JOINT REVIEW: Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
DEAD UNTIL DARK (Sookie Stackhouse #1)
by Charlaine Harris
PUBLISHER: Gollancz
RELEASE DATE: 2009
FORMAT: Paperback, 312 pages
GENRE: Urban Fantasy
Sookie Stackhouse is a small time cocktail waitress in small town Louisiana. She’s quiet, keeps to herself, and doesn’t get out much – not because she’s not pretty – she’s a very cute bubbly blonde – or not interested in a social life. She really is… but Sookie’s got a bit of a disability. She can read minds. And that doesn’t make her too dateable.
And then along comes Bill: he’s tall, he’s dark and he’s handsome – and Sookie can’t ‘hear’ a word he’s thinking. He’s exactly the type of guy she’s been waiting all her life for. But Bill has a disability of his own: he’s fussy about his food, he doesn’t like suntans and he’s never around during the day… Yep, Bill’s a vampire. Worse than that, he hangs with a seriously creepy crowd, with a reputation for trouble – of the murderous kind. And then one of Sookie’s colleagues at the bar is killed, and it’s beginning to look like Sookie might be the next victim…
LAURA
DEAD UNTIL DARK is the story of waitress Sookie who has what she refers to as a ‘disability’, she can read people’s minds. Because of this disability, she struggles with personal friendships & relationships and rarely dates. Nothing worse than knowing what your date is thinking of you!
Living in a small Southern town, Sookie is a mix of endearing naïveté, strong morals and a good share of guts and determination. Working at Sam’s bar, she is waitress, and takes pride in her work. Her relationship with her grandmother, whom she lives with is lovely and written with real, believable warmth. And her promiscuous and selfish brother, while infuriating at times is still engaging.
CAROLYN
I agree, all the characters are interesting and quirky. I especially love Sookie – she’s a warm, down-to-earth kind of gal and not the type of urban fantasy heroine I’m used to reading. I really like the TV show, but I must say I like the books more.
LAURA
If you watch the TV series, you will notice the distinct absence of best friend Tara in the book, in fact she’s not even mentioned. While Sam and fellow waitress Arlene are important friends, Sookie does not have a best friend in the book. This adds to her overall isolation and loneliness, brought about by her telepathic ability.
Then enter vampire Bill. Bill’s mind is delightfully and blissfully blank and Sookie is immediately fascinated. But with the arrival of Bill, the town suddenly becomes the victim of a serial killer and young women keep turning up dead. Before she knows it, Sookie ends up caught in the middle of the deadly game.
CAROLYN
I must admit I was put off reading this series basically because of the TV show. I do enjoy ‘True Blood’ but I’ve never really got on board with Anna Paquin and I was worried that this would rub off on the books. When I started DEAD UNTIL DARK I did unfortunately see Paquin as Sookie, but after about fifty or so pages, the Sookie of my own imagination started to push through and I began to enjoy the book a lot more. In fact I had difficulty putting it down.
LAURA
I read the first three books in this series years ago and for some reason didn’t get around to reading the subsequent books. Unlike Carolyn, I read them before True Blood hit our TV screens, so I wasn’t put off by the TV show. But as I started re-reading them I couldn’t help make a few comparisons as I wrote my review.
CAROLYN
I really enjoyed the southern setting and the way that everyone spoke – I’m a big fan of the southern drawl anyway, so it just made this book even more enjoyable for me. The fact that Sookie is just an ordinary girl (apart from her supernatural abilities), working in a bar as a waitress, making an honest living rather than a gun-wielding, martial arts expert, gave this urban fantasy a fresh twist.
LAURA
DEAD UNTIL DARK is an easy read. Charlaine Harris has a unique writing style, which I really enjoy. She often focuses on the detail, but in a way that adds richness to her story rather than coming across as tedious.
There isn’t much to fault with this book, I thoroughly enjoyed it. If I had just have one tiny complaint, I did feel that Sookie and Bill fell in love just a little bit too quickly. I could understand it from Sookie, but maybe not from a several hundred year old vampire.
VERDICT:
CAROLYN
DEAD UNTIL DARK is a fun and entertaining urban fantasy. It’s pretty light compared to some of the other UF series out there, but it’s still definitely worth a read. Harris has a great relaxed writing style that made this book a quick and easy read, as well as hard to put down. The characters are great and I look forward to reading the rest of the series.
CAROLYN’S RATING: 
LAURA
A fun and even delightful supernatural mystery set in a small town in the deep South. Sookie is a refreshing and charming lead character. She’s not your normal tough, ass-kicking urban fantasy heroine, but I actually loved her even more because of it. As for the TV show… I much prefer the book! 
LAURA’S RATING: 
CHARLAINE HARRIS ONLINE
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BOOKS IN SERIES ORDER:
1. Dead Until Dark
2. Living Dead in Dallas
3. Club Dead
4. Dead to the World
5. Dead as a Doornail
6. Definitely Dead
7. All Together Dead
8. From Dead to Worse
9. Dead and Gone
10. Dead in the Family
11. Dead Reckoning
12. Deadlocked
US COVER
BUY THE BOOK
12 Comments
This is such a good way of reading different series. I keep thinking I should join this too. I have read the first one so it wouldn't be too hard to join in.
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It's been a while since I read the series but I remember loving them from the start and was lucky that at that time several books were already out so I could read on.
I had a problem with the series and Anna Paquin as she didn't fit my idea of Sookie from the book.
Eventually, I got used to her and now I can't imagine anyone else playing Sookie.
I'm not sure how much will people who love teh series enjoy the books as they diverge a lot on certain parts. I feel lucky that I read the books first and then watched the series.
I agree that Dead Until Dark is a great start into series, I enjoy Harris's writing and can't say what part of the world I loved the most – possibly the fact that vampires went public.
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Unfortunately I won't be able to read along with you guys, but I'll be looking forward to your posts! I hope I get enough free time during the summer to read them.
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It's been a while since I read this book, but I agree with most that it was hard to put down once I started. It also took me a long time to actually read the book as I was also put off by the Anna Paquin version of Sookie. I just don't see her as Sookie. It's not a good fit. I like the character, she's easy to like and sympathize with. I just don't like Anna much.
It is a great first book to the series though. I can't wait to read the second in the series.
I like Harris's writing style. It's probably what sucked me in and kept me reading more so than knowing where it was going because of the show. It took a little getting used to though. Quirky is a bit of an understatement…lol
As for the Sookie and Bill love story, not so much. But I'm one of those that tends to root for the non-traditional pairings. Yes, I know, how much more non-traditional can you get than a human and a vampire, but, well, there ya go…such as it is.
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Vivienne – You should join in! Hope you do
x
Ines – I'm up to book 5 now and I'm still loving the series. It's great that I have the rest of the series to hand. It's difficult to watch a film or tv show of a book you've read as they more often than not don't get the characters as you imagined them.
I really enjoy Harris's writing too – I've read the first book in her Lily Bard mystery series and it's still the great easy writing style I've come to know and love
Amy – I hope you get time to read them, it's a great series so far (I'm on book 5)
Audra – I agree, I still have trouble seeing Paquin as Sookie now I've read up to book 5. To be honest I try and see the show and books as separate, that way it doesn't irritate me as much LOL
I'm not too keep on the Sookie/Bill either – I'm definitely team Eric!
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The first book? – I picked up the 1st book on Amazon and it sat on the nightstand for awhile. A long while… I tried to read it several times, but after reading a few of my favs, Harris' start felt slow.
When I finally got into it though, I was sooo hooked. There was no way I wasn't going to buy that next book and every book there after.
I think it was around chapter four or five that I became Sookie's best friend. LOL She's such a lovable character – her quirky powers just sooo perfect for the town where she has grown up.
What I like most about the world Harris created is the politics of the vamp world, the way she used them to show racism, even among shifters and others the human world was unaware of. The whole True Blood in bottles is brilliant. The gritty town with it's colorful people is awesome. Her characters become family, good friends, and even enemies real quick.
Not at all put off by the series… today. Ha! But…
…I'd read about seven of the books first, then hopped on the series. I have to admit – I wasn't happy with some of the character choices or the changes they made in plot lines–by then I was in love with the book series. But when I decided to separate the two, appreciate the differences,I began to greatly enjoy both.
In answer to question 5; like I said, it took me a while to get used to the slow going, but then realized it was the best part of the town, the people, the whole world Harris was slowly building.
The quirky? – I love – and always love humor – no problem there.
#6. Yes, I was sucked in big time. lololol
Susan Stec
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Ooops, forgot to check the email box. Sorry… LOL
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1. I must say I liked Sookie from the start. I found myself sympathizing for her because of her ability or disability; however you want to look at it. I saw her as this small town girl who is holding back in her personal life because of her ability to read the thoughts of others. I would be lying if I didn’t at some point think this ability was the neatest thing she could have though. I liked her even more as the book went on, but she did seem to be a bit more naive than anyone should be about some things though. The way she was with her Grandmother made her even more likable in my opinion.
2. I do think this was a great book for starting the series! I think it gave enough background to make a storyline that is very easily expanded on in many areas and ways.
3. I just loved the fact that all this happens in a “small hick town”. It’s the last place you would think to find vampires. I love that it’s in the south too and the language is written to reflect the setting. I love southern drawls and talk, so very much enjoyed that aspect of the book. I could see it playing out in my head. I loved the Grandmother’s role and the relationship that was between Sookie and her. I also like the fact that not everyone is “nice as pie” all the time, lol, like her brother the man who can’t get enough of the ladies or their company. I found it a tiny bit odd though that a town that never had vampires in it much before would just accommodate and seem to like Bill so much right away. They may have been suspicious, but they all seemed to just let him be for the most part without question as to why he showed up there all the sudden to live.
4. I must admit, I was skeptical of the books because of the TV show. I have watched True Blood, but it never really grabbed me the way it did some people I know of. My friend for instance LOVE the TV show, watches it without missing one….me, I don’t go out of my way to ever see it, if it’s on when I flip through ok, but if not that’s ok too. I think the book series (at least so far) is WAY better than the TV show. (Shhhhh, don’t tell my friend that though, LOL)
5. I liked Harris’s writing style. It was an easier read that made me more willing to pick it up for a “quick” read that was easy to follow. It may have been a bit out there at times, but what vampire series isn’t? I liked the details and I liked the overall way it was written.
6. I like the vampire/human love story, yes. However, did anyone else wonder why Sookie (a smart, even though naive, girl) would just instantly fall head over heals for a vampire without ever seeming to give it a second thought? I mean I understand the whole, can’t hear his thoughts, angle, but come on. It just seemed a bit quick to me, like “oh here’s Bill, oh Sookie’s in love, oh there they go becoming an item now”. I guess I can understand her falling in love at first sight more than him though. He is this super old vampire and he falls for the first human girl that seems to not care he is a vampire? And why, if he’s so great, is he still a SINGLE vampire? Just saying LOL.
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I started reading these books last year, but got caught up with other stuff after #2…this will be a good way to get me back into them. My husband and I have also just started watching the series. Lots of fun too.
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I am really interested to see what you guys think of the series as it continues. I have already read all the Sookie Stackhouse books and I love them. Now waiting for Deadlock to release
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Sorry for my delayed commentary on this everyone!
@Viv do join in
@Ines I agree, Paquin was an odd choice for Sookie. Not how I had pictured her in my head at all. I also feel grateful that I had started the books before the TV show.
@Amy it would be great if you could join us later in the year!
@Audra I really like Harris's writing style too, the quirky writing style just sucks me in. I'm with you on the Sookie & Bill relationship, but more because it all seemed to happen just too quickly.
@Susan I think that's a really good point about viewing the books and tv series as two different things, I think that will make it easier as the storylines do deviate quite a lot at times too as well as issues as Paquin as Sookie. The world Harris has created is very clever I agree, particularly the deep South setting.
@Angie I loved Sookie from the start too, her disability, her love of her Grandmother but also the slight alienation from everything her disability gave her. The small 'hick' town I think is actually a clever setting for the series which combines nicely with Harris's writing style. In terms of the love story, I found it harder to believe that Bill fell so quickly rather than Sookie as there is a naïveté about Sookie which makes it more believable from her side I think.
@Dargonfly or yes do join in
@Prangon even thought you've read them, please feel free to join in!
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1. What were your first impressions of Sookie? Did they change as the book progressed?
I liked Sookie in the first book. She was different than a lot of traditional heroines, ditzy at times, intelligent at others, and have a naive innocence she never had to work at. I really loved how Harris was able to insert such an unusual twist in her being so interested in vampires in the first place.
2. Do you agree with us and think Dead Until Dark is a great first book to a series?
YES! I love the entire series and it was a brilliant beginning. I did think the first few chapters were a bit awkward, however; not because of the plot, that was great, but it seems the author was struggling a little to get on her footing. After she did though, brilliance.
3. What do you like most about the world Harris has created?
It's down to earth but other world
4. Were you put off reading this series by the TV show or do you love both?
I read the series years before the show
Not sure how I would feel about it if I had watched the show first.
5. How did you get on with Harris's writing style, as it can be very detail focused? Quirky and quaint or sometimes slow going?
See question 2 for comments on style. I love her writing style, enjoy first-person, and think the pace is fine
6. Were you sucked in by the Sookie and Bill love story?
Yep, although my hormones perked up considerably with Erics intro too
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