The Sookie Stackhouse Companion by Charlaine Harris

 

I wasn't sure if The Sookie Stackhouse Companion was going to be worth it, but I think it probably was. There are two reasons for this, the first is that there is a pretty good short story in the front, and the second is that we get an outline of each book, followed by correspondence between Bill and Eric that happened in each book.

For those of us wondering who Sookie is going to end up with for her HEA, the short story ends up resolving one of the hanging threads out there. And that's all I'm going to say about that, as I don't want to give spoilers. Unfortunately, I think it also sets us up for getting the idea that she and Sam might one day be romantic interests. Whether the author wants us to think that so she can throw a curve ball, or whether that's the way she's heading -- who knows.

The Bill and Eric phone calls, letters, and emails we see may not give a whole lot of information, but I think it gives us more of a clue as to how Ms. Harris views the two characters.

As for my own speculation, I am convinced that if Sookie is to end up with a major character it will have to be either Bill or Sam. However; I still think it's a strong possibility that she'll end up with either a minor character, or someone we haven't me yet.

No matter who it is, they will have to be powerful so they can protect Sookie from those who would want to use her for their own means. Either that, or she'll have to become powerful in her own right, so she can then choose someone not so powerful.

But this is a review of the book, so I should get back to that. There is a quick Q&A session with Alan Ball, but to be honest the only interest I gained from that was an explanation of where he had intended to go with that horrible opening sequence to True Blood. Now that he's explained it I can see where he thought he was going, but I still think it's horrid. I like the show, but have always wondered about the opening sequence that seems to go with some other show that none of us have seen.

There is also a very long listing of every character who has ever shown up in any of the Sookie books or shorts. I didn't take the time to go through it, though I did spend about five minutes skimming it.

I'm not going to give The Sookie Stackhouse Companion a rating. I will say that the short in the front gets a 10 of 10 for a short story, but of the entire book I will only say that, for me, it was worth the cost and the time to read it.

Dead Reckoning (Sookie Stackhouse, Book 11) by Charlaine Harris

With only a few books left in the series, I was a bit disappointed with  Dead Reckoning. I was expecting the remaining books to be heavy hitters, but this one felt like more of a filler.

We do get some interesting information, though some of it doesn't seem to to fit with previous books. Which is another problem all together.

I complained in the past book, Dead in the Family, that I wasn't happy with Sookie and Eric together. that they aren't working well together. I had hoped that situation would be resolved without stretching it out too much, but apparently we're going to have to suffer for a while before the situation resolves.

I also complained that I felt that Dead in the Family felt like a set up book, a book setting us up for the next book. We've now had two set up books in a row.

Honestly, it feels a bit like Charlaine Harris is done with these characters. Like her heart isn't in it anymore.

Here's the blurb:

With her knack for being in trouble's way, Sookie witnesses the firebombing of Merlotte's, the bar where she works. Since Sam Merlotte is now known to be two-natured, suspicion falls immediately on the anti-shifters in the area. Sookie suspects otherwise, but her attention is divided when she realizes that her lover Eric Northman and his "child" Pam are plotting to kill the vampire who is now their master. Gradually, Sookie is drawn into the plot-which is much more complicated than she knows...

As for the writing elements - the plot was okay but predictable, pacing was mostly okay, prose was beautiful but the dialogue pulled me out of the story a few times. Character development was very well done in earlier books but I think Charlaine Harris is just resting on what has already been done now, so I'll have to give it low marks for this book. World-building has also been superbly well done in the past but I don't think we had anything to add to it in Dead Reckoning.

This series has been a 10 of 10 for me up until now, but I'm moving it back to a 9 of 10 with this book. Two books scoring a 6 of 10 in a row... I don't see how I can keep the series at a 10.

• Book Rating: Dead Reckoning: 6 of 10
• Series Rating: 9 of 10

And now for some slightly spoiler-ish discussion:

I believe I saw some things that are setting us up for the end of the series. I think we're being led to believe that Sookie's HEA is going to be Sam. I do think Sam is a good friend, but I'm just not sure I can see the two of them being together and being left alone by the rest of the supernatural community. Sookie is going to have to end up with someone powerful in order to be left alone. Well, unless she becomes powerful in her own right... but is she really smart enough to handle being powerful? She's still pretty gullible at times, though at least she's finally realizing it when she is. I think we also saw a hint that her HEA might end up being a fairy. Can she meet someone and fall in love quickly enough with only a few books left? I'm not convinced. And why is Hunter being given so much attention? How is Charlaine Harris going to use this little boy? Do we see shades of Keri Arthur here? (Select the spoiler text to view it.)

1. Dead Until Dark
2. Living Dead in Dallas&
3. Club Dead
4. Dead to the World
5. Dead as a Doornail
6. Definitely Dead
7. All Together Dead
8. From Dead to Worse
9. Dead and Gone
10. Dead in the family
11. Dead Reckoning

  .

Death's Excellent Vacation (Anthology) edited by Charlaine Harris

 

Death's Excellent Vacation is another of those anthologies with only a few stories I was interested in. I'm tired of paying hardback novel prices when I only want to read a few short stories, so I confess that I spent 30 minutes hanging out at a local bookstore reading the stories I was interested in and skipping the rest.

I read three stories from this anthology:

• Two Blondes by Charlaine Harris: A Pam and Sookie short. Reminded me more of True Blood than the normal Sookie books. I wasn't impressed. I expect more out of Charlaine Harris. But, the odds are that we'll need to know what happens in this short in order to understand the events of a future Sookie book. Still, this really felt like the Pam and Sookie of True Blood and not the Pam and Sookie that Charlaine Harris normally writes. It bugged me. This story would get a 4 of 10 from me.
• One for the Money by Jeaniene Frost: A nice Cat and Bones Night Huntress short. Who knows whether it will be important for future books, but it's been a while since we've seen this couple as the focus of a book, and it was nice to spend some time with them again. Also, there is something I'd wondered about at the end of Destined for an Early Grave, something that gets mostly answered in this short. Without giving spoilers, I'll say that it has to do with Cat's mom. This story would get a 10 of 10.
• The Heart is Always Right by Lilith Saintcrow: Not a bad little short. I have no idea if this is part of a series or not, and I should probably look to see. I like stories that involve gargoyles, so I had to check it out. World building was exceptionally well done, so while the story was just so-so, the descriptions of the gargoyle, and the details given to character building, was nice. This story would get an 8 of 10

The stories I did not read:

• The Boys Go Fishing by Sarah Smith
• Meanwhile, Far Across the Caspian Sea... by Daniel Stashower
• The Innsmouth Nook by A. Lee Martinez
• Safe and Sound by Jeff Abbott
• Seeing is Believing by L A Banks
• The Perils of Eferjim by Katie MacAlister
• Thin Walls by Christopher Golden -
• The Demon in the Dunes by Chris Grabenstein
• Home from America by Sharan Newman
• Pirate Dave's Haunted Amusement Park by Toni L P Kelner

I've lamented before about authors making their short stories an integral part of a series, so I won't climb up on that soap box again. I'm pleased that I was able to read a few of the stories from Death's Excellent Vacation without having to spend hardback price for less than 30 minutes of reading. In a few months, when the demand at the library is down, I may check it out and read more stories. Maybe.

I'm not going to give a rating for the entire book, since I only read three stories. Based on the three stories I read, the books rating would be pretty low, though.

Review: Dead in the Family (Sookie Stackhouse, Bk 10) by Charlaine Harris

 

I've looked forward to Dead in the Family, anxiously awaited it's release. And now that I've read it, I have to say I'm a bit disappointed with it. No, not just a bit disappointed - I'm a lot disappointed.

This was supposed to be Eric and Sookie finally together, where they are really together. The real Eric, not a cursed Eric. There should have been fireworks, but there weren't. Eric and Sookie were (I hate to say this) kind of boring together.

As for the plot... there wasn't really a big plot. There were lots of little plots running around, but no major plot line to tie everything together.

Another problem, and this isn't so much Charlaine Harris' fault as it is the writers of True Blood... but we've now got one set of characters in the TV show and another in the book. Tara is completely different (to put it mildly). And Sam's family history is completely different. Eric's maker is different. There's a lot more, but those things jarred me out of the book as I was reading it.

Dead in the Family felt like we are being set up for the next book. It didn't feel like a book all on it's own. So much that was unresolved from Dead and Gone is still unresolved.

I'm giving Dead in the Family a 6 of 10. I'm tempted to lower the series to a 9 of 10, but I will keep it at a 10 of 10 for now. If the next book is of the same caliber and quality as this one though, the series will probably drop to an 8 of 10.

Book Rating: Dead in the Family: 6 of 10
Series Rating: Sookie Stackhouse / Southern Vampire: 10 of 10

And now for a spoilerish talk. I don't think Sookie and Eric are going to have a HEA. Not unless Sookie is going to be turned, and I don't see that happening, for some reason. I think Sookie's HEA (should the series ever end) is more likely to be Sam. They've been good friends for so long, and he's always there for her, no matter who she's dating or what is happening. My opinion is that the reason the Sookie/Eric dynamic was so boring is because we aren't supposed to like them together. Or that's what I'm trying to convince myself, because after all of the fireworks to get them together, this was a great big dud. (Select the spoiler text to view it.)

1. Dead Until Dark
2. Living Dead in Dallas&
3. Club Dead
4. Dead to the World
5. Dead as a Doornail
6. Definitely Dead
7. All Together Dead
8. From Dead to Worse
9. Dead and Gone
10. Dead in the family

Book Covers: Tales of the Otherworld, Vampire Mistress, Dead in the Family

I wasn't terribly excited about the Men of the Otherworld book when it came out, and then I was pleasantly surprised by it. For that reason, I'm looking forward to Tales of the Otherworld when it is released on April 13.

The cover doesn't really tell us anything. It kind of looks like a younger girl, maybe a teen? Possibly Savannah? With that necklace it's likely one of the witches.

Here's the blurb for Tales of the Otherworld:

Have you ever wondered how lone wolf Clayton Danvers finally got bitten by the last thing he ever expected: love? Or how the hot-blooded bad-girl witch Eve Levine managed to ensnare the cold, ruthless corporate sorcerer, Kristof Nast in one of the Otherworld’s most unlikely pairings? Would you like to be a fly on the wall at the wedding of Lucas Cortez and Paige Winterbourne, as their eminently practical plans are gradually upended by their well-meaning friends? Or tag along with Lucas and Paige as they investigate a rather gruesome case that looks to be the result of a rogue vampire?

Now, Otherworld reader can share these moments with some of their favorite characters—as well as catching welcome glimpses into the minds of some of the lesser-known players. But even readers new to the Otherworld universe will find much to love in these seven tales of friendship, adventure, and enduring romance.

Anthology contains: Birthright, Beginnings, Ghosts, Expectations, Wedding Bell Hell, The Case of El Chupacabra and a new story narrated by Eve.

Vampire Mistress, the next Vampire Queen book by Joey W. Hill, is set to be released on May 4.

Here is the blurb for Vampire Mistress:

Sometimes desire works three ways...

Joey W. Hill returns to the dark and seductive landscape of her Vampire Queen novels as a desperate woman finds herself trapped between the desires of two men, each with his own mission of the night.

Gideon Green is a hardcore vampire hunter. But in the past year, his only family, his little brother, became a vampire queen’s servant – and then a vampire himself, giving Gideon a different view of the vampire world. Since Gideon’s sole purpose for over a decade has been killing vampires, the violence that has scarred his soul now haunts his conscience.

Then he crosses paths with sexy BDSM night club owner, Mistress Anwyn. Their connection is immediate and intense, but she has a silent partner--the vampire Daegan Rei. When Anwyn is viciously attacked and turned by a rogue vampire, Gideon and Daegan join to protect her through a dangerous transition. As the bonds between the three of them draw tighter, Gideon faces an unbelievable truth...that the path to meaning in his life may be found in surrendering to the desires and needs of two vampires.

Do I think I'll be reading Vampire Mistress as soon as it comes out? Ummm, yeah. I'm pretty sure I will. I first discovered Joey W. Hill with her Nature of Desire series, and I have to admit I've been a bit disappointed that she's chosen to be a bit more mainstream with her BDSM since then. This blurb sounds like she's returning to her roots. Maybe. You can read an excerpt of this book here. The excerpt just convinces me that much more of how much I'm going to want to read Vampire Mistress.

The 10th Sookie Stackhouse book will be called Dead in the Family and there is already a very nice blurb to give us an idea of what to expect:

Sookie Stackhouse has finally settled into a relationship with the Viking vampire Eric, and her errant brother Jason seems to have his life in order, too. But all the other people in Sookie’s life – Eric himself, her former lover Bill, her friend and boss Sam – are having family problems. Eric’s maker shows up with Eric’s ‘brother’ in tow, the ailing Bill can only be healed by a blood sibling, and Sam’s brother’s marriage is about to take place . . . or will it? The furor raised by the coming out of the two-natured has yet to settle; some people are just not ready to sit down to dinner with a man who turns into a dog. And Sookie herself is still recovering from her last ordeal. She’s definitely improving, physically and mentally, but she’s always going to have some dark moments now. The werewolves tell her that there have been strange and ominous passers-by in the Stackhouse woods; now Sookie is about to come face-to-face with one of her more distant relatives...

Sookie and Eric in a relationship? At last? Dead in the Family is due to be released May 4th, and that's way too long to wait for this one.

A Touch of Dead (Anth of Sookie stories) by Charlaine Harris

A Touch of Dead is an anthology of previously published Sookie short stories.

Fairy Dust is a story I'd not read before. It was originally published as part of the Powers of Detection anthology and chronologically comes just after Dead to the World. An okay story, I'll give it a 7 of 10.

Dracula Night is from Many Bloody Returns. I have that anthology, but I don't remember reading this particular story. It falls chronologically between Dead to the World and Dead as a Doornail. This was a pretty good story, a 9 of 10.

One Word Answer is from the Bite anthology and was the first story I actually remembered reading. This story falls between Dead as a Doornail and Definitely Dead. One Word Answer was also a good story, and one that is kind of important to the series. I'll give it a 9 of 10 as well.

Lucky is another I had not read before, it first appeared in the Unusual Suspects anthology. I'm not sure that anthology even hit my radar, to be honest. This story falls chronologically between the events of All Together Dead and From Dead to Worse. I enjoyed Lucky a bit more than the others, I'll give it a 10 of 10.

And last we have Gift Wrap, from the Wolfsbane and Mistletoe anthology. I both liked and disliked this story... in part because I know what happened after the book, and it makes it hard to remember the good stuff, knowing what happens later. Any story that can provoke both happy and sad emotions is probably well done. I'll give it a 9 of 10.

All in all, the stories in this book are good stories, but I'm not sure they are worth the price tag of a hardback book. My series rating remains a 10 of 10 for the Sookie series, but A Touch of Dead in its entirety get an 8 of 10 from me.


Sookie Stackhouse / Southern Vampire Series
1. Dead Until Dark
2. Living Dead in Dallas
3. Club Dead
4. Dead to the World
5. Dead as a Doornail
6. Definitely Dead
7. All Together Dead
8. From Dead to Worse
9. Dead and Gone
10. Dead in the Family

Dead and Gone (Sookie Stackhouse, Book 9) by Charlaine Harris

I have previously given this series a 10 of 10 and this book may be even better than the other books.

I read Dead and Gone in four hours and 20 minutes, without stopping. For anything. Yeah, it is that good.

As the blurbs have told us, the weres and shifters come out in this book, their own great reveal. Dead and Gone doesn't cover enough days for us to see much more than the world's initial reaction, I look forward to seeing the longer term reaction of governments and religious organizations in future books.

Two plot points from previous books get mostly wrapped up in this book. About a half dozen plot points head in a very good direction but aren't quite wrapped up yet. And we get a few new plot points that make waiting for the next book that much harder.

Dead and Gone does not end in a spot where you must know what happens next. It's a good ending, with most everything tied up nicely and just enough loose stuff for a bit of speculating about what might happen next. Before I get too much further, here is the blurb:

Except for Sookie Stackhouse, folks in Bon Temps, Louisiana, know little about vamps—and nothing about weres.

Until now. The weres and shifters have finally decided to reveal their existence to the ordinary world. At first all goes well. Then the mutilated body of a were-panther is found near the bar where Sookie works—and she feels compelled to discover who, human or otherwise, did it.

But there’s a far greater danger threatening Bon Temps. A race of unhuman beings—older, more powerful, and more secretive than vampires or werewolves—is preparing for war. And Sookie finds herself an all-too human pawn in their battle.

Sookie being used as a pawn? Surely not. Some things never change, right?

There are parts of this book I loved. I may go back and read those parts again tomorrow.

And there were some pretty rough parts, too. Rougher than anything Sookie has dealt with before. But I guess you have to expect some really rough stuff sooner or later, in a world inhabited by monsters.

So, the plot is good, and the continuation of previous plots worked for me, too. But one of the great things about this series is Sookie's view of the world. In some ways it's a small town simplified view, but in an odd sort of twist, there is almost a zen quality to some of her musings: Life broken down in ways I don't often break it down. And conversations that are a lot more frank than conversations in my world often are.

The books in this series are an engaging read, and Dead and Gone did not disappoint.

Dead and Gone gets a 10 of 10, and the series remains at a 10 of 10.

Book Review: 10 of 10
Series Review: 10 of 10






Sookie Stackhouse / Southern Vampire Series
1. Dead Until Dark
2. Living Dead in Dallas&
3. Club Dead
4. Dead to the World
5. Dead as a Doornail
6. Definitely Dead
7. All Together Dead
8. From Dead to Worse
9. Dead and Gone

Sookie Stackhouse / Southern Vampire series by Charlaine Harris

The thing I like about books in a series is that when a new book comes out it's kind of like catching up on old friends. And the books can concentrate on what's happening instead of describing everything in such detail since most readers already know what the houses and characters look like. Also, when an author has that much time to spend with her characters she (or he) can dig deeper into their psyche and let us watch the characters change and grow over time.

And that's the way it is with the Sookie Stackhouse / Southern Vampire series by Charlaine Harris. I've loved watching Sookie (and a few of the other characters) grow and evolve as the series has progressed.

I'll eventually get around to reviewing the individual books, but for now I'm just going to review the series as a whole.

I mentioned earlier that I picked up a bit of a discrimination food-for-thought angle to Jeanine Frost's Night Huntress Series, but Charlaine Harris has actually said that she is using Vampires and shapeshifters as a metaphor to explore discrimination. She is exploring whether it is okay to kill someone just because they happen to be a vampire, or whether you look at the vampire and see what kind of person/vampire he or she is. Same with shapeshifters (werewolves and such), is it okay to kill them just because they are part animal? Does the fact that they are part human not mean anything? Charlaine Harris has it as an undercurrent, but the new HBO series based on the books is putting that out there front and center.

This series has great character development and pulls from various mythologies and fairy tales to bring in a variety of supernatural beings. Some books have better plots than others, but most of the plots (and subplots) are well done.

This series get a 10 purely for the enjoyment and entertainment level of them. If I were to rate individual elements (plot, characters, humor, etc.) then each element would get an 8 or 9, but the totality of all of that is that I enjoyed the books and will buy the next one as soon as it's available.

Series Rating: 10


Sookie Stackhouse / Southern Vampire Series
1. Dead Until Dark
2. Living Dead in Dallas&
3. Club Dead
4. Dead to the World
5. Dead as a Doornail
6. Definitely Dead
7. All Together Dead
8. From Dead to Worse