Just finished reading...

...DEADLOCKED, the twelfth installment of the Sookie Stackhouse series.

I have read all of Charlaine Harris' Sookie books which are the basis for HBO's wildly popular series "True Blood." And I have watched every episode of "True Blood" but creator Alan Ball ("Six Feet Under") has deviated significantly from Harris' narrative. The consequence for my poor imagination is that these two parallel worlds bleed together in my head. When watching the TV show, one thing I do miss is the amateur detective/Nancy Drew quality of the books. Sookie is always presented with a crime and a mystery that needs to be solved. True, most of them involve her, but that makes the need to solve the mystery all the more urgent. And this most recent book has Sookie trying to figure out a murder. Of course the deeper she digs, the more she learns of plots and schemes around her, some that betray her trust.

Harris has said that DEADLOCKED is the second to last Sookie book that will be written. She intends to stop at thirteen (pun intended, I am sure). And although she solves the immediate murder and plots that involve her supernatural family, this book leaves Sookie in limbo with her love life. A constant thread through all the books has been Sookie's relationship with first Bill Compton, vampire, and then with a succession of werewolves, were-tigers, and another vampire. Sookie is such a likable, sweet character, and we end up rooting for her to find happiness.

The series is meant to be fun and this book is the light, speedy read that all the other books are. This is not gourmet literature, it is a hamburger and fries and a cold lemonade on a hot summer day.

Recommend? Sure, if you have read all the other Sookie books. If you haven't, give them a try. They are fluffy and entertaining.

http://www.charlaineharris.com/

Just finished reading...

...the eleventh book in the Sookie Stackhouse series, DEAD RECKONING by Charlaine Harris.


Sookie gets drawn deeper into the shifting, dangerous and petty world of vampire politics. Her relationship with Eric is threatened by an arranged marriage he can’t get out of. Sookie learns more about her deceased grandmother’s double life, her fae family, fae culture, and—shockingly—how she came to be telepathic, all while dispatching the featured “bad guys” of this installment. But it all takes its toll on Sookie who is growing harder—out of necessity. This is another quick romp through the supernatural world by Charlaine Harris, and despite the wear and tear on Sookie, the tone retains its lightness and fun and even, at times, humor. I like the amateur detective-who-dunnit aspect of the whole series which is something I miss from Alan Ball’s otherwise excellent HBO adaptation, “True Blood.”

Recommend? Yes, but if you haven’t, read them all in order. Start with one and work your way through…

http://www.charlaineharris.com/

Just finished reading...

...DEATH'S EXCELLENT VACATION edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P. Kelner.

This collection of supernatural short stories based upon the theme of holidays and vacations is one of a series compiled and edited by Charlaine Harris (the Sookie Stackhouse series) and Toni LP Kelner. The other collections of short stories are based around themes such as Christmas and birthdays.

The collection opens with a short story featuring Sookie Stackhouse, the telepathic/ fairy heroine from Harris’ most famous series and inspiration for Alan Ball’s “True Blood” on HBO. It’s a fun little romp, and thankfully a stand-alone piece that will not have any bearing on the main Stackhouse story line. And a good thing too, because Harris makes Sookie do some, well, un-Sookie-like things.

Unfortunately, things go a bit downhill from there. The remaining stories, featuring a variety of werewolves, vampires, ghosts and soul-suckers, runs tepid to cold. Some rally a little more than others, but at best they feel like episodes of Rod Serling’s “Night Gallery.” I really do like Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse series, but this isn’t it.

Recommend? Nah… skip it.

Just finished reading...

...DEAD IN THE FAMILY, the tenth novel in the Sookie Stackhouse series, by Charlaine Harris.


Thankfully, I started reading Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse series before HBO premiered its hit show "True Blood," based on the very same books. In case you have been living under a rock, this story about a telepathic human girl (Sookie) and vampires in rural Bon Temps, Louisiana has been a runaway hit for HBO. Created by Alan Ball (he of the amazing "Six Feet Under," one of the best things on television ever), it brings to life all of the characters and situations in the Harris novels—and then some. But what the televised series doesn’t capture is the detective novel-feel of the books. Sookie may be telepathic, and there may be vampires, werewolves, shape shifters, witches, fairies and demons but ultimately, each book starts with some kind of whodunit that requires Sookie to use her powers and wits, along with help from her supernatural allies, to figure out.

Having said that, as the novels have progressed, the story has too. We have learned more and more about Sookie’s family origins, and relationships with vampires and werewolves have deepened and become more complicated so that the whodunit element has been moved to the back burner. Now Sookie must find out who is planning on doing something… to her. There is still a light element, almost kitschy (which is certainly part of the charm of the series), but this novel feels much more serious than any preceding it. It feels like the middle book of a trilogy where the plot has been set up, and now we have to delve into the how and why before we reach the final installment. Contributing to the heavier feel is the development of Sookie herself who has evolved from an outwardly happy-go-lucky Southern gal to someone with figurative and literal battle scars, and most likely some Post Traumatic Stress symptoms.

Recommend? Absolutely. And just like the Harry Dresden series I reviewed here, you really have to start at the beginning to learn all about the major players (those still in the series but especially those who have passed on) and what has happened. But don’t worry: it is fast reading. You’ll be caught up in no time. It’s tremendous fun!

http://www.charlaineharris.com/