Dead to the World (Southern Vampire Mysteries, Book 4) (Hardcover)

by Charlaine Harris (Author) "I FOUND THE NOTE TAPED TO MY DOOR WHEN I GOT home from work..." (more)
Key Phrases: vampire bar, vampire blood, parish road, Bon Temps, Colonel Flood, Debbie Pelt (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
From Emma Bull's War for the Oaks to Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series, from The X-Files to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, creators are mixing old European myths and legends with modern American pop culture. Incorporating influences ranging from blaxploitation movies and erotic novels to tabloid staples like UFOs and Elvis, authors and directors are creating a new mythology for the strip-mall, tract-house, cell-phone America of the new millennium.

One of the best-known and best writers of the new American mythology is Charlaine Harris. Dead to the World is the fourth novel in her Anthony Award-winning Southern Vampire series. It continues the story of psychic waitress Sookie Stackhouse, who has fallen out with her undead lover, Bill. Bill has no sooner departed for Peru, than Sookie finds the head vampire, Eric, running naked and terrified through the rural night. She helps Eric, and discovers his memory has been destroyed by a coven of unscrupulous, astonishingly powerful witches, newly arrived in her small Louisiana town, and offering a huge reward for Eric. Sookie tries to hide Eric, but her brother sees him--and immediately disappears. And Sookie finds herself caught in a war among witches, vampires, and werewolves. --Cynthia Ward

From Publishers Weekly
Fans of Laurell Hamilton's Anita Blake looking for a lighter version of the vampire huntress should cotton to Sookie Stackhouse, a telepathic Louisiana gal who really wants to be normal, but suffers from a huge self-confidence problem, a case of permanent bad luck, difficult relatives and a penchant for attracting unsavory characters of the not-quite-human kind. In this fourth quirky installment in this hitherto mass-market series (after 2003's Club Dead), Sookie finds that her bad luck has taken a new turn for the worse. Sookie's love interest, Bill the vampire, runs off to Peru to do research. In his place, Sookie is stuck with Eric, Bill's boss (and head vamp for the district), who appears out of thin air buck naked with no memory of who he is or what he does. Coincidentally, Sookie's brother Jason goes missing. Less coincidentally, but more ominously, a coven of witches (who also happen to be shape-shifters and vampire blood addicts) comes rolling into the nearest big city, looking for trouble. Consistent, well-built characters and a strong, action-packed plot that will keep readers guessing to the end distinguish this frothy fusion of romance, mystery and fantasy.
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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Ace Hardcover; First Edition edition (May 4, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441011675
• ISBN-13: 978-0441011674
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (197 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4,859 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #32 in	Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Horror > Dark Fantasy
  #37 in	Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Horror > Vampires
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• This is item 4 in The Southern Vampire Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

110 of 112 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Witch Wolf Was It?, August 13, 2004

By	Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)

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.

72 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite one in the series!, October 3, 2004

By	CoffeeGurl (MA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

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.

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finishing this has left me feeling ridiculously melacholy., September 16, 2004

By	M. I. "krushedvelvet" (Old Bridge, NJ United States) - See all my reviews

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.