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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.
Monday, May 11, 2009
True Blood in Dallas Blogtalk Radio: Dead and Gone, what do you think ( episode 22)
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Dead and Gone, the much anticipated installment of the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris, leaves readers at a loss for words.
In this last installment, the beloved heroine Sookie Stackhouse finds herself surrounded by conflict, betrayal, death and war, while readers get lost in a series of unexplained plots, characters without depth, and a story that has "sequel" written all over it.
The great Were Revelation brings our furry friends to the forefront of the social scene but don't be fooled, Eric, Pam, and Bill continue to be the cool kids in the block.
Sookie learns that she is wedded to the sheriff of Area 5 and finally gives her viking - and us readers - the passionate sex that heated up the pages of book 4.
Quinn is back, oops, sorry, he is not back.
With gruesome death of a were-panther, which is left at Merlotte's parking lot, one would think that hell has come to take control of Bon Temps, but the story is not quite simple and there are other forces that want to mess up with the humans in Louisiana.
While the fae war is at the core of the story and intends to give readers a better understanding of Sookie's heritage and Niall's world, it does not bring closure or depth to the leading female. Instead, it shows Sookie as a shallow character whose only emotions are driven by tantrums and irrational behaviors, more characteristic of a teenager than a woman who is supposed to be exceptionally strong.
Although, Mrs. Harris has indicated numerous times that Sookie will never be turned vampire, her lack of emotion when faced with the death of her friends and family, make one wonder if her heart is turning cold from all the vampire blood she has ingested.
As a follower of her work, I trust that Charlaine Harris will eventually deliver the goods, but in this book I felt disappointed by the lack of closure and definition that leaves me hanging on to the story until the next book comes up in 2010.
I have to say this book was quite a disappointment. With all the hype, and the spoilers that had been leaked, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. DEAD AND GONE was an excruciatingly slow read. I love Charlaine Harris' work and have read the sookie collection over ten times, but for the second book in a row, I was displeased with her writing. I had to force myself to sit down and read it. I kept wanting to get up and do other things, which isn't normal when I'm reading Charlaine Harris.
Nothing new comes from any of Sookie's love interests everything relationship wise, we've seen in the previous books. Sookie's Grandpa comes out of the wood works long enough to wreak havoc on her life, and then disappear again. There were many characters this time around that didn't need to be included in the book. There was no real character development, it was a lot of telling not showing. Basically I felt like the entire book was filler pages.
When your sitting in a theater watching a really great play, the worst thing to happen would be the star performing their monologue while someone is in the background moving around. It's distracting and you lose focus on what the star was saying. This is how DEAD AND GONE made me feel. I was watching a really great play, but couldn't focus because there was so much going on in the background.
I'm beginning to feel like Charlaine Harris doesn't know where to take the characters anymore. When I read DEAD UNTIL DARK, I was enraptured by the imagination it took to create that world. I know from experience, being a writer myself, more often than not, the characters tell the author the story and the author puts it to paper. Sookie must no longer be speaking to Charlaine. This being book nine, Im reminded of Laurell K. Hamilton. Her Anita Blake series began to fall short with a mess of sexual escapades and devastating battles around book eight as well. Is Mrs. Harris on her way to writing herself out of a series? I surely hope not. I look forward to book ten, and hopefully the resurrection of the author who inspired me to write in the first place.
Dead and Gone doesn’t disappoint. It manages to hit on loads of characters, at least briefly, and while this is satisfying, it also leaves you with half a dozen questions. This book was definitely darker than the last (that torture scene!) but going by the character’s origins, this is sort of overdue. D & G moves quickly with quite a bit of action and is similar to From Dead to Worse in that it covers a lot of events, not necessarily one extended narrative. I loved the relationship building scenes with Eric, the interaction with Sam leaves you waiting for someone to speak up already (!), the brushes with Niall and Bill…Everyone is well accounted for. It was sad to lose some supporting cast, but sort of inevitable after so many brushes in previous books. My only….I won’t say complaint, but dissatisfaction, is that so many characters seem put out with Sookie. Tara chides her as an idiot, Sam does the same, Octavia bolts early on with little explanation, Tray doesn’t really want to protect her….I love Sookie and I guess I want everyone else to love her too, no matter how impractical that is. All in all, I loved the book and since my countdown to May is finally over, I can restart it for October.
I absolutely loved this book. This installment takes Sookie farther into the dark places in the supe world and as she says over and over at the end, she will never be the same (just like all of us that have read, and loved this book).
Many of the negative comments I've read center around the lack of resolution between the Eric/Sookie storyline. While I agree it is not resolved, their storyline had a sweet richness about it that was thought provoking to me.
Whether Sookie has realized it or not, she has become closer than ever to Eric, and not just from the blood bond, but from their sharing of their lives. When Eric tells Sookie of his early days, it is clear yet again that once he has made a mistake, he will not repeat it. I believe that is why he was not the one to rescue Sookie from the fairies -- he had to do the "best" thing to do for her rescue by enlisting Bill and Niall. While it was not the most romantic -- it was the most pragmatic. That's Eric.
Another aspect to their relationship was revealed during the conversation at Fangtasia, when she said she wanted to be her own person (or something to that effect, since I don't have the book in front of me, I can't quote directly) and he replied that she said something complex. I believe he really understood -- and chose to respect her desire for having her own life in the final chapters. In telling her how proud he was of her and preparing her for the final battle with the faires, he paid her the highest compliment and I hope she will come to realize that. There was much love and respect in that exchange.
As for Bill, Sookie will always hold a special place in her heart for him for obvious reasons, but I see him as being less concerned about her personal growth and more interested in just protecting her, rather than having her stand beside him as an equal. Bill has even recognized this when he refers to his "service" to her. This is in contrast to Eric, who I believe values the part of Sookie that is strong and can stand beside him in battle.
As for the Quinn, Jason/Crystal , Mel, plot lines, they provided the additional framework for the darkness of this book and they fit into the story.
Anyway, loved the book. It ranks as one of my favorites. There is a depth to this book that I don't recall in the others.
I just finished up D&G. I have to admit, it wasn’t my favorite book from her Sookie Stackhouse series, but I did still love it! Here’s my review…my apologies that I’m a bit “long winded” about the book! (Or is it long fingered, since I’m typing? hehehe)
I felt as though Ms. Harris was almost setting up future book(s) in which Sookie must make a choice between our two beloved vamps, Bill & Eric. Niall’s statement at the end of book nine leaves interpretation WIDE open. Bill lovers can go back into the book and point out parts where they feel Niall was referring to Bill, others (like myself) can do the same regarding Eric. While that leads us readers a bit frustrated, it is also exactly why we keep coming back for more. Personally, I saw the exchanges (in and out of the bedroom, wink, wink!) between Eric and Sookie to be tender, if that’s a word you would use to describe vampires? Eric “opening up” a bit about his past, to me, was HUGE! We are talking about the Sherriff of Area 5 and one of the most ruthless vampires out there. I think that says a lot about how he truly feels about Sookie. I feel that Eric really does love her, but that those feeling scare Eric and they may not be what he expected.
I was saddened by the deaths of Tray and Claudine. I would have loved to read more about how Claudine died and what her death means to the Fae as a race. Niall speaks of “closing the doorway” between the world of humans and Fae. While I would love to have more interactions between Sookie and her great grandfather, I can understand why Ms Harris would want to start “trimming the fat”, so to speak.
I felt a bit sad reading this book. I feel like I can sense that Ms. Harris may be drawing the Stackhouse Series to an end. Knowing from Ms. Harris’s previous statements, Sookie will not be changed to a vampire, the comment made by Pam (“As you live on in Sookie”- made to Eric and Maxwell in the van)honestly filled me with a sense of dread that perhaps our dear Ms. Harris will be heading our Viking Vampire into a serious, and possibly fatal, outcome.
Dermot (I believe was his name, the Fae that resembles Jason) still on the loose, sways me toward believing that he will play a vital role in book ten. I also believe that Jason will meet his end in book 10. I get a sense that Ms. Harris, through her continuously writing in book 9 how Sookie was “alone” or “had little family”, is going to have Sookie make a choice between her vampires and her human world (biting my nails at the prospect of such a choice, BTW!)
Arlene’s arrest also leaves open the prospect of the FotS playing a major role in book 10. Will the Fellowship come to Arlene’s aid? Arlene could be a “poster child” of sorts for the FotS, lending them to gather more followers. Perhaps including the other Supes that are now revealed?
Many unanswered questions and many more threads to be woven. How will Sookie help little Hunter? What vampire will Sookie choose? Will Dermot have his revenge? I hope Ms. Harris can answer these questions in the next book!
I read the book on Monday (yup…grocery store made a booboo and I got it a day early!) and then I read it again over last night. It was a quicker read than some of Ms. Harris’s other books, but it kept me turning the pages! She is a master at her craft and I eagerly anticipate book 10!
Thanks-
Lisa Morgan (i♥vikingvamps)
Here are my thoughts on Dead and Gone:
I think the Vikin's goin' through his mid-undeadlife crisis. I mean, he's drivin' around in a Corvette. He's married to a really young, hot trophy wife. And his job's on the rocks.
Need I say more?
The Weres may have "come out" but this latest Great Revelation does little to affect Sookie Stackhouse. There are other matters at hand and the Weres are the least of her worries. Besides the FBI arriving in town to question her about her "services" in Rhodes and her sister-in-law (and werepather) Crystal being crucified outside Merlotte's as well as discovering that she is officially "pledged" to vampire Sheriff, Eric, Sookie receives several cryptic warnings from her great grandfather, her fairy cousins and from the demon, Diantha. It seems there is war brewing among the fae and Sookie is a target. As if this is not all enough to make a charming Southern girl worry, Sookie must also dodge yet another attempt on her life from the FotS, aided by her former friend and coworker, Arlene. What's a girl to do?
Dead and Gone moves and glides at a rocket's pace. Sookie's days have never been so eventful! It seems danger loves this simple barmaid and it's coming out to get her as never before. While several plots are interwoven into the story I never once felt whiplash from the constant swerves of attention from this thing to that. This is simply Sookie's life now and we are in it for the ride. And as the story closes, it is clear she will never be the same.
While the overall tone of the book has a certain darkness and doom to it, Charlaine Harris's wicked humor and lightness still shine though. Sookie has several moments of introspection in the novel as she tries to sort out her heart, her mind and even her soul. She fears she is losing herself and is a "bad Christian." And really, who could blame her? She is forced, once again, to take yet another life and though it's only for self-preservation and protection, it doesn't make the deed any easier. She witnesses and hears about many other deaths too; some of people/supes she truly cared about and certainly, a part of her feels responsible for some of those deaths.
I can't help feeling that there is an underlying futility in the expectation that Sookie will ever find true happiness. Her existence is so interwoven into the Supe world at this point that there seems there is no way for her to claw her way out (no pun intended.) The possibility remains, of course, but as Dead and Gone's final words fall off the page, the reader is left almost as battered as Sookie herself: exhausted, depleted, confused and yes, even perhaps hopeful as well.
My only complaint about book 9 was that it is the usual "novella" length Charlaine Harris book. I wished she wrote longer books!
The fairy-folk play an important part in this story-line, if you loved Claudine, better wear black! Eric tricks Sookie into a Vampire ritual wedding "for her own good",Quinn gets told by Eric he isn't welcome in Area 5, he visits Sookie anyway and gets his ass kicked by Bill. Bill nearly dies protecting Sookie from the fairies making her wonder which vamp her great-grandfather meant when he tells her "That vampire isn't a bad guy, he really loves you."
There is much, much more to this story, but I don't want to ruin it for everyone
Thanks!
Becky
Dallas!
Finished the book about 15 hrs.And it was dark,and intense this is my 2nd.
best book.It had so much action and emotion,i cried and about had a panic
attack at the end of the book.I like Bill and Eric.I have been reading the
spoiler thread,and people keep wondering about Bill GGF .Look at page 98
Eric tells Sookie that he and Bill are the only ones who have that knowledge
now.It has to stay that way.Can't wait for the next book.Ms. Harris the books
are so real keep up the good work.
I was kinda of hoping that Eric´s past would mean something more on this book, but it was just mentioned, by all the talk I read (I really hate spoilers so I only had the minimum info I couldn´t get away from fast enough) I just thought that it would make a difference. And I would like to know more...I was hoping for more. But it´s okay, the book is worth reading just to see Eric and Sookie together again. There was a time there that I even liked Bill a littlle bit more, and I noticed that he has a more participative role in this book, unlike that last ones that he sort of faded with the background.
I could guess somethings about the book, like Crystal´s killers (c´mon crystal clear that were the fairies the first time Niall mentioned that there was a fae issue), after all fairy blood would be in Jason´s baby too, and after I think the get together with Claudine and Claude I suspected that Sookies´s parents were murdered by the water fairies. Kinda obvious, but I come to love that about CH´s books, because even though I almost knew for sure that those were the cases, the journey to confirm is just great!
CH does not have any problems with killing loved characters! I hated that Claudine and Tray are gone!!!! Clancy was long due, but I really like those two! But I guess that if they weren´t killed it wouldn´t be a war after all.
I absolutely LOVED Arlene´s arrest!!! She was the most annoying character!!!! I just wated to hit her in the face! So that was a real treat!
As usual Sookie is (very bad word comes to mind) in a bad place! The torture part was just horrible!
I also assumed that we would know more about Hunter on this book
Summoning it all up I think is a really good book and fitting with the whole series. The only thing that I didn´t like was the end! It´s like CH wrote a really big book that was divided in two, Dead and Gone and Sookie 10. I think the end could have been a littlle bit more final, because we don´t know for sure that the portal from the fae world will be closed or not.
Please don't hate me, but
The writing was very mechanical. It read like a draft, not a finished manuscript. It was like she got all the action and plot down, but ran out of time to do character development and emotional scenes, so she just sent it to the publisher as is.
I felt almost nothing. She illicited almost no emotional reaction from me. Not even the sex scene did much for me. It was a far, far cry from the shower scene in Dead to the World.
Characters died and I didn't feel a thing. She treated characters she'd been developing like throw-aways she could just get rid of because she didn't want the hassle of dealing with them anymore.
I also found a huge mistake. It wasn't Clancy who killed Hallow's messenger it was CHOW. How could CH forget that? It is a big thing, just like her having Eric "remember" the shotgun was in the front hall closet when it was behind the water heater in the kitchen in Dead to the World.
Sloppy. Sloppy. Sloppy.
I also think she killed Bill in the first version and re-wrote it to have him live when she realized how overwhelmingly popular Bill is in the series.
All in all, it had the potential to be so much more if she'd just worked it a bit longer and added some char development. :/
And that's what I think.
Since I read Dead & Gone in one sitting last night (stayed up WAY too late to finish it), I am in a bit of a tailspin. I absolutely LOVED it but that constant reminder that I have another LONG wait to see what happens next makes nerves shiver. I did a lot of peeking before reading the book and knew a good portion of the BIG happenings. Even with knowing that, every page surprised me. Some with shock. Some with laughter. Some even with tears. The reason these books wrap me up is simply how great the characters are written. CH writes characters that you either fall head over heals in love with, or dislike with such hatred it should be a sin (probably is). I even found some characters I was convinced I would just hate, making me sort of like them. Each character seemed to change in this book. The ugliness or beauty of the situations they found themselves in seemed to alter each a touch in my opinion. Verdict still out on if that is a good thing or not. I am still holding reservations on how I feel about that, but when it is said and done, it makes want to know more about them. Join the team of those that are great, and rally against those that are horrible. The main focus group (of course, Sookie, Bill and Eric) have such great and sad moments in this book. I seriously found myself either on the verge of tears in some sections, or laughing so hard I sounded like a baboon. What more can you ask for? I do think a few of the characters that I have come to love were not too "shined" upon, but with so much happening every turn of the page, what could I expect really? I finished the book well after midnight last night, and went to sleep felling like I myself had gotten the crap beat out of me. Sort of an emotional tailspin. But with saying that, on the upside, I also (strangely) had a great feeling of hope. Again, CH is amazing with that ability and Dead & Gone is such proof of that.
So now I sit and wait, anxious for that day that Chapter 1 of book 10 is up. Wondering how these beautifully flawed characters will decide which direction to turn. If they are able to overcome the horrific elements they just lived through, or if they crumble? Who will be lurking in the shadows of the next book. But I also just can't wait for some additional resolve. Although questions were answered (some bluntly and some kinda in a round about way), it seemed even more questions presented themselves. Frustrates the heck out of me, but then again, that is why I keep coming back for more. Cliff hangers are a genius creation.
Having read Dead and Gone a couple of times now I really like it. A lot of it is what I expected and hoped for. Some of it did not go as far as I would have liked. But all in all the book really furthered the story and characters. It is kind of like it built the foundation for the next chapter in Sookie's life.
It did feel like Charlaine tried to pack a bit too much into such a short time, but it is her world I just read about it. There was an awful lot going on and at times it was a bit much to keep track of everything that was happening. All of this would have driven a lesser woman to drink, but Sookie defiantly has some strength and she needed it in this book.
I enjoyed Sookie’s maturity in this book. Our girl has come a long way. She had a lot on her plate and handled it with a grace that not many of us would have. I liked the fact that she is taking things slow with Eric. I want her to be sure about her feelings and what she wants from him. She has jumped too quickly in the past. I like the fact that she really sees who Bill is again. I look forward to seeing how she deals with all of the changes that have happened as a result of the events in this book.
I loved seeing Eric more emotionally there for her. Their conversations have always been one of my favorite aspects of their relationship and it was good to see that again. When she went to the bar just to talk and not about the big issues was great. The fact that he picked up on that is what she needed was perfect. I love that he tells her the truth. I have always believed that to be the case. He may not tell her the details (and the devil can be in those details) but it is always the truth. It was good to confirm that he is putting himself on the line to protect her and keep her where she wants to be. If Andre would have avenged Eric out maneuvering him imagine what the king will do to him. And I saw Eric so something selfless. He didn’t have to bring Sookie to talk to Bill in the hospital; there was no advantage for him in doing so. Actually it probably worked against him and he knew it would, but he did it anyway. He did that for Sookie.
I knew Bill would redeem himself in this book and would be back in the running for Sookie’s love by the end of it. Charlaine has been building up to this for a while now. Sookie finding him after the bombing, all of the sweet things he did in book 8, it was all building to Bill’s redemption. I am hoping this means we will get a more of Bill in the next books. I like it when both of my vampires are in the books. I don’t want one at the expense of the other. It was good to see Bill as the hero. Eric has been coming to her rescue for so long it was good to see Bill get his turn.
I think that there is something up with Sam. Though Sookie keeps saying she doesn’t see him as a suitor all of her other suitors do. Quinn mentions him, Eric mentions him, I think that there is more there than she realizes. Everyone sees that but her. And not for the first time before she thought she was about to die she wanted to talk to Sam.
So to kind of sum it up I really liked the book. I think that it really further the story and will be a good start to the next chapter of Sookie’s life. And to those disappointed in the book and what was dealt with and what was left to quote one of my favorite bands:
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes you might find
You get what you need
My Review of Dead and Gone
It was one the faster moving Sookie Stackhouse Books. It was a book that kept you at a good pace where it did not solely revolve around the Vampires in Sookie’s world. Yes it did not include some of our more favorite characters but that cannot always happen with an ongoing story line (there is always the next book; we will just have to wait and see). DNG dealt more with Sookie and Eric and their ongoing struggle to find out if they belong with one another; as Eric stated the spell that was cast by Hallow in a previous book led him to his heart’s desire, which we all know is the Sook. Eric has never came out and said that he is in love with Sookie (well yeah he said it while he had amnesia)but now that he remembers their time together he is all about keeping her safer than she ever was and if that means being devious then he is all for it. We know that Bill will always be there, love her, protect her and we all know he was her Soul Mate, but just like in the real world things never go the way any of us plan it and this is true about the love between Sookie and Bill. Sookie may soften one day to Bill but it always takes time to heal a wounded heart. AS Sookie states in one of her lonelier evenings she contemplating her love life; she has 5 main men (all supes) in her life and she is torn between all of them, they each bring a different part of the perfect mate for Sookie to the table and she just does not know how to sort them all out. Love is never easy and she states in Chapter 4 that all her thoughts while trying to go to sleep lead to the Sookie Stackhouse’s All Male Revue; I myself would not mind any of the males in her revue. In DNG we also find out about Sookie’s unknown clan and how the knowledge of this can hurt her but she is as determined as ever to bring her new kin into her life; even if that life is put on the line and put to the test. Isn’t this what our heroine always does when it comes to her extended family and friends ; Bill, Quinn, Eric, Alcide, Sophie-Ann, Jason, etc. Once again we find out more about the supernatural world and that there are always clashes between factions; just as in the real world. This leaves us waiting for the end result in the next Sookie Stackhouse book, which i am ok with because it gives me something to look foward too. I will miss two of the main character that we lost in DNG because they were doing what they do best: Protect our Sookie. I was glad to see that Bubba is back and he too is a major positive factor in Sookie's life.
And that Sookie is starting to soften again to her brother Jason but I think like any relationship that is going to take time to repair and heal; she will never again truly trust him he has hurt her too much.
I look forward to the next book and i will re-read this once again to see if i missed anything.
kristie
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