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Summary: A refreshing vampire mystery series with a telepathic twist.
Review: Sookie has a disability: she's a telepath. While you might think there's an up to this, it hasn't been that way for Sookie. For one, it's hard to have a regular dating life when you can read the minds of the men you're with. It's hard to get in the mood, she posits, when the man you're with is critiquing your body in his head and you can hear it.
Enter Bill. Bill the vampire. Bill whose mind is a closed door to Sookie, and who represents a unique opportunity for Sookie: someone whose mind she can't just read. However, dating the living dead in a small southern town doesn't put you on the Redneck's Most Loved list, and suddenly people are turning up dead.
Oh yeah, and there's a vampire Viking who wants her to come work for him. Apparently, telepaths are quite useful.
Sookie is a delight to read, snarky and sarcastic and her life is a riot to read. If you like Tanya Huff's "Keeper" novels, or the antics of Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden novels, you'll love the Southern Vampire series that Harris has put together.
The strength of the plot is in the characters. The mystery in and of itself was a little weak, but I didn't care while reading it: this was mind candy reading, fun, sweet, and easily devoured. The crimes may be rather bloody at times, but Sookie's southern style definitely keeps the tone light.
Give it a shot if you're looking for something fun, and a little bit different.
'Nathan
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Summary: As Enjoyable as Any Vampire Novel
Review: Charlaine is a masterful crafter of 1st person prose. Her main character is instantly likable and only becomes more so as her depth is explored. This series has originality, great new characters, and a diverse cast. A little sex, plenty of blood, but only mild violence.Great read!
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Summary: POOR EXCUSE FOR A VAMP. NOVEL
Review: THIS BOOK I BELIEVE IS WRITTEN FOR AGES 9-14. IT HAS A POOR STORY LINE. IT IS LIKE SHE TOOK "ANITA BLAKE'S VAMPIRE HUNTER" SERIES AND MADE IT SIMPLE-MINDED AND HALF-WITTED.
SOOKIE STACKHOUSE HAS THE APILITY TO READ MINDS. SHE WANTS HER NEXT BOYFRIEND TO BE A VAMPIRE. BILL THE VAMPIRE MOVES INTO HER SMALL TOWN. THEY BECOME LOVERS. HER BOSS "SAM" IS A SHAPE-SHIFTER AND NOW WANTS HER TOO. THERE ARE A FEW MURDERS IN THE STORY BUT.....IN OVER-ALL ...IT IS PRETTY LAME.
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Summary: Great Book
Review: This book kept me reading. I was a little taken back with the names, Sookie and Bill. But getting past that I found a great story I was complelled to complete in one day. I love the writting style.
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Summary: A cross between Janet Evanovich and Laurell K. Hamilton.
Review: Charlaine Harris offers up an original and fun vampire novel with 'Dead Until Dark'.
Sookie Stackhouse, a waitress in a small contemporary Louisiana town, has led her life trying to protect herself from "her disability"-- a telepathic skill so acute she finds it difficult to block out the thoughts of those around her.
One night when a vampire named Bill enters the bar Sookie is immediately drawn him. He's set apart from people just like she is and she's delighted to discover she can't overhear his thoughts at all. He likewise is surprised he cannot hypnotize her with his power. They find themselves in the awkward position of meeting on almost equal ground. When citizens of the town start showing up murdered, Sookie enlists Bill's help.
The style of 'Dead Until Dark' really reminds me of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. 'Dead Until Dark' is a first person narrative and takes place in an area where everybody knows each other. Sookie also has a grandma who's a character. Sookie is, well, kind of goofy. Her talent for hiding her telepathy is about as great as Evanovich's Stephanie Plum's skill as a bounty hunter.
Bill is rather a "thinking" comtemplative vampire, similar to Anne Rice's Louis, except he accepts himself for what he is. He doesn't reveal much of his past which, no doubt, will unwrap in later installments.
Charlaine Harris portrays the vampire world to be as violent as that portrayed by Laurell K. Hamilton. However, Sookie Stackhouse is no Anita Blake. The novel does slow somewhat in the middle and wraps up rather peremptorily. However, 'Dead Until Dark' is an engaging take on 'life with vampires' and has consistent style. And Sookie is a fun character.
I look forward to Sookie & Bill developing more as characters in future installments and seeing their relationship grow.
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Summary: Only So-So
Review: As several others have pointed out this book is very derivative of Laurell Hamilton's Anita Blake series. While Charlaine Harris has enough of her own "voice" here 75% of the book could have been Anita Blake. And do all Vampire girlfriends have to be short & busty?
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Summary: Great Book! Virginia Lanier meets Laurell K. Hamilton...
Review: As a big fan of Laurell K. Hamilton's vampire books, I immediately felt comfortable in Charlaine Harris' universe. Harris writes well and fluently, the story is quite compelling, and it's going to be a lot of fun to see the continued development of her characters and vampire culture as she continues. What makes the book really special, though, is its great Southern perspective. Anyone who's from the South will get belly laughs out of some of the protagonist's inner dialogues, and recognize characters in the book as based firmly upon rural reality. (There's a little meditation upon all the various societies in the town -- including the Descendents of the Glorious Dead and the Ladies' Prayers & Potatoes, that had me shaking my head and remembering my great aunts in SC!) I thoroughly enjoyed this book and its sequel, Living Dead in Dallas, and I've pre-ordered number three. Definitely worth the time! I'll be following Ms. Harris with interest...
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Summary: Refreshing take on the whole vampire genre
Review: I had a lot of fun with this book. Snooky is a cross between Anita Blake and Stephnie Plum. The story and mystery were OK, but it's the characters that really make the book. Charlaine Harris does a great job of bringing the characters to life without getting too bogged down in the mind game that some of the authors have started doing. A good book for cuddling up and reading from cover to cover.
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Summary: good start to a good series
Review: I picked up both this book and the next in the series together.
I really liked the storyline. it did seem a little "familiar" at first since I am a big L.K. Hamilton fan. once into the story and more so in the next book, it seem that C. Harris finds her stride in the telling of the story. she explains her characters and the basic concept of her storyline "mythology" very well. She describes the feelings of her heroine very well and it helps the reader identify with her problems. I think that as C. Harris further develops her world, people will find that it stands on it's own, and not be so quick to compare to other Vampire books. for those not familiar with the story its about a small town girl "Sookie" that is telepathic. this ability has severly cramped her love life. she then meets a person that she cannot read, a vampire by the name of Bill. it seems that since artificial blood has been invented, Vampires have decided to "come out of the casket" so to speak. the rest of the story is a murder mystery that revolves around a few obvious suspects and a few cute plot turns as well. all in all it is a very enjoyable read and I found the book well worth the price.
if you decide to get this one, go ahead and get the second in the series as well. it's worth it!
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Summary: a breath of fresh air
Review: This book was a breath of fresh air for me. I had just finished reading another wampire series that was exhausting when I picked up this book. The story was a light, fun read. The characters were interesting and straight forward and the story was so entertaining I couldn't put the book down. I like the reading minds thing and ofcourse the vampires. You'll love Eric, he's everything you've ever wanted in a vampire. I've read the second book also and the story line and characters just keep getting better.
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