INSOMNIAC SONG

FANTASY

Dead Until Dark

 

Author: Charlaine Harris

Page Count: 260 pages

Date Published: 2001

Publisher: Ace Books

Series: The Southern Vampire Mysteries

TV Series: True Blood

Synopsis: Sookie Stackhouse is a cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana, but she keeps to herself and doesn't date much because of her "disability" to read minds. When she meets Bill, Sookie can't hear a word he's thinking. He's the type of guy she's waited for all of her life, but he has a disability, too--he's a vampire with a bad reputation. When one of Sookie's coworkers is killed, she fears she's next. 

 

 

I'd heard about the book series that led to HBO's True Blood when the show first started. However, I didn't give the show or the books any real attention due to being decidedly oversaturated in vampires. I was recently given copies of the first eight books in the Southern Vampire Mysteries. A coworker had enjoyed them greatly and thought I would to. What was preventing me from reading them now?

 

The answer is absolutely nothing. Each book (except the last) is written entirely in the first person point of view and narrated by the main character, Sookie Stackhouse. Sookie is twenty years old and lives in Bon Temps, Louisiana. Her parents died in a flash flood, leaving both Sookie and her elder brother Jason, in the care of Adele, their grandmother. She lives with her grandmother, while her brother lives across town in their parents' former home. 

 

Sookie works as a barmaid at Merlotte's, a local tavern.  Her social life is limited due to a unique ability that she considers a hindrance. She's telepathic, able to read the thoughts of other human beings. This makes even day to day tasks difficult as she finds it difficult to block out things she'd rather not hear. Naturally, this has led her to shy away from relationships. It makes her uncomfortable to know what her potential partner is thinking. This is something easy to empathize with. Who wants to know that their lover wishes their breasts were bigger or their butt smaller?

 

Prior to the beginning of the novel, vampires have 'come out of the coffin' so to speak. This event is made possible due to the Japanese creating a synthetic blood supplement that can satisfy all a vampire's nutritional needs. The announcement comes with a mixed reaction from the general public. There are those who fear vampires, others who lust after them and those who want to use them. A vampire's blood is a highly addictive substance that quickly draws a market among drug users. Drainers subdue vampires and remove their blood for sale and consumption.

 

One night, a vampire walks into Merlotte's and changes Sookie's life drastically. Bill Compton, vampire and a Civil War veteran, has just returned to his home town. Sookie is drawn to Bill much to her surprise. She learns soon after that she cannot read the mind of a vampire. This is a blissful source of comfort for her. Even Sookie's grandmother is interested in Bill. Adele is part of a club, The Descendants of the Glorious Dead, who study the Civil War and the history of the South. Bill would be able to give this group a real prospective about what they've only studied.

 

Things don't come easily for Sookie and her new vampire friend. There are dangerous vampires, drainers and a serial killer on the loose. Two women that Sookie knows have been found dead. Was it a vampire or someone with a grudge against the undead? In order to find the killer, Sookie will have to become further drawn into the vampire world with long lasting effects.

 

I hadn't been sure what I would think of the first novel in the series. There are some big differences from the television show that were easily noticeable. Putting aside any comparison, Sookie starts out as an easily likable character. She's young and naive. This works in her favor as the events of the novel unfold around her.  I felt sympathy for Sookie with certain events.

 

Point of view characters need to be able to hold the attention of the reader. Charlaine was able to achieve that with her young heroine. There were other characters that instantly stood out. I was torn about Bill Compton, unsure whether I could like him completely. Eric Northman, the oldest vampire in the novel, and his progeny, Pamela Ravenscroft, were quick favorites. Another highlight was the appearance of Bubba, a celebrity turned vampire.

 

Dead until Dark was a decent lead in to the series.  These aren't Anne Rice's sweeping gothic novels though. I breezed through the pages, finishing the entire novel on my lunch break. Give it a try if you enjoy vampires, romance and a bit of mystery.  You may find that, like me, you're interested to see what happens next in the world of Sookie Stackhouse.

 

 

Rating: 3.5/5