The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer
You know what’s a great idea if you’ve written a series of books that become a series of huge movies teens flock to see? Write another mini-book to cash in on the success.
Actually, that’s not the real reason Stephenie Meyer added a ‘novella’ to the Twilight series, just me being cynical (and a smidgen jealous). In the brief introduction to the book the bestselling author explains how sometimes as a writer she wants to expand on a character but can’t due to other storylines. Bree Tanner, the young newborn vampire who the Cullen family try to save in Eclipse, is one particular character whose story she wanted to tell but couldn’t at the time due to Bella’s lack of knowledge of her (as all the Twilight stories are written from her perspective).
So, she’s created a mini book to fulfil that wish.
The result is a fast-paced story that fleshes out the recent film and previous books with a lot more background on the creation of the newborn vampire army. Whilst the original books depict the young characters as completely soulless, blood-obsessed animals, The Short Second Life Of Bree Tanner shows the real vulnerability and humanity of the young characters.
Tackling a book where the reader already knows the lead character’s tragic fate (assuming they’ve read the other books or seen the films) was always going to be a challenge. But Meyer manages to maintain the pace with the mystery of fellow newborns Diego and Fred, both in their talents and their disappearances. It’s also interesting to see the real relationship between Victoria and Volturi, portraying Victoria as a somewhat manipulated character.
Meyer has chosen to make this book a lot more violent, with body parts regularly ripped off and burnt and humans disposed of with little sympathy. Presumably this was to bang home the message that newborns have little control over their emotions, but it felt like overkill at times (excuse the pun!)
Overall though I enjoyed it, and the story was a welcome break from the ongoing romance between moany Bella and the vacant-faced Edward. It’s a short read, at just 178 pages, so makes perfect guilt-free read for your holiday flight. It’s available in hardback for £5.87, from Amazon.
Post by Emma Cossey
What do you think?