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Sookie Stackhouse #1
Dead Until Dark
Sookie Stackhouse is just a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. Until the vampire of her dreams walks into her life-and one of her coworkers checks out....
Maybe having a vampire for a boyfriend isn't such a bright idea.
Maybe having a vampire for a boyfriend isn't such a bright idea.
326 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 1, 2001
7429 people are currently reading
152447 people want to read
About the author
Charlaine Harris
203 books37k followersCharlaine Harris has been a published writer for over forty years. Her first two books were standalones, followed by a long sabbatical when she was having children. Then she began the Aurora Teagarden book, mysteries featuring a short librarian (eventually adapted for Hallmark movies). The darker Lily Bard books came next, about a house cleaner with a dark past and considerable fighting skills.
Tired of abiding by the mystery rules, Harris wrote a novel about a telepathic barmaid that took at least two years to sell. When the book was published, it turned into a best seller, and DEAD UNTIL DARK and the subsequent Sookie books were adapted in Alan Ball's "True Blood" series. At the same time, Harris began the Harper Connelly books. Harper can find the bones of the dead and see their last minute.
When those two series wound to a close, the next three books were about a mysterious town in Texas, called Midnight.
A change in publisher and editor led to Harris's novels about a female gunslinger in an alternate America, Lizbeth Rose. The Gunnie Rose books concluded with the sixth novel.
She's thinking about what to write next.
Tired of abiding by the mystery rules, Harris wrote a novel about a telepathic barmaid that took at least two years to sell. When the book was published, it turned into a best seller, and DEAD UNTIL DARK and the subsequent Sookie books were adapted in Alan Ball's "True Blood" series. At the same time, Harris began the Harper Connelly books. Harper can find the bones of the dead and see their last minute.
When those two series wound to a close, the next three books were about a mysterious town in Texas, called Midnight.
A change in publisher and editor led to Harris's novels about a female gunslinger in an alternate America, Lizbeth Rose. The Gunnie Rose books concluded with the sixth novel.
She's thinking about what to write next.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 21,322 reviews
March 29, 2010
After reading a succession of more serious books, I felt the need to read something light and trashy. As I discovered from reading this book, you should be careful what you wish for. Light? Yes. Trashy? Oh yes. Oh yes, yes, yes. But not in a good way - just trash, trash, trash.
It is hard to say what I disliked more about this book - the sophomoric writing, or the annoying, vapid, 2-d, Harlequin-romance-heroine-helpless-twit persona of Sookie Stackhouse. Sookie is a psychic, and this fact is used to explain everything from why she didn't do well at school and became a cocktail waitress to why she spends all of her free time sunbathing to why she can't see an obviously dangerous situation until she's up to her eyeballs in it. It does not, however, explain why she has such bad dress-sense (denim mini jumper dress with yellow bandana hair clip to impress the vampire who comes to dinner; Tweety Bird night gown that drives him wild with desire), or why her sexual naivete comes and goes like a rash - at times she is very confident about her sexual attractiveness (wearing "fuck me" red high heels etc) and other times wondering what Bill the vampire and all of the other men in Louisiana could possibly see in "l'il ole me".
The sex scenes are either squirmingly bad or tedious. After reading two I just had to skip ahead a few pages any time sex with Sookie looked like it was going to rear its ugly and badly-written head.
I know a lot of folks have enjoyed this series, and have devoured every book written by Charlaine Harris. From reading other reviews, it seems to be a very polarizing book. As for me, I could barely choke this one down and will look to satisfy my literary appetites elsewhere.
3/28/10 - After having viewed the first two episodes of the HBO series "True Blood", I can now understand why people have gone bananas over this series of books. The show (what I've seen so far) is exceptionally good, thanks to a great cast and the writing talents of Alan Ball, who has turned a sow's ear into a silk purse. I can see how a reader might enjoy the books if they had viewed at least some of the series first and kept it in mind while reading Charlaine Harris's less than stellar prose. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case for me - and while I won't be reading any more of these books, I will continue to enjoy the show!
It is hard to say what I disliked more about this book - the sophomoric writing, or the annoying, vapid, 2-d, Harlequin-romance-heroine-helpless-twit persona of Sookie Stackhouse. Sookie is a psychic, and this fact is used to explain everything from why she didn't do well at school and became a cocktail waitress to why she spends all of her free time sunbathing to why she can't see an obviously dangerous situation until she's up to her eyeballs in it. It does not, however, explain why she has such bad dress-sense (denim mini jumper dress with yellow bandana hair clip to impress the vampire who comes to dinner; Tweety Bird night gown that drives him wild with desire), or why her sexual naivete comes and goes like a rash - at times she is very confident about her sexual attractiveness (wearing "fuck me" red high heels etc) and other times wondering what Bill the vampire and all of the other men in Louisiana could possibly see in "l'il ole me".
The sex scenes are either squirmingly bad or tedious. After reading two I just had to skip ahead a few pages any time sex with Sookie looked like it was going to rear its ugly and badly-written head.
I know a lot of folks have enjoyed this series, and have devoured every book written by Charlaine Harris. From reading other reviews, it seems to be a very polarizing book. As for me, I could barely choke this one down and will look to satisfy my literary appetites elsewhere.
3/28/10 - After having viewed the first two episodes of the HBO series "True Blood", I can now understand why people have gone bananas over this series of books. The show (what I've seen so far) is exceptionally good, thanks to a great cast and the writing talents of Alan Ball, who has turned a sow's ear into a silk purse. I can see how a reader might enjoy the books if they had viewed at least some of the series first and kept it in mind while reading Charlaine Harris's less than stellar prose. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case for me - and while I won't be reading any more of these books, I will continue to enjoy the show!
June 8, 2021
(C+) 67% | Almost Satisfactory
Notes: Its supporting characters are flat and uninteresting, the plot's banal, and the mythology isn't explored to its potential.
Notes: Its supporting characters are flat and uninteresting, the plot's banal, and the mythology isn't explored to its potential.
April 8, 2011
I started reading this series because I was currently watching True Blood and had developed a slight obsession with Eric. Since then, the books have become an absolute guilty pleasure of mine. They are not the best written and occasionally we get a little too much of what we don't care for (i.e. fairies and shifters) but amid the hot vamp sex and murder mysteries... who really notices those anyway??
Most characters have both annoying and redeeming qualities, but this is good - I never did like the I-can-do-nothing-wrong hero/heroine. Plus Eric is hot... have I said this already?
If you're looking for a life-changing experience, try The Handmaid's Tale, but if you want something light, chick-lit style and kinda sexy too Sookie Stackhouse and her merry band of random supernatural creatures are where it's at. That probably sounded like a cheesy, promotional ad but what the hell.
January 18, 2009
The first book in the Sookie Stackhouse series.
I confess - I picked this up at the bookstore for a few reasons:
1. The cover was sparkly and I liked the art.
2. Vampires! Having spent a huge chunk of my youth hoping the vampires in Anne Rice's novels would knock on my window late at night (shut-up, like you didn't???) I have been looking for the next Brad Pitt with fangs. (shut-up, like you aren't???)
And yeah. That was all it took. Sparkles and vampires - SOLD.
I opened up the book and kinda regreted it and thought - Well that's what you get! The main character is called (WHAT???) Sookie Stackhouse? And she is blond and a bar waitress and likes to flaunt her tight clothes and tans out in her lawn in a bikini. Hu.
But Inever almost never stop reading a book once I start so I bravely forged ahead. And suddenly I stopped laughing and the pages started turning and I found myself thinking about the book when I wasn't reading it and wondering how fast I could get the next book....
So glad that there were sparkles on the cover of this book. So very very glad.
I confess - I picked this up at the bookstore for a few reasons:
1. The cover was sparkly and I liked the art.
2. Vampires! Having spent a huge chunk of my youth hoping the vampires in Anne Rice's novels would knock on my window late at night (shut-up, like you didn't???) I have been looking for the next Brad Pitt with fangs. (shut-up, like you aren't???)
And yeah. That was all it took. Sparkles and vampires - SOLD.
I opened up the book and kinda regreted it and thought - Well that's what you get! The main character is called (WHAT???) Sookie Stackhouse? And she is blond and a bar waitress and likes to flaunt her tight clothes and tans out in her lawn in a bikini. Hu.
But I
So glad that there were sparkles on the cover of this book. So very very glad.
April 21, 2018
I can't remember if I started the books before the show or started the books after becoming obsessed with the show. But who really cares! I loved this world and still do!
Mel 🖤🐺🐾
Mel 🖤🐺🐾
November 18, 2020
Stephenie Meyer has nuthin' on this woman (...understatement!). Harris has in one pinky all the talent of the aforementioned hack, and her huge fan base must take note. "Dead Until Dark" is a heavy middle finger to all those in deep love (& therefore those with questionable tastes) with the "Twilight" series.
This book reminds me that not all fiction has to be poetry. This one has a clear plot, it ties together all loose ends. It's enthralling, addictive, everything one wants in the PERFECT paperback novel. If only I knew about it before the HBO series "True Blood" (on which this book, book 1, is based) I would have definitely watch the series, but its occurred vice versa. The series explores characters, has more sex & violence (duh, HBO) but does not touch the same ground this one cleverly hides within its first-look junk-lit verse.
Sookie is the Everygirl, clever, lost, in love, found, frightened but curious and courageous. Bill the Vampire lacks the Lestatness of those that came after the Anne Rice novel, but it's okay. At least he's not one-dimensional like Edward Cullen.
Everyone here, it seems, has secrets. The theme.
There are dark inhabitants of the world, some don't have to be vampires or shapeshifters but humans with deep flaws. Once the mystery is solved (I solved this one waay before the climax), this theme comes to light. I wish I was a writer, important, like Charlaine Harris.
This book reminds me that not all fiction has to be poetry. This one has a clear plot, it ties together all loose ends. It's enthralling, addictive, everything one wants in the PERFECT paperback novel. If only I knew about it before the HBO series "True Blood" (on which this book, book 1, is based) I would have definitely watch the series, but its occurred vice versa. The series explores characters, has more sex & violence (duh, HBO) but does not touch the same ground this one cleverly hides within its first-look junk-lit verse.
Sookie is the Everygirl, clever, lost, in love, found, frightened but curious and courageous. Bill the Vampire lacks the Lestatness of those that came after the Anne Rice novel, but it's okay. At least he's not one-dimensional like Edward Cullen.
Everyone here, it seems, has secrets. The theme.
There are dark inhabitants of the world, some don't have to be vampires or shapeshifters but humans with deep flaws. Once the mystery is solved (I solved this one waay before the climax), this theme comes to light. I wish I was a writer, important, like Charlaine Harris.
November 4, 2025
(C+) 67% | Almost Satisfactory
Notes: A clown car show (as coitus goes), though, fun if plot-petite: all trashy, trampy, batty/campy, bloodless (hardly heat).
*Check out progress updates for detailed commentary:
Notes: A clown car show (as coitus goes), though, fun if plot-petite: all trashy, trampy, batty/campy, bloodless (hardly heat).
*Check out progress updates for detailed commentary:
October 2, 2021
True Blood book 1:... as in the 'Southern vampire' series that shot to global fame because of the superbly casted HBO series. We are introduced to THE Southern vampire fantasy reality, to Bom Temps, Sookie, Jason, Vampire Bill and all, as they find out that they have a serial killer in their midst. 6 out of 12
December 15, 2024
Sigh. I tried to give this a fair chance, I really did. I went into it hopeful, despite some other negative reviews that I’ve read, because I quite liked the pilot for True Blood, the new HBO series based on these books. Dark, however, loses points from me right away because the two most interesting characters on the show—Sookie’s cranky best friend Tara, and Lafayette, the fabulous (in every sense of the word) chef at the bar where Sookie works—either completely don’t exist or have only the tiniest of roles, respectively. Lame. Still, I find the basic premise Harris has cooked up intriguing: in this world, vampires have come “out of the coffin” and are public knowledge; they can drink Japanese-manufactured synthetic blood and have basic human rights. (On the show I believe they are still working toward those rights, but it hasn’t been made entirely clear.) That’s an idea that seems rich with symbolic significance that, correctly handled, could be truly fascinating.
Instead, as Harris handles it, it’s just another boring romance between a powerful, possessive alpha male and his frail human woman who’s in need of his protection. Sookie isn’t, to be fair, as helpless and hopelessly devoted to her man as Bella Twilight Swan is, but the basic power dynamic between her and Vampire Bill is still incredibly boring. In general, as a couple, they are boring. So there’s that dullness—bad enough—which Harris proceeds to combine with several shakes of sheer lunacy. Sookie completely under-reacts to incredibly traumatizing things, like waking up with a naked shapeshifter in her bed, or a loved one’s murder. She believes the PR that vampirism is a virus and is really surprised when someone points out that that doesn’t make sense considering that shapeshifters and telepathy also exist, and, you know, vampires can fly. Despite being telepathic, Sookie’s only able to solve the oh-so-complicated mystery when the killer attacks her. (Handy!) Oh, and Elvis shows up. I am not kidding.
I wish I were, though. I also wish I was wrong when I say that I can predict pretty much exactly how the rest of this series will go, with Sookie, like a less lubricated Anita Blake, fighting off the affections of two (or more!) men and unable to make up her goddamn mind. Both of those men will devote their (un)lives to protecting her, and Sookie will say, “God! I’m a grown woman, I can take care of myself! I don’t need you to protect me!”—and then, instantly, need them to protect her. And then Kurt Cobain and Jimmy Hoffa will show up to hang out with Vampire Elvis.
Gimme a break. I can only hope that the show proceeds to more interesting ground, because reading this book, all I could think was: been there, done that, have the lousy fang marks.
Instead, as Harris handles it, it’s just another boring romance between a powerful, possessive alpha male and his frail human woman who’s in need of his protection. Sookie isn’t, to be fair, as helpless and hopelessly devoted to her man as Bella Twilight Swan is, but the basic power dynamic between her and Vampire Bill is still incredibly boring. In general, as a couple, they are boring. So there’s that dullness—bad enough—which Harris proceeds to combine with several shakes of sheer lunacy. Sookie completely under-reacts to incredibly traumatizing things, like waking up with a naked shapeshifter in her bed, or a loved one’s murder. She believes the PR that vampirism is a virus and is really surprised when someone points out that that doesn’t make sense considering that shapeshifters and telepathy also exist, and, you know, vampires can fly. Despite being telepathic, Sookie’s only able to solve the oh-so-complicated mystery when the killer attacks her. (Handy!) Oh, and Elvis shows up. I am not kidding.
I wish I were, though. I also wish I was wrong when I say that I can predict pretty much exactly how the rest of this series will go, with Sookie, like a less lubricated Anita Blake, fighting off the affections of two (or more!) men and unable to make up her goddamn mind. Both of those men will devote their (un)lives to protecting her, and Sookie will say, “God! I’m a grown woman, I can take care of myself! I don’t need you to protect me!”—and then, instantly, need them to protect her. And then Kurt Cobain and Jimmy Hoffa will show up to hang out with Vampire Elvis.
Gimme a break. I can only hope that the show proceeds to more interesting ground, because reading this book, all I could think was: been there, done that, have the lousy fang marks.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 28, 2020
🧛🏼♀️ December 2014 buddy read with Shelly, Carole, Evgeny, Karly, Jess, Allison, Catherine & Monty Cupcake 🧛🏼♀️
💀 DNF at 50%.
Sookie, Sookie, Sookie. Because of you most of my friends either hate me or think I'm a total freak. They think you're quirky, I think you're silly. They think your story is better than candy, I think your story is the most uninteresting ever.
Sorry guys, I don't think this review is going to go well.
I was recently told I was snarky and a cold-hearted, impatient cynic (you know who you are people!^^). Guilty as charged. Which might partly explain why I didn't like this. Chick lit meets bad PNR as written by a 17 year old clearly is not me.
The story?
Uninteresting at best. Apart from that? Boring to death. There is only so much I can read about Sookie's daily life: taking a shower, shaving her legs, plucking her eyebrows, putting on body lotion and deodorant… Seriously? Arrrgggghhhhhh!!!!! Someone please shoot me! Oh but wait, we also get to find out about fascinating stuff like her job at the bar or Bill's shopping habits: he gets his "khaki Dockers, green and brown striped golfing shirt, polished loafers, and thin brown socks" from Dillard's you see. Fascinating stuff I tell you! And don't get me started about Uncle Bartlett's prostate problems. Wait wait wait! Something is finally about to happen! Oops, sorry, it's only Sookie going to work again. And it goes on and on and on and on…
Now for the corny stuff.
#1 Sookie and Bill have known each other for about 5 seconds and they're already strolling hand in hand like two lovebirds. Okay, it's a bit silly but I can deal with it.
#2 "Your dress is the color of your eyes." Please tell me I did not just read this.
#3 "His eyes looked at my body as if it were a drink of water on a desert dune." Someone please shoot me. Again.
And it goes on and on and on and on… I'm sorry. Mushy is not me.
And mushy is just not sexy either. Because Sookie & Bill kissing and having sex is about as unsexy as it gets. What are these people made of? Stone? Cardboard? I don't think I've ever read such boring, unexciting, ridiculous, badly written sex scenes. But apparently Sookie doesn't notice because she's "flying, flying, seeing white with gold streaks" {insert major eye roll here}.
Sorry guys, I'm not done yet.
Defendant #1: Sookie
"I’m blond and blue-eyed and twenty-five, and my legs are strong and my bosom is substantial, and I have a waspy waistline." Are you kidding me? Needless to say, Sookie and I got off to a bad start. And it all went downhill from there. The girl is silly, immature and overly naïve. I get that she's supposed to have been sheltered all her life but this is just too much. The girl is supposed to be 25, not 15. To make things worse she's as emotional as a stone. Did I say that already? Oh well.
Defendant #2: Bill
Most boring vampire ever? You got that right! I've never been a big vampire fan but this guy gives the word dull a whole new dimension. What with his constant pity party, corny ways, wanting to settle down, not wanting to drink blood from humans… Get a life Bill! A real badass vampire life! To make things worse he's as emotional as a stone. Did I say that already? Oh well.
To think someone sold me this series (yes Shelly, it's you I'm talking about) with images such as this one:
And I got Boring Bill instead? I am not pleased.
This is not Urban Fantasy it's Boring Fantasy.
By now I think you all realize I slightly disliked this book. But I'm a nice girl, I really mean no harm. So please don't start unfriending me just yet guys! I love you all and promise to behave from now on!
💀 DNF at 50%.
Sookie, Sookie, Sookie. Because of you most of my friends either hate me or think I'm a total freak. They think you're quirky, I think you're silly. They think your story is better than candy, I think your story is the most uninteresting ever.
Sorry guys, I don't think this review is going to go well.
I was recently told I was snarky and a cold-hearted, impatient cynic (you know who you are people!^^). Guilty as charged. Which might partly explain why I didn't like this. Chick lit meets bad PNR as written by a 17 year old clearly is not me.
The story?
Uninteresting at best. Apart from that? Boring to death. There is only so much I can read about Sookie's daily life: taking a shower, shaving her legs, plucking her eyebrows, putting on body lotion and deodorant… Seriously? Arrrgggghhhhhh!!!!! Someone please shoot me! Oh but wait, we also get to find out about fascinating stuff like her job at the bar or Bill's shopping habits: he gets his "khaki Dockers, green and brown striped golfing shirt, polished loafers, and thin brown socks" from Dillard's you see. Fascinating stuff I tell you! And don't get me started about Uncle Bartlett's prostate problems. Wait wait wait! Something is finally about to happen! Oops, sorry, it's only Sookie going to work again. And it goes on and on and on and on…
Now for the corny stuff.
#1 Sookie and Bill have known each other for about 5 seconds and they're already strolling hand in hand like two lovebirds. Okay, it's a bit silly but I can deal with it.
#2 "Your dress is the color of your eyes." Please tell me I did not just read this.
#3 "His eyes looked at my body as if it were a drink of water on a desert dune." Someone please shoot me. Again.
And it goes on and on and on and on… I'm sorry. Mushy is not me.
And mushy is just not sexy either. Because Sookie & Bill kissing and having sex is about as unsexy as it gets. What are these people made of? Stone? Cardboard? I don't think I've ever read such boring, unexciting, ridiculous, badly written sex scenes. But apparently Sookie doesn't notice because she's "flying, flying, seeing white with gold streaks" {insert major eye roll here}.
Sorry guys, I'm not done yet.
Defendant #1: Sookie
"I’m blond and blue-eyed and twenty-five, and my legs are strong and my bosom is substantial, and I have a waspy waistline." Are you kidding me? Needless to say, Sookie and I got off to a bad start. And it all went downhill from there. The girl is silly, immature and overly naïve. I get that she's supposed to have been sheltered all her life but this is just too much. The girl is supposed to be 25, not 15. To make things worse she's as emotional as a stone. Did I say that already? Oh well.
Defendant #2: Bill
Most boring vampire ever? You got that right! I've never been a big vampire fan but this guy gives the word dull a whole new dimension. What with his constant pity party, corny ways, wanting to settle down, not wanting to drink blood from humans… Get a life Bill! A real badass vampire life! To make things worse he's as emotional as a stone. Did I say that already? Oh well.
To think someone sold me this series (yes Shelly, it's you I'm talking about) with images such as this one:
And I got Boring Bill instead? I am not pleased.
This is not Urban Fantasy it's Boring Fantasy.
By now I think you all realize I slightly disliked this book. But I'm a nice girl, I really mean no harm. So please don't start unfriending me just yet guys! I love you all and promise to behave from now on!
February 9, 2017
The television show True Blood was better than this in every sense; it completely transcended it. Well, at least, before the fourth season hit and the writing went down the toilet. But that’s a separate issue altogether. The show took Charlaine Harris’s book and made the story better; it made it sexy and scary. But, let’s not forget that without this there would have been no show whatsoever.
So fans of the television show do owe a lot to Charlaine Harris. Her writing for me though can be summed up in one word: tepid. She has the characters and some strong ideas, but she just can’t insert life into her prose. Where was the shock factor? Where were the cheap thrills and the melodrama? Normally I’d criticise a book for having these, but this one so desperately needed them! I didn’t find this story remotely exciting; it had no sense of drive, and, again, it lacked the sex appeal of the television show. Perhaps, I may have enjoyed this a little more if I’d read it before seeing all the blood and drama on the screen. Who knows? Either way this just didn’t hit the mark.
There is no atmosphere
Television Bill was a bit of an enigma, at least, he was at the start. He comes across as a brooding man, troubled by his past and his violent nature. Here, though, he’s just a bit boring. He doesn’t really have a lot about him. He seemed more computer geek than vampire solider. The writers of the show, undeniably, took his character and made it better; they made him interesting and devious. Some super fans will likely disagree with me. But ask yourself this, which Bill is more interesting to hear about? Which one would you rather turn at Merlot’s bar and grill giving you the eye and the fang? He carried with him a dark story, one the show slowly peeled back.
Then there is the lack of antagonist. Sure, there’s a mysterious serial killer going around stabbing people to death. But, ultimately, he was dealt with rather easily. Again, to compare this to the show, the first season shadows Eric as a sort of bad guy. It was so much more entertaining! I have read much further than this book in the series. In my mid to late teens I managed to get through most of them, and I didn’t really enjoy any of them. I’m not sure why I kept reading them to be honest; it was likely due to a lack of reading material and funds to buy something better.
True Blood is far from being the peak of television artistry; however, it can be enjoyed for what it is: a dark and mysterious fantasy romance that depicts weird and wonderful characters struggling though their fucked up lives. This here is the story of just Sookie Stackhouse whereas True Blood expands on the side characters and fleshes them out; they were the ones that make it fun. Sookie is just dull, her life is dull, and this book is dull. Even after all these years I can still taste the blandness of the writing. If my seventeen year old self, a self who had read less than twenty books in his life hated this, I dread to think how I would react to it now if I was reading it for the first time.
So fans of the television show do owe a lot to Charlaine Harris. Her writing for me though can be summed up in one word: tepid. She has the characters and some strong ideas, but she just can’t insert life into her prose. Where was the shock factor? Where were the cheap thrills and the melodrama? Normally I’d criticise a book for having these, but this one so desperately needed them! I didn’t find this story remotely exciting; it had no sense of drive, and, again, it lacked the sex appeal of the television show. Perhaps, I may have enjoyed this a little more if I’d read it before seeing all the blood and drama on the screen. Who knows? Either way this just didn’t hit the mark.
There is no atmosphere
Television Bill was a bit of an enigma, at least, he was at the start. He comes across as a brooding man, troubled by his past and his violent nature. Here, though, he’s just a bit boring. He doesn’t really have a lot about him. He seemed more computer geek than vampire solider. The writers of the show, undeniably, took his character and made it better; they made him interesting and devious. Some super fans will likely disagree with me. But ask yourself this, which Bill is more interesting to hear about? Which one would you rather turn at Merlot’s bar and grill giving you the eye and the fang? He carried with him a dark story, one the show slowly peeled back.
Then there is the lack of antagonist. Sure, there’s a mysterious serial killer going around stabbing people to death. But, ultimately, he was dealt with rather easily. Again, to compare this to the show, the first season shadows Eric as a sort of bad guy. It was so much more entertaining! I have read much further than this book in the series. In my mid to late teens I managed to get through most of them, and I didn’t really enjoy any of them. I’m not sure why I kept reading them to be honest; it was likely due to a lack of reading material and funds to buy something better.
True Blood is far from being the peak of television artistry; however, it can be enjoyed for what it is: a dark and mysterious fantasy romance that depicts weird and wonderful characters struggling though their fucked up lives. This here is the story of just Sookie Stackhouse whereas True Blood expands on the side characters and fleshes them out; they were the ones that make it fun. Sookie is just dull, her life is dull, and this book is dull. Even after all these years I can still taste the blandness of the writing. If my seventeen year old self, a self who had read less than twenty books in his life hated this, I dread to think how I would react to it now if I was reading it for the first time.
May 23, 2008
I'd never heard of these books until a few months ago, and as usual, once one person recommends them, everyone seems to be talking about them, you see them everywhere, and you get curious. They're in the fantasy section, though for some bizarre reason I was under the impression, at first, that they were YA and silly. They are fun, but they are definitely for adults. The vampire/mystery style reminds me of the one Anita Blake book I read, the first one, which was horrible (can't say that enough times) - the similarities aren't obvious or anything, but perhaps because Dead Until Dark isn't paranormal romance, and it's not like The Turning or the Black Dagger Brotherhood books, Anita Blake is the closest comparison.
Oh but this book is soooooo much better! After a slightly rocky start in which the writing confused me a bit (something that also reminded me of Guilty Pleasures, perhaps unfairly), the story really gets going and in new and surprising ways.
Sookie Stackhouse is a waitress at a bar in Bon Temps in Louisiana. She has what she calls a disability: she can read minds. She's spent her young life trying to guard against the babble of other people's thoughts, and because of the level of concentration that takes she never did particularly well at school and never went to uni. But she likes working at Merlotte's, likes living with her Gran since her parents died, even though she can't have a relationship - it wouldn't be fun hearing what a man thought of you while being "intimate", would it?
She's also fascinated by vampires and has been waiting to meet one since they "came out of the coffin", so to speak, and became legal citizens. One night her wish comes true: a vampire called Bill (!) comes into Merlotte's and, joy of joys, his mind is silent. She can't hear a thing. Finally a man - an undead man, true - she can relax with.
But while Sookie and Bill are trying to have a normal relationship, working class women are being murdered in the area and while at first it looks like vampire work, soon the police are looking at Sookie's womanising brother Jason. On top of that, the most powerful (and dead gorgeous) vampire in the area, Eric, has his eye on Sookie and her ability for his own uses.
Dead Until Dark is a great mix of urban fantasy and mystery, and the crime side of the story didn't bore me a bit. I loved Bill, he was kinda adorable while also a bit unpredictable and scary (very nice), and while I didn't understand all the expressions I've seen enough movies set in southern US states that I could picture the people, places and culture fairly well. The book could have done with better proof-reading to catch all those missing prepositions and, at one point, an interesting way of spelling "complexion". There were also a few times where Sookie, who narrates, is musing about something and then another characters replies - it threw me off because it wasn't all that clear that she'd voiced her thoughts.
Sookie is a great protagonist, lively, fiesty, quirky and strong without being stubborn and bitchy, and her telepathy makes her especially interesting. She's definitely one of the better heroines of vampire novels I've come across to date. I loved Sam too, and Dean was great! Oh and the Elvis thing was funny too, though I was a bit slow in catching on. Anyway, if vampire books aren't your usual cup of tea, you might want to try this series because it's very enjoyable and fast-paced, yet with nice slow moments where you get to enjoy and understand the characters (so good character development, always important). So I guess this means I'm joining the Sookie Stackhouse bandwagon?
Oh but this book is soooooo much better! After a slightly rocky start in which the writing confused me a bit (something that also reminded me of Guilty Pleasures, perhaps unfairly), the story really gets going and in new and surprising ways.
Sookie Stackhouse is a waitress at a bar in Bon Temps in Louisiana. She has what she calls a disability: she can read minds. She's spent her young life trying to guard against the babble of other people's thoughts, and because of the level of concentration that takes she never did particularly well at school and never went to uni. But she likes working at Merlotte's, likes living with her Gran since her parents died, even though she can't have a relationship - it wouldn't be fun hearing what a man thought of you while being "intimate", would it?
She's also fascinated by vampires and has been waiting to meet one since they "came out of the coffin", so to speak, and became legal citizens. One night her wish comes true: a vampire called Bill (!) comes into Merlotte's and, joy of joys, his mind is silent. She can't hear a thing. Finally a man - an undead man, true - she can relax with.
But while Sookie and Bill are trying to have a normal relationship, working class women are being murdered in the area and while at first it looks like vampire work, soon the police are looking at Sookie's womanising brother Jason. On top of that, the most powerful (and dead gorgeous) vampire in the area, Eric, has his eye on Sookie and her ability for his own uses.
Dead Until Dark is a great mix of urban fantasy and mystery, and the crime side of the story didn't bore me a bit. I loved Bill, he was kinda adorable while also a bit unpredictable and scary (very nice), and while I didn't understand all the expressions I've seen enough movies set in southern US states that I could picture the people, places and culture fairly well. The book could have done with better proof-reading to catch all those missing prepositions and, at one point, an interesting way of spelling "complexion". There were also a few times where Sookie, who narrates, is musing about something and then another characters replies - it threw me off because it wasn't all that clear that she'd voiced her thoughts.
Sookie is a great protagonist, lively, fiesty, quirky and strong without being stubborn and bitchy, and her telepathy makes her especially interesting. She's definitely one of the better heroines of vampire novels I've come across to date. I loved Sam too, and Dean was great! Oh and the Elvis thing was funny too, though I was a bit slow in catching on. Anyway, if vampire books aren't your usual cup of tea, you might want to try this series because it's very enjoyable and fast-paced, yet with nice slow moments where you get to enjoy and understand the characters (so good character development, always important). So I guess this means I'm joining the Sookie Stackhouse bandwagon?
October 22, 2017
I might have enjoyed this one more if Sookie was a bit more relatable. In a paranormal romance, the reader is supposed to be able to project themselves into the main character, right? I mean, we pretend like that's not the point but that's kinda sorta really the point.
But Sookie is so emotionally distant and half the time I can't even tell if she's happy or sad or angry or what. Her motivations are hard to decipher from the text.
Perhaps I misjudged the intent of the book; maybe it was written more as a murder-mystery than a PNR flick. But, having watched True Blood before starting this series, my expectations going in were of steaminess and drama with a little spicy mystery mixed in. I was left a little disappointed.
However I'm still soldiering on with the series because THIS
MMMMmmmmmmmm. I want to get to know Charlaine's version of Eric Northman.
But Sookie is so emotionally distant and half the time I can't even tell if she's happy or sad or angry or what. Her motivations are hard to decipher from the text.
Perhaps I misjudged the intent of the book; maybe it was written more as a murder-mystery than a PNR flick. But, having watched True Blood before starting this series, my expectations going in were of steaminess and drama with a little spicy mystery mixed in. I was left a little disappointed.
However I'm still soldiering on with the series because THIS
MMMMmmmmmmmm. I want to get to know Charlaine's version of Eric Northman.
November 15, 2020
3.5 stars rounded up. I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would. I’m not a fan of smut at ALL, so I was expecting this to be a straight up romance novel. I’m happy to report that it was definitely literary enough to appeal. The world that the author created is fascinating and I’m loving learning more about it. On to the next!
May 20, 2021
I haven't watched the tv show, so I have no prior knowledge of this series.
I usually think that I should take a book's publication date into consideration when I rate it. It might have been new to its time but in mine, not so much, so I need to cut it some slack. But you know what? I don't care anymore-at least no in this case. The Outsiders for example is one of the first YAs.. and it's immortal. It's better than so many published today. So no, I won't think "oh but this was very innovative in 2001".
But I will tell you why: Dead Until Dark is simply uninteresting. I do mind how vampires were portrayed but our main characters. Bill is so bland. I felt like Sookie threw herself in the arms of the first person she couldn't read his thoughts. Why wasn't that person Eric? Now that it would've made the book a lot more interesting. The fact that a change of the H to another character of this book would've affected my liking of it, makes it clear that I have no problem with its old vibes. I really don't mind reading about traditional vampires.
I was considering not finishing it. I kept pushing myself but it was very difficult (and this book is less than 300 pages -it should be finished in one sitting). Yet, I was bored most of the time. It felt like a chore. I'm sure if I dropped it, I wouldn't have thought about it again.
The other secondary characters were one dimensional and I simply could not care about anyone -but Eric. What a shame that he wasn't the love interest.
The mystery was also blah. Still, the ending was the best part of the book and saved it from the 1-star rating.
I didn't hate this, nor even dislike it, it's just so so so unmemorable. I like a book to leave something in me, some warm feelings, some fondness, whatever, but this one was just meeeeh. Needless to say, I won't continue with this series.
I usually think that I should take a book's publication date into consideration when I rate it. It might have been new to its time but in mine, not so much, so I need to cut it some slack. But you know what? I don't care anymore-at least no in this case. The Outsiders for example is one of the first YAs.. and it's immortal. It's better than so many published today. So no, I won't think "oh but this was very innovative in 2001".
But I will tell you why: Dead Until Dark is simply uninteresting. I do mind how vampires were portrayed but our main characters. Bill is so bland. I felt like Sookie threw herself in the arms of the first person she couldn't read his thoughts. Why wasn't that person Eric? Now that it would've made the book a lot more interesting. The fact that a change of the H to another character of this book would've affected my liking of it, makes it clear that I have no problem with its old vibes. I really don't mind reading about traditional vampires.
I was considering not finishing it. I kept pushing myself but it was very difficult (and this book is less than 300 pages -it should be finished in one sitting). Yet, I was bored most of the time. It felt like a chore. I'm sure if I dropped it, I wouldn't have thought about it again.
The other secondary characters were one dimensional and I simply could not care about anyone -but Eric. What a shame that he wasn't the love interest.
The mystery was also blah. Still, the ending was the best part of the book and saved it from the 1-star rating.
I didn't hate this, nor even dislike it, it's just so so so unmemorable. I like a book to leave something in me, some warm feelings, some fondness, whatever, but this one was just meeeeh. Needless to say, I won't continue with this series.
February 7, 2018
2/7/18 - ON SALE for $2.99:
http://amzn.to/2x4G9ZN
Reviewed by: Rabid Reads
3.5 stars
I basically had two separate lives growing up. My main life involved my nurse mother, my pharmacist (legal) father, and two of my three sisters, all living a suburban life just outside of Charlotte, NC. My secondary life involved my biological father and his entire family which was (they’ve since departed) headquartered in Bon Aqua (pronounced “ACK-qua”), TN. Bon Aqua, thusly named for the water that locals lineup in their pickup-trucks to collect, with their empty milk jugs, flowing out of a rusted pipe in the ground. True story.
I think that’s one of the reasons I like Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse series so much—b/c I can relate. I grew up hearing people say things like, “Sure enough, some sumbitch, scuse me, was sneaking around the house,” which is what Bubba (and by “Bubba” I mean ELVIS) said after he scared away the creeper from Sookie’s house. And I am intimately acquainted with the small-minded prejudices that seem to thrive in small towns. My family, for the most part, isn’t like that, but you can’t grow up in that kind of place without hearing some very politically incorrect terms and phrases tossed around. The kind of place where if you take issue with said politically incorrect terms and phrases, you’re either “uppity” if you’re a woman, or a “woman” if you’re a man.
So it’s nice to see someone like Sookie—a college degree-less, “barmaid” who has been whispered and gossiped about her entire life b/c of her “disability”, come out ahead of her “betters.”
Better than nice. I bloody LOVE it.
No, Sookie didn’t go to college. Kind of hard to continue her education when she’s a telepath who can’t keep everyone else’s thoughts out of her head without extreme effort. So much effort that she has nothing left to devote to things like paying attention in class. And yes, Sookie is a SERVER (fortheloveofgod). I was too when I was in school. But Sookie is not an idiot, and though she does admittedly have her less-than-stellar moments, Harris ultimately creates a highly capable woman in her.
So for the three (or so) of you that haven’t read the books or watched True Blood yet, Dead Until Dark takes place in a world just like ours. With one exception—the Japanese have created and patented synthetic blood, ending blood shortages for medical facilities, AND prompting vampires to come out of the coffin, so to speak.
*snickers*
The vampires took this action b/c they felt they would be well-received now that humans no longer had to fear for their lives (in regards to vampires). Vampires could subsist on the manufactured blood, protecting humans from their thirst.
Things are rarely so simple.
Incidentally, the vampires’ party-line is that they are the victims of a virus that gives them the appearance of being dead for three(ish) days, after which they rise with allergies to things like garlic and sunlight, silver and . . . holy water . . .
*snorts*
They are received with equal parts fear and awe.
So Sookie is thrilled when a vampire walks into Merlotte’s, the bar where she works, and sits in her section. And when she realizes that she can’t hear the vampire’s thoughts she is shocked and delighted. But just b/c she can’t hear the vampire’s thoughts, doesn’t mean she can’t hear the thoughts of two bar patrons intent on draining the vampire for his blood. When she follows the three of them out to the parking lot and rescues Bill (the vampire), she begins the series of events that lead to her romantic involvement a vampire.
And the timing couldn’t be worse b/c someone is strangling women in Bon Temps (where Sookie lives) who are known to associate with vampires . . .
The Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris was one of the first Urban Fantasy series I ever read, and no matter how disappointed I was with how it ended last year, I don’t think I’ll ever stop loving Sookie. Dead Until Dark was the beginning of that love, and up until book 10 or 11 that love only grew (and 10 or 11 out of 13 ain’t bad). This series is one that every lover of Urban Fantasy should have under their belt, so if you haven’t already, what are you waiting for? You’ve got nearly a dozen books before you need to be worried about anything, and if you simply can’t accept the ending, I’m sure you can find a fanfic somewhere that will do your dreams justice. Don’t miss out on Sookie altogether just b/c she doesn’t live HEA with the crowd favorite. ALSO--by the time you get to book 13, the "crowd favorite" could be one of a couple different characters b/c one of them turned into such an a**hole! So, if you didn't read that far, don't automatically make assumptions (like I did when I assumed everyone knew this already)!
*****I'm seeing now that I didn't explain why I only gave this book 3.5 stars when I only had good things to say about it. My bad. The reason is that there was a LOT of relationship angst. I can tell that Harris was trying to be realistic, and that's admirable. Real relationships DO have problems. BUT no one wants to hear about everybody else's everyday, nit-picky relationship issues. It's dull. And obnoxious. Which is how I felt about most of Bill and Sookie's relationship. Oh, they had their good moments too, but then there were all the times Bill took "matters" into his own hands, and all the little misunderstandings, etc. Just . . . enough already. SO. That's why only 3.5 stars. It should come as no surprise that I did not miss Bill at ALL once he was gone.
My other reviews for this series:
Living Dead in Dallas (Sookie Stackhouse #2)
http://amzn.to/2x4G9ZN
Reviewed by: Rabid Reads
3.5 stars
I basically had two separate lives growing up. My main life involved my nurse mother, my pharmacist (legal) father, and two of my three sisters, all living a suburban life just outside of Charlotte, NC. My secondary life involved my biological father and his entire family which was (they’ve since departed) headquartered in Bon Aqua (pronounced “ACK-qua”), TN. Bon Aqua, thusly named for the water that locals lineup in their pickup-trucks to collect, with their empty milk jugs, flowing out of a rusted pipe in the ground. True story.
I think that’s one of the reasons I like Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse series so much—b/c I can relate. I grew up hearing people say things like, “Sure enough, some sumbitch, scuse me, was sneaking around the house,” which is what Bubba (and by “Bubba” I mean ELVIS) said after he scared away the creeper from Sookie’s house. And I am intimately acquainted with the small-minded prejudices that seem to thrive in small towns. My family, for the most part, isn’t like that, but you can’t grow up in that kind of place without hearing some very politically incorrect terms and phrases tossed around. The kind of place where if you take issue with said politically incorrect terms and phrases, you’re either “uppity” if you’re a woman, or a “woman” if you’re a man.
So it’s nice to see someone like Sookie—a college degree-less, “barmaid” who has been whispered and gossiped about her entire life b/c of her “disability”, come out ahead of her “betters.”
Better than nice. I bloody LOVE it.
No, Sookie didn’t go to college. Kind of hard to continue her education when she’s a telepath who can’t keep everyone else’s thoughts out of her head without extreme effort. So much effort that she has nothing left to devote to things like paying attention in class. And yes, Sookie is a SERVER (fortheloveofgod). I was too when I was in school. But Sookie is not an idiot, and though she does admittedly have her less-than-stellar moments, Harris ultimately creates a highly capable woman in her.
So for the three (or so) of you that haven’t read the books or watched True Blood yet, Dead Until Dark takes place in a world just like ours. With one exception—the Japanese have created and patented synthetic blood, ending blood shortages for medical facilities, AND prompting vampires to come out of the coffin, so to speak.
*snickers*
The vampires took this action b/c they felt they would be well-received now that humans no longer had to fear for their lives (in regards to vampires). Vampires could subsist on the manufactured blood, protecting humans from their thirst.
Things are rarely so simple.
Incidentally, the vampires’ party-line is that they are the victims of a virus that gives them the appearance of being dead for three(ish) days, after which they rise with allergies to things like garlic and sunlight, silver and . . . holy water . . .
*snorts*
They are received with equal parts fear and awe.
So Sookie is thrilled when a vampire walks into Merlotte’s, the bar where she works, and sits in her section. And when she realizes that she can’t hear the vampire’s thoughts she is shocked and delighted. But just b/c she can’t hear the vampire’s thoughts, doesn’t mean she can’t hear the thoughts of two bar patrons intent on draining the vampire for his blood. When she follows the three of them out to the parking lot and rescues Bill (the vampire), she begins the series of events that lead to her romantic involvement a vampire.
And the timing couldn’t be worse b/c someone is strangling women in Bon Temps (where Sookie lives) who are known to associate with vampires . . .
The Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris was one of the first Urban Fantasy series I ever read, and no matter how disappointed I was with how it ended last year, I don’t think I’ll ever stop loving Sookie. Dead Until Dark was the beginning of that love, and up until book 10 or 11 that love only grew (and 10 or 11 out of 13 ain’t bad). This series is one that every lover of Urban Fantasy should have under their belt, so if you haven’t already, what are you waiting for? You’ve got nearly a dozen books before you need to be worried about anything, and if you simply can’t accept the ending, I’m sure you can find a fanfic somewhere that will do your dreams justice. Don’t miss out on Sookie altogether just b/c she doesn’t live HEA with the crowd favorite. ALSO--by the time you get to book 13, the "crowd favorite" could be one of a couple different characters b/c one of them turned into such an a**hole! So, if you didn't read that far, don't automatically make assumptions (like I did when I assumed everyone knew this already)!
*****I'm seeing now that I didn't explain why I only gave this book 3.5 stars when I only had good things to say about it. My bad. The reason is that there was a LOT of relationship angst. I can tell that Harris was trying to be realistic, and that's admirable. Real relationships DO have problems. BUT no one wants to hear about everybody else's everyday, nit-picky relationship issues. It's dull. And obnoxious. Which is how I felt about most of Bill and Sookie's relationship. Oh, they had their good moments too, but then there were all the times Bill took "matters" into his own hands, and all the little misunderstandings, etc. Just . . . enough already. SO. That's why only 3.5 stars. It should come as no surprise that I did not miss Bill at ALL once he was gone.
My other reviews for this series:
Living Dead in Dallas (Sookie Stackhouse #2)
January 5, 2018
*** 3.44 ***
A buddy read with the folks @ FBR...
I finally got to read a book that has been on my TBR for many, many years. I own the complete series and have been thinking about starting, only every time I get distracted by something newer and shinier, thus I have to thank FBR for having a buddy read scheduled, because I have a feeling if I didn't get to it now, I never would have...
"...“This was pretty exotic stuff for a telepathic barmaid from northern Louisiana.” ..."
This was a short and quick read, which dates itself a bit, but still gives plenty of entertainment to be worth the time. Sookie is a waitress in a small town Louisiana, who happens to be a telepath valiantly trying to shield her mind from all the thoughts other people project. Of course, her "disability" makes her the weird girl of the town, and when she meets the first vampire to try to settle openly in the neighborhood, she feels she can relate to him as an outsider... Bonus, he is hot and she can't read his thoughts, thus he becomes like catnip to a kitten to her. As they get to know each other, weird murders inflict the township and anger and mistrust against the nice vamp, his name is Bill, by the way, grow, while suspicion against Sookie 's brother also find foundations.
"...“The world seemed a bad and terrible place, all its denizens suspect, and I the lamb
wandering through the valley of death with a bell around my neck.”..."
I am aware that there has been an HBO series based on this series, but I am of the minority who never saw it nor had any clue about the books. As a novice and having no expectations, I actually enjoyed it, despite its simplicity and brevity, maybe even because of them. I did feel that Sookie could be a bit annoying with her snowflake syndrome and "purity of soul", but it was not prevalent and I guess I could fathom there being 25 years old gorgeous virgins with minimal tolerance for bad language while working in a country bar, but I have personally never known any... 😈😇😈😇😈😇
"...“It was one of God's jokes that such a dumb mind had been put in such an eloquent body.”..."
This is an old school Urban Fantasy and it will be perfect for the fans of the genre or those who would like to get acquainted with it. I am told it is very different from the TV show, for those who would be interested because of it.
Now I wish you all Happy Reading and many more wonderful books to come!
A buddy read with the folks @ FBR...
I finally got to read a book that has been on my TBR for many, many years. I own the complete series and have been thinking about starting, only every time I get distracted by something newer and shinier, thus I have to thank FBR for having a buddy read scheduled, because I have a feeling if I didn't get to it now, I never would have...
"...“This was pretty exotic stuff for a telepathic barmaid from northern Louisiana.” ..."
This was a short and quick read, which dates itself a bit, but still gives plenty of entertainment to be worth the time. Sookie is a waitress in a small town Louisiana, who happens to be a telepath valiantly trying to shield her mind from all the thoughts other people project. Of course, her "disability" makes her the weird girl of the town, and when she meets the first vampire to try to settle openly in the neighborhood, she feels she can relate to him as an outsider... Bonus, he is hot and she can't read his thoughts, thus he becomes like catnip to a kitten to her. As they get to know each other, weird murders inflict the township and anger and mistrust against the nice vamp, his name is Bill, by the way, grow, while suspicion against Sookie 's brother also find foundations.
"...“The world seemed a bad and terrible place, all its denizens suspect, and I the lamb
wandering through the valley of death with a bell around my neck.”..."
I am aware that there has been an HBO series based on this series, but I am of the minority who never saw it nor had any clue about the books. As a novice and having no expectations, I actually enjoyed it, despite its simplicity and brevity, maybe even because of them. I did feel that Sookie could be a bit annoying with her snowflake syndrome and "purity of soul", but it was not prevalent and I guess I could fathom there being 25 years old gorgeous virgins with minimal tolerance for bad language while working in a country bar, but I have personally never known any... 😈😇😈😇😈😇
"...“It was one of God's jokes that such a dumb mind had been put in such an eloquent body.”..."
This is an old school Urban Fantasy and it will be perfect for the fans of the genre or those who would like to get acquainted with it. I am told it is very different from the TV show, for those who would be interested because of it.
Now I wish you all Happy Reading and many more wonderful books to come!
November 21, 2012
First off, paranormal fiction of any stripe really isn't my bag. I'm more of a hard-science/horror, horror/thriller kind of a guy.
I'm a big fan of the TRUE BLOOD television series. My wife tricked me into watching it, because I was convinced I "couldn't possibly like yet another kissy-vampire show." Well, I was wrong; I got hooked on the campy fun of TRUE BLOOD right off the bat.
Since I'm an author and have high hopes of seeing one of my own books turned into a series someday, I picked up the first DEXTER book and DEAD UNTIL DARK to see how TV writers adapted novels for the small screen. DEXTER blew me away and still ranks as one of the most brilliant "high concept" ideas in horror fiction.
Then I read DEAD UNTIL DARK, and you know what? It's fantastic. I need to get over my snooty attitude about paranormal romance, because this is just a flat-out good story.
Harris creates a fantastic main character. Sookie Stackhouse is full of flaws and doubts, and at the same time is perfectly content in her normal life. As content as she can be, considering her telepathic abilities. The normalcy and neuroses of Sookie make her instantly "real." I was empathizing with her before any of the madness started, and that let me slip into the story and accept all the paranormal activity: I mean, it's not happening to some character, it's happening to my rational friend Sookie, so it's okay to believe in it.
Bottom line: loved the book, loved the character. The novel is fun, sexy and puts a great skin on a Down South murder mystery. It's no wonder this series is so popular.
I'm a big fan of the TRUE BLOOD television series. My wife tricked me into watching it, because I was convinced I "couldn't possibly like yet another kissy-vampire show." Well, I was wrong; I got hooked on the campy fun of TRUE BLOOD right off the bat.
Since I'm an author and have high hopes of seeing one of my own books turned into a series someday, I picked up the first DEXTER book and DEAD UNTIL DARK to see how TV writers adapted novels for the small screen. DEXTER blew me away and still ranks as one of the most brilliant "high concept" ideas in horror fiction.
Then I read DEAD UNTIL DARK, and you know what? It's fantastic. I need to get over my snooty attitude about paranormal romance, because this is just a flat-out good story.
Harris creates a fantastic main character. Sookie Stackhouse is full of flaws and doubts, and at the same time is perfectly content in her normal life. As content as she can be, considering her telepathic abilities. The normalcy and neuroses of Sookie make her instantly "real." I was empathizing with her before any of the madness started, and that let me slip into the story and accept all the paranormal activity: I mean, it's not happening to some character, it's happening to my rational friend Sookie, so it's okay to believe in it.
Bottom line: loved the book, loved the character. The novel is fun, sexy and puts a great skin on a Down South murder mystery. It's no wonder this series is so popular.
February 7, 2017
3.5 stars
This is the first book in the Sookie Stackhouse Series and I did enjoy it but I don't think I will be continuing with this series. It just did not
really excite me so much. I guess the main reason why is because I really do not care for vampire stories too much. I thought this would be an exception since there was a mystery in the book, and that was the part that I enjoyed.
Welcome to the small town of Bon Temps in Louisiana, where a mid twenty, blonde, blue-eyed waitress named Sookie Stackhouse calls home. But she's no ordinary waitress, she has a disability. She's a telepath. This makes life a little difficult for Sookie, particularly the dating part. Imagine ‘hearing’ all your dates thoughts, not always a desirable thing, especially if there scrutinizing you.
Then one day a stranger arrives in town. He is tall, dark and handsome. And the best part is that, unlike everyone else, Sookie cannot hear his thoughts. But he is not perfect; he is pale, fanged and dead. Enter Bill Compton, vampire.
What follows is a fun and entertaining story, mixing romance, mystery and vampires, as Sookie and Bill begin a relationship, attempt to solve a number of murders that have coincidently occurred with the arrival of Bill into town, not to mention land her brother in jail, and also begins for her a new, and somewhat unwanted, career with the vampires of Louisiana.
It’s an enjoyable and effortless read, a book you can easily lose yourself in.
This is the first book in the Sookie Stackhouse Series and I did enjoy it but I don't think I will be continuing with this series. It just did not
really excite me so much. I guess the main reason why is because I really do not care for vampire stories too much. I thought this would be an exception since there was a mystery in the book, and that was the part that I enjoyed.
Welcome to the small town of Bon Temps in Louisiana, where a mid twenty, blonde, blue-eyed waitress named Sookie Stackhouse calls home. But she's no ordinary waitress, she has a disability. She's a telepath. This makes life a little difficult for Sookie, particularly the dating part. Imagine ‘hearing’ all your dates thoughts, not always a desirable thing, especially if there scrutinizing you.
Then one day a stranger arrives in town. He is tall, dark and handsome. And the best part is that, unlike everyone else, Sookie cannot hear his thoughts. But he is not perfect; he is pale, fanged and dead. Enter Bill Compton, vampire.
What follows is a fun and entertaining story, mixing romance, mystery and vampires, as Sookie and Bill begin a relationship, attempt to solve a number of murders that have coincidently occurred with the arrival of Bill into town, not to mention land her brother in jail, and also begins for her a new, and somewhat unwanted, career with the vampires of Louisiana.
It’s an enjoyable and effortless read, a book you can easily lose yourself in.
May 15, 2018
I enjoyed Dead Until Dark more than I thought, I had only watched the first season of True Blood and I liked it alright but I never felt any desire to watch any other seasons. Season one stays very loyal to the book. I did miss Tara, she was my favorite character from season one. Since I remembered the first season I knew who the killer was but that didn't bother me because this book was just so much fun to read.
As with the show I found Sookie to be annoying but not enough to dampen my enjoyment of the book. Bill was just as boring in the book as I remembered him from the show. I'm hoping in the next book I get more Eric and maybe Bill grows a personality. The book didn't have as much sex as I thought but it was just as gory as I thought.
Recommended for fans of Laurell Hamilton and Anne Rice. This is not Twilight, so if you like your vampires sparkling and brooding this is not the series for you.
2018 Badass Books Reading Challenge: A book turned Tv show you've seen but never read.
Around the Year In 52 Books: A book written in first person perspective.
Read-A-Thin May Challenge: Read a book you've been meaning to get to but haven't.
As with the show I found Sookie to be annoying but not enough to dampen my enjoyment of the book. Bill was just as boring in the book as I remembered him from the show. I'm hoping in the next book I get more Eric and maybe Bill grows a personality. The book didn't have as much sex as I thought but it was just as gory as I thought.
Recommended for fans of Laurell Hamilton and Anne Rice. This is not Twilight, so if you like your vampires sparkling and brooding this is not the series for you.
2018 Badass Books Reading Challenge: A book turned Tv show you've seen but never read.
Around the Year In 52 Books: A book written in first person perspective.
Read-A-Thin May Challenge: Read a book you've been meaning to get to but haven't.
July 31, 2021
3.5 stars. I was chatting with one of my Goodreads friends the other day about Charlaine Harris's older books, which led me to Sookie Stackhouse #1 here. When I realized the Kindle version of this book was only $2.99, I couldn't resist. This urban fantasy series features Sookie, a rural southern gal who waits tables in a bar for a living and considers her telepathy talent a "disability." In fairness, hearing people's thoughts does makes life tougher for her, and forget about romantic relationships.
Sookie is thrilled to meet a real vampire in the bar one night (they're recently come out to the public), and even more excited when she starts talking to Bill (Bill the Vampire? Okayyy...) and realizes that she can't read his mind. But she can see when he's about to run into some possibly deadly trouble, and takes it upon herself to save Bill ... which gets her into trouble herself, so Bill has to save her in turn, and so it starts. In the meantime, someone is killing women who sleep with vampires, and unfortunately Sookie's telepathy isn't doing her any good here. Also all of a sudden Sookie's boss Sam is acting interested in her ("Why now after all this time?" she insightfully asks him). There's something different about Sam too, and it's not just the bedroom eyes he's giving her.
It's kind of similar to Twilight (this book does predate that one by about three years), but with a lot more steam and a much less silly heroine. There are some pretty good scenes in it: "Bubba" the vampire was amusing, and Eric the Viking vampire was appropriately alarming. Sookie was a real character to me, but Bill felt rather flat.
Basically this is kind of an urban fantasy beach book, a supernatural southern murder mystery with a large side of romance. I prefer Kate Daniels and Mercy Thompson, but if this kind of thing is your literary jam, you could do a lot worse. I think I'll pass on the rest of the series, though.
Sookie is thrilled to meet a real vampire in the bar one night (they're recently come out to the public), and even more excited when she starts talking to Bill (Bill the Vampire? Okayyy...) and realizes that she can't read his mind. But she can see when he's about to run into some possibly deadly trouble, and takes it upon herself to save Bill ... which gets her into trouble herself, so Bill has to save her in turn, and so it starts. In the meantime, someone is killing women who sleep with vampires, and unfortunately Sookie's telepathy isn't doing her any good here. Also all of a sudden Sookie's boss Sam is acting interested in her ("Why now after all this time?" she insightfully asks him). There's something different about Sam too, and it's not just the bedroom eyes he's giving her.
It's kind of similar to Twilight (this book does predate that one by about three years), but with a lot more steam and a much less silly heroine. There are some pretty good scenes in it: "Bubba" the vampire was amusing, and Eric the Viking vampire was appropriately alarming. Sookie was a real character to me, but Bill felt rather flat.
Basically this is kind of an urban fantasy beach book, a supernatural southern murder mystery with a large side of romance. I prefer Kate Daniels and Mercy Thompson, but if this kind of thing is your literary jam, you could do a lot worse. I think I'll pass on the rest of the series, though.
January 9, 2020
I definitely loved this book because It’s basically just the first season recaped, with Soockie meeting Bill and her Gran dying etc...
I really enjoyed this book and now I am looking forward to the second one. Fantastic series.
Jan 9th 2020
So this is the second time I’ve read this and I enjoyed it as much as the first time. I honestly forgot what half of it was about so I was pleasantly surprised for it to feel like the first time I’d read it, rather than the second. I completely forgot that happened at the end and it was all so brilliantly written. So sexy and harrowing at the same time.
I really enjoyed this book and now I am looking forward to the second one. Fantastic series.
Jan 9th 2020
So this is the second time I’ve read this and I enjoyed it as much as the first time. I honestly forgot what half of it was about so I was pleasantly surprised for it to feel like the first time I’d read it, rather than the second. I completely forgot that happened at the end and it was all so brilliantly written. So sexy and harrowing at the same time.
December 12, 2022
#1 Dead Until Dark ★★★.5
#2 Living Dead in Dallas ★★★★
#3 Club Dead ★★★★★
This was pretty exotic stuff for a telepathic barmaid from northern Louisiana.
Like many, I first picked up the Sookie Stackhouse series years ago, in my teens, when paranormal fantasy was all the craze and I couldn't get enough of those sexy, brooding vampires. You know how it goes. I remember loving this book back then, and being exceptionally fond of Bill Compton, but for whatever reason, I never really continued on with the books back then.
Recently, I decided it'd be fun to reread this one and continue the series, so here we are. What surprised me the most was how different Bill was from my memories! Teen Destiny definitely thought he was a brooding, stoic, protective gentleman, but adult Destiny just finds him to be a bit of a pig, frankly — and boring as hell. Give me literally any of her potential love interests other than Bill, please. 😂 (Preferably Sam — he bored me as a kid, but as an adult? *swoon!* Even if there was the whole peeking-at-Sookie-naked thing... who isn't a little bit sketchy in this series? Damn!)
I don't know all the spoilers for this series, but I know enough that I'm really excited to see how Sookie's going to arrive at certain situations, so I have to say that, despite this not being as good as I remembered it (and the writing itself not being nearly as enjoyable as I once found it to be, either), I'm very intrigued and excited to pick up book 2!
October 5, 2009
So, what can I say? I enjoyed the book, but in a guilty pleasures, sort of embarrassed to admit kind of way. Let's admit it - this is hardly well written, but it's quick and light and fun, and there's something to be said for that.
That said, I didn't really like Sookie's voice. I found it rather irritating right from the start. And the dialogue - ugh, who talks like that? And if people really do talk like that, then I'm glad I don't know them.
And there's not much character development to speak of. Sookie is annoying in her so-called naivette. It just seemed like manufactured drama to me. I mean, she accused Bill of being hot and cold, but, really, Sookie was just all over the place. She loves him, she hates him, she's not talking to him, she needs him - and over silly little trivial stuff. Talk about high maintenance.
And Bill's pretty one-dimensional. "I'm violent, Sookie, but I'll never hurt you." And those clothes?
Speaking of clothes - I didn't need to know about the print on Sookie's dress, or whether or not she washed her hair and shaved that day in the shower. Really, there are some details which are just extraneous. (Not to mention her fashion sense seems stuck in the 80s. If you're going to talk clothes, then talk clothes, dahling.)
Anyway... the whole thing with Sam was pretty damn obvious, too.
Erm, as far as characters go, I liked the grandma, and every one else (well, including her, really) seemed pretty much like a pastiche.
Actually, I think the best way I can say it is that it was like reading a soap opera. Over-the-top melodrama, with thin characters, and horribly bad dialogue.
I don't see myself continuing with the series.
Oh, but I do have to say, the whole "PR thing" about it being a virus. Ok - I could buy that people would buy that there's a virus that makes people avoid the sun and be allergic to garlic, or whatever... but the virus also makes their hearts stop and live forever? Really? And the fact that Sookie is surprised to discover it's supernatural? Ugh!
I'd probably rate it lower, because it was just horribly written and ludicrous, but I liked it, damnit... so take it for what it's worth.
That said, I didn't really like Sookie's voice. I found it rather irritating right from the start. And the dialogue - ugh, who talks like that? And if people really do talk like that, then I'm glad I don't know them.
And there's not much character development to speak of. Sookie is annoying in her so-called naivette. It just seemed like manufactured drama to me. I mean, she accused Bill of being hot and cold, but, really, Sookie was just all over the place. She loves him, she hates him, she's not talking to him, she needs him - and over silly little trivial stuff. Talk about high maintenance.
And Bill's pretty one-dimensional. "I'm violent, Sookie, but I'll never hurt you." And those clothes?
Speaking of clothes - I didn't need to know about the print on Sookie's dress, or whether or not she washed her hair and shaved that day in the shower. Really, there are some details which are just extraneous. (Not to mention her fashion sense seems stuck in the 80s. If you're going to talk clothes, then talk clothes, dahling.)
Anyway... the whole thing with Sam was pretty damn obvious, too.
Erm, as far as characters go, I liked the grandma, and every one else (well, including her, really) seemed pretty much like a pastiche.
Actually, I think the best way I can say it is that it was like reading a soap opera. Over-the-top melodrama, with thin characters, and horribly bad dialogue.
I don't see myself continuing with the series.
Oh, but I do have to say, the whole "PR thing" about it being a virus. Ok - I could buy that people would buy that there's a virus that makes people avoid the sun and be allergic to garlic, or whatever... but the virus also makes their hearts stop and live forever? Really? And the fact that Sookie is surprised to discover it's supernatural? Ugh!
I'd probably rate it lower, because it was just horribly written and ludicrous, but I liked it, damnit... so take it for what it's worth.
October 26, 2018
A quick, light fun urban fantasy read. Apparently this series is the basis for True Blood. As I don't really watch TV this doesn't mean anything to me! Will definitely continue intermittently and see how the series pans out.
April 18, 2019
4/18/19 - So I listened to this one again and wasn't quite as impressed as I have been in the past. Certain things kind of annoyed me this time around but it was still fun to revisit the beginning of this series.
Buddy read starting December 29 with Sarah, Shelly, Evgeny, Karly, Jess, Allison, Catherine & Monty Cupcake.
Discussion Thread
2014 Review:
This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life.
5 Stars!
When I saw that some of my friends on Goodreads were getting a buddy read of this book organized, I jumped at the chance to join. I don't really know why I love this book so much. It actually has a few problems and I see them but I just don't care. I love this book anyway despite all of its flaws. This was actually the 4th time that I have read this book. Any book that I can enjoy after reading 4 times deserves 5 stars in my opinion.
I first started reading these books before the HBO series was produced. When I first saw the show, I remember thinking that many of the actors seemed wrong for the characters that I had created in my mind. I found it amusing on this re-read of the book all I could think about were the television characters. I would like to warn anyone that decides to read these books because they like the television series that they are really two very different things. The first season of the show does follow this book pretty well but after that they really are two different stories that just happen to share the same characters.
As I mentioned earlier, I did see some problems with this book. The writing isn't spectacular by any stretch. The writing seems overly simple to me. I really wished that the book focused on the exciting things going on in Sookie's life not on everyday things like cleaning. I sometimes feel like a total pig as I look around my messy house and read about Sookie cleaning hers. I really don't want to hear about cleaning. I really didn't feel a whole lot of chemistry going on between Bill and Sookie either. When they started saying that they loved each other, I thought it was a bit sudden and to be honest I just didn't see it myself. This book also seemed a bit dated to me. When Sookie is getting ready for Bill to come over, she puts her hair up in a banana clip. I remember wearing a banana clip in my hair during the late 80's and very early 90's but I don't think anyone was wearing them in 2001.
Despite these problems, I still can find so much to love inside of this book. I fell in love with characters a long time ago and I understand that this re-read of the book was probably heavily influence by that. I really like Sookie. I like that she thinks of her telepathy as a disability instead of the superpower most people would consider it to be. As you read the book, you realize how horrible it really would be to be able to read other people's minds. Sookie goes through a lot in this book and I really thought she handled most things quite well. She does require saving from time to time but she isn't afraid to jump into dangerous situations either.
I thought that the scenes with Eric were wonderful in this book. I am very partial to Eric. I can't help it and I really don't want to. Sam was great in this book but I did want to slap him for finally noticing Sookie after Bill shows an interest. I thought it was very realistic because people do this all the time but I still wanted to slap him because I hate it when this happens. I really had a good time reading about all of these characters and just remembering how these books sucked me into their world years ago. I do think that some of the later books in the series are stronger than this one.
I would recommend this book to others with the explanation that they are quite different from the HBO series. This book is really a quick and easy read that can be a lot of fun. This book is really just candy in book form. Nothing serious, nothing substantial, but a whole lot of fun.
My insightful 2011 review:
I enjoyed this book. It was a quick, easy, and fun read. I am interested in seeing the HBO series after reading this book.
Buddy read starting December 29 with Sarah, Shelly, Evgeny, Karly, Jess, Allison, Catherine & Monty Cupcake.
Discussion Thread
2014 Review:
This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life.
5 Stars!
When I saw that some of my friends on Goodreads were getting a buddy read of this book organized, I jumped at the chance to join. I don't really know why I love this book so much. It actually has a few problems and I see them but I just don't care. I love this book anyway despite all of its flaws. This was actually the 4th time that I have read this book. Any book that I can enjoy after reading 4 times deserves 5 stars in my opinion.
I first started reading these books before the HBO series was produced. When I first saw the show, I remember thinking that many of the actors seemed wrong for the characters that I had created in my mind. I found it amusing on this re-read of the book all I could think about were the television characters. I would like to warn anyone that decides to read these books because they like the television series that they are really two very different things. The first season of the show does follow this book pretty well but after that they really are two different stories that just happen to share the same characters.
As I mentioned earlier, I did see some problems with this book. The writing isn't spectacular by any stretch. The writing seems overly simple to me. I really wished that the book focused on the exciting things going on in Sookie's life not on everyday things like cleaning. I sometimes feel like a total pig as I look around my messy house and read about Sookie cleaning hers. I really don't want to hear about cleaning. I really didn't feel a whole lot of chemistry going on between Bill and Sookie either. When they started saying that they loved each other, I thought it was a bit sudden and to be honest I just didn't see it myself. This book also seemed a bit dated to me. When Sookie is getting ready for Bill to come over, she puts her hair up in a banana clip. I remember wearing a banana clip in my hair during the late 80's and very early 90's but I don't think anyone was wearing them in 2001.
Despite these problems, I still can find so much to love inside of this book. I fell in love with characters a long time ago and I understand that this re-read of the book was probably heavily influence by that. I really like Sookie. I like that she thinks of her telepathy as a disability instead of the superpower most people would consider it to be. As you read the book, you realize how horrible it really would be to be able to read other people's minds. Sookie goes through a lot in this book and I really thought she handled most things quite well. She does require saving from time to time but she isn't afraid to jump into dangerous situations either.
I thought that the scenes with Eric were wonderful in this book. I am very partial to Eric. I can't help it and I really don't want to. Sam was great in this book but I did want to slap him for finally noticing Sookie after Bill shows an interest. I thought it was very realistic because people do this all the time but I still wanted to slap him because I hate it when this happens. I really had a good time reading about all of these characters and just remembering how these books sucked me into their world years ago. I do think that some of the later books in the series are stronger than this one.
I would recommend this book to others with the explanation that they are quite different from the HBO series. This book is really a quick and easy read that can be a lot of fun. This book is really just candy in book form. Nothing serious, nothing substantial, but a whole lot of fun.
My insightful 2011 review:
I enjoyed this book. It was a quick, easy, and fun read. I am interested in seeing the HBO series after reading this book.
December 8, 2007
When I first read the premise for the book, I thought it was slightly intriguing. Nothing I would rush out to get and read right away, but still enough for me to put on my list of to-read. Now that I've read it, I want my brain back. I like the idea that vampires are a known part of the human world. I really do. I liked Sam, about the only character in the entire book I did like, and how Harris explained him. I just think it took to long for her to reveal it all and to get her point across.
I love vampire novels and vampire romance novels, they're all I've practically been reading lately, but this one just didn't seem to have the spark needed to keep my interest. Too many typing errors and random words missing and grammatical errors. I'll leave that to blame for the editor, but that wasn't the only problem I had. I just couldn't seem to connect with the main character, Sookie. She may have been a virgin, but she shouldn't have been as naive as Harris wrote her. She's 25 and working in a bar and has the ability to read minds, which she can't always control. That alone should have taught her more about the world of sex then what she seemed to know. She wasn't a sheltered person so I really don't know how she could have been that naive about it all, especially when she knew about how promiscuous her brother was.
And as for people saying that's all this book had, it's really not. The few sex scenes that were written read like bad fanfiction. You want sex and vampires? Go read Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series. Dead Until Dark barely deserves the two stars I gave it, and really that was only for Sam, the only real character in the entire book.
I love vampire novels and vampire romance novels, they're all I've practically been reading lately, but this one just didn't seem to have the spark needed to keep my interest. Too many typing errors and random words missing and grammatical errors. I'll leave that to blame for the editor, but that wasn't the only problem I had. I just couldn't seem to connect with the main character, Sookie. She may have been a virgin, but she shouldn't have been as naive as Harris wrote her. She's 25 and working in a bar and has the ability to read minds, which she can't always control. That alone should have taught her more about the world of sex then what she seemed to know. She wasn't a sheltered person so I really don't know how she could have been that naive about it all, especially when she knew about how promiscuous her brother was.
And as for people saying that's all this book had, it's really not. The few sex scenes that were written read like bad fanfiction. You want sex and vampires? Go read Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series. Dead Until Dark barely deserves the two stars I gave it, and really that was only for Sam, the only real character in the entire book.
July 9, 2011
Opening Line:"I'd been waiting for the Vampire for years when he walked into the bar."
I must be one of the last people on the planet to read Dead After Dark. I also haven’t had a chance (yet) to watch True Blood, although because it’s been all over the media I had a pretty good visual reference for the characters here without actually having to compare the two. I was able to just go along for the ride. And what a ride, I can definitely see now what all the fuss has been about.
Honestly I had a hard time putting this down. Harris has created the perfect mixture of paranormal romance, mystery and action. With intriguing, humorous characters and situations and an absorbing, fast moving plot. Her take on Vampiric society is fresh and fascinating and I appreciated how we were continually reminded that despite “coming out” vampires are still very much predators.
I also found Sookie to be incredibly relatable despite her “disability” and supernatural circumstances. Harris just has a way of making her feel all girl next door so that we discover everything right along with her. I also loved Harris’s portrait of small town America and in this case it’s unique bar patrons whom I felt like I knew. This could be in part because I’m from a small town and I also cocktailed for years so the characters seemed familiar to me. Whatever the case I’m glad I finally got around to reading this series.
Sookie lives in the real world of small town Louisiana. She is a pretty cocktail waitress, lives with her grandmother and because of her telepathic “disability” keeps to herself. The people in Bon Temps tend to think that Sookie’s a little crazy because she knows things she shouldn’t and acts strange while her mental “guard” is up.
Everything changes the day Bill walks into her bar and orders a bottle of synthetic blood. Bill is a vampire and ever since they entered mainstream society she’s wanted to meet one. To make things even more interesting Sookie can’t hear a word he’s thinking, Bill might just be her perfect match, except of course for the fact that he’s dead.
Unfortunately soon after Bill arrives people start turning up dead, in particular waitresses. After an attack at her grandmother’s house Sookie fears she might be next. Then there’s Bill’s creepy group of friends, the recent Elvis sightings, her brothers illicit behaviour and all of a sudden her boss isn‘t quite who he appears to be either.
So like I said I really enjoyed this, the love scenes are steamy and dirty (think outdoors, mud, and covered in blood dirty) and Bill well he is just delicious in a dangerous bad boy wanting to brush your hair kinda way. The romance aspect here was very good. I also really liked Sam’s character and appreciated how his true self wasn’t revealed right away. Bubba was another awesome little addition and the many townsfolk and their idiosyncrasies were fantastic.
There are some surprising moments here and I never really knew where things were going to go next. Although I’ll be honest I had a tough time keeping straight who was who. Getting many of (the many) secondary characters mixed up so that even at the end when the killer was revealed I had to back track to figure out who it was. As a former waitress (which Harris must also have been at one time) I found the bar scenes realistic and fun. Can’t recommend this one enough.
I must be one of the last people on the planet to read Dead After Dark. I also haven’t had a chance (yet) to watch True Blood, although because it’s been all over the media I had a pretty good visual reference for the characters here without actually having to compare the two. I was able to just go along for the ride. And what a ride, I can definitely see now what all the fuss has been about.
Honestly I had a hard time putting this down. Harris has created the perfect mixture of paranormal romance, mystery and action. With intriguing, humorous characters and situations and an absorbing, fast moving plot. Her take on Vampiric society is fresh and fascinating and I appreciated how we were continually reminded that despite “coming out” vampires are still very much predators.
I also found Sookie to be incredibly relatable despite her “disability” and supernatural circumstances. Harris just has a way of making her feel all girl next door so that we discover everything right along with her. I also loved Harris’s portrait of small town America and in this case it’s unique bar patrons whom I felt like I knew. This could be in part because I’m from a small town and I also cocktailed for years so the characters seemed familiar to me. Whatever the case I’m glad I finally got around to reading this series.
Sookie lives in the real world of small town Louisiana. She is a pretty cocktail waitress, lives with her grandmother and because of her telepathic “disability” keeps to herself. The people in Bon Temps tend to think that Sookie’s a little crazy because she knows things she shouldn’t and acts strange while her mental “guard” is up.
Everything changes the day Bill walks into her bar and orders a bottle of synthetic blood. Bill is a vampire and ever since they entered mainstream society she’s wanted to meet one. To make things even more interesting Sookie can’t hear a word he’s thinking, Bill might just be her perfect match, except of course for the fact that he’s dead.
Unfortunately soon after Bill arrives people start turning up dead, in particular waitresses. After an attack at her grandmother’s house Sookie fears she might be next. Then there’s Bill’s creepy group of friends, the recent Elvis sightings, her brothers illicit behaviour and all of a sudden her boss isn‘t quite who he appears to be either.
So like I said I really enjoyed this, the love scenes are steamy and dirty (think outdoors, mud, and covered in blood dirty) and Bill well he is just delicious in a dangerous bad boy wanting to brush your hair kinda way. The romance aspect here was very good. I also really liked Sam’s character and appreciated how his true self wasn’t revealed right away. Bubba was another awesome little addition and the many townsfolk and their idiosyncrasies were fantastic.
There are some surprising moments here and I never really knew where things were going to go next. Although I’ll be honest I had a tough time keeping straight who was who. Getting many of (the many) secondary characters mixed up so that even at the end when the killer was revealed I had to back track to figure out who it was. As a former waitress (which Harris must also have been at one time) I found the bar scenes realistic and fun. Can’t recommend this one enough.
March 27, 2019
2019 Re-Read
I don’t know how other people handle stress, but my favourite diversion is to re-read books that I know that I will enjoy. When my life is uncertain, I love the certainty of an entertaining book. So, as I prepare for major life changes, I picked up Dead Until Dark a few nights ago and found myself completely immersed in the life of Sookie Stackhouse in Bon Temps, Louisiana. How can you not have a good time in a town called Good Times? It’s silly, soap-opera type fun.
Since Sookie knows a thing or two about life changes, I started to wonder if that wasn’t why I had zeroed in on this particular series. In this very first book, we meet her when she is still an ordinary person. Or at least as ordinary as a telepathic bar maid in a small town can be. This is the first installment of the changes that open up her life, giving her access to a whole new world that she hadn’t previously been aware of.
I love the very first sentence: I’d been waiting for the vampire for years when he walked into the bar. Well, I’ve been waiting for years for retirement and I will achieve it shortly. As I watch Sookie change and adapt as her world opens up, I feel like I can change and adapt too, and adjust to this new reality.
****
Original review
So finally, I meet Sookie Stackhouse. I am late to the party by about 15 years, but I really enjoyed making her acquaintance. I polished off the book in one evening and could quite happily have turned around and read it again right away. In fact I did go back and read my favourite sections again.
I found Sookie to be a smart and feisty main character. Instead of her telepathy being an advantage, she has found it the ultimate in distracting, almost like a learning disability. So when she runs into vampire Bill and finds that she is unable to hear his thoughts, she is immediately impressed. I loved her independence—she does her own dirty work, for the most part, not relying on her boss, Sam, or her brother, Jason, to bail her out.
Bill is an interesting vampire, in that he is so different from all the Lords of Darkness that one usually runs across in fiction. Here is a guy who has returned to his old home town and who seems to want nothing more than to settle back into small town Southern life. In that regard, his vampirism is a disability, bringing with it unwanted responsibilities and relationships.
So, is there any future for this human-vampire couple? I note that there are many more books, and once I have made a dent in my current stack of library books, I’ll be ordering the second one to check up on them.
I don’t know how other people handle stress, but my favourite diversion is to re-read books that I know that I will enjoy. When my life is uncertain, I love the certainty of an entertaining book. So, as I prepare for major life changes, I picked up Dead Until Dark a few nights ago and found myself completely immersed in the life of Sookie Stackhouse in Bon Temps, Louisiana. How can you not have a good time in a town called Good Times? It’s silly, soap-opera type fun.
Since Sookie knows a thing or two about life changes, I started to wonder if that wasn’t why I had zeroed in on this particular series. In this very first book, we meet her when she is still an ordinary person. Or at least as ordinary as a telepathic bar maid in a small town can be. This is the first installment of the changes that open up her life, giving her access to a whole new world that she hadn’t previously been aware of.
I love the very first sentence: I’d been waiting for the vampire for years when he walked into the bar. Well, I’ve been waiting for years for retirement and I will achieve it shortly. As I watch Sookie change and adapt as her world opens up, I feel like I can change and adapt too, and adjust to this new reality.
****
Original review
So finally, I meet Sookie Stackhouse. I am late to the party by about 15 years, but I really enjoyed making her acquaintance. I polished off the book in one evening and could quite happily have turned around and read it again right away. In fact I did go back and read my favourite sections again.
I found Sookie to be a smart and feisty main character. Instead of her telepathy being an advantage, she has found it the ultimate in distracting, almost like a learning disability. So when she runs into vampire Bill and finds that she is unable to hear his thoughts, she is immediately impressed. I loved her independence—she does her own dirty work, for the most part, not relying on her boss, Sam, or her brother, Jason, to bail her out.
Bill is an interesting vampire, in that he is so different from all the Lords of Darkness that one usually runs across in fiction. Here is a guy who has returned to his old home town and who seems to want nothing more than to settle back into small town Southern life. In that regard, his vampirism is a disability, bringing with it unwanted responsibilities and relationships.
So, is there any future for this human-vampire couple? I note that there are many more books, and once I have made a dent in my current stack of library books, I’ll be ordering the second one to check up on them.
February 7, 2017
I'm in that small minority of readers of urban fantasy who hasn't read this series or watched True Blood, the television show based on these books. After reading this story, I'm not quite sure what all the fuss is about but I'm intrigued enough to continue on.
Sookie Stackhouse is a waitress at Merlotte's in the small Louisiana town of Bon Temps. She has what she refers to as a "disability," simply a telepathic "ability." Yes, she can hear people's thoughts (with a few exceptions). When Bill Compton shows up at the bar, Sookie quickly recognizes him as a vampire and forms a friendship with him. In this world, vampires are "out" and live amongst humans. There are other aspects of this world that are unique but I'll leave that for personal discovery. Things become interesting when it appears there's a serial killer at large and vampires become the prime suspects, especially Bill.
I liked the story, didn't love it. Harris provides a level of descriptive detail that I found tedious until I listened to a portion of the audio version, recommended by a GR friend. It's apparent that this story is written specifically to the personality of the character and townspeople and it then made sense. I read the rest of the book with the narrator's voice in my head and it made a big difference. I'll continue the series but only listening to the audio version. I didn't guess the murderer and, rare for me, didn't care because there was so much going on.
I liked Sookie, her friends, acquaintances & co-workers and want to see where she goes from here. 3.5 stars
Sookie Stackhouse is a waitress at Merlotte's in the small Louisiana town of Bon Temps. She has what she refers to as a "disability," simply a telepathic "ability." Yes, she can hear people's thoughts (with a few exceptions). When Bill Compton shows up at the bar, Sookie quickly recognizes him as a vampire and forms a friendship with him. In this world, vampires are "out" and live amongst humans. There are other aspects of this world that are unique but I'll leave that for personal discovery. Things become interesting when it appears there's a serial killer at large and vampires become the prime suspects, especially Bill.
I liked the story, didn't love it. Harris provides a level of descriptive detail that I found tedious until I listened to a portion of the audio version, recommended by a GR friend. It's apparent that this story is written specifically to the personality of the character and townspeople and it then made sense. I read the rest of the book with the narrator's voice in my head and it made a big difference. I'll continue the series but only listening to the audio version. I didn't guess the murderer and, rare for me, didn't care because there was so much going on.
I liked Sookie, her friends, acquaintances & co-workers and want to see where she goes from here. 3.5 stars
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