Archive for charlaine harris books
Sookie Stackhouse Book 8 – From Dead To Worse
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I set up this site to write about Sookie Stackhouse books. To give you my unbiased opinions about the books. Although I absolutely love the series I’ll never give you lip service about a particular book. Instead come here for an honest assessment of what I think about a book so you can make an informed decision about whether you want to read it.
Having said that, From Dead To Worse is one of my least favorite books in the series. Why? Because it doesn’t contain an over-arching mystery. Sure, we learn that the vampire queen of Louisiana, badly injured at the end of the last book, is vulnerable and a prime target for a takeover; we see Sookie’s life in danger as she tries to help and ends up delving into dangerous vampire politics; we learn of a brewing were war that Alcide, a friend of Sookie’s, is involved in and which prompts attempts on Sookie’s life. These are all great stories that are well written. But there’s really no central arc in the storyline leading up to a suspenseful climax.
Don’t get me wrong, taken as a whole, the book isn’t bad. It’s just that I’ve become accustomed to reading about a central mystery and having Charlaine Harris wield her own brand of magic by seamlessly interweaving it with relationship storylines.
On a more positive note, Charlaine Harris does an admirable job of tying up some loose ends in the book and resolving some unanswered questions from a relationship perspective. We learn more about Sookie’s background and why she’s telepathic. We’re introduced to some new family members that she didn’t know existed. Eric learns more about what happened when he lost his memory. And Bill proves that he’s got a lot of leadership potential.
Charlaine Harris is undoubtedly a brilliant writer capable of developing engaging and entertaining stories. I can’t hold this book against her and viewed in context to the rest of the books, it doesn’t detract from the series as a whole. However, From Dead To Worse felt like a collection of vignettes instead of one cohesive piece of work. It will likely appeal more to diehard fans than newcomers, primarily because so many character references are linked to past events in previous books.
See also: Sookie Stackhouse Book 9 – Dead and Gone
Sookie Stackhouse Book 7 – All Together Dead
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In All Together Dead, Book 7 in the Sookie Stackhouse series, Sookie is still on the outs with “The Vampire Who Must Not Be Named”. And although she’s dating the weretiger Quinn she can’t seem to shake her attraction to the charismatic Viking vampire Eric. I’m a big Team Eric fan so I’m happy to see this storyline continue.
The story opens with Sookie attending an important vampire summit on the shores of Lake Michigan at the demand of Sophie, the vampire queen of Louisiana. Sophie, accused of murdering her husband (the vampire king of Arkansas) in a play for power and control, will be tried at the summit. Sophie claims to be innocent and wants Sookie to help prove this by reading the minds of the human companions accompanying other vampires at the event.
Once Sookie arrives at the hotel she meets up with Barry the Bellboy, an old acquaintance and fellow telepath who helped save Sookie in a previous book. Barry now works for the vampire king of Texas, who brought Barry along for the same reasons Sophie wanted Sookie around. Sookie soon notices strange occurrences in the hotel: suitcases mysteriously appear, a pair of supernatural bodyguards from a heretofore unknown race have been hired to protect the king of Kentucky, and Sophie’s primary accuser is found dead. As a matter of fact, several murders occur at the hotel. At first they look like the handiwork of the Fellowship of the Sun, a radical anti-vampire organization that just happens to be in town at the time. But Sookie and Barry’s investigations into the murders make them wonder whether they’re the result of an inside job, a suspicion that soon makes Sookie in particular the prime target of the mysterious murderer.
Now let’s talk about Sookie’s romances. Sookie is currently dating the extremely hunky Quinn who’s working at the summit. But powerful and sexy vamp Eric is still a strong contender for her affections and their bond extends beyond any exchange of blood. In this book we learn more about Eric’s feelings for Sookie and I have to tell you, it’s refreshingly sweet. This book makes one wonder if Bill was ever really right for Sookie. I truly believe his feelings for Sookie were sincere regardless of his initial motivations but it’s hard to restore a relationship when trust is compromised.
All Together Dead is one of the funniest books in the Sookie Stackhouse series thus far. The nuptials between the king of Mississippi and the king of Indiana are laugh out loud hilarious. And there are some funny exchanges between Sookie and Pam, Eric’s vampire business partner. In the earliest books Pam was portrayed as an emotionally detached vampire who saw humans as nothing more than food but here lately we’ve seen her warm up to Sookie, something that comes as a surprise to both of them!
Charlaine Harris’s ability to write about so many relationships while keeping the storyline of assassination and betrayal at the forefront is a testament to her brilliance as a writer. Her stories may seem straightforward on the surface but peek beneath the skin and you’ll discover statements about political alliances, trust and loyalty. All Together Dead is a funny, exciting, thought provoking and overall worthy addition to the Sookie Stackhouse book series. You can get All Together Dead from online retailers or from local bookstores.
Sookie Stackhouse Book 6 – Definitely Dead
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In Definitely Dead our lovable telepathic waitress is summoned to New Orleans by the vampire queen of Louisiana. It seems that Sookie’s recently deceased cousin Hadley was the queen’s vampire lover. Sookie needs to travel to New Orleans to clean out her cousin’s apartment and attend several vampire events. Sookie isn’t looking forward to either event. She knows there’s more to her cousin’s death than meets the eye because let’s face it, vampires don’t just die. Additionally she knows she’ll probably run into Bill and Eric at the vampire events and she’d rather avoid both of them. She’s still mad at Bill for his betrayal and she’s afraid Eric will find out what happened a few months prior when he had amnesia and temporarily lived with Sookie.
But at least there’s one bright side to going to New Orleans: Quinn, the sexy, uber-male were-tiger will be there and perhaps they’ll be able to spend some time together. Sookie really likes Quinn and enjoys dating a warm-blooded, albeit still supernatural, creature.
Shortly after arriving at Hadley’s apartment Sookie and Amelia, a hip witch who owns Hadley’s apartment building, discover a dead body on the premises. This solidifies Sookie’s suspicion that Hadley was murdered and that it’s somehow tied to the recent marriage of convenience between the queen of Louisiana and the vampire king of Arkansas. Thus Sookie sets out to uncover the mysterious circumstances surrounding Hadley’s death and find out why someone dumped a dead body in Hadley’s apartment. This places Sookie and those around her in the crosshairs of a murderer and she must rely on shrewd intelligence and her contacts within the supernatural community in order to survive.
With Definitely Dead author Charlaine Harris delivers another well-written and exciting entry in the popular Sookie Stackhouse fantasy book series. In this book we see Sookie growing as a character. She uses her knowledge of the supernatural community and its inner workings to good advantage and as such, comes across as a smart and capable protagonist.
This book sheds light on two secrets that will shock and amaze readers: one deals with Bill’s initial appearance in Bon Temps and the other involves Sookie’s heritage. I didn’t see either of these storylines coming and was open-mouthed shocked when I read about them.
I’m constantly delighted at how Charlaine Harris juggles so many new characters and sub-plots while keeping the series fresh and exciting. Definitely Dead is no exception and Harris’ ability to tie everything together will undoubtedly please fans of mystery and fantasy genres alike. You can get Definitely Dead online from America’s superstore (hmmn, just America – it’s probably “the world’s superstore” by now) or from local booksellers.
