Dead Reckoning

Another good book in the Sookie Stackhouse series. I really enjoy the authors style of writing, and find the books to be fun and enjoyable. With that being said -- this wasnt one of my favorites in the series. I enjoy the aspect of multiple-storylines and crises that seem to define Sookies life, but I think there are just a few too many supernatural creatures involved. I really loved the series more when the primary characters were vampires and were-animals (ok, and of course humans). Now that there are fairies, elves, demons and hybrids of all of the above, its a little less enticing to me. I just dont find the latter creaters that interesting -- and I miss the days when there was a lot of sexiness and grit due to the vamps and weres. The biggest sad-face, however, comes from the turn of events with Sookies love life. I dont want to give any spoilers -- but I will say that Im not happy with the way things ended and am not sure where the author plans to go with the next book (as far as Sookies love/sex life). I guess Ill hope for the best. Overall, though, still a good, fun read. Wouldnt have missed it, and looking forward to the next one, whenever that will be :)

***SPOILERS!*** okay, so I am a huge fan of these books (aka: SOOKIE AND ERIC = AWESOME!) but I was disappointed with this one. I thought that this was an okay book, but it was nowhere near my favorite. I felt like there were too many stories happening at once, and that Sookie kind of took a back seat in this one. I miss the Sookie who was much more comfortable speaking her mind and kicking butt (human and nonhuman). I realize that a lot has happened to her character, but this seems a bit out of character (development-wise). I am craving some real Sookie/Eric relationship development. When Sookie realized the truth behind the fae gift that was left to her, I was kind of hoping (in my mind...though I have a good feeling it never will) that Sookie will end up using it to make herself live happily forever with Eric (not as a vampire, but as a whole new being...a hybrid of some kind, perhaps?). I also get the strange sense that the topic of children is about to become huge in the next book...perhaps some mystical pregnancy? Cause Sookie was saying that her pants werent fitting and a few other little things (and okay, so I am a total romantic and thinking way too much about this...but forgive me! I love these characters!). Anyways, I hope that fans of the books can appreciate my thoughts on the subject.

In this newest sookie book she finds trouble of course.I enjoyed this book better than the last.It wasnt as slow and Sookie wasnt in trouble all the time.It actually told what was happening through out her day.The new king has appointed Victor to oversee Erics area.Victor is causing trouble for Eric and Sookies boss Sam by opening up new bars.Sookie is also learning more about her fairy blood and fairy relatives.Bill shows back up in this book as Sookie and Eric have more problems with their relationship.Eric has a secret that he doesnt want Sookie to find out.Pam as honest as she can be tries to tell Sookie.Eventually Pam gets it across to Sookie what the secret is,then the fight really heats up with Sookie and Eric.Sookie has other worries besides Eric she has Sandra Pelt after her, guys trying to kidnapp her, Victor wanting something from her,two fairy relatives living with her wanting something and then the attorney Mr.Cataliadess trying to protect her.Mr. Catalidess shows up and he has some sort of mystery surounding him but he tells Sookie a little bit about her real grandfather who is a fairy.I enjoyed this book I watch the trueblood series and enjoy that,but the book and series are two different stories they do not follow the same storyline.

I really like the books that were written before the show came out. But now its like she has gotten fame & fortune & doesnt really care about Sookie anymore. This book reminds me of the pace of the shows (except the finales). All kinds of events are set up, not enough follow through, and feels like nothing of importance really happened. Ok, so the blood bond is broken, but she still loves him. No excitement. Bill was in this book more, which I liked, except she made him sound so desperate to be near her. Thats totally not Bill. He used to be the kind of guy who expressed his feelings (tactfully) and stood back to let Sookie make her own decisions. One line in the book (cant remember exactly) made him sound like a horny old perv. I will continue to read the series in hopes of something bigger & better. If you spend half the book setting up a major event, please follow through and spend more time on the results & effect it has on the people. Im not a writer but I found myself writing my own story in my head, like, heres what should have happened here.... Big let down for me. Sookie still kicks ass and I still love her country charm & emotions. Definitely curious what HBO will do with these past few books about Erics maker Appius and the fact that Godric was his maker on the show. If the show makes it that far, and we all hope it does!

Quite frankly, this is one of the saddest installments of the Southern Vampire Mysteries. I dont mean the emotional impact of the plot upon my personal psyche so much as I mean the whole book just makes me sad. There was a time when each of these stories held me excitement over what was going to happen next. It seemed like although the stories were certainly a dirty little pleasure, they were so engrossing I couldnt put them down. These days (whereas these days seem to coincide with books written after the HBO series started), the books are much more like pale shadows of what had come before. Originally, the Southern Vampire Mysteries were just that; mysteries in the south with vampires. The author would dab a touch of romance and sexual tension for flavor, but ultimately whether the characters were vampires or simply Scooby-do, it was still a mystery. The more recent books however have taken on a new tone altogether. The books that have been released since Ms. Harris creation reached the little screen, have been more like a collection of random Sookie thoughts punctuated by mostly mundane happenings. While this book seemed to have a little more (very subtle) structure under the story than the last, there were still far too many pages dedicated to the trifles of getting ready to go somewhere after a shower. I think that many Sookie fans would agree that Ms. Harris has veered too far from the original format of the book. In fact, the biggest mystery in this book seemed to be, `will people enjoy the baby shower for Tara,... puke. As if to add insult to injury poor Tara didnt even have so much as a line during the entire affair. Dead Before Dark, was an excellent example of a mystery ex: girls were dying and nobody seemed to know who the murderer was - only to be revealed at the end as a trusted friend (ominous music). Here, there is the spark of mystery: some unknown assailant firebombs Merlots and nobody knows who it is - until about fifty pages later when the person is arrested and the ending of the book is telegraphed worse than acting by a professional wrestler in a b grade movie. Sookie as a character has also begun to stagnate a bit and that is really unfortunate. She started out as a sheltered and socially damaged young woman. Through the first few books she learns to control her telepathy and through this new control see her disability in a new light, even drawing strength from it. She also comes into her own as a woman and begins the difficulty of navigating her first relationship. Throughout all this, she not only has to learn how to deal with the violence of the vampire world around her, but also what it means to become a murderer herself. Unfortunately, after that the character starts to become somewhat stagnant and the author tries (albeit successfully for awhile) to hide that fact with love triangles. By the point in the storyline weve reached, Sookie should be past trying to simply deal with violence. Shes seen more blood and death than most cops do in a thirty year career and should be a bit more calloused than she is (especially after the fairy war). On a positive note, it was interesting to find the genesis of Sookies telepathy and to have the social structure of the fae fleshed out a bit more. I also like that Sookie seemed to be so much stronger now that she had been living with other fairies. Perhaps its time that she transmute into some sort of vampire (due to blood consumption) fairy hybrid and have Eric looking to her for protection for once. Whatever happens, for Gods sake, at least make the plot mysterious otherwise change the name to Southern Vampire Aftershower Decsionmaking.

Review by Cassandra from Book Talk Sookie Stackhouses life is never simple and easy. Sookie witnesses a firebombing in Merlottes one night while working. Since her boss, Sam, has been revealed to be two-natured, the assumption is that the firebombing is a shifter hate crime. Sookie knows other wise though. While trying to uncover the truth and prevent further assault and damage, Sookie also has to deal with her boyfriend, Eric Northmans, and his child Pams plot to kill the vampire who is now over them. Sookie is drawn into the plans, hoping to regain her somewhat normal life. Will Sookie find whos responsible for the attack at Merlottes? Will the motivations be deeper than they think? Will more attempts and danger abound? Will Eric and Pams plan work or will they all be held responsible for their assassination attempt? This is another wonderful book by Charlaine Harris. Its nonstop action and adventure. Sookie has to deal with the problems at Merlottes which is not only her source of income but owned by her best friend. While trying to discover the truth behind that, more trouble finds Sookie there. On the otherside of her supernatural relationships, she gets drawn into planning the murder of Victor, the regent in charge of Louisiana. Victor is out to get Eric and hurt all those connected to him. Sookie knows this has to stop and helps put the plans into motion to obtain Victors absence from their lives. There is also tension between Sookie and Eric when Sookie finds out plans Erics maker made before his final death. It leaves you wondering if there is a future for Sookie and Eric. This is a must read series and I highly recommend it. Warning: adult content and violence.

This wasnt one of the best books in the series by far, but if you can just sit back and enjoy reading about characters you love and love to hate then it will be worth your while. Its hard not to compare this book to the others but we do and it does come up short. I found this book sad. Sad because Sookies changing. Loosing what I fell in love with her in the first place, her good outlook on life, but I guess after nearly being killed lots of times its bound to happen. I do love Eric, always have but things have to change and who knows what will happen in the next couple of books. I mean Sookie could end up alone and we dont want that. I will purchase all the next Sookie books without even thinking twice about it.

Great follow-up to previous books in the series - well worth the read. Just finished up the whole series and found that I wish the story would continue! Great quick reads and each book in series kept my interest and made me want for the next book.

In Dead Reckoning, things should be going well for Sookie: her relationship with Eric is solid, her most recent enemy is dead, and shes still got all her close friends and relatives nearby. Naturally things cannot stay this way, and the book begins with a fire bombing of Merlottes and ends with...well, lots and lots and lots of carnage. And amid all this, Sookie must face some ugly truths about herself, Eric, and her family. I dont go into a Sookie Stackhouse novel expecting literary development of characters and with that in mind, Im never disappointed. Even so, Sookie is definitely changed in this novel: how can she not be, with all the trials and traumas shes faced over the span of the previous novels? Still, I expected (read: hoped) that her relationship with Eric would be the one constant, and apparently this isnt something thats going to be in the cards. Its going to be interesting to see how Erics contract with the Queen of Oklahoma plays out and whether hes willing to give up the lure of power for the human he loves. There are indeed a few timeline discrepencies in Dead Reckoning, but beyond that, its still a solid entry in the series. I love that Sookie was able to stand up to interfering friends and family, but her resignation that the way she has to live her life now (plotting murder, dealing with demons, looking out for enemies) shows that her life is actually out of her control in many ways. I love her relationship with Pam, and Dermots earned a place in my heart with his determination to help Sookie as best he can. I just wish I could smack some sense into Eric...but then again, that would make life kinda boring for Sookie if she didnt have to worry at all about her love life. Dead Reckoning is a page turner, especially towards the end, and its filled with the gore and characters weve come to expect. Is it always consistent with previous novels? Nope. Are there characters who are acting oddly? Yep. Will I continue on with the series? Absolutely. Ms. Harriss world of Bon Temps and its inhabitants still engages and brings me in touch with people Ive grown to love. I could nit pick all day but thats not what Sookies about. Im just going to continue to enjoy the ride.

DEAD RECKONING (Sookie Stackhouse #11) was less than impressive. There werent a lot of bright moments to this book nor was there much emotion of any kind really. The plot in its self as a whole was decent enough, but it just didnt feel like Charlaine Harriss heart was really in it when she was writing, and thus nor was mine when reading it. After feeling that the last book, DEAD IN THE FAMILY, lacked the series usual zest; I had high hopes that Harris would pull it together and get the series back on track in this latest installment, unfortunately that was not the case. Although, still an enjoyable read, DEAD RECKONING like its predecessor was missing that spark that was present in the earlier Stackhouse books. The urgency in which I devoured Harriss other books was just not there but not for want of killing, violence and murder plots; more like lack of mystery. Nothing seemed to be withheld from the reader or the characters themselves and we all knew the Who, What, When and Where of each attack from the get; really throwing a wrench in the whole suspense factor and making for a far less exciting read then what Stackhouse fans have come accustom to. Harris further misses the mark when revealing some very important subplots and revelations that should have scored big points for DEAD RECKONING, but due to a disturbing and nearly complete void of emotion from all characters involved, sadly fell flat. I sure I dont need to tell you how very upsetting it is to experience these almost moments in a book that you so desperately want to love. Clearly disappointed as a fan, but not ready to be out just yet... My hope for the series going forward is that Harris finds her way back to the energy that originally made the Stackhouse series the hit that we all fell in love with.