Sunday, January 10, 2010

Dead Until Dark


I finally gave in and started another vampire series. After Twilight, I was worried another book with the topic of vampires would not hold my interest. However, my interest was sufficiently held with the first of the Sookie Stackhouse novels, Dead Until Dark.

I will only make a SHORT Twilight comparison... I found this book to be more "grown up" all around. The characters were more grown up and the content was more grown up. The main character, Sookie, could read minds but seemed to have more control of what she "heard" than Edward. I also found Sookie to be more "grown up" than Bella (probably because she actually was) but she also was more clear minded when considering having a love affair with a vampire. It was believable because she had such turmoil and wavering in this decision. My last comparison... there were Vampires trying to assimilate themselves into normal human life.

My official, non-Twilight related, review... It took me a few pages to get into the rhythm of Charlaine Harris's writing style, and I sometimes had to reread a sentence due to its southern sayings and sentence structure (this made sense when I read that the author was from Arkansas). I liked the character Sookie, she has the ability to read minds, but really hates and and has learned to block it out, I admired that about her. I also liked how this author kept true to vampire lore, not being able be in the sun, silver weakness, and aversion to garlic. The explanation given for the vampires is that they were the result of a virus, even the characters in the book were suspicious of this explanation, and it really didn't bother me that much.

Sookie works as a waitress in the local bar, her mind being bombarded by the thoughts of others, then one night she meets a mind that is silent to her, and Bill the vampire is introduced into her life. Choosing to save the life of a vampire stranger opens the door to a whole new world. Continuing and developing that relationship only takes her deeper. Will she stand by this vampire lover when he is under suspicion for a wave of local murders, the same murders that her brother seems to be tied to. Can vampire Bill protect Sookie from threats in his own world as well as threats from the human?

A very fun and entertaining tale woven with suspense, passion, and mystery. Just enough horror and the supernatural to give me chills but not freak me out. I think that I will have to continue the series, and maybe follow it up with the HBO series.

Learned: Maybe if I take baby steps I will graduate to the Ann Rice version of vampires....or maybe not...

3 comments:

sarahgrace said...

I loved this series! But (in my humble opinion) the TV version is just an excuse to add a bunch of unnecessary sex scenes (that weren't described in the book) to a show. It kind of grossed me out, and I think I made it through 2 episodes...

Brooke said...

Thanks Sara for the heads up about the series. By the luck of the library fairy the second book was actually in when I returned the first today. Can you guess what I am doing tonight?

Summer said...

I have to agree with Sara. Ann Rice has a very haunting and romantic version of the old school vampire, beautiful but deadly, something to sink your teeth into.