Beguiling stories

Good becomes boring and evil becomes romantic in 'hot' fiction | Janie B. Cheaney

Courtesy of Screen Gems/©2009 Bold Films LP

Those hoping the vampire trend in popular culture will soon pass may need to collect their souls in patience a while longer: All signs are that the "paranormal" will be riding high for a while. But if vampires wear thin other phenomena can pinch-hit, such as zombies, ghosts, and angels. Not, however, nice bumbling angels like Clarence in It's a Wonderful Life. The wings you hear beating on the sultry air come from another place.

For instance: Lauren Kate's young-adult novel Fallen is about a distressed teenage girl gone wild over a mysterious young man who displays unusual strength and longevity, minus the pointed fangs. He is, in fact, an angel—not the kind who dwells among the cherubim and sings "Holy, holy, holy" without ceasing, but the kind who got kicked out of heaven. They used to be known as demons—"hot" in more ways than one.