Why Eric didn't rescue Sookie is revealed in new extended Dead and Gone Chapter 1

Check it out at Unread Reader blog http://www.theunreadreader.com/2010/04/ditf-ch-1-extras.html?zx=63fa738f270f72d9

Let's compare Dead and Gone ( Sookie #10) different book descriptions

Here are the 2 different book descriptions I've seen posted to the Dead in the Family pre-order listings on Amazon. There is no description posted yet for Borders or Banes and Noble.

Amazon US book description

After enduring torture and the loss of loved ones during the brief but deadly Faery War, Sookie Stackhouse is hurt and she's angry. Just about the only bright spot in her life is the love she thinks she feels for vampire Eric Northman. But he's under scrutiny by the new Vampire King because of their relationship. And as the political implications of the Shifters coming out are beginning to be felt, Sookie's connection to the Shreveport pack draws her into the debate. Worst of all, though the door to Faery has been closed, there are still some Fae on the human side-and one of them is angry at Sookie. Very, very angry...

Amazon UK description

If you think your family relationships are complicated, think again: you haven't seen anything like the ones in Bon Temps, Louisiana. Sookie Stackhouse is dealing with a whole host of family problems, ranging from her own kin (a non-human fairy and a telepathic second cousin) demanding a place in her life, to her lover Eric's vampire sire, an ancient being who arrives with Eric's 'brother' in tow at a most inopportune moment. And Sookie's tracking down a distant relation of her ailing neighbour (and ex), Vampire Bill Compton. In addition to the multitude of family issues complicating her life, the werewolf pack of Shreveport has asked Sookie for a special favour, and since Sookie is an obliging young woman, she agrees. But this favour for the wolves has dire results for Sookie, who is still recovering from the trauma of her abduction during the Fairy War.

Pre -order today

Go ask Dallas: When will 'Dead and Gone' be out in paperback ?

Pre-order now from Aphelia via twitter






This title will be released on April 6, 2010.

Dead and Gone sales numbers ... wow!

In the U.S., Penguin CEO David Shanks said the company did better than expected with Charlaine Harris "making up" for most of the huge sales numbers compiled by Tolle last year. Harris' most recent, Dead and Gone, has shipped 540,000 copies of the hardcover to date

Great review of Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris

I know we've all read a lot of reviews of Dead and Gone but I really think this is one to read ...

I have a confession to make: Although I have been a long-term reader of this series, when the books started being released in hardcover first, I lost track of it while waiting for the paperbacks. So when I received a review copy of Dead and Gone, I had to catch up with All Together Dead and From Dead to Worse. Each book brings major changes to Sookie’s world and I find trying to pick up my place in the story without remembering what happened in earlier books disorienting so I wouldn’t recommend reading the books out of order or as stand alones.

This review contains spoilers from earlier books in the series.

Werepanthers and vampires and fairies, oh my!

Dead and Gone is the ninth book in the Sookie Stackhouse (aka True Blood, aka Southern Vampire) series and picks up two and a half months after From Dead to Worse. Sookie is in a relatively strong position, with favours owed by the new King of Louisiana and the local werewolf pack, as well as having her own fairy godmother, not to mention 2 powerful witches as housemates. And then there’s the added advantage of being able to read human minds. The story begins with the Great Reveal—in other words, the Weres are following the vampires’ example and are coming out of the closet to the human world.

The Great Reveal appears to have taken place smoothly and with a minimum of negative reaction (at least in Bon Temps anyway), but soon after, Sookie’s sister-in-law, the pregnant werepanther Crystal, is found in the parking lot of Sookie’s workplace, crucified while partially turned, and her brother Jason is the prime suspect.

read on

Dallas responds to Charlaine's blog comment about DAG

We are having a great discussion in the comment area of the Charline Harris blog post that I posted yesterday. ( read it here )

This was my response to those that have been critical ..

The Sookie books are famous for inaccuracies and I think only 2 or 3 mistakes in 10 year's and 9 books are mistakes of import. I would also note that in subsequent printing the mistakes are being fixed.
In a very detail filled book series filled with hundreds of characters and entire worlds of supe cannon -I'd say that's a pretty good average.

I fault 80 % of these problems to the people who earn (lots) money from the sales of the Charlaine Harris books. (Publishers, agents, proof readers, editors etc) Everyone one who works with her KNOWS that she is not a detailed writer that plans and outlines in advance - THEY should help her fact check the books.

What I fault Charlaine for is NOT hiring ( and asking for ) help, until just the last few months she has run the Charlaine Harris.com empire from her little garage office in Arkansas without even employing an assistant. She has been writing all the books (over 30 from all 3 series) done the marketing and promotion without adequate assistance. I'm sure that mind set come from the YEARS of being a starving author who just has to do it all alone and on a shoe string. (I know you authors are familiar with that) I think it also may be a 'woman thing' to think you can do it yourself and handle everything and you must be weak in some way if you can't do all this and raise a family, make a life with a spouse, take care of elderly parents and be involved with your church and community. CH it seems is sure like a lot of us.

Now, as to the complaints about DAG that CH is addressing here, you know I've talked to lots of fans through this web site and on my radio show (I spoke to 20 reviewers recently on my blogtalk radio show ) and MOST of the complaints weren't about the little detail mistakes THEY were as she said "readers felt they should have had a vote in the plot developments of my book. They were angry with me that the book hadn't followed their own desired blueprint"

When I spoke on the DAG review show THIS IS exactly what I addressed , in my opinion if you are a strong shipper ( you want a permanent Sookie relationship) for one of the Sookie suitors you saw the book completely different than other readers who are not. In my experience, ( and obviously Charlaine's ) talking to folks about the book, most who were complaining were not complaining about the Clancy / Chow mistake or even the death of Claudine they were complaining about the plot and that they felt that all wasn't revealed or presented about their favorite character in the way and in the light in which they wanted it to happen.

Charlaine has not blogged one word in the last month. She had bit her lip, let the dust settle and calmly now written her opinion about the complaints and I say, HURRAH Charlaine!

One more point to folks who are ticked about purchasing books and not getting what they wanted for the money, NO ONE in this country has to purchase a book. Luckily almost everyone everywhere is only a few miles from a public library where books can be checked out for FREE! Check out the next Sookie book from the library first and decide whether you want to add it to your personal library.

This is just my opinion and I cherish Charlaine's opinion and all of yours .
Thanks guys for the GREAT discussion..

Visit Charlaine here http://www.charlaineharris.com/

If this subject intrigues you, I would highly suggest you read this article from the Wall Street Journal article "Lost in Fiction " HERE

**Kate Bee also says "Neil Gaiman had a wonderful post on the issue of readers being upset with authors: http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2009/05/entitlement-issues.html "

Charlaine Harris blog entry for June 5th

this from Charlaine's blog

June 5, 2009

BLOG

After the debut of DEAD AND GONE, the board was swamped with comments, conjectures, and criticisms by my readers. We (my moderators and I) expected this, though I don’t think any of us anticipated the volume of the response the book received, or the odd tone of some of the postings.

Let me tell you two true things, right up front.

1. I know my books are not perfect. I know there are many valid criticisms that can be made about my writing. I will never stop trying to write a better book.
2. I appreciate my readers, and I know that without them I wouldn’t have gotten to the wonderful place I’m enjoying.

Now that you know that, I want to let you know my thoughts on some more true things. The odd tone we noticed in some of the DAG discussion was due to this: a feeling of entitlement on the part of a few readers. It’s as if this handful of readers felt they should have had a vote in the plot developments of my book. They were angry with me that the book hadn’t followed their own desired blueprint. I had to quit reading the discussions on my own website, because I found that attitude incomprehensible and very distressing.

Novels are not written by committee. All the books I’ve read, barring those by the occasional writing duo, have been written by one person sitting in a room alone, working hour after hour in an effort to craft a book which will entertain and engage the reader. My novels are no exception to this rule. I create the characters. I know who they are, and I know who they are not. I understand them better than anyone. I reveal what’s happening to them in the way I’ve determined will tell the story I want to tell. As a result of the way I see the world, none of these characters are perfect, and there’s always the chance bad, even terrible, things will happen to them . . . because that’s the way life happens.

If you know perfect people who never make mistakes in their actions or their relationship decisions, my hat is off to you. If you know people to whom no evil befalls, I can only envy those people. If you know people who have no character weaknesses, well, I wish I could meet such paragons. Until I meet them, the people who inhabit my books will be flawed people who make errors in judgment, and sometimes bad things will happen to those people.

If this “policy” is offensive to you – well, I’m sorry. You may want to follow another writer. But I’m having a great time recording this long journey of Sookie Stackhouse, and I hope you continue with me to its end.

Charlaine Harris

http://www.charlaineharris.com/bb/bb_current.html

Spotlighting author: Charlaine Harris writing tip look in your character's purse !

Page Crutcher does a great interview with Charlaine - she actually asks her some different and interesting questions ! Amazing!

So what is in Sookie purse ?

The week that I spoke with Charlaine Harris her novel, Dead and Gone, reached #3 on the New York Times best seller list. This isn't surprising.
Charlaine uses her pen to draw out worlds full of sexy, comical and real characters that may or may not be of the supernatural variety, 'supes' as her feisty, yet vulnerable, heroine Sookie Stackhouse calls them.
These are the kinds of novels you slink deep down into. Like warm bath water, they keep you drifting, content to stay for as long as you can in their enchanting and often tumultuous universe. She doesn't create characters. She creates friends.
Humble, sassy and honest, Charlaine doesn't shimmer. She sparkles. Speaking with her is insightful, entertaining and motivating. She's living her dream, without blinders on and loving where her path, with all its bends and curves, takes her.
Charlaine will tell you, if you want to be a writer, "it is necessary to read and read and read. The first thing you have to do to be a writer - read widely across all genres." She practices what she preaches..


Read on ..

Dead and Gone: the Sookie / Eric blood bond

We recently looked at all the instances in Book 9 when sookie mentioned her unusual physical, emotional and mental feelings . Here are some mentions of the blood bond.
See what you think..did I miss any ?

The closer I got to the vampire bar, the more my pulse picked up; this was the downside to the blood bond I had with Eric Northman. I knew I was going to see him, and I was simply happy about it.

The wave of delight wasn't necessarily related to Eric's gorgeousness or the fact that we'd bumped pelvises, though. The blood bond was responsible.
Maybe. I had to fight the feeling pg24

At least he didn't try to sugarcoat it by saying, "I thought he might bother you" or "I did it for your own good." No matter how bonded we were-and I was actually struggling against the temptation to smile at him-I felt the hair on the back of my neck rising at Eric managing my life like this.

"This is for your protection, dear heart," he said. He was trying to be serene so that some of that serenity would run through our bond and drown my agitation

It's hard to explain how the bond made me feel. No matter how furious I got with Eric, I was happier when I was with him. It wasn't that I yearned for him uncontrollably when we were separated; it was just that I was aware of him. All the time. I wondered if it was the same for him.pg26

It was the first time I'd come to Fangtasia simply to talk, without having been called there for some vampire reason. Blood bond or something much more natural? "I think . . . I just wanted some company," I said. "No soul-shaking revelations."

"I've done a stupid thing, and I don't know how I feel about it," I said.So I told her the long story, beginning with the incident in Rhodes where I'd exchanged blood with Eric for what turned out to be one too many times. I told her about the weird bond we had as a result.
"So how are you feeling about Eric?" Tara asked.
"I don't know," I said. "There are things I almost love about him, and things about him that scare the hell out of me. And I really . . . you know . . . want him. But he pulls tricks for what he says is my own good. I believe he cares about me. But he cares about himself mostly."
Pg51

"Also, Eric more or less owns a piece of you because of this blood-bond thing. Which he didn't necessarily plan out in advance, to give him
credit."52

"Will this change the blood bond?" I asked. I was careful not to sound like I was accusing him of something. But of course, I was."Felipe wanted you.
The stronger our bond, the less chance there is he can maneuver you away."I flinched. "I can't do that."
"You won't need to," Eric said, his voice flowing over me like a feather quilt. "We are pledged with the knife. We are bonded. He can't take you from me."

"I don't know if the-comfort-I feel with you is the blood exchange or a feeling I would've had naturally," I said, pg 81

If I'd let Andre share blood that night, I'd be free now, since he's dead. I still couldn't decide how I felt about that-probably three different ways.

"The blood exchange has worked both ways," he said. "I've had the blood of many women. I've had almost utter control over them. But they never drank mine. It's been decades, maybe centuries since I gave any woman my blood.
Maybe not since I turned Pam."

Night would fall soon. Since Eric and I had bonded, I'd found myself thinking of him every day as the sky grew dark. Now that we'd slept together, my thoughts had turned into cravings. I tried to stuff him in the back of my mind on the drive to the bar, but he persisted in popping to the fore.

I didn't feel happy or content, so I knew that even the bond was exhausted, at least temporarily. Pg129

Dead and Gone #1 :The New York Times Bestseller List

The New York Times Bestseller List

May 17th, 2009

Hardcover Fiction

1. DEAD AND GONE, by Charlaine Harris. Sookie Stackhouse searches for the killer of a werepanther.
2. THE 8TH CONFESSION, by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. Detective Lindsay Boxer and the Women’’s Murder Club investigate a pair of killings.
3. PYGMY, by Chuck Palahniuk. Terrorists from a totalitarian country enter the Midwest disguised as exchange students in this satire.
4. FIRST FAMILY, by David Baldacci. Former Secret Service agents, now P.I.’s, search for a child abducted from a party at Camp David.
5. TEA TIME FOR THE TRADITIONALLY BUILT, by Alexander McCall Smith. The 10th novel in the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series.

Dead and Gone Review from our friend the SciFi Guy !

Yeah, Doug ( the ScifiGuy)
You all met him recently on my radio show, what a smart, interesting thoughtful guy!

Dead and Gone is the ninth Sookie Stackhouse mystery and by far the darkest story yet. As the series has matured Sookie has become more immersed in the supe world and in fact gravitated to the centre of it in her community of Bon Temps, Louisiana. On her journey, Sookie has grown from a young woman with limited life experience and innocence tempered by her telepathic awareness of human nature, to a resistant member of the harsher supernatural community, a victim of emotional and physical violence, but also transformed and strengthened by it. But not without a personal cost as reflected in this dialogue between Jason and Sookie midway through the book over his betrayal of Sookie and Calvin about Crystal’s infidelity –

Read on at

http://www.scifiguy.ca/2009/05/review-dead-and-gone-by-charlaine.html

Sookie Stackhouse proves she's not Dead and Gone

I hope you are still reading Dead and Gone reviews there a quite a few this weekend
From Houston Chronicle

For Sookie Stackhouse fans, it’s been a long year. Sure, September brought our Southern-fried heroine to the small screen in HBO’s True Blood. But even with the unexpected twists of the show, that plot was a little 2001 for anybody who’s been devouring Charlaine Harris’ book series since its inception.

A year after the last installment of the Southern Vampire Series, book number nine, Dead and Gone, hit bookstores this month. June 14, HBO turns on season two of True Blood with a set of characters that may turn out to be even more of a departure from Harris’s creation.

Luckily, Dead and Gone deposits book readers in familiar territory.

The plot takes up where we left our telepathic barmaid: In a world of supernatural creatures that mingle among the regular Wal-Mart shoppers of Bon Temps, the north Louisiana town where Sookie lives.

The witches are still camped out in Sookie’s house, the fairies remain mysterious, and the hunky vampires can’t seem to keep their fangs off her.

As Dead and Gone opens, werewolves have decided to follow the vampires’ lead and announce their presence to the human world. Alternative lifestyles, it seems, cannot bear to stay underground when there are supernatural reality TV shows to develop.

“Coming out” creates some trouble in Bon Temps, and the regular world seems interested in Sookie’s special talents. All this free-to-be-you-and-me attitude leaves only the fairies to wreak havoc under the radar.

Sookie must uncover the threats, beat back the danger and find love, perhaps in all the wrong places.

Of course, that is why we come back to the series year after year: To root for Sookie. She’s the oddball who lurks in us all.

To the regular world she is chubby, weird and underemployed. In Harris’ fantasy world, Sookie is an irresistible princess. And as Sookie and every modern princess with a head on her shoulders knows, only she can get the job done right, friends and family disappoint as often as they deliver, and sometimes the prince turns out to be a frog.

Or a vampire.

Tara Dooley is a pop culture writer at the Chronicle.

Read on

Akron Beacon Journal HERE

How does Sookie feel in Dead and Gone?

One of the first things I think we should look at in the book are the many, many times in 'Dead and Gone' we are told by Sookie that she doesn't feel well, feel like herself or feels out of control.

We know the book is told in the first person narrative and it's being told to us by someone who by her own admission isn't feeling "right"

What ones have missed and what does this mean ?

It took me a moment to pull myself back into my own skin. My life was too weird. I had that out-of-control feeling again, as if I were spinning too fast to stop. pg 46

It was like holding hands with a statue, a very beautiful statue. Again, I felt oddly peaceful for a few minutes. Pg 48

I was mad at almost everybody when I drove home that night. Every now and then, I had spells like that; maybe everyone does. It's hormonal or cyclical in some other way. Or maybe it's just the chance alignment of the stars. I was angry with Jason because I'd been angry with him for months. I was angry with Sam in a kind of hurt way. I was pissed at the FBI agents because they were here to put pressure on me-though in truth they hadn't done that yet. I was outraged at Eric's stunt with the knife and his high-handed banishment of Quinn, though I had to admit Eric had spoken the truth when he said I'd given Quinn the heave-ho first. That didn't mean I never wanted to see him again. (Or did it?) It sure didn't mean that Eric could dictate to me who I saw and who I didn't. And maybe I was angry with myself, because when I'd had the chance to confront Eric about all kinds of stuff, I'd gone all goopy and listened to his reminiscences pg 61

I had a weird, out-of-body feeling. Pg 74

Yet here he was, and his big warm hands were resting on my shoulders. Any pleasure I might have felt at seeing him again was drowned by the wave of anxiety that swept over me. I felt trouble in the air."You shouldn't be here," I said. "Eric turned down your request; he told me so.""No, but that's not the point," I said. I felt rage on the wind. It wasn't my rage.
"I think it is."pg 76

It was almost impossible for me to feel anxious, I noticed in a distant kind of way. And yet surely I ought to be upset and angry? pg 78

If I was getting harder, it was in response to the world around me. Jason pg 85

I was still feeling the ebbing power of the huge wave of guilt that had washed over me. I should have been upset that the Fellowship guy was dead, I suppose. But I wasn't. pg 93

I climbed into my car, feeling absolutely numb I felt cold to the bone and wished for the first time that Sam had thought about stocking a Merlotte's sweatshirt. My reflection in the bathroom mirror was awful: I was white as a vampire, I had big circles under my eyes, and I guessed I looked exactly like someone who'd seen a lot of people bleeding that day.pg 93

I had to stand still for a minute because the room seemed to be a little lopsided. After a second or two, I felt steadier. I wondered if I could make it through the evening.pg 95

I had another moment of sickening dizziness, but it passed quickly, as it had before. Sam didn't even notice. He was lost in gloomy reflection, at least as far as I could read his twisty shapeshifter mind.pg 96

Feeling oddly numb, pg 109

Maybe, since I'd had Eric's blood, I was feeling the heat of his battle rage.pg 134

And finally..

He bent and kissed my cheek. There was power in his touch, and I suddenly felt better. Before Jason could gather himself to object, Niall kissed his forehead, and Jason’s tense muscles relaxed. pg 139 ( last paragraph)

A little mistake here and there : Dead and Gone

Some mistakes and errors spotted in Dead and Gone

Claudette is mentioned as the third triplet of Sookie's cousin fairies, but in previous books and short stories Claude and Claudine's sister's name was Claudia not Claudette.

The Witch Hallow's messenger is killed by who ?
The witch messenger in Book 4 is killed and that activates Hallows spell which removes Eric’s memory, but who kills the messenger?

Hallows messenger is killed by Chow in book 4, Dead to the World

"You two did something, didn't you? You messed up. What did you do?" Both Eric's arms wrapped around my legs, so I was pinned in place. I suppressed a little ripple of panic. He was just insecure. "Chow lost his temper with the witch," Pam said, after a significant pause. I closed my eyes. Even Jason seemed to grasp what Pam was saying, because his eyes got bigger. Eric turned his face to rub his cheek along my thigh. I wondered what he was making of this."And the minute she was attacked, Eric vanished?" I asked. Pam nodded."So she was booby-trapped with a spell." "Apparently," Chow said. "Though I had never heard of such a thing, and I can't be held responsible."His glare dared me to say anything.


Eric tells Sookie about the spell in book 9, Dead and Gone

“The curse contained within the witch, the curse that activated when Clancy killed her . . . it was that I would be close to my heart’s desire without ever realizing it. A terrible curse and one that Hallow must have constructed with great subtlety. We found it dog-eared in her spell book.”

others ?

Go ask Dallas : Why is Dead and Gone such a short Book ?

Dear Dallas

Dead and Gone is such a short book, it's almost a novella in length ? What gives ?

Thanks, A

Thanks 'A' for the question: actually Dead and Gone is NOT the shortest of the Sookie Stackhouse books, Club Dead is, and DaG is about the same length as the other books in the series.

As to the novella question: The book has 80,069 words in it and the common definition of a novella is a written, fictional, prose narrative longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel. While there is disagreement as to what length defines a novella, the novella generally has a word count between 17,500 and 40,000 so it's much longer than a novella.

Here is a run down on pages lengths (these are hardback lengths were available)

1. Dead Until Dark 320 pgs
2. Living Dead in Dallas 304 pgs
3. Club Dead 258 pgs (only out in paperback)
4. Dead to the World 304 pgs
5. Dead as a Doornail 295 pgs
6. Definitely Dead 324 pgs
7. All Together Dead 336 pgs
8. From Dead to Worse 368 pgs
9. Dead and Gone 320 pg

Dead and Gone Time Line

OK, here is what I have for the basic outline for 'Dead and Gone'
Let me know what else should be on this as far a big events.

It looks as if the book action takes place over 8 day period, I originally thought it was even less time. What did I miss ?


Dead and Gone Time Line

Day 1
Afternoon Sookie, Amelia and Octavia at home watching TV
Sookie goes to work at Merlotte's
The night of the weres reveal
Sam gets call about his mother being shot, put's Sookie in charge and Sam leaves for Texas.

Day 2
Sookie goes into work very early and works 2 shifts
Chapter2
Bobby Burnham brings wrapped item to Sookie
She goes to Fangtasia 7 pm
Chapter 3
Ritual marriage with Eric
Leaves Fangtasia and goes home and sleeps

Day 3
FBI agents ( Weiss and Lattesta) come to her house to question her about Rhodes
Chapter 4
She gets call about Crystal
Goes to Merlotte's
Calvin comes to Merlotte's
Andy says the bar has to stayed closed
Chapter 6
She goes to Fangtasia and talks to Eric

Day 4
Chapter 7
Sam returns from Texas
Sookie goes to Tara's
Sookie works at Merlotte's
Niall comes
Chapter 8
Octavia's friend comes and she leaves
Sookie and Amelia visit

Day 5
Andy and Lattesta come to Sookie's house
Diantha
Chapter 8
Visits at mall with Claude and Claudine
Kills Fairy Murray
Quinn comes -fights Bill
Spends night with Eric

Day 6
Jason comes
Chapter 11
She goes to Arlene's
Works later that night

Day 7
Breakfast Amelia
Remy calls
Wal-Mart to buy squirt guns
Calls Eric
Works Merlotte's
Chapter 13
Bubba/Tray

Day 8
Tray poisoned
Fintan
Jason comes with Mel
Sookie works
Mel confesses
Calls Bill from Tray's
Sookie is kidnapped
Tortured
Rescued

Day 9
In hospital
Claudine knitting
Sees Bill
Chapter 18
Battles, deaths (Tray and Claudine)

Day 10 ( 2 days later)
Niall comes to visit Sookie and Jason
Chapter 18

True Blood in Dallas Blogtalk Radio: Dead and Gone, what do you think ( episode 22)

Tonight we talk 'Dead and Gone'. The 9th installment in the Sookie Stackhouse mystery series hit the book shelves last Tuesday morning and we've all had time to read it now ..

I asked for reviews from blog readers and received 20 of them and I asked everyone to call in to the show and talk about the book ...this is a FANTASTIC show !

It's funny , smart and really interesting ...

Many have posted their reviews in the comment section below
Congrats to Laura and Stacy winner of our bookplates.

Dead and Gone Review : Back With Sookie...and Life is Good

Great review from taminator on her blog...I hope I've brought you some diverse voices..

I get kinda pissed at people who review on Amazon sometimes. You'd think they'd been personally offended just because an author *did not do* precisely what they felt should have been done in the next installment of a series. I swear in some of the reviews they nitpick a novel to death so much I just want to scream!

Authors simply cannot make everyone happy by a)including every character ever introduced, b) making their characters do something because of what was done in the past, and c) make the book longer/shorter/less sexy/more sexy/, etc., etc., etc. I think some people simply delight in finding issues with a book and then blasting them; this seems to happen most frequently with books in a series.

I personally loved Dead and Gone, the 9th Sookie Stackhouse book. I raced through it, even with a sick child and work, kicking myself frequently because now I'll have to wait a year for the next one. After I'd closed the book and moseyed on over to Amazon to begin my own review, I was simply amazed at the recent reviews that gave one, two, or three stars. You'd not believe some of the problems some reviewers had; I don't have a problem with a negative review when it's based on something solid, but when it's just a rant because the author didn't include character A or had character B do something the reader didn't like, it becomes about the reviewer wanting to direct the author's words and ideas.

Read on HERE

Dead and Gone review from Janet at 'Dear Author'

A great review from Janet at 'Dear Author'

Dear Ms. Harris:

There is a point in your newest Sookie Stackhouse release, Dead and Gone, where Diantha, demon niece of supe lawyer Mr. Cataliades, warns Sookie of war brewing among the fairies. This spells danger for Sookie because of her connection to the fairy prince Niall, and like the weres in the last book, fairies are not united under one leader. When Sookie asks Diantha why Mr. Cataliades would potentially endanger himself to warn her, Diantha explains “Didyerbest,” which Sookie understands refers back to the horrific explosion at the Pyramid of Gizeh hotel a couple of books ago. Sookie and Barry the bellhop had searched for survivors among the rubble, even though they knew they risked being discovered as telepaths by law enforcement looking for an edge in crime solving. Together, they found many humans and vampires who otherwise would have perished.

This sentiment - doing one’s best - appears several times in the book, and it has become a hallmark theme for Sookie; she continues to do her best in increasingly difficult and dangerous situations. And she continues to find herself more entwined in the supernatural world, and more vulnerable to its persistent cycles of violence, understanding more clearly that one’s best isn’t always good enough to prevent chaos and collateral damage. Previously, Sookie has been the victim of conflicts among others, and this book is no different, except for the fact that the circle of danger is widening out from her, too.

Read on

Enjoy the comments as well ...

Dead and Gone acknowledgment

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

There are lots of people who’ve helped me along the way, and that help has put me where I am today. I want to give thanks to just a few. The current moderators of my website (Katie, Michele, MariCarmen, Victoria, and Kerri) make my life so much easier, and the moderators emeriti (Beverly and Debi) deserve a tip of the hat, too. The readers who visit www.charlaineharris.com to offer their comments, theories, and pats on the back are always a source of encouragement.
Backed by a cast of thousands—okay, four—Toni Kelner and Dana Cameron are a constant source of support, encouragement, commiseration, and enthusiasm. I wouldn’t know what to do without them.