“Eclipse” is the third installment of the vampire series written by new author Stephenie Meyer. As we begin this story, we find that Bella hasn’t seen her friend Jacob for a while. As a werewolf, he’s a natural enemy to Edward, and Bella feels trapped between her best friend and the love of her life. She tries to send notes to Jacob, but they are returned with a terse message – that she should just drop it, but she doesn’t want to.
Meanwhile, a rash of killings has broken out in Seattle, and someone gets into Bella’s room and messes things up. It was a vampire, from the scent, but not one they’ve ever encountered before. Whoever it was, they took some of Bella’s clothes, and slowly, she realizes that the intruder was sent by Victoria to retrieve her scent so they can hunt her down. Victoria has sworn to kill Bella, and it appears that the plan is taking shape.
Edward keeps asking Bella to marry him, but she feels reluctant to enter into a marriage. Her parents made a big mess of things and she doesn’t want to repeat their mistakes. However, Edward won’t turn her into a vampire until she’s his wife. She’s determined to make the change soon after high school graduation, which is just weeks away, but that also means a fast wedding. She’s contemplating having Carlisle do it instead—he already said he would, but she’d much rather have it be Edward.
As Victoria comes closer, Edward and Jacob come to a conclusion. They would be much more successful in catching her if they worked together. For the first time, the werewolves and the vampires work on the same team to save Bella, and the town of Forks, from a vampire invasion, but success won’t come easily.
I liked this volume but not as much as I did the first two. Edward and Bella seemed to bicker a lot, which I didn’t care for, and I thought Jacob was too whiny and manipulative. However, the battle between the good vampires/werewolves and the bad vampires was pretty thrilling, and we learn a lot more about Rosalie and Jasper.
You will need to keep in mind that there are segments in these books that are sensual, but Edward and Bella do not consummate their relationship. In fact, Edward is insisting that they be married first, and while they are tempted, they don’t go all the way. These books are slated as young adult, but I do feel that they are more suited to an adult audience.
These books have caused quite a stir in both the reading and the writing communities, and I’m looking forward to volume four, “Breaking Dawn,” which is slated to come out in the fall of 2008. In addition, a book written from Edward’s perspective, “Midnight Sun,” is projected as well, but no release date yet.
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