Customer Reviews

Dead to the World: A Sookie Stackhouse Novel (Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood)

5 star:		(212)
4 star:		(72)
3 star:		(23)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

For me, Charlaine Harris represents what vampire romance stories could be if they let go of all the solemn gothic trappings that they only too often hide a lack of plot behind. Sookie Stackhouse proves that a down to earth waitress in a small town Louisiana bar can be just as effective a heroine as your basic kinky necromancer type. Sookie's not quite normal - she can read minds - but she has a straightforward approach to the weirdness within and without her that is like a breath of fresh air.

This is the fourth book in the series, and finds Sookie back in Bon Temps still fuming at the perfidy of her ex-boyfriend Bill the vampire (yes, I said Bill). In fact all that Sookie wants to do is wait on tables, watch cable, and not get beaten up by yet another supernatural creature. In fact, when Bill announces he is bound for Peru to do research, she is even a bit pleased. But nothing lasts, and while driving home one night she finds Eric, the Area 5 vampire sheriff wandering around in various states of undress, and lacking any memory of who he was.

Suddenly Sookie, who finds the new Eric much nicer than the old one, is embroiled in a war that pits a coven of extortionist witches against an every supernatural creature in the Shrevesport area. To make matters worse, Sookie's brother disappears, leaving her worried to death and depending on a mixed crew of vampires, weres, and a somewhat ditzy fairy for support and protection.

Of course, the secret of Harris's success is that Sookie is a lot tougher than you might think. Yes, she is emotional, attracted to the spookiest men, and lacks fashion sense, but underneath it all she has learned to pick up the pieces and carry on. If you don't count her taste in men, what Sookie does always makes sense. And her wry, humble style cannot fail to charm.

Harris manages to tread the line between sexiness and bad taste with surer feet than Laurell Hamilton. As a result the eroticism never distracts from the plot and the solid narrative style that Sookie uses. It you are interested in a new twist on the girl-meets-vampire genre these books are a great place to start.

I have loved this series since Dead Until Dark and I tried to resist reading the newest installment Dead to the World, for the next book won't be out in quite some time. This is the best Southern Vampire novel in the entire series! This is of course my favorite installment and I hated to see it end and savored the last pages with gusto. Sookie Stackhouse is still mourning her breakup with Bill when he tells her that he's off to Peru to meet with some vampires there. But Sookie isn't able to think about Bill much when, on her drive home from work, she finds vampire Eric, scared and vulnerable, wandering the streets in the middle of the night with almost no clothes on. He's lost his memory, has no idea what has happened to him, so Sookie decides to look after him. She is shocked to find that he is no longer the no-nonsense vampire trying to get into her pants that he'd once been. It appears that some witches have put a spell on Eric and are planning to wreak havoc among the supernaturals in Shreveport. To make matters worse, Sookie's brother is missing. Sookie seeks the help of the local vampires, werewolves and other shape shifters, but will they be able to fight against the most powerful witches ever encountered? There are many twists throughout the novel.

As said earlier, this is my favorite installment. There is a lot of action and Sookie is quite a tough cookie in this one. She is also reaching an uncertain future regarding her love life. She is not over Bill, but she is attracted to vampire leader Eric, werewolf Alcide and shape-shifter Sam. I have a feeling that the next installment will be quite interesting in the relationship department. I adore Eric. He sounds so scrumptious! He is what made this novel so memorable to me. He is the most interesting and sexiest of the male characters in the book, and there are quite a few hot men in this series! But that scene with Eric... I won't spoil it for the reader. Suffice it to say that it was the most delectable scene in the book. Anyway, I cannot recommend Dead to the World enough. This is the best part of Charlaine Harris's series thus far. The only bad thing is that I have read all of the books now and I will have to wait who knows how long till the next one. The good news is that Ms. Harris is releasing a novella based on this series in the Bite anthology next year. In the meantime, I strongly urge you to read this, but make sure you read the previous three installments before you do.

I cant believe it. I have now gone through all of the books written in this series thus far and the plot has reached a point where I feel I could burst and now I have to WAIT for the next one to be published...oh, I could just D-I-E!
First of all, if ever there was a "dream plot" that I would like to be involved in that had me running for my life every 5 minutes, well, the plot of
"Dead to the World" would be it. I can explain in one word quite simply: ERIC.
I have found him to be outrageously appealing from day one and Im only loving him more as the series progresses...just the thought of finding him along the road all vulnerable and in love with me is enough incentive to put up with Sookies unique troubles for a while. Truly, I love the man. I am so anxious to see what is going to develop and OMG I LLLLOOOVVED the ending. I loved it.... I want that coat.

Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris is an excellent vampire novel. I must admit that I found Ms. Harris' vampire series when trying to find something to read while waiting on a new Anita Blake book by L. Hamilton. Am I ever glad that I discovered Sookie Stackhouse! You don't need to be from the South to enjoy the Southern flavor of this story!

Sookie is not your typical vampire novel heroine. She is neither very strong physically, nor is she very sure of herself emotionally. She's not had an easy life because of being telepathic in a small town, and that was before the changes caused in her life after the "coming out" of the vampires. Her ex-boyfriend, Bill the Vampire (as he's known around town), is out of the country and she's not sure she wants to see him anyway after her last "adventure" with him in Mississippi (you must read "Club Dead" to find out this part of the story). Sookie's story begins in "Dead Until Dark" where the main characters of the series are introduced. It's an interesting and entertaining story, which continues in "Living Dead in Dallas". I would recommend these books to anyone who enjoys vampire stories! They are truly worth reading (and reading in order)!

This novel begins after a New Year's Eve party at Merlotte's (the bar where Sookie works). She is driving home when she nearly runs down a man clad in only jeans running down her road. When she stops, she finds that she knows the man and that he has no idea who he is although he does realize that he is a vampire. It turns out to be her ex-boyfriend's boss, Eric. As you've probably noted from the book description and the other reviews, there are twists and turns here aplenty. Some of the little things that runs through Sookie's mind are laugh out loud funny and I found myself doing just that many times.

I regret that the book was not longer (but then I usually feel that way with books I love). I hope that in the future we see more of Alcide. I think he'd be good for Sookie. He seems almost too innocent sometimes but he's refreshing and obviously still wants to believe the best about people, which is such a rare thing in the world. I was surprised to find that I was happy with all but the last twist in the Sookie/Eric relationship. I loved to see his vulnerable side, tempered with his protective side.

I enjoyed the introduction of the new shifters and the other assorted new additions to the character list, including the introduction of witches and a fairy into the mixture. I would also like to see Sookie's brother, Jason, grow up a bit and stop being such a male bimbo -- although I would hate for him to lose his charm and playfulness.

All in all, the book was definitely a Wonderful story! As I said, I would recommend it to anyone!

Once a year I find a new author that creates the sensensaton of reading a great book in the summer when I was a kid out of school for the summer.

This year I found Charlaine Harris and her vampire series, what a treat.

If you have read one of her books you know what I mean...if not..savor and enjoy...she is the best..

Thanks Charlaine!

With her vampire ex-boyfriend heading out of town, Sookie Stackhouse looks forward to more peaceful (and lonely) times in small-town Louisianna. But when her brother starts dating a shape-shifter and hunky vampire Sheriff, Eric loses his memory and Sookie finds him running naked near her house, she realizes that the times will be anything but peaceful. With his memory intact, Eric was a jerk but he's sort of sweet without it--and Sookie has a hard time fighting the attraction. Still, she's made a new year's resolution--no more getting beat up. And if she hangs with Eric and the other vampires, she knows she's going to get hurt.

When her brother turns up missing, though, Sookie realizes that she can't just lay low. And with witches trying to take over nearby Shreveport (where Eric is from), it doesn't take long before she's in the middle of the fight of her life. There is one bit of good news. Despite a great figure and good looks, Sookie's mind-reading always scared away the normal males. But as she meets shifters, witches, vampires, and even a fairy, there are plenty of non-human and half-human males who find Sookie just what they are looking for--assuming she can survive long enough to create a relationship.

Author Charlaine Harris mixes up humor, suspense, magic, and a really nice character in Sookie Stackhouse for an especially strong entry into her Southern Vampire series. In a world where amoral vampires and amoral humans wage war for control, Sookie provides an ethical perspective and a bit of balance. Her concern for her missing brother and her ambivalent feelings toward Eric increase reader empathy with Sookie and our stakes in the outcome.

I've enjoyed each of the Southern Vampire novels but DEAD TO THE WORLD may just be the best.

This is Sookie's story all the way, and a compelling one it is. No, Bill is not physically present for most of the book, but he is present in Sookie's emotional life. Yes, the Eric amnesia story is a plot device (as all happenings in fiction are), but it works because it gives Sookie an opportunity to shine as the heroine of the book in every way. Her growth as a character is one of the things that makes this series work as a series. Each book builds on the one before it, and each book has a different focus as Charlaine Harris continues to deepen her characterization of this quirky, wonderful fictional world. This book is Sookie's, and it reminds you what a wonderful character she is! Her story and her life, though, are bittersweet, and this book lets that deeper aspect of her character bloom without losing the dry, pragmatically humorous narrative style. Because of that, and because of Sookie's strong showing, I think this is the best book in the series so far, with so much left open for future consequences/implications.

In response to some of the other reviews, Hallow's reasons for wanting vengeance are explained clearly at the end of the book, in addition to general references to her character throughout that make her motivations pretty clear. A postscript at the end of the book makes it clear that Bill is not disappearing from the series. And for those who wonder about Eric's lack of memory regarding what happened while he had amnesia, the final few pages of the book strongly suggest that while he may not have full memory yet, he has plenty of suspicions and speculations that will likely be an issue in the next book. In fact, that's one of my favorite things about these books: the ending doesn't deliver everything wrapped up in a neat little bow. But you know another book is coming so the anticipation is heightened with speculation about which direction things will go. This is not to say that certain situations are not resolved very nicely, because they are (particularly the Alcide/Debby debacle). Because Harris has given Sookie some new experiences with a new man, however, the options have expanded, and the promise of more competition for her heart is exciting. And maybe a little more competition will be good for Bill, too.

Well I actually got this book about 2 weeks ago couldn't wait for it to come available.

I can say that I like this series more so than the {{Anita Blake}} Series by Laurell K. Hamilton, because it's fun, and Sookie deals with regular life things.. like still having to go to work on time, worrying about her bills, dealing with insecurities where it comes to her relationship with Bill and Sookie isn't super tough she is just a woman next door from "Down South" that happens to have this psychic ability and who by way of her boyfriend got involved in the Supernatural community.

Book picks up right where it left us to some degree Sookie and Bill are on rocky ground. Eric does have amnesia and Jason is missing throw in some witches and other supernatural creatures and YES it does begin to feel like {{Anita Blake}} this book is mainly about Sookie helping Eric while Bill is out of town in Peru, for those of you out there that like Bill I can't say more than that(without giving away spoilers). Okay so for the wrap up a few good fight scenes, some romance, Debbie returns from {{CLUB DEAD}} and the humor. OH YEA!! Sookie New Year's resolution not to get beaten up so much.

I recommend this book at Amazon prices and if you are collecting the series. My comment about "Who Shot J.R." will make more sense once you read the book. By the end of the book MORE people WANT (as in Desire) Sookie which is familiar to {{Anita Blake}} the funny thing is this one actually reminds me a lot of {{Stephanie Plum}} Series by Janet Evanovich, but it still has it's own unique twist and blend.

Respectfully Reviewed

Ms Harris's first hard cover in the DEAD series is worth every penny of the price. If you are a vampire romance junkie like I am this is a must-read.

Sookie kicks boy friend Bill to the curb,after not being able to forgive him a previous indescretion. And for a few short minutes life becomes normal--or as normal as possible for a self-described person with a disability. Then Sookie sees half-naked Eric, Bill's vampire boss, walking along the side of the road.

He's lost his memory and I, for one, was hoping he never got it back. Eric without a memory is, dare I say, sweet? And Sookie and Eric IMHO are an even better match than Sookie and Bill. Alcide the werewolf makes another appearence, Sookie's brother goes missing and there's some really bad mojo going on between vampires, witches and weres.

Ms Harris just keeps getting better, there's action, adventure, horror, humor and a marvelous love story. What more could anyone want? I found myself staring at the last page of this book wishing it was longer, and hoping Ms Harris would write faster.

First of all: There are some series that you can jump into at any point. There are some series that you can't. If you absolutely had to, you could probably enter the Southern Vampire Series through any of the previous books, but I would not recommend starting with this one. I've read them all, but with my fuzzy memory found it a little slowgoing at the start of this one as I struggled to bring myself back up to speed.

Once I did, though, I was enthralled.

What makes Harris' books stand out from the paranormal-woman-involved-with-supernatural-man/men genre is her characters. Not that she's short on plot, but a good character has a lot of power to propel you through a story, and her Sookie Stackhouse reads like a three-dimensional, breathing woman. Moreover, her supernaturals read real, too. One might guess that an author who names a vampire lead "Bill" is seeking to demystify the species, but the way Harris does it--while often funny--doesn't make them less interesting. It makes them endearing, believable...what might actually happen if a human being were altered into something immortal and morally questionable. Vampirism adds layers, but doesn't alter the essential person, except with the kinds of masks we all adopt.

Some might object to Sookie's departure from her long-time sweetie, but I found the romance in this book surprisingly touching. Some other writers may get confused on the point, but Harris seems to understand that meaningless sex is the equivalent of meaningless action. It might make for blockbuster summer movies, but in books it lacks impact unless it involves the heart. In everything she does, Sookie has a lot of heart.

The series in general: it's a paranormal-woman-involved-with-supernatural-man/men-solving-mysteries series, so if you like others of the type (Hamilton's Anita Blake series, Feehan's Carpathian romance series, Huff's Vicki Nelson series), you should definitely check this out. There's a lot of southern color and humor in Harris' series, but these books are serious, not parodies of the genre. I can't wait for book 5.