These days, it takes a truly unnatural character to tell a good tale – someone who is just not of this world.

Consider Fang, a mutant character in the “Maximum Ride” young adult series by James Patterson.

He’s part avian and pure hottie, although his face lives only in the imagination of his many fans in the flock – at least until next year, when the (still uncast) movie hits theaters.

And according to some voracious readers and members of the Allen County Public Library’s teen advisory board, he’s everything a reluctant hero should be: dark, brooding, jaded.

“Oh, Fang,” sighs Sadie Sial, 15, her hand clasped to her heart.

“He’s my favorite character. He’s quiet and sort of mysterious. He’s always there for Max,” says Tara Olivero, 17.

The fact that he also has wings? Not a problem.

Actually, it just adds to his appeal, even as a plausible love interest for the heroine, Max.

Fang lust is just one example of a growing obsession with all things otherworldly. Maybe it’s because ghosts, ghouls and the like tap into something primal in the human psyche.

“Supernatural creatures and phenomena embody the fear of the unknown, but also simultaneously the hopes and possibilities of the unknown. It is heartening to think that there is more to life than what we learn in school, that there are secrets out there for us to discover,” says Michael Dylan Foster, an assistant professor of folklore at Indiana University.

“Even something like ‘Bigfoot’ suggests that our knowledge of zoology, ecology, biology – that everything recorded in our scientific journals – is not sufficient, which is both a frightening and incredibly exciting thought,” he says.

Apparently, many fans of the paranormal agree. Not so long ago, fantasy and science fiction were considered niche genres in publishing. Today, fantasy and science fiction have shot from cult status to mainstream and are wildly popular among readers of all ages and both genders, who devour the books and blogs devoted to their favorites, such as Harry Potter and Bobby Pendragon.

You might even call 2009 the Year of the Vampire, thanks to “Twilight” and “True Blood,” two book series that came back to life on film and TV, respectively. A new CW series, “The Vampire Diaries,” debuts this week.

These particular creatures of the night might change with the times as we go through various cultural transitions, but as they keep resurfacing, they typically represent an intoxicating mix of desire and danger.

“In the 1980s and ’90s, I think they were associated with AIDS and fears of infection and transmission of disease. Indeed, in one sense, they often represent the threat of invasion, of the unknown taking over. In early 20th-century movies, for example, the vampire was often a suave foreigner, embodying both the seductive attractiveness as well as the threat of the foreign immigrant,” Foster says.

“They are flexible as symbols, so the Anne Rice (author of ‘Interview with a Vampire’) vampire figure is different from the ‘Twilight’ vampire figure, but each incarnation reflects particular cultural concerns and anxieties of the given moment,” he says.

Another author who’s feeding that supernatural hunger is Richelle Mead, a Michigan native who lives in Seattle. She writes three series, each featuring paranormal protagonists: a shaman, a succubus and a teenage girl who is half human, half vampire.

Her genre, dubbed “adult urban fantasy,” uses the contemporary world (and often pop culture) and adds a magical or paranormal element. One classic earlier example is “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” who was kicking evildoer butt long before the term “urban fantasy” was coined, Mead points out.

“It’s a trend that’s been growing for a while. … There were people who would say ‘I’m not a sci-fi fan,’ but they loved ‘The X-Files,’ ” she says.

“Suddenly, when something is big, a lot of people start writing it, and that makes it more acceptable. ‘Twilight’ is a fantastic example. That was a book that really exposed the mainstream to the fantastic. … It was an acceptable crossover for a lot of people who might not read that otherwise,” says Mead, a former eighth-grade teacher.

Perhaps the growth of supernatural themes is just a natural evolution of the monsters under the bed that lurked in the corners of our childhood imaginations.

They also serve as inspiration for local illustrator Tim Baron (www.timbaron.com).

“Monsters tap into my earliest childhood memories and still inspire me to draw them out of that joy. I think to kids (and adults), monsters can put a face on fears … (and) things we can’t otherwise control in life. They also remind us there is such a thing as objective moral values, there really is such a thing as good … and evil,” Baron says.

And of course, many of these unusual creatures make for interesting romantic partners on the page or the screen, which just fuels our fascination.

Before Bella, Edward and Jacob formed their unearthly love triangle in “Twilight,” there was Buffy and Angel, Beauty and the Beast, and the ghost and Mrs. Muir.

Within adult paranormal romance, “the range of creatures that people are in love with is astonishing,” Mead says, and might involve mermaids, werewolves, witches and others.

“If you take a paranormal character, let’s say a vampire, there is kind of a forbidden, dangerous edge. We like that; people are drawn to things that are dark and mysterious,” she says.

At the same time, those characters must have “that human edge” to be appealing and relevant to fans. Being sexy and magnetic and immortal doesn’t hurt either.

“You can’t have someone fall in love with a total monster,” Read says.

Literally or figuratively.

“Vampires have always been tempters of sorts. You know it’s very bad, but you can’t resist. It’s easy to romanticize them” because they look more like humans than some other creatures, says Nate Priest, 15, another member of the library’s teen board.

In particular, new breeds of kinder, gentler vampires – those who kill animals instead of humans or feed their lust on synthetic blood – are more appealing to some young fans (and yet horrifying to others), especially those who are confronting the idea of “forbidden love” for the first time, Foster says.

Teen fans that are members of Team Edward or Team Jacob “are betwixt and between, just like the time we call ‘twilight,’ ” he says.

For them, these vampires might also present a mask of normalcy that hints at a secret, and perhaps more dangerous, world.

“One of the powerful things about a lot of vampire stories is the notion that there are vampires living amongst us, and we may not even know it. While this idea … reflects anxiety, it also reflects desire – desire for possibility, for escape, for the dream that what you see in front of you (this family, this small town) is not really all there is,” Foster says.

sscarlett@jg.net