There are few things the world needs LESS than another round of sparkling emo vampires. However, that's exactly what it got today with the release of Stephenie Meyer's new re-imagined version of her 10-year-old vampire classic, Twilight.
Although Meyer left many of the original novel's details the same, this time, the genders of the main characters have been flipped. Instead of the simpering, helpless character of Bella Swan, Meyer treated readers to what I can only imagine is an insufferably milquetoast new character, Beau Swan. Likewise, the sparkly teen heartthrob that was once Edward Cullen has now been replaced by the presumably badass new character, Edythe Cullen.
While Meyer was asked to write a little something new, like maybe a forward, in honor of the 10th anniversary of Twilight, she decided to have a little more fun than that. She also took this opportunity to respond to criticisms that Bella's weakling, damsel-in-distress character reinforced gender roles. This time, it will be Edythe doing the ass-kicking and Beau being rescued.
Of course, there were already plenty of terrifyingly tough female vampires in the original Twilight series. The general message seems to be that it's humans, not women, who are weaklings compared to their immortal foes. Still, it's nice to see a strong woman protagonist, even if only in a money-grabbing bid that will become a blip on the radar of the popular series.
Meyer said the book is still full of new surprises and plot twists along the way. If you really must find out, Life and Death: Twilight Reimagined is now on sale.