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A disappointing outing for Sookie fans, and what is with the continuity errors? May 8, 2009 (503 of 560 found this helpful)
Charlaine Harris's Southern Vampire Mysteries was such a fun and creatively written series for a while. But the humor and wit that characterized the first four or five books seems to have completely run out by this ninth book, leaving with the reader a disconnected palette of characters, and a hectic pace in which the author seems to have been determined to get in every minor character at the expense of any clarity or reflection by the major characters.
The characters, including Sookie herself, seem to be in a fog in this book, and to be speaking out of character. Even big scary vampire Eric, always one of the most fun to read, just seems off. (Spoiler: he is willing to discuss his painful personal history out in the open in a public place, his bar???) Tossed off personal revelations are never absorbed by the characters and never revisited. The pace of the book is such that it is actually counterproductive in terms of feeling any empathy for the central characters.
Readers should be forewarned about the tremendous violence in the book. (Spoiler: Are the multiple deaths of pregnant women just a heavy-handed device signaling lost promise or hope? Maybe they are the stunted hopes for this book?)
The dragging issue of suitor resolution and the lack of development, if not regression, of Sookie's character on the issue of relationships is disappointing. As a reader who has followed the series for some time, I'm virtually at the point where I no longer care who she ends up with. Not a good place for an author to be finding herself with her readers. Does she really intend to make her readers NOT care about her heroine or give the impression that her heroine is incapable of evolving?
The number of continuity errors for a book with this sales base is truly astonishing. From the fact that Eric no longer remembers that Sookie was never paid for her work in book 7, to the fact that Sookie doesn't remember her grandfather and great-uncle were twins, to the fact that Claude and Claudine's deceased sister was Claudia and not Claudette, to the fact that Chow and not Clancy killed Hallow the witch's representative back in book 4, to the fact that Eric says he `remembers' but seems to have forgotten what he remembers at a rather delicate moment. The writing, continuity wise, or even factwise, seems not to have been proofread at all!
The book reads like a rough draft and has a sense of disconnectedness that is disheartening in comparison to others in the series. Was the goal just to get this one knocked out before the new season of True Blood? Did the publisher and editor think the series fans wouldn't notice? It reads, frankly, like a sellout. And as a reader of the series, I'm seriously hoping this isn't the next Anita Blake series in terms of steady deterioration of quality and content. This book makes me wonder. The editor seems to have done Ms. Harris a great injustice by letting it go out in such disconnected form and with so many continuity errors.
Let's hope that Book 10 gets Sookie Stackhouse back on course.
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Beyond Disappointing...I feel so let down, I think I'm depressed May 7, 2009 (287 of 320 found this helpful)
I wanted to give the book atleast three stars bc i love the series so much, but I have to agree with the majority of the negative reviews on this one and say,"what happened?". The last book, from dead to worse, was so detailed and long, it was wonderful! I felt like I was reading a short hand version, or an extremely edited down piece that had to fit into a certain number of words. If CH had kept the same story line for this book and just given us the plot detail and character depth evidenced in the last book, this book would have been simply phenomenal! As a fan, I find that not only disappointing, but extremely frustrating.
ARGH!***BEWARE***THERE BE SPOILERS HERE**********************************
OK, so the two stars were basically for giving us atleast SOME progression with the whole Eric/Sookie relationship, although it still basically went NOWHERE. So he tricks her into what is basically a vampire form of marriage and she barely reacts - she had more of a hissy fit when he yelled at her for dancing with barry bellhop in rhodes! She blames her lack of anger on her blood bond, but she also states that she hasn't seen him for months and that should lessen a little over time...it just seemed weird. And as neat as that story line is, it wasn't even addressed or reacted to by anyone (except sam, but barely). I mean, come on! I don't know why it matters though, bc I figure in the next book she will find something to be mad at him for and he will be on the outs like bill, quinn, and everyone else she get's involved with - I just feel like the whole Eric thing has been building up over so many books that there should be more time devoted to finally developing that before it get's ruined for further plot development - we've been "teased" enough. Give us something more than a few scenes!
Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of this book, for me, was sookie's lack of initiative in seeking supe support and protection for herself! Especially after the last book ended recapping her strong favor with the vamps and weres! It was ridiculous that she knew she was being targeted to be killed (or worse), actually ends up killing a fairy sent to kill her, and she takes days to ask for any real assistance or call in her supe markers with the vamps or Alcide. When she finally does ask for help, it's lame coverage that falls through and she doesn't ask for back up? The coverage doesn't tell their bosses that they have left her unprotected? She doesn't want to worry her friends, who could help her, or at the very least be warned that being around sookie can be dangerous,so she doesn't tell them? She doesn't tell her brother that he is also a potential target, until after that fairies approach him?!
And why does Eric leave her bed, knowing the issue of her safety is unresolved? Yeah, he suggested maybe she stay at his place, but the whole issue of her safey is sidetracked by "what are you looking for in this relationship", vs. "hey, killer fairies are out to get my lover whom i've just officially claimed in the supe community, even tried to murder her today, and I'm out the door with a 'see ya soon'?" That doesn't seem at all like Eric. Mister, possessive vampire guy who always sends Bubba over the moment he has ANY concerns?! I mean really he had Pam DATE Sookie's roommate Amelia, just to get Pam even closer to protect Sookie, but he leaves her completely unprotected after knowing a fairy tried to KILL her?? Why would he leave w/o having her safety arranged for? Why the heck hasn't Niall arranged safety for her from the beginning, or even after the first attempt on her life? Why doesn't Claudine, who shows up when sookie falls asleep at the wheel of a car, show up when faries are trying to kill her? What the heck? And why, in God's name, would you be out running errands when you need a body gaurd bc killer fairies are out to assassinate you - do you really need to go to the post office that badl
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Disappointed and left feeling very cynical.... Jun 29, 2009 (100 of 110 found this helpful)
Okay, it may not be the best literature out there, but as a writing student in college, I started reading this series because of the TV series True Blood and thought that the author had developed some really cool characters and an interesting world that made a statement about minorities and tolerance. Everything that I have learned about analyzing books leads me to think that she is heading toward a certain ending with the plan to make a big statement about accepting each other's differences and trying to be tolerant of others' differences. And then she wrote this book.
I really don't know what happened with this book, but I'm sure glad that I waited to get it from the library instead of paying $16 plus shipping for it on a student income. I was shocked by how poorly constructed the storyline was, shocked by the badly developed mystery (which still makes absolutely no sense to me) and left with many questions about what it means to have an editor in this genre of fiction.
The best book in the series, "All Together Dead", in which the heroine of the series actually starts to make something of herself, both career-wise and maturity-wise, now seems like it was eons ago. I read the present book twice and am struck by the fact that the character of Sookie Stackhouse has not just stagnated but devolved in her author's present effort. And she's not a teenager maturing slowly, or a family person going through some mid-life crisis. She was growing and now she's just stunted and unlikeable.
This book had just a shocking number of continuity errors and sections of it read like the outline of what happened rather than the flushed out version of what happened. I just simply don't even want to imagine ever having an editor who would hang me out to dry the way this author's editor evidently did. I read through so many of the negative reviews before posting this one, precisely because I wanted to see if anybody else had the same take. Has this author EVER had so many negative reviews? Is anyone at Ace/Penguin taking notes?
All of the characters sound off in this book. I felt like I was watching them through frosted glass and just seeing the general outlines of their characters. Confused and whiny telepath? Check. Wounded, but hopeful Southern gentleman vampire? Check. Tall, blond vampire who's great in bed? Check. Rash, and poorly considered when it comes to communication weretiger? Check (albeit so briefly you wonder if it was just a sop to the were fans). Confused, hesitant but by turns supportive shapeshifter boss? Check. Violence? Check. Poorly plotted fairy chaos? Check. More violence, almost all of it against helpless pregnant women? Why not? Check. General chaos to compete with the multiple plots of the TV show? Check. No one learning anything about any of it, other than the supernatural world is really violent, even though the author previously wanted to assure us that they were all just a different version of the humans? Check.
This book is bare bones and poorly written. It has none of the humor and spark of others in the series. Sure there are about 150 five star reviews here. How many Ace/Penguin editorial assistants posted those reviews I wonder? This book and its many five star reviews have turned me into a totally cynical writing student. Get a big enough publisher and you can pull the wool over anyone's eyes at least once or twice and still make a mint. Wouldn't it just be easier to help your author write a good book?
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Where oh where has Sookie gone??? May 12, 2009 (46 of 48 found this helpful)
I was so looking forward to this book! I love the entire series. I watch True Blood and enjoy it for what it is even though it has diverged so much from the books. I will also admit I like Bill better in on the tube than in the books and like Eric better in the books than on the tube.
Having said that, I am just at a loss for this latest book. What is going on? Or not. Sookie is just not Sookie. Not to mention, she is getting a potty mouth that is just so not her. Octavia's leaving was overblown and redundent. The love scene with Eric was so by the numbers. It had no magic or even real affection. Just a 'do-it-to-me'ness about it. ACK.
And then when Eric tells Sookie his backstory.... uh - okay, here it is. Let me read it off the teleprompter...
And killing pregnant women? What is going on here?
I've read a number of reviews where folks didn't like Dead to Worse because it seemed to be transitional. Which is sort of was. However, I was 3/4 of the way through the book before I realized that CH was tying up a bunch of loose ends and introducing G-Grampa Niall. But you know, I didn't really care, because everyone was IN CHARACTER and it was so well written. Sookie was her sassy sweet self. There was humor and pathos. We didn't have a lot of pod people & pod vamps masquerading as Sookie, Bill, Eric and Pam running around.
I just have to get this off my chest. Continuity has been an issue with this series from the beginning. I've read them all multiple times, and have all the audio books and have listened to them multiple times. In Dead Until Dark Bill tells Sookie he was made vampire when he was 30 years old and had 5 living children. We get to book three, and looking at the famiy Bible he was not quite 28 when the was turned and has only three living children. In book two, I believe that he was 29 years old when he was bitten. Come on!! An editor/copy editor/Ms. Harris should have a spread sheet SOMEWWHERE that has all pertinent major character info, and they need to REFER to said spread sheet.
But I've also forgiven all that continuity stuff (one time Eric slides into a booth and then pushes his chair back...HUH????) because I love these books so much. Sookie is intelligent, smart, sassy and Southern. Eric is such a hoot, and even tho I liked the HBO Bill better (he's more of a tragic hero) I still miss him. Quinn I just never could stand (from his first decription I always thought of him as looking like a tanned Mr. Clean - sooo not sexy - and all that 'babe' nonsense) so was glad when he got the boot.
So that's my .02 worth. I'll still get book 10, but hope that Ms. Harris gets back on track, otherwise I'll just have to stake books 9 & 10 and leave them out in the sun...
ADDED 5.19.09 - CAUTION - EVEN MORE SPOILERS!!
Jeeze, how could I have forgotten Ms. H killing off Tray who was one of my favorite strong secondary characters! Sookie's world is classed as Urban Fantasy which means mostly darker stuff. BUT, having said that, I still can't believe CH killed off Tray! OY! Did she not watch Star Trek? Kirk, McCoy and Spock beam down with a landing party to the planet. They may get bent, spindled and mutilated some, but do any of them get killed? Ah - that would be a big NO! Ensign No-Name-From-Central-Casting gets his clocked cleaned. Not the regular folks!
And poor Bill! Granted I liked HBO Bill better, becuase I think he's more of a noble-tragic-hero. But he's proven numerous times in these last books in that he's willing to sacrifice himself to keep Sookie safe. But now he's on the verge of a second death and we're just left there. Some cliff hangers just ain't right and this is one of them.
I could go on even more, but you'd get bored, doze off or need to drink something stronger than iced tea to get you through the rest
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Doesn't Measure Up May 6, 2009 (200 of 226 found this helpful)
I really, really fell in love with this series, and I had read each of the preceding books four or five times in the past 10 months. There were great books and some just "good" books, but I have to say, in my opinion, the quality of the writing and the plot and story of "Dead and Gone" fell way below that of the previous books in the Sookie series.
To be specific, like many of the other reviewers I do think the appearance and disappearance of characters was rushed, and Harris didn't adequately give Sookie time to make emotional sense of the many different events. It felt as if Harris was writing in shorthand - and while that may be okay for the introductory descriptions of characters and places at the beginning of each book, it does the reader a disservice for the substantive action. (SPOILER) Just one example was the moving out of Octavia - it was so stunted and never referred to again, an obvious device to get the room across from Sookie's empty again so Sookie could have more "intimate moments" shall we say...
I also thought Harris fell completely short in expanding the mythology of the series. In each of the previous novels we've found out something new about the structure of the supernatural world. There was nothing new in this book, and worse, Harris neglected the dangling issues from previous books entirely: e.g. the complication of Eric finding out that Sookie can read his mind intermittently (or of Sookie at least examining or enhancing that skill in some way or figuring out the origin of the ability - beyond the fairy blood), the expansion and increase of Sookie's telepathic powers (as we saw in previous books that she has tried to not just read minds but actually DIRECT them or speak to them) and greater telepathic powers that were hinted at in All Together Dead and other books, the greater mystery of pure shapeshifters (who can turn into anything) and the magic behind that, and, of course whether Eric and Sookie have an emotional connection beyond the blood bond or whether that can be broken, etc. Even that promised Eric backstory was just a little encapsulated drop into the book - no further development of Sookie even wondering, let alone discussing, more about Eric's sire and whether he's still around, etc, whether he ever tracked down his descendants, etc. It is also an amazingly short book compared to most of the others - like she reached 300 pages this time and simply said "Done"!
I think I'm being generous giving the book 3 stars, but I'm still committed to the series - now. After reading and re-reading all of the Sookie books and Harris' "Grave Sight" books I moved on to the Anita Blake series (by Laurel Hamilton, NOT Harris, but often recommended as similar genre reading) only to get more and more disgusted by the inconsistencies and poorer and poorer writing after the first book that I eventually didn't care anymore what happened to Ms. Blake and completely stopped reading after #12. Harris has a long way to go before anyone should give up on her - the books were getting BETTER from the first book with just a few dips along the way. That's why this one is such a disappointment for me. I'll be here for the next few books for sure, because I'm a glutton for punishment and Sookie hasn't been pushed off the rails yet. And yes, I would still recommend this to anyone reading the series just to bide their time until the next one (or the Harper Connelly coming out in the fall). I am just HOPING that the next books bring back the storytelling and plot structure we've come to expect from Charlaine Harris.
Also, A+ to Amazon for shipping - I pre-ordered in November with 2-day shipping and was expecting the book on Thursday, May 7 but it arrived on Tuesday, May 5!