Dead Reckoning

While the continuity issues around the Eric/Niall/fae discovery storyline didnt bother me quite as much as other readers (imho, much was left to assumptions each reader can make regarding the duration of Erics and Nialls dealings, what information Eric may have shared w/ Niall regarding Sookie, when all of those events transpired, etc., and it would seem to me that for Niall to trust a vampire like Eric to bring him and Sookie together over dinner would imply that Niall had known Eric for a very long time.), this book felt more like a lead-in to something more than a solid book on its own. Certain things were brought to closure (Sandra Pelt, Alcide, source of Sookies telepathy), but there is much that has been left open-ended, such as Sookies relationship w/ Eric (while theres the promise of Eric to the Queen of Oklahama, it doesnt necessarily mean that it will come to fruition), the state of things w/ Felipe in Nevada given what transpired, why all the fae and the elf(ves?) were gathering, finding out about her history (and her grandmothers letter and gift) only opened up a whole host of new questions. There wasnt the satisfaction of seeing as much progress in the book as in previous books, rather it almost seemed like there were more setbacks for Sookie. Still, a relatively entertaining read, and I hope CH gives us some closure on the issues she raised in this book soon.

Ive peppered the reviews here with some commentary and I might link to some below, but the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to write a review of my own without spoilers, however short: I enjoy listening to the SVM series more than reading because I generally love Parkers acting, however, I both listened to, and read, this one. My response comes after the reread. While I have a lot of issues with this book, I feel that a lot of them can be explained by writing style and property management. This isnt to say I think its a money issue. From what I gather, many readers liked the light-hearted quirkiness of the first books, with many becoming disillusioned by the harder edge of the 8th on. However, since the series was supposed to end with 10, what we were actually seeing was a big dramatic ending that didnt get to resolve itself as planned, as most of it was already published. If you take all this into account -- that the unveiling of Niall and the tragedy of the Fae war was supposed to be the crest of the series action leading to a dramatic end in book 10 (at which point her contract was changed), then not only does all the plotting and balance appear much more expert, but we can understand why the tone of the books have changed irreparably. As much as I like her characters and enjoyed the series up to book 9, once I found out 10 ended as it did because her contract was extended, and Bill was originally supposed to die dramatically and respectfully at the end of book 9, having fully redeemed himself in such a classic way, I had to reorient my expectations for the continuing novels. Unlike (what appears to be) a lot of readers, I fully enjoyed what seemed to be the rise and fall of a well designed, overall dramatic plot, and I wish her original creation had been able to come to light. Building on all of that, I feel like the (300?) pages of DR might have been used more adeptly than they were. I was assuming book 10 was the growing pain hiccup and wed hit he ground running again with 11 -- that it simply meant more partygoers added to the final celebration, sort of like the ending of the redone Return of the Jedi <snort>. Thats unfortunately not the case. I hope its not a reorientation of the series, as that would seem unnecessary. It DOES often read like filler, or a fluffing out, and for those of you who were left gnawing your lips in doubt over DITF, youll likely have a similar reaction to DR ... But weve seen in the past that Harris is capable of packing a lot of interesting and satisfying plot action into two books so theres no reason to expect the series wont still end with a bang. My biggest issue with Dead Reckoning is that the plot and character developments are not expressed firmly. Previously, I havent felt the need to read the numerous Sookie reviews on the internet, but after this novel, I found myself ultimately confused about what characters were thinking, who was feeling what, and what it all meant. (In fact, this was why I read the print version directly after listening to the audio book, to see if it was my lack of attention the first go round.) After spending some time reading reviews, it seems like thats a common reaction, and everyone has a wholly different interpretation of what this book was obviously saying. Im not quite sure what to think, because this could be a tactic, and we could find out that the apparent loose ends and pointless conversations are all quite ingeniously meaningful come next year, but, Im beginning to wonder if the novel, overall, was simply unintentionally unclear. Its up to you if you want to wait. If you found the above helpful, please read some commentary of mine from earlier, both about the plot questions and writing (some contain spoilers): [...] [...] [...] [...]

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.

Welll...This is a solid, liked it but more like my version of 3.5 stars. If it wasnt for the fact that there MIGHT be a huge plot inconsistency in this book, I might have even given it 5 stars but Im trying to figure out if something might actually be a well placed lie by CH or not but Im not so sure yet. However, overall I really enjoyed this installment once the ball got rolling (the 1st 50% was a bit boring for me) & I do believe this was indeed a huge turning point for not just Sookie & Eric but Sookie herself. The end scene with Eric was like..BAM! She has some very big thinking to do about what she wants for herself, what she is willing to accept about her life & the people she surrounds herself with. I dont have many doubts that Eric/Sookie are going wind up together. OK maayaybe a little doubt bc CH likes to play her audience...but... really? It wouldnt make sense to have it be anyone else 11 books in & a few shorts as well. I found this installment to signify their next big bump in the road, the next trial & tribulation for their relationship & watch how they get through it. In this book, for the 1st time Sookie was more upfront. Discussing the future, aging, babies etc.. she has grown & continues to. It does look like there is a setup for a breakup in the next book but with a possible reconciliation in the last book thanks to the magical cluviel dor. Who knows for sure though! **Semi-spoilers** There were a lot of typical SVM hi-jinks & humor in this book. Sookies naked jaunt into Bills house & her rambling inner monologue... Irrelevant! was hilarious. I even liked Bill. A lot. Although, thats not surprising bc CH was turning him into Eric to a degree. Not kidding. CH is definitely recycling her Eric material into the new Bill. His quote as to why he loves Sookie complete with a comment about her chest (so un-Bill like) is practically verbatim Eric to Sookie in DTTW. Thats right...go check it out! And his move...Is it Christmas? Are you my early present? was also classic Eric. Its a little tedious CHs manipulation of the audience but whatever. It is what it is. I suppose if you are going to finish this ride be prepared for the tactics that come with it. Sookie was back to herself but in better form than ever in many ways. Aside from her own homicidal tendencies, she is growing, more mature & in control. Or trying to be at least. She is taking a much larger stand for herself in what she will tolerate from the people in her life whereas in the past, she almost assumed their feelings & was able to be manipulated more. I like her relationship with Eric a lot. Warts & all. I found her insecurities & misgivings well founded as well as his own anger, resentment & fear. I really enjoy seeing them having to go through a ton of crap to work it out. Like a real relationship. I also loved the scene with Eric & Sookie after the bond broke. Not the sex scene mind you bc that was whatever - it was one page of throwing it in but it did, to me show their huge relief that Sookie does in fact love Eric tremendously as he does her. More than that, I love their bit of dialog afterward. However, the scene that blew me away was at the end when she freaked out amongst the assassination ruin in which she had the majority hand in rallying & plotting. When Eric took her blood after rightly calling her a hypocrite & didnt take the pain out of it. HOLY COW. I know this will be a much debated scene & very controversial but I thought it was just SPOT ON. So good. So dark. So very deep. It was awesome. Well for me anyway. I mean here Sooks has been complaining the last 2 books how she wants Victor to die (by her own hands even). Shes the one that rallies Eric & co. Its her plan they go with & then at the end....bc she hates what she sees in herself & not only that but, was a part of & had the largest hand in plotting, she projects onto Eric & co. bc its easiest to do that. Him letting her feel the pain was his way (to me anyway) of saying deal with it! Face it. This is life with me/a vamp Sookie & Im not going to sugarcoat it for you. Accept it & accept me. You partake in this life, these are the realities that come with it. Were alive. Isnt that what you wanted most? I dont know what CH is going to have her do but I find this turning point really compelling. She scares herself. The lengths shes willing to go to for those she loves & to survive & the macabre situations she finds herself in as a result. I thought it was a very clever, deep scene. The CD fairy love token is a bit of a cop out but I will wait to see how CH wields it. Oh wait.. we have a potion which will amazingly come in SO handy! Er...well see. The potential Fairy plot is quite devious. It seems as if CH is foreshadowing someone playing dress up in Eric or someone elses skin to potentially get Sooks up the duff? IDK but all the material is there & man...those Fairies are sneaky. Funnily enough, I felt the worst for Sookie in regard to Amelia. Not that Amelias meddlesome betrayal was a surprise to me, I figured it was only a matter of time but she really went all out. Sookie is a character with a rare handful of people she can trust & not even that. She is quite often, alone. And that theme featured a lot in this installment. With Erics new day man being a lone wolf, Eric asking her to move in with him bc the thought of her being alone & feeling her fear made him crazy. Her really feeling the isolation in this installment esp. when she kicks everyone out of her home. Poor Sookie Sookie. Overall, this place which Sookie is in, yet another crossroads deciding who she can trust, turn to, what will happen to her relationship & what will that mean for her future? This is all great meaty stuff. And now for my biggest issue..the potential plot inconsistency.Its the conversation between Sookie, Claude & Dermont about Eric & Niall being in cahoots. It sooo doesnt stack. I am investigating that one & wont bog down the review with it but in fairness I will change my rating if it turns out that its not a plot inconsistency.

I felt much the same way, but to a lesser extent, after reading the last book in the series. I loved the earlier books in the series, and in each of the early books, there was a clear, cohesive conflict that dominated that particular book, and was resolved by the end. In Dead to the World (one of my favorites of the series), we saw the whole conflict with the witches play out. By the end of that book, the witches had been defeated in a thrilling battle, and I was left feeling satisfied. There were of course minor plot lines left up in the air (Sookies romantic future, given the nature of her relationship with Eric during the course of the book, for example) which made me excited to read the next book, but there was nothing so huge left unresolved that I felt slighted. This book (as well as the last one), I cant really pick out any major conflict that the books deals with, and nothing is resolved by the end. I honestly cant even tell you what this one is about. Sookie cleans out her attic. She and Dermot grow closer. She and Eric are no longer vampire-married. Thats about it. Theres no story that unifies this book. Theres just a bunch of minor, disconnected events, which makes it a rather boring yet frustrating read. Also, how dense does Harris think we all are? Like others said, Im a little insulted. Nobody picks up the 11th book in a series and just reads it cold, with no background or previous knowledge (and if they did, they shouldnt), so theres no need to write like your readers are hearing about these characters for the first time in the 11th book of the series. I am so sick of reading the same things over and over in each book. By this point, we all know about fairies allergies to iron and lemons. We all know Dermot looks a heck of a lot like Jason, and we all remember the troubles this previously caused. And for petes sake, we certainly all know the whole store behind Elvis becoming a vampire... yet in every single book, Harris recounts all of this to us in vivid detail, as though this is certainly the first time we are hearing about any of it. Im not exaggerating when I say that half of the material that makes up this book is stuff Ive already read before. Enough is enough. Also, as others have mentioned, there are some pretty fierce continuity problems that make this book really difficult to enjoy, but that has been thoroughly discussed I believe. The only reason I keep reading these books is because I feel like Im in too deep now, and I cant just stop. Ive heard from others that Harris is contracted for 13 books in this series, and Ive also heard that she herself is ready to finish the series, so hopefully the next one will be the last one. Ive thoroughly enjoyed this series, but if Harris hasnt got her heart in this project any longer (and I think its obvious that she does not, based upon the declining quality of her work in recent years), then I wish she would quit writing these and just leave us with our fond memories.

***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.

Im definitely on the fence with this book. I didnt love it, nor did I hate it (hate is too strong a word). It seemed to be lacking in several areas. Its been said that Harris will soon be ending the series after the next two book releases. After reading Dead Reckoning, I believe it might be time. It seems the characters weve all come to love are losing their personalities and are becoming somewhat uninteresting. Earlier in the series, I thought it would be very interesting to see Sookie and Eric get together...until I finally did. This book (really the past 2 books) have opened my eyes and I am seeing that Eric and Sookie are just not meant to be. I feel Eric has lost his spark in this book and has become...well, for lack of a better word- boring! I am really missing the old Eric. He was sharp and unintentionally humorous, and now he just seems like the shell of the vampire he used to be. What about Bill? Hes been pretty much a ghost in the past two books. Do I think Sookie should run back to Bill? Nah, not really. I think they have pretty much explored their relationship as far as its going to go. The way Dead Reckoning ended, I believe Sookie and Eric will be calling it quits soon. So, where does this leave Sookie? At this point Im not really sure. Im pretty much throwing my hands in the air because Im not sure where Harris is going to lead Sookie in the next two books. I know it seems that I am possibly being a tad over-critical about Dead Reckoning, but I really did expect more from such a beloved series. I can only hope the next book will be better. I am a devoted Sookie fan and hope for bigger and better things with the next book. Book Hollow [...]

If I could Id give the book 3.5 stars. It is vastly improved over the last two, especially the last book, which is evident that book was an arc. You can tell Ms. Harris is wrapping things up - although (spoiler) - I think she could have found another way to move Eric out of the picture and I certainly thought it was kind of cruel almost to make Sookie realize she loved him by breaking the blood bond and then throwing the other monkey wrench with the Queen of Oklahoma in there. I think mainly my issue with that was that is was almost Bill-esque (my maker made me do it.) But a better read and I look forward to how she has Sookie and Sam come together. Although Remy may still be in the running, tying it up with Sam, considering how the books started, would fit. I just hope the last book lives up to the series as a whole.

SPOILERS!!!! What isnt to love about this book? She always will leave you breathless, that is for sure! It starts off with a bang with a fire at the bar, Sookie with a hair cut and a fight between Pam and Eric all in the first chapters. I tell you what... It is nothing short of a wild ride and I read it twice just to make sure that I didnt miss anything. You get to learn some secrets into Adeles past, and where Sookie inherited her special gift from and a rare Fae artifact. The ending with Eric and Sookie, that is one thing that has gotten to me. I was thinking for sure that they would end up being together, but with only two more books left to be published, I am not so sure.... For all you diehard Sookie Stackhouse fans it was a hard scene for me to swallow. It takes place in the bar when they finally kill off Victor, when Eric bites Sookie after their victory and which he does this in a hurtful manner. As Charlaine has so brillantly written,Our relationship had been marked by a thousand turning points, it seemed liked. It seems to me that Eric and Sookie may be on the outs, or maybe she will be using a certain cluviel dor to help solve a certain problem with a certain Queen of Oklahoma? I cannot wait for the next edition, but unfortunately that will be another year, but she never disappoints, it is a MUST read!

In last years Dead in the Family, Charlaine Harris took her once quirky characters on a journey to a place much darker than theyd been before. She managed to court some controversy with the younger sibling of Eric Northman, since that character was based on the real-life Alexei Romanov, who died during the Russian Revolution. Many fans hoped for redemption for the series and the author when Dead Reckoning was released, but I am unsure whether either was redeemed. The book starts with the normal dramatic intro that has become the norm for the first chapter in every book in the series. This time, the intro was in the form of a firebomb at Merlottes while Sookie was working. Of course, Sookie, being the unlucky girl that she is, happened to manage to catch her apron on fire and singe her hair some. Unfortunately, this incident transformed Sookie into a more vain version of herself. While shes commented on her looks in the past, she was actually mourning and whining about the loss of a little bit of her hair. I adore Sookie normally, but this Sookie just seemed to be different from the character that Ive loved throughout the other 10 books. The book took a disturbing turn when it began to hint at a possible sexual or romantic relationship between Sookie and her fae relatives. It bugged me as a person who doesnt enjoy pro-incest plotlines or `shipping, but more importantly, it bugged me as a southerner reading about a southern character. Playing into a stereotype that people have about this region seemed to go beyond Harriss normal light-hearted attitude towards the South. Sams attitude towards the fae was also a bit discouraging. Hes been more sympathetic towards people who have been more blatantly hostile. It seemed like he wanted to keep Sookie from developing more fae-like qualities. His ability to make the situation more hostile and upsetting towards Sookie and then go off to his date, without even trying to help make things better, made me wonder if hes really the good guy that Ive always thought he was. I was also caught off-guard by Sookie describing Jason as being happy. I know that his marriage to Crystal was unhappy, but it hasnt been that long (in the books universe) since Crystal and his unborn child died. It seemed like maybe he should still have some level of grief over that. It seems like he moved on too quickly, even for someone as flighty and self-absorbed as Jason can sometimes be. I dont remember Amelia being so anti-vampire in previous books, especially anti-Eric. I know that she had previously mentioned that she would help Sookie resolve the blood-bond, but shed never seemed to look at vampires as being as scummy as she seemed to this time around. Her character changed from being one of my favorite more minor characters to being one of my least favorite. Oddly, the character I came to like most from the book was Bill. He seemed to be more friendly and more caring than any of the other characters, with the exception of the newly-emotional Pam. It was weird to see the blood thirsty and pun-filled Pam turn into a more depressed character. I liked both shifts, though, since they seemed to fit with the story that was being told. I am worried about what Ms. Harris plans to do with the Sookie and Eric relationship. It seemed, in some parts, like she was trying to prepare the reader for the unraveling of the relationship. Honestly, I hope that that doesnt happen. There is one possible (pro-Eric/Sookie) outcome that I think could happen, but I doubt that the author will go that route. Style-wise, the book seemed to lack clear enough cuts within its chapters to distinguish a change of time. In one line it will be afternoon and the very next line will be describing something hours later, in a different location, and that has very little to do with the previous line. It made the continuity of the story a little been choppy. It seemed like the book was written to tie up unresolved issues and sub-plots that had been lingering for a few books. Unfortunately, they were being tied up too quickly and lack a level of quality that readers may have come to expect from the older books in the series. The choppy dialogue and narrative seems to be more of an outline of the book or an unfinished draft than a full-fledged book. Too many of the kinks are still present throughout the whole story.