Beegeek reviews Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

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I had never heard of the Southern Vampire Mysteries or the Sookie Stackhouse Novels, as they are known, before I watched the TV series True Blood. And honestly, I only watched the show because Dexter’s season ended. Anyway, after watching the show and actually enjoying it I was pleased to find out it was based on a series of novels by Charlaine Harris. And lo and behold on Christmas morning I received not one; but all seven novels in the series, starting with Dead Until Dark.

To say that I am not a fantasy or sci-fi fan is an understatement. The only thing coming close to either of those genres that I have ever had any interest in was the Harry Potter series. I don’t know why. I can’t explain it. It just doesn’t float my boat. So, needless to say, I was skeptical when it came to my newly acquired box set of vampire novels.

The series centers on Bon Temps, a small town in New Orleans and it’s inhabitants. Most notably it’s twenty-something ‘looney’ local Sookie Stackhouse. For most of her life Sookie has been something of a pariah in Bon Temps. Early on you learn that Sookie has what she calls a ‘disability’ and what everyone else regards as being something between bat shit crazy and mildly retarded. Her disability makes relationships with anyone; especially men virtually impossible. But then she meets her perfect man, Bill. All dark hair and dark eyes and fair skin. Ok, not really fair skin so much as a deathly pallor; because Bill is, in fact, dead. Bill is one of many freshly ‘out of the coffin’ vampires attempting to mainstream into everyday life throughout the world. And he has come back home to Bon Temps to live on the plantation that his family has owned for hundreds of years.

Of course, upon Bill’s arrival, the shit hits the fan in sleepy little Bon Temps. A series of unexplained murders start taking place which gets everyone’s knickers in a twist. With the obvious blame falling to Bill and his undead brethren. Although after some investigation the finger is pointing at someone even closer to Sookie’s heart than Bill. And it is with that that she strikes out to clear the names of the people she loves while trying not to get killed herself.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I dug this book. It wasn’t the typical vampire novel. There isn’t a whole bunch of bodice ripping and damsels in distress, while the big bad vampires wreak havoc on the unsuspecting town, until the calvary of burly men with stakes ride up to save the day. Sure there is the obvious amount of supernatural fantastic material contained within it’s pages. It is a book about vampires for God’s sake. But it is also about a tough as nails southern chick willing to look a fool and buck the system to save the men that she loves. And almost more importantly it is about a minority stepping out on to the world’s stage and attempting to be accepted for what they are; not what people expect them to be. And here I thought I was just reading a book about blood suckers and red necks. Who knew the novel about vampires and a chick with a goofy name could also be a study of independence and tolerance?

Read more of her book review s here :

http://beegeek.wordpress.com/2009/01/21/6-dead-until-dark-by-charlaine-harris/