s spin on an old folktale.

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Bk 1 – Vampire Academy, ISBN – 978-1-59514-174-3

Bk 2 – Frostbite, ISBN – 978-1-59514-175-0

Bk 3 – Shadow Kiss, ISBN – 978-1-59514-197-2

Bk 4 – Blood Promise, ISBN – 978-1-921518-29-4

Bk 5 – Spirit Bound, ISBN – 978-1-921518-86-7

Bk 6 – Last Sacrifice, ISBN – 978-1-921518-90-4

I’m a huge fan of a well-built world in the books I read. I love jumping in feet first, deep into an unknown culture, where everything is different; the language, the people, the clothing, the food, where a chair is not always just a chair and anything can and does happen.

All writers spend time and effort on building a believable world to set their story in, even if it’s a story set right here on earth in 2011 at your local high school. But it’s those worlds that are so different to our own that I admire so much. To pull a reader into their made-up world and suck us in, to want to be there as well-loved characters tell their stories – well, that’s a real skill, something not all authors are able to pull off successfully.

Burn Bright is an awesome example of successful world building. We can all imagine through Retra’s eyes the clubs, the churches, the landscape of Ixion. But that’s not all that goes into building a fantastical world. Think about the Gangs, the Night Creatures, the Ripers and the Uthers. So much goes into an author’s thought process, the linking of all these elements. Would Retra’s journey to Ixion touch our hearts in quite the same way if we couldn’t imagine what it would be like to grow up in the strict, suppressed Seal compound? Of course not. All these tiny pieces of the jigsaw puzzle fit together to build a world so many of us loved (and can’t wait to get back to again!)

Along with Burn Bright, some of my favourite worlds to get lost in between pages include Karen Brooks’ Venetianesque Serenissima in The Curse of the Bond Riders trilogy (Tallow book 1 and Votive, book 2 are both available now). It’s a place full of secrets and canals, danger and magic.

Alison Goodman’s duology EON and EONA are set in a land full of elemental magic in an alternative ancient China / Japan. Not only has Goodman given us the landscape and the magic, but characters that tell the beautiful (and sometimes horrific) story and history of her world.

In Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games trilogy, we’re faced with a dystopian world where teens are forced to fight to the death as entertainment for Big Brother and the masses.

And in Isobelle Carmody’s classic Obernewtyn Chronicles, we are thrust into a complex land of politics, religion, Misfits and heroes. Carmody’s world in particular is just incredible in its depth and attention to detail over many years and volumes.

What about those worlds that are just a step to the left, a little off centre? Think Melissa Marr’s Wicked Lovely series, where the Fey live among us, here and now in the contemporary world. The same goes for Holly Black’s White Cat and of course… JK Rowling’s Harry Potter books – it’s a world that exists right under the noses of us mere Muggles. These stories might be set in the ‘real’ world, but they also have their own mythology, their own rules that each author has to write, and then abide by. In turn, we, as readers, reap the benefits of all this hard work and wonderful imagination.

So tell me, what are some of your favourite fictional worlds to get lost in? Do you prefer the futuristic, the completely fantastical, the dystopian (the nightmare world) or the utopian (the ideal society)? Do you sometimes think: Huh? Where did that come from? Or do your favourite authors sweep you along for the ride, their worlds so well described and established that you can’t help wishing you were there too?

Over the last few years we’ve seen a huge rise in the popularity of vampires. But mostly, they’re a different ‘breed’ to the vamps seen around the traps until a few years ago. Suddenly, the undead aren’t so dead, they mope and moan and wish they were human, complaining about the loss of their souls and the agony of living for eternity.

Physically, they’re hotter than hot; far better looking than their human counterparts, which is not a bad deal when you consider what a 200 year old walking corpse should actually look like.  They have a tendency to be filthy rich – as you should be when you’ve got forever to learn which banks give the best returns and let’s face it; their grocery bill is always at a minimum. The modern vampire is also often a ‘day-walker’, that is, sunlight might make him a little uncomfortable, but it doesn’t turn them to a dusty void of nothingness.

Yes, it seems the true vamp is disappearing fast with our modern twist on mythology. Gone are the days of vampires being horrendously ugly monsters, like Nosferatu or The Master from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. These were creatures to be feared, to be repulsed by, the ones who used mind-warping powers to trick you into the opening the window at night and letting them in to suck your life force. Sure, there’s still a few of the old monstrous breed around. They’re not completely extinct. Just check out Marlow and his band of shark-mouthed nasties from 30 Days of Night, or, again from Buffy, the uber-vamps from series 7 – seriously unsexy. Eli from Let the Right One In has to be one of the creepiest vampires in modern tales, not to mention Salem’s Lot’s Kurt Barlow or Viktor from the Underworld trilogy.

But it’s not all black and white, sexy or unsexy, good or evil. No, bloodsuckers these days can have the best of both worlds; there’s a lot of grey in between. No longer is the vampire just a monster with an unquenchable thirst for blood, but he can have feelings too. Think Damon from The Vampire Diaries or even Lestat de Lioncourt from Anne Rice’s deliciously indulgent Vampire Chronicles. These two never pretend to be anything but primal pulse-seeking bloodsuckers – but that doesn’t make them incapable of love. Then of course, there’s the Vamp of the Moment – Eric Northman of Charlaine Harris’ Southern Vampire Mysteries (also the TV series True Blood, in case you’ve been hiding in a coffin somewhere…) Eric is about as bad-arse as a vampire can get. He makes no secret of the fact he’s a superior being, a killer with no regard for human pettiness. But oh… Eric *sigh*. With abs like that – well, he can get away with anything.

Then, there’s another breed of the modern vampire all together. The just-left-of-human one. Yes, I’m talking about those that sparkle. They might drink blood, but do they even qualify as vampires? And what about tales such as Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy, set in a world where the (mostly) good guys – the Moroi – might be vampires, but they’re far from dead? In Claudia Gray’s Evernight series, it’s not always the vamps who are the evil doers, but the misunderstanding humans – The Black Cross; a misinformed sub-culture of slayers.

What about the bloodsuckers who don’t know which side of the fence they hang, those who are confused or bewitched, or just trying too damn hard to be good without the inevitable slip-up? Stefan from The Vampire Diaries comes to mind, as does the whole Vampire with a Soul issue that spun around Buffy and Angel for so long. I don’t know about you, but I have a soft spot for the sarcasm and evil-knows-no-bounds of Angelus versus the sweet, but sometimes predictable Angel. And while we’re in Sunnydale, what about Spike? Was he more fun as the bloodthirsty consort of Drusilla, or once he was implanted with the brain chip, effectively neutering him? And then he went and got himself a soul at the end of series 6, changing a whole lot of things.

Personally, I like a mixture of the old and new vampire stories. I’m a sucker for the evil-doer, but also a huge fan of many of today’s new-style vamps. So what about you? How do you take your bloodsucker? With a spoonful of sugar and a little on the sweet side, or straight up, bitter and twisted?

MUSIC: Marilyn Manson – If I Was Your Vampire