Dead Until Dark

So after watching one episode of "True Blood" and being absolutely gob-freaking-smacked by how terrible it was, I decided to pick up some of the books on which it was based. (What, that's not your thought process?)

Well, I'll give the book that it's better than the show, primarily because in a book there's no bad acting and you can imagine that everyone has a consistent accent. However, the writing is unimpressive, and if you're not really into slut-shaming I'd give this one a pass. Every woman except Sookie is described as a total skank, and as such deserves to be murdered and/or generally treated badly. Sookie narrates, and half of that narration is deeming other women "trash" because they are sexually emancipated or dressed scantily show more (although Sookie also talks endlessly about how hot she herself is, and how she wears clothes intended to flaunt her fabulous body). At one point Sookie haughtily informs someone that she deserves to be treated with respect because she is "not a slut". Unlike the dead woman present at the scene, who was, and can therefore be written off as someone asking for it.

Also, every time the vampire touches Sookie there's some infantilizing metaphor - "he rubbed my back as if I were a kitten"; "he patted my back as if I were a puppy who had whimpered". When he's not fondling her back, he's picking her up and moving her around as if she were a doll, and she loves this. I might as well be reading Twilight.

Paranormal fiction seems to be the last literary refuge of incredibly dated gender roles. Even most halfway decent romance novels these days avoid the "spirited kitten" description of the heroine. If your hero's a vampire / werewolf / etc, however, it's green-light-go with the overpowering and controlling and "I know what's best for you, so don't worry your sweet little helpless head" and "every other woman I've met in 200 years has been unashamed of having sexual desires, which is SO GROSS, so your judgmental priggishness has thawed my frozen heart". Where's Faith when you need her? show less

This is one of my all time favorite book series. I have reread the entire series more than a few times.....something I rarely do, with all of the new books I have waiting to be explored, I usually can't summons the motivation to read an already known story. This series is the exception, I long to immerse myself back into the world Sookie Stackhouse.

I have lived my entire life in the South and Louisiana is a place near and dear to my heart. We own a business that covers 5 Southern States and are in Louisiana at least a few times a year. Writers often fail to capture the true essence and feel of the South. It's often bad stereotypes and way overdone southern slang. Louisiana is a special place that is even more difficult to bring to life show more in written word. Harris, being a Mississippi native herself, manages to capture, not only the true Southern vibe, but the essence of Louisiana. Bon Temps feels like a genuine bayou town.

I was super excited when the show came out.....only to be sorely disappointed. The show doesn't hold a candle to the books. The entire feel and vibe of this series is lost on the show... I'm not a fan to say the least.

Charlian Harris is very hit or miss for me, while I adore this series and the Midnight Crossroads books, I'm not a fan of her other series. If you like supernatural fantasy series, ie; Kim Harrisons THE HOLLOWS.....another fave....I would highly recommend checking this out. show less

Sookie Stackhouse has a slight disability. She's a telepath. When a vampire comes to town she finds his company very restful because she can't hear his thoughts. A lot of not quite prostitutes are turning up dead and the police's main suspect is Sookie's brother. Somebody also seems to be stirring up anti-vampire prejudice so Sookie and Bill the Vampire team up to find the culprit.

The whole thing is quite ridiculous and I loved every trashy moment of it.

Dead Until Dark was such a fun and surprising start to the Sookie Stackhouse series! I went into it knowing it had inspired True Blood, but the book had such a distinct charm of its own that I quickly stopped comparing and just let myself get pulled into Charlaine Harris’s world. It’s quirky, atmospheric, a little campy, and full of that small-town-meets-supernatural drama that I can’t resist.

The biggest highlight for me was Sookie herself. She’s such a unique heroine—sweet and a little naïve on the surface, but stronger and more complicated than she first appears. I loved her voice, her sass, and the way she tries to navigate being “different” in a world that doesn’t always accept her. Her telepathy could have been show more written as just a gimmick, but Harris made it such an integral part of her character and her struggles that I really felt for her.

And then, of course, there’s Bill. Their romance was intriguing and gave me all those first-love butterflies, even if it wasn’t perfect. The mystery and tension that came with their relationship kept me turning pages. I also loved the way Harris wove in the larger supernatural world—vampires trying to live openly among humans, the clash of cultures, and the danger simmering underneath it all. It felt fresh, even years after the book was first released.

The murder mystery running through the plot was another fun element. It gave the story a solid backbone and made the stakes feel real. The twists weren’t overly complex, but they kept me guessing and added just enough grit to balance the romance and humor. And the Southern setting was such a character in itself—hot nights, gossiping neighbors, and that cozy-yet-dangerous small-town vibe that worked perfectly with the supernatural elements.

The reason this is a 4-star read for me instead of 5 is that at times the pacing dragged, and some of the side characters felt more like caricatures than fully fleshed-out people. I wanted a little more nuance in certain places, especially with the supporting cast, and sometimes the writing style felt a bit uneven. But honestly, those things didn’t take away from how much fun I had reading it.

Overall, Dead Until Dark was a fantastic series starter—quirky, atmospheric, a little sexy, and totally addictive. I closed the book already excited to continue with the series and see how Sookie’s story unfolds. If you love small-town mysteries with a paranormal twist, a witty heroine, and plenty of vampire drama, this is definitely worth picking up. Four stars and a big thumbs-up from me! show less

In this paranormal romance, naive small-town waitress Sookie Stackhouse falls in love with a vampire, solves a mystery, and discovers that her own supernatural gift of telepathy is not a "disability". This novel is not great literature, but it is surprisingly engaging and effective, and I say this as someone who doesn't particularly care about vampires and has never seen the HBO series. I might even pick up another book in the True Blood series someday.

I'm always last on the bandwagon, but the whole 'glowing vampire' craze has never really appealed to me. However, I rented the first series of 'True Blood' on DVD, and really enjoyed the characters and the southern gothic twist to the Twilight theme, so of course I had to try the novels by Charlaine Harris. My motto in life is that the book is always better than the film, but there are notable exceptions, and Miss Harris is the author of one such anomaly. Granted, she created the same characters that I liked on screen - 'Sookeh' Stackhouse and Vampire Bill - and her books are set in Louisiana, but Dead Until Dark is basically a screenplay with padding. The series is a vast improvement because the actors bring the characters to life and show more Harris' published drivel has been edited and tweaked to sound halfway intelligent. 'Chick lit' doesn't quite capture the inanity of her writing, and even employing euphemisms like 'easy to read' is being generously vague.

First person narration is difficult to pull off, especially when your heroine is a romance novel stereotype who likes to describe how blonde, tanned and pretty she is on a regular basis, and has the intelligence of a glamour model. Sookie is surrounded by good-looking men - especially the vampires - and rough women. Everybody loves her, naturally, even though she has a 'disability', which is her annoying term for being telepathic. She's a good southern girl, orphaned at a young age, who lives with her grandmother and works part time as a waitress. She also has a 'beautiful' brother, Justin, whose brains are in his pants, but that's not a problem, because everyone in town is obsessed with sex. Everyone. And when Sookie meets Bill and finally ends her lifelong ban on dating, she degenerates into a nymphomaniac bimbette faster than a vampire can move, setting feminism back a decade or two.

To be fair, I didn't really object to Sookie's disturbing relationship with Bill, or the flat characters, trite dialogue and lack of depth. Adding shapeshifters to the mix was probably going too far, but vampires need a bit of promotion. If Harris could write for toffee, I might have taken the subculture of Bon Temps as a wry social commentary, maybe, or an adult version of the Bella and Edward saga, but I can't read any more of these books. Life is too short. show less

I've been eyeing this series for a while. well before the TV show was released (which I haven't watched), and I was in the bookstore recently and decided that I needed a treat, one of those fun guilty reads that are easy to pick up and fast to finish. This novel certainly meets those requirements. From the first person narrative that plunges us into Sookie's unusual world, to the spooky supernaturals, the sexual chemistry, and the suspense and mystery, the whole package strives to please.

Many others have reviewed content, so I won't go into any book overviews, merely my personal reactions. There was a lot I liked about this book. I really liked Sookie. She's spunky, brave, and has a gift that I've always wanted; yet Harris does a great show more job of showing the downside to telepathy and creating sympathy. Sookie is good but not perfect. The vampires are great - scary and aloof, supernaturally wonderful and yet horrible at the same time. I liked the charge between Bill and Sookie, but then was disappointed when they hooked up so early in the story. This is just a complete personal preference issue, but I like my romances to be more drawn out; less sex and more tension. The sex scenes are good, intense without being too purple, but I would happily do without them to see the characters tackle a few more hurdles before they come together. A lot of people prefer the whole tortured relationship thing they have going on, but I don't.

Also, I like Sam. I really like Sam. And from what I can tell reading reviews and synopsis of later books (because I'm impatient), he's not really even a romantic contender at this point. Darn. I would totally go for Sam instead.

The action is fast and keeps the pages turning, and I enjoyed most of it. Sometimes the things people, or vampires, did was too much for me. In particular, what the main bad guy did to his sister (ugh, yuck) and the early scene in Bill's house when Sookie first meets his "friends". It gets very dark. Okay, this is a vampire novel, so why am I complaining, right? I guess I wanted a fun vampire romp, and there was some of that in here, but a lot of serious vampire horror is intermixed. This is, again, just a personal taste of mine. Lately, I haven't wanted to read books that bring me down, mainly because I've just come out of my first experience of serious depression. I had to put the novel down a couple of times because my mental outlook was getting too bleak. Probably just bad timing for me.

Basically, my only issues with the story were more about me than the book itself. Aside from some pet peeves, I found this to be an excellent fantasy/mystery about vampires. It is the epitome of a guilty treat. show less