Summary: After the deadly events at the vampire summit, there is major upheaval in the world of vampire politics. And, thanks to her close ties to some of the most powerful Louisiana vampires, small-town telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse is likely to get caught in the crossfire of any power play or takeover. But Sookie isn't just tied to the vampires; she's also a friend of the Shreveport Were pack. They're having their own leadership issues, and when members of the pack start turning up dead, Sookie is in danger of getting herself in the middle of a brewing Were war. And she can't rely on her boyfriend the were-tiger to keep her safe - he's been missing since the summit. And, to top it all off, Sookie meets a family member - her great-grandfather - that she'd never known about. Since Sookie's only other family is her irresponsible and immature brother Jason, a new relative is a big deal... but since her great-grandfather isn't exactly human, their family reunion seems likely to raise yet more complications.

Review: This book is a bit of a conundrum for me. Its plotline is more scattered that any book since Living Dead in Dallas (my least favorite so far, primarily *because* of its fragmented nature.) And yet, I enjoyed it more than any book since Dead to the World (my favorite so far.) How can I reconcile that?

Maybe it's because while From Dead to Worse certainly was scattered, and strangely plotted (the big battle that I was expecting to be the climax occurred about halfway through the book), it wasn't scattered in the same *way* as Living Dead in Dallas. Instead of bringing up a bunch of elements that exist only for the purpose of a single book, From Dead to Worse draws elements from throughout the series, reviving and wrapping up plotlines from many books back, while introducing new elements that will take us into the books to come. I liked that the focus of the story has shifted back to Sookie and away from all supernatural politics all the time, and I enjoyed the fact that she got to spend some more time interacting with her hometown people as well as supes from far and wide.

But I think the real reason that I enjoyed it so much was that it was hugely, compulsively readable. The plot came in a lot of little disparate pieces, sure, but each of the pieces was so good and held my attention so well that on the day I picked it up, I stayed up into the small hours of the night because I didn't want to stop reading it, and the only reason I didn't stay up into the wee small hours to finish it was that pesky sense of responsibility telling me that I needed to get at least some sleep. Maybe it was just the right book for the right mood, but for whatever reason, it really worked for me. 4 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: No way this will make sense if you haven't read the earlier books, but for Sookie fans, I'm pleased to report that this series doesn't show any signs of a slump in the later books. ( )

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This is Book 8 in the Sookie Stackhouse series, the delightful set of books featuring the barmaid/waitress in Bon Temps, Louisiana, Sookie Stackhouse. This particular book has a bit less charm that the previous books, as the author seems to have gotten waylaid by expanding the supernatural world, and by getting bogged down by the politics of the werewolves and vampires. It’s beginning to sound like Chicago, for goodness sakes!

In From Dead to Worse, Sookie gets in the middle of two internecine conflicts, both of which stem in part from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina. Surviving werewolves and vampires from the areas hardest hit have moved into other territories, and are contesting the extant leadership. Sookie’s telepathic abilities enable her to help mediate both situations, although there is a great deal of blood shed before they are over, and of course the “bad guys” in both groups are out to kill Sookie.

Also in this book, Sookie finds out that she has a great-grandfather who is a Prince in the fairy world. Her paternal grandfather was half-fairy, and this fairy blood helps account in part for Sookie’s appeal among all the male supernaturals, who find the fairy essence intoxicating. (This was a disappointing development to me; I thought it should have been sufficient that Sookie was not only good-looking, but independent, not afraid of supernaturals ("supes"), bright, talented, loving and loyal. The implication that the basis of her attraction is magic is demeaning to Sookie and shows not enough faith in her character, in my opinion.)

In spite of all this appeal, however, Sookie continues to have man troubles. Largely though, this is a result of her own stubbornness and ego. She even breaks up with Quinn because he gives too much time to his mother and sister instead of to her! (So in another sense, yeah, maybe she does require some fairy blood to make these guys keep hanging on in spite of her behavior!)

As the story draws to a close, the once-powerful vampire area of Louisiana gives in to the reality of their diminished status after Hurricane Katrina and the death of so much of the leadership. Eric makes the decision to align with the Las Vegas vampires, who have a great deal of money and power (in large part because of all the people in Las Vegas willing and eager to have sex with vampires). A last ditch attempt by an attendant of the late Queen of the Louisiana vampires to kill Eric and handsome king from Las Vegas, Felipe de Castro, is thwarted when Sookie saves their lives.

Evaluation: This book in the Sookie Stackhouse series doesn’t have the usual amount of sex, social commentary, and tongue-in-cheek humor as the previous books in the series. The author’s heavy-handedness is not as effective as her light touch in the first books. I hope her subsequent contributions to this series get back to what made the beginning so fun: Sookie’s moxy, faith in the goodness of the world, loyalty and love; and Harris’s subtle yet effective jabs at the hypocrisy of those who discriminate against others. ( )

So this is the last of the Sookie Stackhouse collection that I own. I was getting a bit tired near the end of all the same characters. This book didn't center around one central conflict that the other books did. It just kind of followed Sookie around in her chaotic life that has been complicated by weres, vampires, fairies and her own brother. I like the way the book ended but I won't give it away for those of you who are waiting to read it. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars ( )

The continuing story of Sookie Stackhouse and her complicated romantic life, surrounded by supernatural creatures. This book features the introduction of Sookie's great-great grandfather, a Were War, a Vampire skirmish, and infidelity. Enjoyable, with a momentum of its own, I was disappointed for this book to end. ( )

Bravo, Ms. Harris! Thank you for getting your book properly edited. This book was surprisingly polished, and I didn't have to stop once to re-read a sentence over and over to understand its meaning. Fantastic!*MINOR SPOILERS (mostly review of plot)*With this book, Harris is back on track producing another captivating story. Although not the best in the series, this book is a definite improvement over the last one. There are wars, restructuring of power, newly discovered relatives, and the best part for me: Eric's recovered memory. I'm slightly disappointed with what Harris has done with Alcide. He was one of my favorite characters and I had hoped his role would have played out differently. However, her direction with Eric more than makes up for it. I'm eager to see what happens now that Eric remembers everything.I couldn't help laughing out loud when Sookie, while trying to help Sam, says, "....Priscilla didn't want to let go of Sam, so she flung herself from side to side to knock me loose. But I was clinging to her like a homicidal monkey."(p.160) Homicidal monkey! Awesome visual. Sam was amazing in the Were War. I love Sam. There just isn't enough of him in the books, but he always manages to show up in time to be Sookie's hero.Even though this book resolved several issues and answered many questions, it seems to have laid the foundation for many more questions to be answered in future books. But not in an unsettling way. More like a "oh wow, I wonder what's going to happen next" kind of way. I especially enjoyed the ending and cannot wait to read the next book! ( )

The good thing I noticed about this series is how Charlaine Harris adds up all the characters until you don't know who was who anymore, then she kills them. Probably because they're not needed in the further advancement of the story anymore, she adds new ones and they're quite interesting. The characters show up every now and then and the reason I gave this a four because there's not much Eric in here.So, Sookie and Quinn broke up, no news there, didn't like him for her anyway. I tried to put myself in her shoes and though it might be a selfish reason, I'd do the same if I were her because she's thinking of terms in the long run. This is the 8th in this series but this is the first time I could honestly say that I like her character a lot. She has greatly developed, she's not too naive anymore, she's open-minded about everything and though she gets irritated easily by vampires being themselves, she still looked at two sides of the coin.Bill was again trying to redeem himself, it was gallant of him but it's great Sookie didn't fall for it, whether his intentions were really good; and this is the best part, Eric remembered! I was so glad he remembered their time together in "Dead to the World". I liked how he called Sookie his lover again, and the way he made up for things. It appeased Sookie somewhat, but at least he still made an effort.And for the a-hole list there's Jason and Alcide (I still didn't like him even when he was being courteous). There were some characters that I never really liked, and never really developed and Crystal was one of them. Calvin was honorable as a man/werepanther could get.I'm still looking forward to reading book 9 (Dead and Gone), and I'm sure there'll be more books. Another thing that makes this series different from the others is change. Not everything is happy, Harris blended facts and fiction in these books and her writing's very concise. They never dragged and not only do I find escapism in reading her Sookie Stackhouse works, I find everyday realism too. ( )

Longer than the last couple of books, better in some ways, it had multiple story lines. Sookie generally has one major issue to work through, this time she had half a dozen or so & it made the book feel a bit unfocused. Not bad & I'm glad I read it. It's fun, fluffy candy reading - very relaxing & enjoyable. It should certainly be read in order with the rest of the series. ( )

You all know how I feel about this series. I have been drawn to it from the very beginning. Shapeshifters, vampires, witches, fairies, telepaths - seriously, what's not to like? So, when I decided to read the eighth book of the series for the RIP Challenge, I couldn't wait to get started.

The book started out promisingly. Ms. Harris inserts plenty of action and suspense to keep the reader turning the pages. Unfortunately, it fizzles out halfway through the book. She resolves the issues fairly early in the book. Either that, or I just wasn't feeling it this time. I didn't fear for Sookie's life as much as I probably should have.

Given how this book ends, I'm concerned what else could be in store for Sookie. Every guy she finds ends up hurting her in some way. Why? Can't she get a happy ending? Or is Ms. Harris trying to tell us that we do not need a man to be happy? I'm not quite certain I buy this argument because Sookie is not happy. She wants to get married and have a family; after eight books, I'm ready for her to be happy. She definitely deserves it.

I found it difficult to truly immerse myself in this book. I feel like it was too easy for me to read while distracted and still follow the book. My ability to lose myself in these books is exactly why I like the series, so the fact that I couldn't do it with this one left me very disappointed.



I would recommend this to anyone who is in love with the series, but this is definitely not a book you can pick up and expect to understand what is happening. Ms. Harris definitely builds upon each book, and I found that she draws all seven books for this one.

I'm curious - was anyone as disappointed with it as I was? What are your thoughts? ( )

I enjoyed this book a lot. Everything seems to be coming together, and I love the way Eric can remember his time with Sookie now. :) Can't wait for the next one. ( )

This book was a little all over the place; action-packed, yes, but as others have mentioned, a definite filler novel given how so much is covered in only 300-some pages. I still greatly enjoy the series, though. Charlaine Harris is amazing, and given how she is still trucking out novels, I suppose it is only expected that every now and then a book has to come out that ties up everything a little. I seriously hope Sookie and the Fae are better explained in the next novel! ( )

ISBN-13: 9780441015894

I have to admit I found this addition to the Sookie Stackhouse series less than stellar. The writing is solid, of course, and Harris is excellent at creating real-feeling character as usual. But there wasn't any overlapping plot, instead there were a series of wrap ups of ongoing plots, like a checklist, one after the other.

First, Sookie discovers a long lost relative who approaches her through Eric. Then on the way home someone tries to kill her, revealing a full scale assassination attempt not just against her, but against everyone linked to the warring local werewolf packs. By 140 pages in the whole packs-at-war situation is mostly resolved, thanks to Sookie, but the vampire situation flares up. This conflict too, not only ends far before the actual end of the book, but there's a closed-eye approach to the adventure and fight scenes that renders them weak.

The book isn't bad, as far as furthering the adventures of Sookie, and reflecting the massive changes that she and the people around her are going through while trying to recover from Katrina. But it's not necessarily interesting to people who aren't already emotionally invested in Sookie and her crew.

Perhaps From Dead to Worse is a cleansing book, clearing away the slate of old loose ends and making way for dramatic new adventures. But it just feels like the progress is minimized and halting rather than being an exciting new volume of a typically bardic tale. ( )

Another great read in the series. I love the twist at the end with the little kid. I still refuse to watch it on TV…I don’t want the images to ruin what I have pictured in my head. :) ( )

another great Sookie book. I always enjoy these tremendously (definitely try listening to them on CD--the reader is excellent! Feels like she's opening us up to a whole new world of supes and storylines. Hope this series goes on forever!

I liked the plot of this one, with the Were war, the Vampire takeover, and Eric slowly coming back into the picture. I also really like where she has gone with Sookie's friendship with Amelia. I have one beef with Ms. Harris though, in that I feel like she sets up these great big battles (like the Vamp takeover for example) but when we get to the climax, it is a quick resolution. I want a little slashing & fighting & blood (hello, it's about vampires!!) I feel really let down when we get to the big moments. Other than that, this was definitely one of my favorite books of the series. There was a lot going on, but I like that in a series when I know there will be plenty more coming to flesh the plots out! ( )

Giving a book any stars means I like it. If i decide to rate a book it still means its really really good. This is a good book but it felt like it should have been divided into part 1, part 2 and part 3. This almost felt like 2 or 3 novella's tied together in one book which is good. The format is a nice change from the previous books and not all the problems Sookie faces needs to conclude at the end of every book. She can conclude one before another one starts. Thats real life.

First off Sookie is trying to prevent a civil war in the Shreveport Were pack. There is a hostel take over of the Vamps of Louisiana. Then Sookie has to deal with some panther issues in the Hotshot community.

Also we meet a remarkable gentleman by the name of Niall. He wants to be in Sookies life. He is also connected to Claudine and Claude. He is very different and also very powerful. He also meets Sam, so Sookie can talk to someone about him.

This is a good installment and definitely leaves you with wanting more and waiting for the next book. As always its a year before the next one comes out. ( )

I am still loving the Sookie Stackhouse series - can't wait to get book nine - the surprise at the end makes me worry about the next book. I really want to see what comes of the characters we are already so invested in before I learn about additional ones. It's a great read - the books never seem long enough.

I have been a huge fan of this series since I started it and so I was very excited when I finally got a chance to read the eighth book in the Southern Vampire Mystery series.

This books is similar to the earlier ones in that we have Sookie Stackhouse dealing with vampires and shape shifters. She also meets some new family members and learns a little about her family.

On the negative side, I felt like this book was less of one comprehensive plot and more of a couple of stories thrown together a bit haphazardly. Don't get me wrong - I still enjoyed this book. I just didn't get the feeling of a major over-arching plot. It was a bit annoying.

That said, I will still be buying Dead and Gone (the ninth book in the series) as soon as it is out in paperback. ( )

Book number eight... which means I've reached the end of the mass-market paperbacks and the next will come with a hardcover price tag. Ridiculously enough, I was rather thrown with this one in the beginning, because my copy has a different font set than all the others. And I'm still not quite sure what to make of the cover (even though it's pretty obvious for all the others), as Bill takes a bit of a backseat, but his presence on the cover seems to indicate he's a big player.
We're back in Bon Temps after the disaster explosion at the vampire summit that nearly killed everyone -- and no one seems to have walked away unscarred. As if the repercussions of that weren't enough to deal with, Charlaine Harris moves full speed ahead on tossing in a whole host of new complications and plot points. Quinn is MIA (though we know he made it out), leaving Sookie in the lurch and wondering why he isn't in contact. Bill tells her that he's still in love with her. (No surprise.) And while it's been quite some time since book four, Eric finally has a glimmer of memory about his time that he and Sookie spent together. On the non-romance front, Sookie aquires a new houseguest when Amelia's witch mentor comes to stay, and Amelia's dad visits to drop the bomb-shell that he knows Sookie's deceased cousin Hadley's ex-husband... and apparently, there's a baby. Oh, and we meet Sookie's great-grandfather, a prince of the fae who warns Sookie to be on her guard in case people try to hurt her to get to him. Like she needed another host of supernatural enemies. Of course, the weres and the vamps are a little busy at the moment, dealing with their own internal wars.
This one is so not a book for someone who just wants one clear storyline. Big things are happening to change the entire supernatural world... and Sookie seems to be mixed up in it all. ( )

Not one of the better ones in the series, but still entertaining. My main problem with the book is that it's more like a bunch of unconnected mini plots, instead of one overarching story.

In the eighth edition of the Southern Vampire Series, Sookie is once again forced to fight battles that are not her own. The vampire power struggle, and the werewolf murders, are two situations that are weighing heavily in her life. All the while, she is worried about her missing boyfriend Quinn, the weretiger. Sookie's plate is full, but leave it to her brother Jason to cause more chaos and heartache in her life.

Once again, Ms. Harris has written an engrossing tale of life in the supernatural world. I read it straight through, hanging on every word. It is delightful and humorous, but chilling and suspenseful all wrapped up in one. I can't wait for number nine. ( )

Very disappointing. I don't know if I'm just done with the series, or whether Harris has simply become too formulaic, but although I was initially excited to get my hands on this book, it was quite a slog to get through it, rather than the quick fun read I expected. Truly, it didn't capture my attention or interest until the end of the last chapter, which is where the book *should* have started. ( )

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Title: From Dead to Worse
Author: Charlaine Harris
Genre: Mystery, Romance, Fantasy
# of pages: 336
Start date: 5/28
End date: 5/30
Borrowed/bought: bought
My rating of the book, F- [worst] to A [best]: A-/B+

Description of the book: In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Sookie gets dragged up into two supernatural wars: with the local were pack, including Alcide, and the Nevada vampies, who take an opportunity to exploit Lousiana's weakness, to get rid of the old vampire regime. Sookie continues to date Quinn, until his involvement with the Nevada vampires convinces her that they should not be a couple. Sookie gets to meet her other relative at the end of the book (with a suprise twist)!
Review: Ok, so now that Quinn is out of the picture, Alcide is crazy, she's hurt by Bill, and she's still confused about Eric- who does that leave? I hope she hooks up with Sam, he's such a good guy. I'm glad to see Bob the cat storyline is wrapped up- poor guy! There was a lot going on in this book, and it was a bit haphazardly thrown together. Essentially it seemed as though Harris was trying to throw together two books into one. I hope Harris develops the Fairy Great Grandfather storyline more. I'd like to see Sookie be able to visit him in an alternate world/dimension. That would be neat. ( )

Book 9 ties up many lose-ends, while adding a few new characters to Sookie's supernatural family. Quinn's gone missing (not a big loss in my book), a vamp takeover is imminent, and new additions to the Stackhouse family tree. Sookie's life is about to change big time, for better and for worse. Eric fans prepare yourself ;) ( )

Stuff changed in "Dead to Worse," and not always for the better, which made me like it more than I probably would have otherwise.

There's a description of the double-Bellefleur wedding in the beginning of this book, which I could have lived without as it bored me immensely (especially since I loathe the Bellefleurs and their stupid ~~issues~~), but whatever, I guess it needed to be done to set up a few other plot points.

Overall, I enjoyed this installment -- mostly because of the snow-globe-shaking that goes on in Bon Temps -- although it did seem a little less, I don't know... lively? than the last couple of books. ( )