Night World

For the film, see Night World (1932 film).

For the F. Paul Wilson novel series formerly known as Nightworld, see The Adversary Cycle.

Night World

Secret Vampire Daughters of Darkness Spellbinder Dark Angel The Chosen Soulmate Huntress Black Dawn Witchlight Strange Fate
Author	L. J. Smith
Language	English
Genre	Horror, Fantasy, Romance, Young-adult fiction
Publisher	Simon & Schuster
Published	1996–1998, 2008–present
Media type	Print (Hardcover & Paperback)

Night World is a series of ten young-adult fiction novels written by L. J. Smith. The series takes place in a world similar to our own but one where vampires, witches, werewolves and shape-shifters live among humans without their knowledge. These supernatural races make up a secret society known as the Night World, which enforces two fundamental laws to prevent discovery: 1) Never allow humans to gain knowledge of the Night World's existence and, 2) Never fall in love with one of them.

Each volume of the series follows a different protagonist (always a teenage girl) who must face various challenges involving love, the "soulmate principle" and the Night World's strict code. In the first six novels, the plot focuses on the protagonist discovering her soulmate and the danger which ensues. In the seventh book of the series, the concept of an impending millennial apocalypse is introduced. Although the theme of the "soulmate principle" continues to be present, the plot now focuses on the search for four "Wild Powers" who, according to an ancient prophecy, will either save the world or aid in its destruction. The series has been on the New York Times Bestseller List for children's books for 22 weeks as of May 19, 2009.

The concluding book in the series, Strange Fate, has been delayed for a decade and is now scheduled for release in summer of 2010.

Publishing History

The first nine books from the Night World series were originally published in 1996–1998 by Simon & Schuster. The release of the tenth and last book, Strange Fate, was put on hold when L. J. Smith took a hiatus from writing sometime in 1999. As from 2008, the nine Night World books were reprinted in three omnibus volumes while Strange Fate is tentatively slated for release in July 9, 2010.

Plot summary

Secret Vampire

The book centers on sixteen-year-old Poppy, who is diagnosed with terminal cancer (pancreatic cancer.) Her best friend James, unknown to her, is a vampire related to the Redfern family, who hold an important position within the Night World. Unable to bear the thought of losing her, he breaks the rules by making her a dangerous offer: he can save her life by making her a vampire. They both go through a lot to finally get Poppy changed for each time they get interrupted by Poppy's twin brother Phil. Shortly after she is changed, Poppy is convinced by Ash to leave james for his own safety. James rescues poppy and finds out she's half witch, due to Poppy and Phil's father. In the end Poppy and James go to live with Poppy's father and also join circle Daybreak.

Daughters of Darkness

Mary-Lynette Carter, seventeen, loves to watch the stars from her Oregon backyard. She is intrigued when three mysterious girls her age arrive in town to visit their aunt, Mary-Lynette's next door neighbor. The sisters, Rowan, Kestrel, and Jade only heighten Mary-Lynette's interest, especially once she sees them bury their aunt soon after arriving. But the girls are vampires, having escaped from their enclave home to live like regular teenagers. Only to arrive in Oregon to find their aunt already dead, the victim of a murder. When Mary-Lynnette's brother Mark falls in love with Jade, Night World law is threatened. And then the sisters' deadly brother Ash appears. Gorgeous, lazy, cat-like, Ash has never dreamed that he could fall in love with a human, and Mary-Lynette wants nothing to do with him. However, Mary-Lynette discovers that her best friend, Jeremy Lovett is a werewolf, and may be the killer of Aunt Opal. Ash and Mary-Lynette exchange blood, with Mary-Lynette wanting to become a vampire to better see the stars. They proclaim their love, and Jeremy intervenes, knocking Ash unconscious. Mary-Lynette kills Jeremy with a knife of silver and setting him on fire with her car (the only things that can kill a werewolf). The book ends with Ash leaving to make amends for his actions, in order for Mary-Lynette to love and forgive him fully, and the sisters being allowed to stay in Briar Creek.

Spellbinder

The plot centers on Thea and Blaise Harman, cousins who belong to the race of witches. Although they are as close as sisters, in temperament the girls are as different as day from night; Thea belongs to Circle Twilight, for the not-so-wicked-witches and Blaise belongs to Circle Midnight, for the darker ones. Thea loves animals and is a natural healer; Blaise seems to channel the power of Aphrodite and enjoys toying with human boys as if they were prey. Her antics have serious consequences and keep getting the girls expelled from school. On their first day at a new school, Thea helps save a snake from a group of schoolkids who want to kill it, and cures a sandy-haired boy named Eric Ross of a poisonous snakebite. Thea can't help but fall in love with Eric when the soulmate principle is put into play. It even tells Eric that there is more to Thea and Blaise than meets the eye. When Thea realizes she loves Eric in return, which breaks Night World Law, she eventually confides in Blaise, who is up to her usual mischief but is immediately there for her cousin—just not in a way that Thea would like. Thea now finds that she has to worry about protecting her soulmate from Blaise, who has decided that destroying Eric is the best way to protect her cousin. Frantic to find a solution, Thea accidentally summons an angry and dangerous spirit from the Otherworld who proceeds to wreak havoc, resulting in everyone involved getting caught. Standing accused before the Inner Circle of the witches, she faces her worst nightmare: but the resourceful Blaise comes through unexpectedly, and there is a bittersweet ending.

Dark Angel

After dying in an accident, Gillian Lennox is brought back to life by a being named Angel. Afterward, he turns Gillian from a mousy and shy kid to a far more popular one, earning her trust in the process. Angel helps her find her Harman heritage and forces her to make contact with Night People, but he isn't good. He convinces her to give her crush David's girlfriend a flesh-eating bacterium, and Angel basically runs her along like a puppet. But when Gillian decides enough is enough, it's not enough. Angel's determined to steal David's body to be with Gillian, even though David and Gillian are soulmates, but then she learns that "Angel" is actually her deceased cousin, Gary Fargeon, who was a witch too. Gillian also learns that he had killed a little girl accidentally and then he was killed by drunk driving. When David and Gillian 'accidentally' find her body, the girl's father forgives Angel, and so does Gillian for the badthings he did to her. Angel then moves on to where he belongs and Gillian joins Circle Daybreak with her soulmate.

The Chosen

Main article: The Chosen (L.J Smith)

Seventeen-year-old Rashel Jordan grew up to be a vampire hunter after one killed her mother and her best friend Timmy, when she was five. She is known as The Cat, notorious among Night World vampires for the number of them she's killed, although her true identity remains safely anonymous even from most other vampire hunters. One night while hunting she and some fellow hunters encounter and capture Quinn, a well-known and dangerous vampire who is connected to the Redfern family. The other hunters plan on torturing him to get information out of him. Against the thought of torture, Rashel plans to kill the vampire when she is left alone with him. However, she can't bring herself to kill a "defenseless" enemy. She decides to let him go, earning the suspicion of her companions. Afterwards, Rashel regrets her decision when she saves a girl named Daphne from rogue vampire slave traders who are planning to capture girls and sell them to be victims in a "bloodfeast", and learns that Quinn is one of the traders. Rashel works out a plan to go with Daphne to the night club in which she had been captured where Quinn chooses one girl each night to meet with him, then he captures the unconscious girl and will send her to where the other captives are being held. Rashel's plan is to save the girls, but first she and Daphne must get captured by Quinn in order to pursue their plan. Successfully, Rashel and the girl are 'chosen' by Quinn. Later, Rashel, along with the others, is taken to the island where the bloodfeast is to be held, and manages to help the girls escape through her leadership skills and by encouraging their own resourcefulness. Before she can get away, she is confronted by Quinn. They discover their true feelings and the fact that they are Soulmates. But there are complications in the form of Hunter Redfern, patriarch of the Night World and the vampire that killed her mother. In the end Rashel, Quinn, one of the captives, and Timmy, Rashel's childhood friend (who was actually taken by Hunter Redfern when her mother was killed, is still alive and now a made-vampire stuck in a four-year-old body), manage to escape after Rashel's old vampire hunting friend set a fire in the house in which the captives were held, attempting to burn Hunter Redfern and successfully burning the other vampires alive. Rashel and Quinn then make plans to join Circle Daybreak and become "Damn Daybreakers" as that is the only place that they will be accepted. They then become Circle Daybreak's first warrior couple. This book is controversial among readers with regards to Rashel and Timmy's relationship. Some readers mistakenly believe Timmy to be Rashel's brother; however, the book clearly states that they are only friends. Furthermore, Rashel points out in the book that she is turning 5 a "whole month" before Timmy and that he was just there that unlucky day for Rashel's birthday. Because it would be nearly imposible for them to be siblings and both be turning 5 within a month of each other, this also proves that the two are not related. Also, in L.J Smith's short story Thicker Than Water, found on her website, readers learn that Rashel doesn't have a brother, she has a sister...

Soulmate

Sixteen-year-old Hannah Snow just wants to be normal, but it seems like that isn't possible. She's writing notes to herself unconsciously and placing them in areas only she knows about, that say things like "Dead before seventeen", "Remember the Three Rivers – do NOT throw this note away", and then "He's coming". After surviving a wolf attack in her amateur therapist's office, she learns that there is a world that runs alongside her own, made up of beings that are not human. The two most powerful members have ancient bonds to Hannah—both want her and will stop at nothing to get her. The Lord of the Night World, the pensive and handsome Thierry Descouedres, is her soulmate and wants to love Hannah unconditionally as he was denied for over a thousand years. The very first vampire in the world, the selfish Maya Redfern, who is after Thierry for decades, is insanely jealous of Hannah and wants her dead. She lies to Hannah about her countless deaths, and then Hannah gains access to her other lives through her therapist, Paul. In her first life she was Hana, and Thierry was Theorn. She is an "Old Soul", a human who has been reincarnated repeatedly. Maya is smart and abducts Hannah, because 'vampires don't come back'. During her abduction she is locked in a dark cave and trys in vain to get out. Eventually Maya is over-powered and killed, thus ending the cycle and giving Thierry and Hannah the freedom to be together. Thierry asks Hannah if she would consider being a vampire, to be with him forever, but she refuses and says that they will be together 'in my next life.'

Huntress

For sixteen years, the fiery orphan Jez Redfern — known for her ruthlessness and bright red curls that are the customary Redfern inheritance — grew up on the streets of San Francisco, a vampire who stalked humans and drank their blood by night. Then one night with her vampire pack, she discovers the truth about who she really is: half-lamia, half-human, a freak. Unable to cope with her revelation and wanting to atone for her sins against the humans, Jez leaves the gang behind and moves in with her mother's human relatives. However, the Night World isn't about to leave her alone. She seeks out Circle Daybreak, and they assign her the mission of finding the first Wild Power. When her former gang is discovered to also be trying to find the Wild Power, Jez has to confront the past she thought she'd left behind. She's irresistibly drawn to Morgead Blackthorn, the former second-in-command of the gang and the handsome lamia boy Jez befriended as a young child. Yet the boy she loves is strongly opposed to human rights, and so she holds her tongue about her true species. When Hunter Redfern sends his daughter Lily and her Night World thugs after Jez, Morgead, her cousin Claire and her friend Hugh, Morgead finally pieces together Jez's darkest secrets. He tells her he loves her, but it's not enough to save them from Lily, who orders a stake be driven through Jez's heart for not telling her who the Wild Power is. And as Jez lays dying, she finally figures she's one of the four Wild Power's . She wakes up in a "hospital" room that belongs to Circle Daybreak with Morgead and they kiss, just as the story ends with the Wild Power phrophecy being recited-Jez being one from the day world where two eyes are watching. which means the sun and the moon or The day world and the night world the full prophecy is:

One from the land of kings long forgotten;

one from the spark which still holds the spark;

one from the day world where two eyes are watching;

one from the twilight, to be one with the dark

Black Dawn

One night Maggie Neely's brother, Miles, didn't return home from a hiking trip, but his girlfriend Sylvia did, and lies about what really happened. Maggie hunts Sylvia down, but her impromptu investigation—she's still in her pajama top and mismatched socks—traps her in a dark and diabolical slave trade that no human suspected existed. But the origin of this scheme is the Night World, where the vampires, witches, werewolves, and shape-shifters lurk in the darkness of a society underlying the human one that Maggie knows. Not that she cares. All she cares about is finding her brother, who she's certain is still alive. But then things take a strange and confusing twist: first she falls in with a blind girl who happens to be Aradia, the Maiden of the Witches. Then she finds her soulmate, the seventeen-year-old youth, Delos Redfern, who just happens to be a vampire, as well as a Wild Power. She also discovers that her soulmate is also the prince of a hidden kingdom in the Night World, and the great-grandson of one of the most ruthless and malicious vampires in the world, Hunter Redfern, and that he has plans for this little kingdom and the power his great-grandson possesses. Can Maggie save herself and her soulmate, as well as the rest of the human slaves in the Dark Kingdom before it's too late for the Day World, the world of humans? And what about her brother? The book ends with Maggie finding her brother (now a shapeshifter). Delos is also revealed to be a wildpower. (One from the land of kings long forgotten) And he just so happened to evaporate Hunter with the 'blue fire', which no one can really object to.

Witchlight

Raksha Keller(known as just Keller) and her team of Daybreakers, Nissa and Winnie, have raced to a mall in North Carolina to rescue a Wild Power before bad Night People have a chance to murder her. The odds aren't great because they have awoken an old type of shapeshifter to help kill the Wild Power. Iliana Dominick, the third Wild Power and the lost Witch Child, is a delicate and fragile blonde who doesn't take anything seriously, and refused to believe everything about the Night World. Iliana is destined to marry Galen Drache, of the first house of the shapeshifters, so the witches and the shapeshifters can tie a bond, also the shapeshifters will side with the witches in the battle to save the world after the bond is formed. Soon Galen and Keller discover that they are soulmates, which throws everything out of balance. Near the end of the book; the dragon dies due to the power Iliana never thought she had. In the end, Iliana and Keller became blood sister's in order for Keller and Galen(who have fallen in love in the middle of the novel) to be together as soulmates for life. The perfect love story with action and emotion jam packed.

Overview of species

Vampires

Smith's vampires are fairly different from the traditional concept of vampires. They even differ from vampires in the universe she created in The Vampire Diaries. In Night World, there are two types of vampires: the lamia (pronounced lay-me-uh) and the "made vampires".

In the Night World books, "Lamia is the term in this series for those who are born as vampires." They age, eat and grow as humans do, but also have the ability to stop the aging process at any point they please; however, once a lamia that has stopped aging decides to begin aging again, the aging process will be accelerated so that their physical appearance will match their true age in a short amount of time.Also, the Lamia are able to have children, unlike the "made vampires"

Made vampires are humans that have been made into vampires by exchanging blood with lamia or with another made vampire. Since older persons cannot survive the physical transition, all made vampires look about age nineteen or younger. Also, unlike lamia vampires, made vampires do not age, eat and cannot reproduce.

Both lamia and made vampires have superhuman strength, speed, and agility and can have telepathic powers. Unlike vampires in other fiction, they are not harmed by sunlight and cannot transform into bats (with the exception of the original vampire, Maya). Like in most vampire lore, they need human blood to survive. Smith's explanation is that vampire cells are unable to carry oxygen and therefore, vampires must acquire human blood cells for them to breathe (thus making blood consumption more to do with respiration than nutrition.) They are immortal but can be killed and are vulnerable to wood and fire.

The first vampire in existence, Maya, was originally a witch. In her quest for power and immortality, she became the first vampire by the use of powerful magic involving drinking the blood of infants. Maya bore a son, Red Fern, who became the ancestor of all lamia vampires. All made vampires (the first being a boy named Thierry, who was from Maya's tribe) and lamia vampires however descend from Maya. As Maya is the first vampire in existence, she has many abilities her descendants do not (since their vampire blood is diluted), such as shapeshifting. She also retains her ability to perform magic. Despite the fact that the first vampire was a woman, vampires (particularly the lamia) are a very patriarchal society. There are also vampires from the Redfern family who have a greater concentration of witch blood, from a "kinship ceremony" enacted by Hunter Redfern and Maeve Harman.

The symbol for lamia vampires is unclear, although lamia characters such as Ash Redfern are known to carry the image of a black iris which is the symbol for the Black Iris Club, a lamia club which is open to all denizens of the Night World. The symbol for made vampires is the black rose, as stated in Daughters of Darkness, the second volume to the Night World series, as well as Soulmate, the sixth volume.

Vampires ruled in the 3rd Age.

Witches

Witches as depicted in the Night World series are a matriarchal society bearing a strong resemblance to the neopagan religion of Wicca and to the Goddess movement. They trace their descent to an ancient tribe ruled by Hecate Witch-Queen, and later by her daughter Hellewise Hearth-Woman. All witches are considered to be 'daughters of Hellewise', although the Harman family are direct genetic descendants traced through the female line. Hellewise's sister, Maya, became the first vampire; thus all vampires are descended through Maya from Hecate Witch-Queen.

Witch society is composed of 'Circles' to whom all witches belong. Those who take to heart Hellewise's bidding to 'harm none' (which is in fact the Wiccan Rede) belong to Circle Twilight, while Circle Midnight is made up of witches who practice darker magic. The Inner Circle is a coven of the nine most magically talented witches, who are 'the witch geniuses, the prodigies and the sages, the far-seers, the teachers, the policy-makers'. The most important of these are the triad of the Maiden, Mother and Crone (see Triple Goddess), positions which during the events of the books are held by Aradia, Mother Cybele and Grandma Harman respectively. All witches are answerable to the Inner Circle before the Night World council, although an association probably exists between them, but this isn't specified.

A third renegade Circle also exists, known as Circle Daybreak, which promotes the teaching of magic to humans and peace between the races. This circle used to exist alongside the other two but was banned due to the persecution of witches during the Burning Times. Circle Daybreak is kept secret from the rest of the Night World, although a few suspect its renewed existence. During the events leading up to the apocalypse, the witches opt to leave the Night World and join Circle Daybreak, as they want to help save the world, whereas the Night World council and most of the vampires want to take over and enslave the other races.

Witches practice magic with the aid of herbs, gemstones, effigies and incantations, all of which may be used in a spell; they worship the Goddess in her many manifestations, celebrate Samhain, and probably other festivals on the Wheel of the Year. However their magic is innate and does not always require external aids, although these can accentuate their power. Human psychics in the series are "lost witches" who are unaware of their true descent.

Identifying symbols for Night World witches are the black dahlia and the crescent moon with three stars. The symbol for "lost witches" is a black violet. Iron is to be mentioned in Daughters of Darkness as their poison.

Witches ruled in the 2nd Age.

Werewolves

Because no main characters in any of the novels have been werewolves, less is known about this species than others. In Night World, werewolves (sometimes called 'wolves or just wolves) can transform from human to wolf (and vice versa) at will. In Daughters of Darkness, werewolves are described as wolves that take human form, rather than the reverse. This means that they have animal instincts and urges, even in human form. This is all contrary to traditional werewolf lore where a werewolf is basically a normal person but undergoes an involuntary transformation. Though it is not stated explicitly, it appears that, like vampires, werewolves can be born as such and also be made.

Unlike vampires, werewolves must kill every time they feed because they need to consume organs. Thus, Night World law states that werewolves can only kill and eat animals. In the Night World, werewolves are treated as second-class citizens and are the victims of prejudice and racism. As in traditional werewolf lore, Night World werewolves are harmed by silver.

The symbol for werewolves is a black foxglove.

Shapeshifters

Shapeshifters make their appearance very late in the series. No main character is a shapeshifter until the ninth book, Witchlight. Before that, only allusions to shapeshifters are made, usually in the context of a Night Person explaining the Night World to a human and listing the Night World species. In Witchlight, the protagonist, Keller, is a shapeshifter. She has the ability to change into the form of a panther at will.

Some history about shapeshifters is given in the novel: Shapeshifters had control of the world long before witches and vampires. Their leaders were known as "Dragons", beings that could change into the form of any animal as long as they have had physical contact to that animal. (Normally shapeshifters can only change into one pre-determined animal form). The witches rose to power and put the dragons to sleep, except for the smallest one. This one is the ancestor of the ruling house of shapeshifters. The descendants of this dragon have the ability to choose what animal they will become, but this choice is permanent.

In the early books of the series, werewolves and shapeshifters are described as separate groups or races of the Night World. For example, in Daughters of Darkness, Night World is described as comprising vampires, "witches and werewolves and shapeshifters, too". Though never explicitly stated, the later books tend to treat werewolves as a subset of shapeshifters. In Witchlight, when Keller tells the history of shapeshifters, she lists felines, bears, eagles, and wolves as groups or clans within the shapeshifter race. The description of both werewolves and shapeshifters as second-class citizens also supports the notion that werewolves are a subset, or one family, of shapeshifters. However, in Witchlight there is no real mention of Keller feeding or abiding by the rules for werewolves described in Daughters of Darkness.

Shapeshifters are harmed by silver just like werewolves.

The symbol for shapeshifters is a black iris.

Shapeshifters ruled in the 1st Age until the witches took over in a war. They are Descended from dragons, who will look like a normal human except for their black eyes and can change into any animal or human form they touch. Dragons get their power from their horns on their head and the only way to kill a dragon is to cut their horns off.

External links

• L.J. Smith's Official Website.
• Night World Information Collective This site contains information about the books, characters, and concepts of the Night World series.
• Review of all Night World published books
• Fanlisting for the Night World series.

References

• An interview with L.J. Smith. Bookalicious.
• Smith, L.J. Trying to catch up. Ye Olde Blog by L.J.
• Smith, L.J. Latest news. L.J. Smith's Amazon Blog.
• Smith, L.J. (1996). Daughters of Darkness. New York: Archway. ISBN 0-671-55136-5.
• Smith, L.J. (1996). Enchantress. Hodder Children's Books. ISBN 0-340-69001-1.
• Smith, L.J. (1996). The Chosen. Hodder Children's Books. ISBN 0-340-69003-8.
• Smith, L.J. (1997). Black Dawn. Hodder Children's Books. ISBN 0-340-70954-5.
• Smith, L.J. (1998). Witchlight. New York: Archway. ISBN 0-671-01477-3.