The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide
Published: 12, April 2011
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Part of The Twilight Saga
Genres: Contemporary, Dating & Sex, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Literary, Romance, Shape Shifter, Sword & Sorcery, Teen, Vampire, Werewolf, Young Adult
Check the summary of this book here:
The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide Summary
The Review:
Stephenie Meyer's The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide is a spin-off encyclopedic reference book based on the Twilight Saga novel series. The Guide includes nearly a hundred full-color illustrations by illustrator Young Kim, who previously illustrated Stephenie Meyer's #1 New York Times Best Seller Twilight: The Graphic Novel, and several other artists, as well as exclusive new material about the world author created in Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn, and The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner.
I unexpectedly enjoyed this, and I especially enjoyed the visuals and the author's interview. I liked reading about the side characters, Forks, and the whole sensation of returning to the series.
Yes, I'm sure you could get a lot of the information and data on the internet, but I liked having everything in one place.
To my surprise, this book is fairly long and substantial. The section on international book covers was particularly fantastic. (I enjoy collecting books with a variety of covers.)
This reminded me a lot of the time before the series' movies burst, and it gave me a sense of how things felt back then.
This book will clarify a lot of the topics that everyone was left wondering after reading the books; once again, it is for those readers who have been drawn deeply into the world of Twilight.
There are numerous illustrations and in-depth stories about all of the characters, not just the vampires and werewolves; it is really about all of the characters, as well as other information about various aspects of Twilight, such as the local environment and landscapes, vehicles mentioned, timelines, and key plot points from all of the books.
I find the drawings to be both pleasing and irritating: as you read the book, you form your own vision of things, which may or may not correspond to what the author intended or how some artist views things. So don't care about photographs if you want your own perspective.
It's also worth noting that this book is based on the novels rather than the films. As is customary, a lot was modified when the narrative was filmed, so don't expect this book to be related to the movies. Even the characters, as well as everything else, has a distinct appearance.
The extensive interview with Stephenie Meyer about how the narrative came to be, and how the same story was published with a variety of covers, was maybe the most fascinating aspect of this book for me.
Also enjoyable to read were the question and answer portion at the conclusion of the book, as well as the outtakes.
I can't think of anything else I disliked about this book except that I kept hoping for representations of some of the lesser characters mentioned in order to understand Stephenie Meyer's perspective on them.
To begin, I appreciate how the guidebook is split into several areas of significance. Beginning with a beautiful chat between Shannon Hale and Stephenie Meyer discussing each of the four books and the success she has had as a result of them.
The book then shifts to the Twilight Saga's main focus: vampires. Discussing the many aspects of the Twilight vampires, as well as how they compare to typical vampires from stories. I really loved portions like Vampire History and Vampire Law.
As we go through Covens, we begin to receive maps of Forks, as well as statistics and information about the Cullens.
I didn't anticipate much more to be mentioned about Rosalie or Bella since the history was covered so effectively in the Eclipse book and movie, but I was surprised by the additions that were given, such as with Bella's parents and when Jasper was teaching a newborn.
While Renesmee was just introduced in Breaking Dawn, it's good to have her included in this space as well. While the Volturi were as well-known in Twilight as the Cullens, it was interesting to discover more about the other covens.
Though it's a shame the author wasn't able to add images of what she imagined the Amazon or Egyptian vampires to look like.
We compare the actual Children of the Moon werewolves to the Twilight shape-shifting werewolves when we come to the werewolf chapter.
We have a better understanding of their relationship to the family trees offered. Illustrations of Leah and other characters as seen through the eyes of the author would have been excellent.
There's a lot of material here that I didn't know from regular literature, which I won't spoil.
The section on humans has a large number of minor characters, many of whom I have difficulties recalling from the novels due to their modest roles.
It's fantastic that the Twilight universe's timeline does not begin with the first novel, but rather with ancient Greece and the early Saga vampires and werewolves.
The key points of the novels are labeled with the chapters in which the events or statements occur. The worldwide fan art and European covers added a lot to the book's appeal.
I was hesitant at first about a certain cash cow milking endeavor, but this book is gorgeous and thorough, and it provides a lot of background information. This book should be in the library of each Twilight franchise lover.
Final Thoughts:
You should read this book if you like the Twilight series, but bear in mind that it is not a tale. It delves a little deeper into the characters and how they are related to one another, whether by blood or by relationships.
If you've ever wanted to learn a little more about a character from the novels, this will most likely satisfy your curiosity.
The author didn't simply create characters for the novels; she also gave them backstories that may or may not have been explored in the books, and this gives honor to those backstories.
This book is for Twilight lovers that adore the series, movies, and must have everything they can get their hands on.
I expected it to be a ridiculous book with a bunch of crap in it to build up some more buzz. But I was relieved that I was incorrect!
This book includes a terrific and entertaining interview with the author, as well as myths and information about vampires, werewolves, and other supernatural creatures.
Each character in the Saga is given their own history, and you'll learn some new details that you didn't know before. The artwork, the added information, and the book as a whole were all fantastic.
I must caution readers who are new to the series or have never read it before that you will be spoilt as to how it all ends unless you read them all first.
It's well worth the money, and every Twilight Saga fan should have it.
Synopsis:
“The essential guide to the #1 bestselling Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer!
A definitive encyclopedic reference to the Twilight Saga, providing readers with everything they need to further explore the unforgettable world Stephenie Meyer created in Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn, and The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner. This comprehensive handbook—perfect for every Twilight Saga fan—is full-color throughout, with nearly one hundred gorgeous illustrations and photographs, character profiles, genealogical charts, maps, extensive cross-references, inspirational playlists, an in-depth conversation with author Shannon Hale, and much more.”
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Rating: 90/100
Recommended: 100/100 Yes.
Buy the Kindle Version Here
The Twilight Saga Complete Collection
The Host (2013) (PG-13)
Twilight (2010) (PG-13)
New Moon (2009) (PG-13)
Eclipse (2010) (PG-13)
Breaking Dawn - Part 1 (2011) (PG-13)
Breaking Dawn - Part 2 (2012) (PG-13)
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