LJ Smith Is Back In The House!

I went to Borders (a bookstore) this afternoon and I was wandering around when I happened upon the vampire table. All the usuals were there - "Twilight" series, Sookie Stackhouse novels, a few other vampire book collections - and I was just about to move on when I saw Them.


There They were. Just waiting for me to buy Them - the "Night World" series by LJ Smith. Re-released, beautiful new covers, same wonderful stories.

For those who are unfamiliar with the "Night World" series allow me to enlighten you.

LJ Smith let us in on the secrets of the Night World long before Stephanie Meyer introduced us to Belle and Edward and before Charlaine Harris gave us Sookie. I started reading the "Night World" series when I was in 8th, maybe 9th grade, so mid-90s. I was also a huge fan of Smith's "The Vampire Diaries" which, I believe, even came before "Night World."


"Night World" is everything "Twilight" and Sookie series are, but "Night World" came first and it's better. When "Twilight" was in it's prime, I even commented on another blog about LJ Smith and how similar the two series were and how I was surprised that I hadn't even heard mention of Smith's books.

In "Night World" you have vampires, witches, shapeshifters and werewolves. All of the supernatural creatures exist in our world among us and they all make up the Night World society. There are only two rules in the Night World - 1) Never let humans find out about the Night World and 2) Never fall in love with a human. These are the stories of what happens when the rules are broken.

Like I said, I started reading this series when I was around 13 years old and the last time I read through the series was in college. At the time, I never would have admitted that I was reading them still, but now that it's cool to read the young adult vampire books, I'll put it out there.


The only HUGE disappoint was Smith never finished the "Night World" series. All of her readers have been left hanging for over a decade. However, reading her website, LJanSmith.net, it looks as if in 2010 the final book will be published and we'll finally know whether good or evil now rules the world. You can also read mini-stories about some of the "Night World" characters, which help clear up some of the unfinished business left in several of the books.

So if you are a "Twilight" or Sookie series fan, I recommend that you give the "Night World" series and "The Vampire Diaries" series a go. I promise, you won't be disappointed.

And move over Edward and Eric, look what is coming to the CW on September 10?!