Meyer, Stephenie - "The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner"

[Katelynn Scott]

Stephenie Meyer, author of the wildly popular "Twilight" series released a novella on June 5th. The book weighs in at 178 pages and was also released online for free (but only for a month) on Meyer's website, as of June 7th. It is the story of a periphery character from Eclipse, which is the third book in the Twilight series. This book is not a sequel of the Twilight series, rather a "spin off" or "companion book" meant to be read after Eclipse.

Bree Tanner is part of the "newborn" vampire army that comes to attack the Cullens and she only appears in a couple of pages toward the end of Eclipse. Meyer has chosen, however, to expand this character's story in this novella and the plot holds your interest, even though all Twilight readers would know that Bree dies at the end. While the Twilight books are mostly told from the perspective of Bella Swan, a human being, "The Short Life..." is told from Bree's perspective - a new vampire whose thirst for blood is insatiable. It has a much more rough feel and is not the vampire tale you're used to reading from Meyer. Bree kills humans in order to feed her thirst and she hangs out with other vampires who likewise have no regard for human life. The value in this book lies in Bree's eventual understanding that she needs to begin questioning the ways in which she behaves and the lies she's been told by her "creator" vampire. The author manages to work in a little hint of a romance, although it's not as overt as in the Twilight series.

All in all, I would rank this book 4 out of 5 stars. If you're not sure that you'll like it - read it online for free at www.breetanner.com.

[Randy Wise]

Thanks for the update. I am not sure I would like a book knowing the sad end result. I wish Stephenie would finish some the books from Edwards perspective and also continue the series with one from a Nessie perspective or involving some danger plot with a more adult Nessie. After all what did they say 6 or 7 years to Nessie's adulthood. So it could just continue a few years down the road.

Randy

[Ryan Plott]

Question for you Katelynn...

Team Edward or Team Jacob?

[Katelynn Scott]

Haha Hank - hard call. I'm probably team Edward. The New Moon movie started to switch me over a bit the other way though...

[Ryan Plott]

that's great. my sister is team edward but i would have to say i'm team jacob. have you read the whole series?

[Katelynn Scott]

yes - I have to be honest... I've read each book in the series five times and I've read the beginnings of "Midnight Sun" online twice. I really enjoy the Twilight series. ;o )

[Rich Schmidt]

that's great. my sister is team edward but i would have to say i'm team jacob. have you read the whole series?

I don't understand the point of being "team jacob" when we all know how that turns out. Rooting for an impossibility...?

Especially after what goes on in the last book...

[Ryan Plott]

yes - I have to be honest... I've read each book in the series five times and I've read the beginnings of "Midnight Sun" online twice. I really enjoy the Twilight series. ;o )

Midnight Sun? Is that an extension to the series? My sister would love that. She's only just started reading for recreation and since I've always been a reader it's been good to have a shared interest with her.

What was your opinion on the second book of the series? This is a point of contention between me and my sister.

[Ryan Plott]

I don't understand the point of being "team jacob" when we all know how that turns out. Rooting for an impossibility...?

Especially after what goes on in the last book...

I've always gravitated more toward werewolves than vampires as far as that genre of fiction goes. Also, I like Jacob's character more than I like Edward's.

What goes on in the last book that would make me not Team Jacob? I don't want the thread to be a spoiler alert for others reading this so send me a PM if it's something specific.

[Shea Zellweger]

I've always gravitated more toward werewolves than vampires as far as that genre of fiction goes. Also, I like Jacob's character more than I like Edward's.

What goes on in the last book that would make me not Team Jacob? I don't want the thread to be a spoiler alert for others reading this so send me a PM if it's something specific.

I was "team Van Helsing" throughout my reading of the books :).

[Ryan Plott]

I was "team Van Helsing" throughout my reading of the books :).

So then I could recruit you for Team Jacob then right? He never fought any werewolves that i'm aware of....;)

[Shea Zellweger]

So then I could recruit you for Team Jacob then right? He never fought any werewolves that i'm aware of....;)

Helsing was an all-around monster killer. He's most famous for his Dracula encounters, but several sources depict him as much more versatile.

[Rich Schmidt]

I've always gravitated more toward werewolves than vampires as far as that genre of fiction goes. Also, I like Jacob's character more than I like Edward's.

What goes on in the last book that would make me not Team Jacob? I don't want the thread to be a spoiler alert for others reading this so send me a PM if it's something specific.

I'll let you discover what goes on in the last book yourself, Hank. I wouldn't want to spoil it for you. :)

BTW, Midnight Sun is a retelling of Twilight from Edward's perspective. She started writing it, then stopped when an advance copy got leaked on the internet. So it's unfinished. You can read it on her website. It's interesting.

[Katelynn Scott]

I'll echo what Rich already explained here: on stepheniemeyer.com there is a link for "Midnight Sun" and you can read the first 12 chapters or so. It's unknown whether this book will ever get finished and if so, when. I enjoyed reading the story from another character's perspective though.

Hank - my favorite book in the Twilight series is the third because of the tension and action that I felt was more intense than the first two. I found the second book to be too depressing at parts because I was already interested in Bella's relationship with Edward, and so when he left, I was just frustrated. I actually felt a little bit depressed until I kept reading to the part when Bella and Edward were reunited. The fourth book has a very interesting plot twist when it comes to Jacob Black's relationship to the whole Cullen clan. For anyone wishing that he and Bella could find a happy medium, there is some satisfaction there. I suppose I am more drawn to Edward (or as much as one can be to a fictional character) because he seems like more of a thinker/intellectual. I appreciate that he spends so much of his time (at night especially) reading and studying, composing music, thinking about the meaning of life and his place in the spectrum of morality. Jacob feels too impulsive at times, and I get frustrated that he seems to always been apologizing or making up for "stupid" things he did without thinking. ;o )

Ryan is the kind of person who reads books only after seeing the movie - so he's only read the first two books and will read the third after the movie comes out at the end of this month. He enjoyed New Moon much more than Twilight though, and I'll be interested to see what he thinks after reading the third. I'll keep you posted!

[Rich Schmidt]

Ryan is the kind of person who reads books only after seeing the movie - so he's only read the first two books and will read the third after the movie comes out at the end of this month.

I do that when I can, but in the case of these books, I read each book almost as soon as my wife was done with it, and we'd finished them all before the first movie was being advertised.

I discovered the "movie first, book second" thing after Jurassic Park. I saw the movie, thoroughly enjoyed it (except for the "Unix system"), then read the book, and thoroughly enjoyed it, too. It's a great system, when you have the opportunity to follow it. :)

[Shea Zellweger]

Ryan is the kind of person who reads books only after seeing the movie - so he's only read the first two books and will read the third after the movie comes out at the end of this month. He enjoyed New Moon much more than Twilight though, and I'll be interested to see what he thinks after reading the third. I'll keep you posted!

I insist upon doing things precisely the opposite whenever possible. The only exceptions I make are if 1) I have no interest in the story, but am only watching it because someone else wants to, or 2) I did not realize there was a book until after the fact. If the book came out first, I think it should be the standard against which the movie is judged.

[Rich Schmidt]

If the book came out first, I think it should be the standard against which the movie is judged.

Which will almost always set you up for disappointment. If you want to enjoy both the book and the movie, seeing the movie first usually helps make that possible. :)

[Shea Zellweger]

Which will almost always set you up for disappointment. If you want to enjoy both the book and the movie, seeing the movie first usually helps make that possible. :)

Seems it would work the same way in the reverse as well, as I'd constantly be noticing dissimilarities while reading, which would lower either my opinion of the book or the movie.

[Rich Schmidt]

Seems it would work the same way in the reverse as well, as I'd constantly be noticing dissimilarities while reading, which would lower either my opinion of the book or the movie.

Generally speaking, the book is better than the movie. In my opinion. :) So watching the movie first lets me thoroughly enjoy it (without judging it by the book)... and then when I read the book, I get to be pleasantly surprised by how much better it is! :)

Of course, that's not always true. Sometimes the movie is so wildly different from the book that I actually prefer the movie... or they're both so different that it's hard to compare them. I, Robot comes to mind (movie and book dramatically different). The musical Wicked (I know, not a movie) is 1,000 times better than the book it's based upon. Etc.

I should probably admit that I often don't follow this "movie first, book second" pattern. I'd read all the Twilight books prior to seeing the movie versions. Same for the Harry Potter books. And several other books that I'd already read before they ever were turned into movies. There have only been a handful of times when I've intentionally delayed reading a book until after I'd seen the movie... but it was because I knew if I didn't, I'd end up being disappointed with the movie!

[Katelynn Scott]

I am one of those hyper-critical movie watchers if it's an adaptation from the book. After the movie is over, I'll sit and just list all of the reasons that it wasn't as good purely on the grounds that it was different from the original story. Ryan always counter-argues: "it's not the same - they're too different things and you cannot judge the movie based on the book." I always disagree with him! Haha, I think the real answer is that it's just a matter of personal preference - some like book first, some like movie first. I was really really disappointed with "Where the Wild Things Are" for this same reason. I loved the children's book for what it was and thought the movie was just too far out there. Ryan, on the other hand, enjoyed the movie and thought it had deeper things to say about life. It'll be interesting to see the third Twilight movie with him since I've read the book and he hasn't.

A small aside: The one thing I have NO patience for though are people who insist on seeing the movie without reading the book, but who then sit and ask questions throughout the entire movie that prohibit the book reader from enjoying the whole thing. BAH!

[Shea Zellweger]

A small aside: The one thing I have NO patience for though are people who insist on seeing the movie without reading the book, but who then sit and ask questions throughout the entire movie that prohibit the book reader from enjoying the whole thing. BAH!

Yeah... especially the "what happens next" questions.

[Ryan Plott]

I'll let you discover what goes on in the last book yourself, Hank. I wouldn't want to spoil it for you. :)

BTW, Midnight Sun is a retelling of Twilight from Edward's perspective. She started writing it, then stopped when an advance copy got leaked on the internet. So it's unfinished. You can read it on her website. It's interesting.

I've read them all Rich, that's why I'm wondering.

[Shea Zellweger]

I've read them all Rich, that's why I'm wondering.

I would think knowing that Bella married Edward and became a vampire, while Jacob fell in love (or "imprints on") Renesmee would be two pretty solid reasons not to bother being on a "team," particularly "team Jacob"...

[Ryan Plott]

I would think knowing that Bella married Edward and became a vampire, while Jacob fell in love (or "imprints on") Renesmee would be two pretty solid reasons not to bother being on a "team," particularly "team Jacob"...

What about being on team jacob just because you like his character better than edward's? isn't that the central division between the two "teams"?

[Rich Schmidt]

What about being on team jacob just because you like his character better than edward's? isn't that the central division between the two "teams"?

I was under the impression that "team Jacob" wanted Bella to be with Jacob while "team Edward" wanted her to choose Edward. I thought that was the whole point of the teams. By the end of book 4, those choices have been made, irrevocably, which means I don't see much point in the teams anymore.

[Shea Zellweger]

What about being on team jacob just because you like his character better than edward's? isn't that the central division between the two "teams"?

I had the same impression as Rich. The whole "teams" thing started among the book readers when it was clear both boys were interested in Bella, and one of the appeals of Breaking Dawn is that it would decide which team "won."

[Jen Blackburn]

it may be obvious which "team" won in the end, but girls still like to wish that Bella would've ended up with Jacob. ;) Some of his attributes would be better suited to the HUMAN Bella.

I also happen to think that the actor who plays Jacob in the movies is quite a bit cuter than the actor who plays Edward. LOL And honestly, I think Taylor Lautner is a better actor than Robert Pattinson. So, despite being all for Edward while reading the books, I do find myself leaning toward the Jacob camp for the movies ;)

[Shea Zellweger]

it may be obvious which "team" won in the end, but girls still like to wish that Bella would've ended up with Jacob. ;) Some of his attributes would be better suited to the HUMAN Bella.

I also happen to think that the actor who plays Jacob in the movies is quite a bit cuter than the actor who plays Edward. LOL And honestly, I think Taylor Lautner is a better actor than Robert Pattinson. So, despite being all for Edward while reading the books, I do find myself leaning toward the Jacob camp for the movies ;)

*sigh*, yet another reason I will never understand the appeal of these books. In my mind, being "team Jacob" after having read all for books is like hoping the Patriots will win the 2007 Super Bowl.

[Ryan Plott]

I was under the impression that "team Jacob" wanted Bella to be with Jacob while "team Edward" wanted her to choose Edward. I thought that was the whole point of the teams. By the end of book 4, those choices have been made, irrevocably, which means I don't see much point in the teams anymore.

Gotcha, I was working under a different impression.