Eclipse : Stefanie Meyer

                                                     Image Credit : CMCSS
“Eclipse”, the third novel in the Twilight Saga series by Stephanie Meyer is sort of disappointing. After the surprisingly fresh “Twilight” and a racy "New Moon", the third book meanders through everyday conversations and everyday activities like having vampires around were banal everyday stuff.

The story moves on predictable lines with Bella (an ordinary human) and Edward (a vampire) further strengthening their love for each other after being separated for such a long while in the previous book. With Jacob Black (a werewolf) also making it clear to Bella that he too is in love with her, the story all but promises to be the typical triangular love story. To spice things up further, add a tinge of jealousy Edward feels towards Jacob because Bella still chooses to spend some time with her best friend (Jacob). At least initially so, until he gets over it and allows Bella to meet Jacob as often as she wants, even going to the extent of dropping her and picking her up between the werewolf and Vampire territory. Obviously so, because between the two Edward has to appear nobler if he has to win Bella... after all the best man gets to marry Bella - the protagonist of this story.

The few, again predictable, twists in the story are - how Victoria, the mate of James killed in the earlier book, attacks Bella with her troop of new-born vampires, and how they easily overcome that obstacle. And how Edward and Bella accidentally break the news that they are going to be married soon to Jacob. This of course terribly upsets Jacob as he was under the impression that he still had a chance to win Bella over; and so towards the end of the book the triangular love story is resolved and we readers know for sure which way the story is going.

But what is “not” predictable in this book is Bella extracting a promise from Edward that he will not be separated from her ever – even to fight the war of newborns-Victoria alliance versus the Cullen Vampires and werewolf alliance. How can a woman ask her man to be safe with her when his entire family is out fighting a battle to save her life? Of course this makes Bella feel guilty but she never gives in and ask Edward to fight along with his brothers and sisters. I just could not get this at all. Maybe it is the Indian social conditioning, the Indian psyche or just a woman thing, I don’t know. But it felt ridiculous with Edward Bella and for most parts even Jacob camping out high in the woods far away from the war going down below at the foot of the mountains. However, the saving grace was that although they were trying to keep away from war, war does find them in the form of Victoria correctly guessing that Bella is well hidden and surely Edward is with her.

And the other non-predictable thing for me in this book is Bella realizing she is in love with Jacob as well but also realizing that her love for Edward is far more than Jacob. I most definitely cannot connect to this part of the book. This made me wonder – what may have happened if Bella had met Jacob first under romantic circumstances AND when he had already morphed into a werewolf? Would she be more in love with her Jake than Edward? You see, this why Edward had to understand and get over his jealousy to be the better man among them...

Anyways, to answer the big question – Did I like the book? No, not really. But then it is no fun jumping to the fourth and final book without knowing what happened in the third book, right? So I read it... I am hoping the next book will be better as it is the finale of this saga. Also, now that Bella has agreed to marry Edward, I wonder what is lined up in the next book “Breaking Dawn”.

Oh, one other clever thing Stephanie Meyer does in this book is, she ends the book with an Epilogue from Jacob’s point of view. All along, the entire story is told from Bella’s point of view so it was a welcome change to see the story from another angle. Does this continue in the next
book? Wait till I read and tell you.

Verdict: Read it if you are planning on completing the series

Rating: 2/5