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Angels are the new vampires! 6/1/2010 1:56:10 PM
It seems like angels have recently taken over the literary world. Angel fever is spreading fast. Gone are zombies and the living dead, and the very successful vampires may soon follow them down the drain, although they still have a very strong following; in fact I doubt they will ever leave us entirely. A string of angel books have appeared on the shelves in the last few months. To name a few, “Kissed by an Angel” by Elizabeth Chandler, “Original Sin” by Allison Brennan, “Hush Hush” by Becca Fitzpatrick, “Fallen” by Laura Kate, “Angel Time”, by Anne Rice, “The Unfinished Angel” by Sharon Creech, and the recent “Angelology” by Danielle Trussoni, which has been optioned by Will Smith’s film production company (She’s already working on the sequel, “Angelopolis”).
Many of these novels could be categorised in the romance genre and seem to be geared towards a similar audience as the Twilight series. Young, innocent, beautiful girls fall in love with equally beautiful angels -with the added complication of fallen angels and the dire consequences their relationship will have on the community, or even the world. Battles and wars are rife. I predict a huge success for angel novels in the near future. Indeed it seems that many authors have had the same idea at the same time. Maybe it’s a case of what some believe to be a mind-to-mind communication phenomenon, as when a discovery is made simultaneously in various parts of the world. Writers must have a spiritual connection of some kind.
I can think of many reasons why angels offer great material for novels, whether romance or adventure. Here are just a few:
Angels are safer than vampires. They are not as scary for a start. Falling in love with an angel, even if it were to be a fallen one, is less risky and not as physically repulsive than falling in love with a vampire.
The concept of fallen angels offer the opportunity to stage the necessary fight between good and evil, and of course, relentless conflict.
Angels are much more complex material than vampires: there is a number of angel hierarchies, with various roles and skill set. The hierarchies can create a world in themselves (therefore fitting fantasy well), and the combinations are endless.
Angels are perfect for teen-age romance. Beautiful beings with supernatural powers, almost unreachable, but at the same time very human, and not devoid of sins either…
Angels are linked to religion, wich can widen the audience dramatically. Religion offers another angle (Please note spelling ) to a story.
They are half-human.
They can fly – one of mankind’s oldest desires.
There is a “science” that studies angels: angelology, making then more real than vampires, zombies and other ugly beasts.
I like angels. They are complex, human, godly, gorgeous, sexual (?), irresistible and romantic. I look forward to reading more of their stories, and I think we have plenty of them ahead. Fads come and go of course, and it applies to literature as well. It’s all about loops, really. We’ve left zombies behind, we’re still frolicking with vampires, but we’re already thinking of angels. Is ghost romance what’s round the corner? It may very well be. After which we’ll be back to square one with Zombies. Wanna bet?
