The Vampire Diaries (novel series)

{{short description|Young adult fiction book series}}

{{Primary sources|date=July 2024}}

{{italic title}}

{{Infobox book series

| name = The Vampire Diaries

| books = The Awakening
The Struggle
The Fury
Dark Reunion
The Return: Nightfall
The Return: Shadow Souls
The Return: Midnight
The Hunters: Phantom
The Hunters: Moonsong
The Hunters: Destiny Rising
The Salvation: Unseen
The Salvation: Unspoken
The Salvation: Unmasked

| author = L. J. Smith (books 1-7)
Unknown ghostwriter (books 8-10)
Aubrey Clark (books 11-13)

| image = The Vampire Diaries, The Salvation, Unseen.jpg

| caption = The Vampire Diaries. The Salvation: Unseen

| illustrator =

| cover_artist =

| country = United States

| language = English

| genre = Horror
Fantasy
Romance
Young adult fiction

| publisher = Harper Paperbacks (books 1-10)
47North (book 11-13)
Hodder Children's Books (books 1-13)

| pub_date = September 1991–1992 (books 1-4)
February 2009–May 2014 (books 5-13)

| media_type = Print (hardcover, paperback), eBook

}}

The Vampire Diaries is a young adult vampire fiction series of novels created by American author L. J. Smith. The story centers on Elena Gilbert, a young human, and her life.

Publishing history

File:TVD-The Return-Midnight.jpg

The series was originally published in 1991–1992 and it revolves around Stefan Salvatore and Elena Gilbert as the two main protagonists. The first three novels in the original series (The Awakening, The Struggle, and The Fury) all feature Stefan and Elena as the narrators of the series, while the last book in the original series, Dark Reunion, is from Bonnie McCullough's point of view

After taking a long hiatus from writing, Smith published the first installment of "The Return" trilogy, Nightfall, on February 10, 2009. Shadow Souls, the second book of "The Return" trilogy, was released on March 16, 2010. The third and final book of "The Return" trilogy, Midnight, was released on March 15, 2011.{{cite web|url=http://www.vampire-diaries.net/the-books/the-return-trilogy/|title=The Return Trilogy|access-date=27 April 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130508001937/http://www.vampire-diaries.net/the-books/the-return-trilogy/|archive-date=8 May 2013}}

The trilogy after The Return trilogy, The Hunters, was written by a ghostwriter. In fact, Smith signed a "work for hire" contract back when she had written the original Vampire Diaries novel trilogy, which means Alloy owns the copyrights to the series. Smith had originally intended to call the books in "The Hunters" trilogy Phantom, Evensong and Eternity,{{cite news|url=http://ljanesmith.blogspot.it/2010/07/shadow-souls-twin-fox-ring-contest-and.html|title=The Shadow Souls Twin Fox Ring Contest and Lots More|date=July 19, 2012|access-date=April 27, 2013|work=Ye Olde Blog by L.J.}}{{cite news|url=http://ljanesmith.blogspot.it/2010/09/new-name-for-next-vampire-diaries.html|title=The New Name for the next Vampire Diaries Trilogy is...|date=September 25, 2010|access-date=April 27, 2013|work=Ye Olde Blog by L.J.}}{{cite news|url=http://anditsdraining.tumblr.com/post/3137484606/l-j-smith-creator-of-the-vampire-diaries-books-fired|title=L J Smith (creator of The Vampire Diaries books) Fired From Writing the Rest of the Series|access-date=April 27, 2013}}{{cite news|url=http://bookalicio.us/2011/05/interview-with-l-j-smith-part-duex/|title=Interview with L.J. Smith part deux|access-date=April 27, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111026091029/http://bookalicio.us/2011/05/interview-with-l-j-smith-part-duex/|archive-date=October 26, 2011}} but the third book was called Destiny Rising by the ghostwriter.{{cite news|url=http://alloyentertainment.com/books/the-hunters-destiny-rising/|title=The Hunters: Destiny Rising|date=October 23, 2013|access-date=April 27, 2013}} Phantom was released on October 25, 2011,{{cite news|url=http://www.vampire-diaries.net/books/the-hunters-vol-i-phantom-u-s-u-k-covers-revealed|title=The Hunters Vol. I: Phantom U.S. & U.K. covers revealed|date=April 25, 2011}} Moonsong on March 13, 2012,{{cite news|url=http://www.vampire-diaries.net/books/uk-cover-for-the-hunters-moonsong-revealed-plus-synopses-for-phantom-and-moonsong|title=UK cover for The Hunters: Moonsong revealed + short synopses for Phantom and Moonsong|date=July 28, 2011}} and Destiny Rising on October 23, 2012.{{cite news|url=http://www.vampire-diaries.net/books/the-hunters-destiny-rising-cover-and-release-dates-revealed-read-the-first-80-pages-of-moonsong|title=The Hunters: Destiny Rising cover and release dates revealed + read the first 80 pages of Moonsong|date=February 29, 2012}}

The Salvation trilogy was written by ghostwriter Aubrey Clark. The first installment, Unseen, was released on May 2, 2013,{{cite news|url=http://memybooksandi.wordpress.com/2013/05/03/vampire-diaries-the-salvation-unseen-l-j-smith/|title=Vampire Diaries The Salvation: Unseen – L.J. Smith|date=May 3, 2013|access-date=May 20, 2013}} the second book, Unspoken, on November 7, 2013, and the third and final book, Unmasked, on May 8, 2014. The first two books of The Salvation trilogy were first released on Amazon.com as a paperback and ebook while Unmasked was available for pre-order purchase in five formats as of March 11, 2014 at Amazon.com.{{cite news|url=https://www.amazon.com/Vampire-Diaries-12-Salvation-Unspoken-ebook/dp/B00EOTJLTY/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1394535649&sr=1-1&keywords=the+vampire+diaries+the+salvation+unspoken|title=Amazon.com The Vampire Diaries: The Salvation: Unspoken|date=March 11, 2014}}{{cite news|url=https://www.amazon.com/The-Vampire-Diaries-Salvation-Unmasked/dp/1477823352|title=Amazon.com The Vampire Diaries: The Salvation: Unmasked|date=March 11, 2014}}

On January 15, 2014, Smith announced that she would be continuing to write her version of The Vampire Diaries before she was fired by Alloy. Smith would continue to write her books on Amazon Kindle as fan fiction and are not part of the official series. The Evensong arc would pick up where The Return: Midnight had left off and it takes place in an alternate world from the official series that follows Midnight. The three titles in the Evensong trilogy include Paradise Lost, The War of Roses and Into the Wood.{{cite news|url=http://ljanesmith.net/blog/2014/635-l-j-smith-s-new-vampires-diaries-series|title=L.J. Smith's New Vampire Diaries Series|date=January 15, 2014}} While the first two titles were released in 2014, Into the Wood has not yet been released as of June 2021. However, L. J. Smith has revealed that the novel will be released via Kindle Worlds.

Novels

= ''The Vampires '' =

== ''The Awakening: Volume I'' (1991) ==

The Awakening ({{ISBN|978-1-4449-0071-2}}) is the first novel in the Vampire Diaries series and introduces the main cast of characters Elena, Stefan, Matt, Bonnie, Caroline and Meredith. The plot of the novel revolves around the romance between Stefan Salvatore and Elena Gilbert and the group's attempts to understand the brutal attacks that have taken place in Fell's Church. Stefan Salvatore believes that he was committing the atrocities, though it is later revealed that it was his brother Damon Salvatore. This book also introduces the background of the Salvatore brothers which introduces the characters Katherine and Klaus.

== ''The Struggle: Volume II'' (1991) ==

The Struggle ({{ISBN|978-0-06-199076-2}}) picks up where The Awakening left off while introducing new characters like Alaric Saltzman. After the murder of their past history teacher Elena attempts to prove Stefan's innocence after he is accused of committing the crime and Damon looks into Alaric Saltzman's role in all of this. It is later revealed that the town knows about vampires and hired Alaric to try to kill Stefan and Damon; however, Alaric later joins Damon and Stefan and ends up dating Meredith Sulez. A powerful being has returned to Fells Church and everything is out of control. Despite Stefan's belief that Damon is the perpetrator no one knows its identity. Controlling the wind, the evil power chases Elena off Wickery Bridge to her death.

== ''The Fury: Volume III'' (1991) ==

The Fury ({{ISBN|978-0-06-199077-9}}) reveals that the Salvatore's former lover Katherine von Swartzchild was the evil force in Fell's Church and that she ran Elena off the bridge where Elena turned into a vampire. The Fury introduces Katherine as a villain with the plot revolving around a newly turned Elena trying to cope with the stresses of becoming a vampire. Stefan and Damon work together to try to stop Katherine, who has been possessing animals and killing people all around Fell's Church. Discovering Katherine's secret lair beneath the graveyard, Stefan, Damon and Elena fight her resulting in both Elena and Katherine's deaths.

== ''Dark Reunion: Volume IV'' (1992) ==

Dark Reunion ({{ISBN|978-0-06202058-1}}; The Reunion in the UK and Australia version) is the final novel in the original wave of Vampire Diaries books and features the heavily foreshadowed Klaus as the main villain. After the death of Elena, Damon and Stefan have left Fell's Church only to be brought back by Bonnie after she begins to have psychic dreams about Klaus torturing Elena. Klaus has captured Caroline and has been manipulating Tyler Smallwood into performing his dirty work. After the deaths of two friends Stefan goes out to kill Klaus only to realize that he is one of the "old ones" meaning he can't be killed. Damon returns to help battle the vampire only to be continually defeated. Just as Klaus is gloating over his victories hundreds of dead civil war soldiers rise from the grave led by Elena to drag Klaus to the underworld. Elena is resurrected and with seemingly every enemy vanquished, the cast leaves successful in their conquests.

= ''Omnibuses'' =

  • The Awakening and The Struggle (2007) ({{ISBN|978-1-41-782599-8}})
  • The Fury and Dark Reunion (2007) ({{ISBN|978-0-06-114098-3}})

= ''The Return'' trilogy =

== ''The Return: Nightfall'' (2009) ==

Written over a decade later The Return: Nightfall ({{ISBN|9780061720802}}) continued up where the last novel left off with Elena now in the care of Stefan. Damon has become possessed by the evil fox-demon Shinichi and his twin sister Misao who have been invading the town using mystical and evil Malach. Elena struggles to adjust to her human form after spending so much time in the spirit world. She eventually gets things under control, but simultaneously loses her angel powers. Stefan is captured by the possessed Damon, who later lures Elena and Matt into a brutal trap. After saving Damon from the horrible Malach that has taken over his body the duo take on Shinichi and Misao, who are planning on killing Bonnie and Meredith. After saving her friends Elena embarks on a journey with Matt and Damon to free Stefan from the brutal Dark Dimension.

Plan B

The episode starts with the scenes switching between Elena with Stefan and Katherine with Mason waking up together. Elena and Stefan talk about how to keep hiding from Katherine and she keeps feeding Stefan with her blood, meanwhile Katherine tries to make Mason tell her where he hid the moonstone, however he tells her that it is safe and that he will give it to her later that night.

Jeremy pays a visit to Damon because he wants to help, as he says, and tells Damon what he has learnt about werewolves from Tyler and that Mason is looking for a moonstone. Alaric arrives with more information from Isobel's research that says that moonstones can be used to seal a curse, and they wonder if Mason wants it so he can reverse the werewolf curse.

Everyone is at the preparations for the Masquerade Ball and Elena gets the chance to fill Bonnie in on everything around Katherine and what she was doing all this time with Caroline and her fake fights with Stefan. Meanwhile, Mason looks surprised to see Stefan alive and he asks him what they did to Sheriff Forbes. Stefan reassures him that Liz is fine and Mason leaves. While walking away, Mason bumps into Bonnie who gets a vision of him and "Elena". She tells Stefan about it, and he figures out that Bonnie did not see Elena kissing Mason but Katherine.

Stefan informs Damon about the connection between Mason and Katherine, and they are sure that Katherine is using him for something, and they need to find out what. Jeremy offers his help and says that he can take the moonstone from Tyler, but Tyler gave the moonstone to Mason because he doesn't want to have anything to do with curses and supernatural anymore. Stefan and Damon ask for Bonnie's help so they can "kidnap" Mason and make him tell them Katherine's plan and where the moonstone is. Even though at first Bonnie does not want to help, she eventually agrees to do it.

In the meantime, Caroline is at the basement with her mother and tries to explain to her about her new life. Liz listens to her and even though she is negative with Caroline at the beginning, Liz ends up telling her that she doesn't have to compel her because she will never do anything to hurt her. Caroline believes her but she knows that Liz will never trust Damon and Stefan, so she compels her to forget everything and think that she has been sick with the flu for the past couple of days.

Damon and Bonnie arrive at the Salvatore house with Mason and Damon ties him up to question him while Bonnie tries to read his mind with her powers to find out where the moonstone is. She tells Damon that the moonstone is in a well and heads out when Mason wakes up. On her way out, she runs into Caroline and tells her that she is going to the old well at the Lockwood property. Caroline wants to go with her and Bonnie texts Stefan where he can find the moonstone. He heads there and Elena follows him.

Damon starts questioning Mason about Katherine, but he refuses to say anything, leading Damon to torture him. After a while, Mason tells Damon where the moonstone is, but Damon wants to know why Katherine wants it. Mason says she wants it to reverse the werewolf curse because she loves him, something that makes Damon burst out laughing. He tells Mason that Katherine is just using him and when he realizes that Mason does not know anything more that could help him, he kills him.

In the meantime, Stefan gets to the well with Elena, and he jumps in to search for the moonstone, but the water is full of vervain, and he starts screaming for help. Caroline and Bonnie find them, and they help Elena to get down to Stefan. She ties the unconscious Stefan to the chain and tells Caroline to pull him up while she is searching for the moonstone. She finds it and Caroline pulls her up where she gives Stefan her blood to help him heal faster.

Stefan returns home where Damon tries to get rid of Mason's body. He texts Carol from Mason's phone to tell her that he left town and then calls Katherine despite Stefan's warning not to. Katherine is surprised and when Damon reveals to her that Mason is dead and they have the moonstone, she reassures him that she has a Plan B.

Alaric and Jenna are having dinner when Elena get home. Katherine calls and asks for Elena telling her that she knows about her fake fights with Stefan because she had warned Jenna off of vervain and could control her and Jenna has been informing her about everything. In the background, Jenna stabs herself while under Katherine's compulsion and collapses. Alaric and Elena take her to the hospital and the doctor informs them that she will be fine.

Elena, after what happened with Jenna, goes to Stefan to tell him that they were fools to ignore Katherine's orders and to fool her. They cannot be together because they put the ones they love in danger, and she breaks up with him.

The episode ends with Katherine compelling Matt to attack Tyler and won't step back until Tyler kills him because as she says she needs a werewolf and since Mason is gone, she needs a new one

Caroline (Candice Accola) is at the Salvatore house and tells Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Stefan (Paul Wesley) that she met Katherine (Nina Dobrev) at the Grill. Katherine wants to deliver a message to the Salvatore brothers; bring her the moonstone at tonight's Masquerade Ball otherwise she will rip the town apart. The brothers agree that they have to kill Katherine and they start making their plan of how to do it.

Jenna (Sara Canning) gets back home after her "accident" with the knife and Elena and Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen) take care of her while Matt (Zach Roerig) helps them. Jeremy follows Elena in the kitchen and asks her what they will do about Katherine and Elena says nothing since now she will do whatever Katherine wants and she will stay away from Stefan. Jeremy does not believe that Katherine will stay away and leaves to go to the Salvatore house.

Bonnie (Kat Graham) arrives at the Salvatore house as well, where she finds Damon, Stefan, Jeremy, Caroline and Alaric (Matt Davis) getting ready for their plan against Katherine. Alaric shows them everything about his weapons and how to kill a vampire but they need Bonnie's help so they can trap Katherine with a spell in a room at the Lockwood house so Damon and Stefan can kill her. Bonnie hesitates at first but agrees to help under the condition that no one will get hurt.

In the meantime, Katherine gets ready for the Ball when Lucy appears, a witch that Katherine called to help her get the moonstone back. She knows that Damon and Stefan will not give it without putting up a fight and she wants to be covered, and she will take Lucy as her "plus one" at the Ball. After she will get the moonstone, she will need Lucy's help to break the curse.

Back at the Gilbert house, Matt heads to the Ball and he acts weird when he tells Elena that he has something to do but he can't tell her what. Elena tells him that she will stay home because she does not want to run into Stefan, having no idea what they all plan to do. Alaric gets there a little bit later since he has to keep an eye on Elena so she will not leave the house and get to the Ball.

At the Ball, Katherine arrives with Lucy and she runs into Matt. Matt is surprised seeing "Elena" there since she told him that she wouldn't come. Katherine compels him again to be sure that he knows what to do with Tyler (Michael Trevino) and when she is reassured that he does, she tells him to go. Stefan and Damon also arrive and look around to see if Katherine is there, while Jeremy and Bonnie find a room to prepare it with the spell.

After preparing the room, Jeremy and Bonnie return to the party when Bonnie gets a weird vibe. She follows her feeling and gets to Lucy asking her if they know each other. Lucy says no and leaves and Bonnie tries to ignore her feeling telling Jeremy that they have to tell Stefan and Damon that the room is ready.

Elena wonders why all her friends are at the Ball and asks Alaric what is going on but he does not want to tell her. He eventually does when she says that she will go to the Ball and Alaric has to stop her. Elena says she will stay home but she sneaks out telling Alaric and Jenna that she is going to sleep.

At the Ball, Katherine asks Stefan for a dance and while they are dancing she demands to give her the moonstone. Stefan says that he will if she follows him someplace where they will be alone, it's either his way or none. Aimee (Tiya Sircar) interrupts them and Katherine kills her to show Stefan that she is not playing; he should give her the moonstone or people will start dying. Stefan freaks out and wants to stop the whole thing but Damon convinces him that they have to finish it and they go to the room waiting and texting Jeremy that it is his turn.

Meanwhile, Lucy catches up Katherine worrying of the involvement of another witch and Katherine tells her that there is nothing to worry about. Jeremy interrupts them asking to talk to his sister and when Lucy leaves, he tells Katherine to meet Damon and Stefan by the lake for the switch and he walks away while texting Caroline to be ready. As soon as he gets out of sight, Elena pulls him aside and asks what is going on.

Katherine, suspecting that the Salvatores are up to something, turns to Caroline and demands to tell her what is going on. Caroline pretends that she does not know but under Katherine's threats, she tells her that they are planning to kill her, that Bonnie has the moonstone and that she is upstairs. Katherine gets upstairs with Caroline and falls into the trap imprisoning herself into the room where Damon and Stefan are waiting for her.

Meanwhile, Jeremy and Bonnie fill Elena in who thinks they are crazy before she bursts into pain exactly the same moment Damon fires a stake at Katherine's back. Bonnie figures out that Elena is linked to Katherine and tells Jeremy to run and tell Damon and Stefan to stop because they are hurting Elena. Jeremy gets to the room just in time to stop Damon from killing Katherine and in extent, Elena. Damon looks surprised and Katherine explains that she also has a witch on her side.

Bonnie realizes that the woman she saw earlier is a witch and tries to find her so she can break the link between Elena and Katherine. She finds her and asks her to undo the spell but Lucy tries to walk away making Bonnie grab her arm. Lucy senses that Bonnie has the moonstone and asks her to give it to her telling her that she can trust her.

Meanwhile, Tyler and Matt are at Tyler's father office drinking along with Sarah (Maiara Walsh). Matt tries to get Tyler drunk and then starts doing things that get him mad. The two of them start to fight and Caroline, who overhears them, gets there and break them up. Matt says that he has to "finish" it, Tyler is confused of what is wrong with him and Caroline to manage stop Matt, she hits him. Sarah, who is revealed to be under compulsion as well, attacks Tyler and stabs him in the shoulder. Tyler pushes her back to defend himself and Sarah hits her head and dies, making Tyler trigger the curse and become a werewolf.

Back at the room, Lucy joins the three vampires having the moonstone in her possession. She informs Katherine that the spell on the room has been broken and she is free to go. She gives her the moonstone while first made it clear that after that she will not ask her for any more favors. Katherine agrees and takes the moonstone but she struggles under a power while Lucy tells her that she should have told her that there was a Bennett witch involved. Lucy tells Damon and Stefan that she has lifted the spell that binds Elena to Katherine, apologizes for her involvement and leaves.

Katherine wakes up in the tomb where Damon thought she had been all these years. Damon is standing outside and tells her that death would be very kind and that is why they entomb her. Katherine yells at him that he can't do this because they need her and because Elena is in danger. Elena is the doppelgänger and has to be protected. Damon says that he will protect her and closes the tomb's door trapping Katherine inside.

Stefan finds Elena in the Lockwood garden by the lake and tells her that Katherine is gone but Elena still doesn't change her mind about the two of them getting back together until she can be sure that everyone she cares about is safe. She walks away and gets to her car at the parking lot, but before she gets in a mysterious figure with a mask on his face grabs her and takes her away.

= ''The Hunters'' trilogy =

== ''The Hunters: Phantom'' (2011) ==

The Hunters: Phantom is the starting novel of a new arc, this time written by a ghostwriter. It begins with Meredith Sulez fiancé-to-be Alaric Saltzman returning from Japan with a fellow researcher Celia Conner. Since the Guardians changed the realities of Fells Church (so that all the evil that Klaus, Katherine, and the kitsune twins committed never happened), Elena is no longer dead and she is able to see her Aunt Judith and her sister Margaret again. Alaric and Celia arrive by train just after her name is mysteriously spelled out in blood. Other names begin to appear first Meredith, then Damon, Bonnie, Elena and Matt. Damon manages to escape from the Dark Dimension after it is revealed that the embers of the star-ball Elena destroyed revived him after his death in The Return: Midnight. Stefan begins to suspect Caleb Smallwood (Tyler Smallwood's cousin) of committing the crimes after he finds out that he still remembers the original timeline with Klaus and Katherine. Stefan tries to kill Caleb but is unsuccessful because Elena intervenes. Stefan and Meredith interrogate Caleb only to realize that he was not causing the accidents around Fell's Church. Simultaneously the bodies of Matt, Bonnie, and Elena have all been taken into the Dark Dimension where Damon is trying to hunt the villain. Damon reveals that the monster is an Original Phantom and that it feeds on your emotions the same way a vampire feeds on blood. After the Phantom is summoned to Fells Church, Alaric tries to use old magic to cast the phantom out, but the Phantom is able to play on peoples minds and forces Stefan and Damon to battle. They eventually cast the Phantom out after revealing all of their jealousies and burning down the garage in the process. They prepare to attend Dalcrest college in the coming fall.

== ''The Hunters: Moonsong'' (2012) ==

In The Hunters: Moonsong (written by a ghostwriter) Elena, Stefan, Matt, Bonnie and Meredith are all attending Dalcrest college just a few hours away from Fell's Church. They all settle into new rituals with Bonnie befriending a boy named Zander and Meredith meeting a fellow Vampire-Hunter named Samantha. Matt Honeycutt is invited to join the secret group called The Vitale Society where he is met by dozens of recruits including his new friend Chloe and even more masked Vitales led by the mysterious Ethan Crane. Elena chooses to part ways with both Damon and Stefan after they begin to battle over her again leading the two brothers to bond over their shared misery. Damon is living across town in a fancy apartment and is much less considerate of Elena's wish to remain separate. Elena and Damon are constantly together making Stefan become even more jealous and cold. When people start disappearing from campus Meredith and Samantha try to uncover who is behind it only to have Matt's roommate Christopher and Meredith's friend Samantha killed. Meredith and Elena suspect Zander is the killer, making Bonnie so upset that she moves out of their dorm. Zander reveals himself as a werewolf making Bonnie believe that he is the killer, but a few hundred feet away Ethan Crane is beginning a ritual with the fellow Vitales. The Vitale Society is actually a group of vampires, and the new recruits (including Matt) are all to be turned into a vampire army. Stefan arrives to protect Matt but is quickly subdued by Ethan and his vampires. Ethan Crane reveals that he is intent on bringing back the powerful Original vampire Klaus and that he wants to gift him the massive army that he has assembled. Damon, Meredith and Elena arrive to stop the Vitales and kill about a dozen. The rest escape. Ethan Crane threatens to kill Elena but is quickly impaled with Meredith's fighting stave. Bonnie places spells sealing up the tunnels from the outside so that no one finds the dead vampires until they have been disposed of, though Ethan actually survived his wounds and now has all of the ingredients he needs to resurrect Klaus.

== ''The Hunters: Destiny Rising'' (2012) ==

The Hunters: Destiny Rising (written by a ghostwriter): After the events of The Hunters: Moonsong Stefan, Elena, Meredith and Zander's wolf pack are rallying to try to find Ethan after they discover his body is missing from the Vitale Vampire chamber. Alaric Saltzman comes into town and helps Meredith rig vervain bombs to try to lure Ethan out of the tombs; however, Ethan has already begun the ceremony deep in the woods. Stefan and the wolf pack battle the Vitale Vampires; however, Ethan successfully pours Stefan and Damon's blood into a huge bonfire, raising Klaus. Klaus instantly kills Ethan and wounds Zander, telling Elena to watch her back before vanishing into the woods. Bonnie has a vision of Klaus bringing back his old allies, including Katherine and Meredith's brother Cristian. Alaric, Meredith and Bonnie hunt for a White Oak tree that can be used to kill Klaus but Tyler and Caroline were compelled by Klaus to burn it down. Elena learns that she is an "Earthly Guardian" and that she cannot be killed by supernatural means. She is given lessons in mastering her powers by another Earthly Guardian named Andres - who works with her history professor, James - who helps her understand her skills. Damon is hunting humans again, causing Stefan and Elena to hide his actions from the rest of the group, who already dislike the more sarcastic Salvatore brother. Stefan and the rest of the group go hunting for Klaus only to discover that he has created an army including the powerful Katherine. They battle, resulting in the death of the werewolf Chad, and Klaus realizes that he has to find another way to kill Elena. Elena and Andres are ambushed by Klaus on an elevator and Andres is kidnapped after Damon saves Elena from Klaus. Damon and Katherine begin to work together, feeding on humans and having fun, but she eventually warns Damon about Klaus' plan and he leaves to join Stefan and their army of werewolves. Elena, as an Earthly Guardian, is given the task of killing Damon Salvatore, which she rejects as ridiculous choosing instead to go after Klaus. Cristian tries to kill Meredith, leading her to realize that she must kill her brother when the time arises. Klaus and his army (except Katherine) battle against Stefan, Damon, Meredith and an army of werewolves. Meredith runs Cristian through with a stake, killing him instantly, while Damon and Stefan battle against the countless other vampires Klaus has brought with him. Klaus captures Elena and brings her into the tunnels beneath the school where he stabs her and begins to drink her blood. Stefan and Damon find Elena, only to realize that Klaus has died. Elena's blood, as an Earthly Guardian, has the ability to kill the unkillable Original vampires. With all of their threats defeated, Meredith and Alaric get engaged while Bonnie continues to date the Original Werewolf Zander. Elena reads her mother's journal and discovers she and Katherine are half-sisters. Elena chooses to be with Stefan after she explains to the Guardians that Damon will no longer be a problem anymore. Damon and Katherine choose to leave the continent, presumably going to Asia which Damon has specified that he enjoyed.

= ''The Salvation'' trilogy =

  • The Salvation: Unseen (2013) (written by Aubrey Clark)
  • The Salvation: Unspoken (2013) (written by Aubrey Clark)
  • The Salvation: Unmasked (2014) (written by Aubrey Clark)

Characters

;Key

: {{Color box|#bfd|border=darkgray}} = Main cast (Occurs as a main figure throughout the entire novel)

: {{Color box|#ffdddd|border=darkgray}} = Recurring cast (Character appears several times in the book but is omitted from long periods)

: {{Color box|#ADD8E6|border=darkgray}} = Guest cast (Characters occurs in only one or two chapters of the novel or is mentioned often in a method that effects the plot)

class="wikitable"
rowspan="2" style="width:14%;" |Character

! colspan="10" |Books

style="width:9%;" |The Awakening

! style="width:9%;" |The Struggle

! style="width:9%;" |The Fury

! style="width:9%;" |Dark Reunion

! style="width:9%;" |Nightfall

! style="width:9%;" |Shadow Souls

! style="width:9%;" |Midnight

! style="width:9%;" |Phantom

! style="width:9%;" |Moonsong

! style="width:9%;" |Destiny Rising

Elena Gilbert

| colspan="10" {{CMain|Main}}

Damon Salvatore

| colspan="10" {{CMain|Main}}

Stefan Salvatore

| colspan="5" {{CMain|Main}}

| {{CRecurring|Recurring}}

| colspan="4" {{CMain|Main}}

Bonnie McCullough

| colspan="10" {{CMain|Main}}

Matt Honeycutt

| colspan="10" {{CMain|Main}}

Meredith Sulez

| colspan="10" {{CMain|Main}}

Caroline Forbes

| colspan="4" {{CMain|Main}}

| {{CRecurring|Recurring}}

| colspan="4" {{n/a

}

| {{CGuest|Guest}}

|-

|Alaric Saltzman

| {{n/a|}}

| colspan="2" {{CMain|Main}}

| {{CRecurring|Recurring}}

| colspan="2" {{n/a|}}

| {{CGuest|Guest}}

| colspan="3" {{CMain|Main}}

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|Katherine von Swartzschild

| colspan="2" {{CGuest|Guest}}

| {{CMain|Main}}

| colspan="6" {{n/a|}}

| {{CMain|Main}}

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|Klaus Mikaelson

| {{n/a|}}

| {{CGuest|Guest}}

| {{n/a|}}

| {{CMain|Main}}

| colspan="4" {{n/a|}}

| {{CGuest|Guest}}

| {{CMain|Main}}

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|Sage

| colspan="5" {{n/a|}}

| colspan="2" {{CMain|Main}}

| {{CRecurring|Recurring}}

| colspan="2" {{n/a|}}

|-

|Tyler Smallwood

| colspan="4" {{CMain|Main}}

| colspan="5" {{n/a|}}

| {{CGuest|Guest}}

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|Shinichi

| colspan="4" {{n/a|}}

| {{CMain|Main}}

| {{CRecurring|Recurring}}

| {{CMain|Main}}

| colspan="3" {{n/a|}}

|}

Adaptations

= Television =

{{Main|The Vampire Diaries{{!}}The Vampire Diaries}}

On February 6, 2009, Variety announced that The CW Television Network greenlit the pilot for a television series entitled The Vampire Diaries with Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec set as the writers and executive producers and starring Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder.{{cite news |title=CW picks up 'Vampire Diaries' pilot |author=Michael Schneider |work=Variety |url=https://variety.com/2009/tv/news/cw-picks-up-vampire-diaries-pilot-1117999664/ |date=February 5, 2009}} On May 19, 2009, the pilot was officially ordered to series for the 2009–10 season.{{cite news |title=CW picks up 'Melrose Place,' 'Vampire Diaries' |author=Nellie Andreeva |work=The Hollywood Reporter |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3ic8543054a8a9084de067a8e4d399b1d7 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090522112540/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3ic8543054a8a9084de067a8e4d399b1d7 |archive-date=May 22, 2009 }}{{cite web |title=THE CW NETWORK ANNOUNCES FALL PREMIERE DATES |work=The Futon Critic |url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20090617cw01}} The series ran until March 10, 2017, and spawned a TV series spinoff, The Originals, which itself spawned another spinoff series, Legacies. The Originals started half way through the run of The Vampire Diaries, with Legacies airing after the series finale of both shows. Both spinoffs were created and produced by Plec.

== ''Stefan's Diaries'' ==

The Stefan's Diaries are six novels based on the TV series, attributed to Lisa Jane Smith but actually ghostwritten. They tell Stefan and Damon's past since Katherine's arrival. As they were written during the series broadcast, some things differ, such as the story of the original Vampires.

  • The Vampire Diaries. Stefan's Diaries: Origins (November 2, 2010){{cite web|url=http://www.harpercollins.com/searcheng/2pagesearchx.aspx?mode=search&search=stefan's|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130103060807/http://www.harpercollins.com/searcheng/2pagesearchx.aspx?mode=search&search=stefan's|url-status=dead|archive-date=2013-01-03|title=The Vampire Diaries. The Stefan's Diaries}}
  • The Vampire Diaries. Stefan's Diaries: Bloodlust (January 4, 2011)
  • The Vampire Diaries. Stefan's Diaries: The Craving (March 3, 2011)
  • The Vampire Diaries. Stefan's Diaries: The Ripper (November 8, 2011){{cite news|url=http://www.vampire-diaries.net/books/stefans-diaries-4-the-ripper-due-for-release-8th-november-2011|title=Stefan’s Diaries #4: The Ripper due for release 8th November, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140303030618/http://www.vampire-diaries.net/books/stefans-diaries-4-the-ripper-due-for-release-8th-november-2011|archive-date=2014-03-03}}
  • The Vampire Diaries. Stefan's Diaries: The Asylum (January 17, 2012){{cite news|url=http://www.harperteen.com/books/Vampire-Diaries-Stefans-5-Asylum/?isbn=9780062113955|title=The Vampire Diaries: Stefan's Diaries #5: The Asylum}}
  • The Vampire Diaries. Stefan's Diaries: The Compelled (March 12, 2012){{cite news|url=http://www.vampire-diaries.net/books/stefans-diaries-6-title-announced|title=Stefan’s Diaries #6 title announced|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140303043712/http://www.vampire-diaries.net/books/stefans-diaries-6-title-announced|archive-date=2014-03-03}}

= Video game =

The series was adapted into a point-and-click adventure horror video game, released in 1996 by HeR Interactive. It tells the story of teenager Elena Gilbert, who, while visiting an art gallery, witnesses her little sister being a victim of a bat-like animal. Suspicions arise among the citizens of Fells Church that a vampire may be walking among them. After the attack, it is revealed to Elena that Stefan Salvatore, the doctor's assistant working at the hospital where Elena's sister is staying, is actually a vampire that died in a duel with his brother, Damon "Smith" Salvatore in the 1500s. Damon also happens to be a student biology teacher at Elena's high school. Stefan suggests to Elena that the other vampire attacking Fell's Church, whoever they are, may be defeated by a Ring of Power, and the rest of the game is spent preparing for the ritual and creation of the Ring of Power. Along the way Elena can interact with several characters, including her friend Bonnie McCullough and Bonnie's boss, who happens to own a spiritual dagger that is key to defeating the villain. After creating the ring of power, in a twist reveal, Elena learns that the vampire that attacked her sister is Mikhail Romanoff, owner of the Art Gallery and manipulative lover of Caroline Forbes, Elena's friend from kindergarten turned mean girl. After the defeat of Mikhail, Elena allows Stefan to bite her so they can be together forever. The game was made at the peak of popularity for interactive movie games and features live-action actors and footage.Her Interactive Inc. [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5483944/ The Vampire Diares] (1996). Directors: Patricia Flanigan; Dave Roberts.

Awards

class="wikitable"

! Year !! Award !! Category !! Result

2010Kids' Choice Awards{{cite news|url=http://www.vampire-diaries.net/books/vampire-diaries-book-series-nominated-for-2010-kids-choice-award|title=Vampire Diaries book series nominated for 2010 Kids’ Choice Award|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140413123359/http://www.vampire-diaries.net/books/vampire-diaries-book-series-nominated-for-2010-kids-choice-award|archive-date=2014-04-13}}Favorite Book{{Nominated}}

See also

References

{{Reflist}}