Christian publishing houses are coming out with their own vampire literature. “Thirsty” comes out later this year with cover artwork that looks suspiciously familiar. Putting aside the obvious cynicism that all the writer / publishers are doing is cashing in on the success of Twilight, stop and think for a minute, could this be a good thing? Might it offer an alternative for Christian teenage girls whose parents are concerned about Twilight (and others)?

The book is yet to be released so I obviously haven’t read it but there’s an official product description out. The title ‘Thirsty’ presumably applies both to the protagonist’s alcoholism and the vampire’s desire for her.

There’s an interesting mix in the description. On one hand, it reads pretty similarly to a description of other Christian demon fiction – there’s talk of power, grudges, stalking, a lot being at stake. But there’s also the kind of language more commonly associated with vampire literature, that of obsession and desire. I suspect that these themes are what makes vampire lit so captivating and that the vampire thing is just the vehicle for them. So I’ll be interested to see how this theme is handled from a Christian angle, and whether it can avoid the seductive nature it finds in Twilight.

Apparently the battle of the book has a startling, unforgettable end and I find myself wondering what it could be! Does the vampire find redemption in some way? Is there some kind of reconciliation between good and evil? (We all remember the Buffy / Angel / Spike disaster.) If they’re not together, what causes an obsession to subside?

I normally find Christian fiction pretty commercial and am cynical about its ability to confront strong issues and deal sufficiently with them. But I also appreciate the opportunity to take something that is very hip right now and redeem it in some way. So I’ll hold my pessimism for now – because I’d love to see this writer do some interesting and innovative things with such a fascinating genre!

Categories: Written by Tamie

Tagged as: Book Christian fiction fiction Thirsty Tracey Bateman Twilight vampire

Tamie Davis

Tamie Davis is an Aussie living in Tanzania, writing at meetjesusatuni.com.