Dead Reckoning

This latest offering in the Sookie Stackhouse saga is not as imaginative or engaging as Harris previous books. The story line is too disjointed with rogue elves, fractured romances and hints that Bill may be sliding back into place as Sookies main man. One understands the need to keep readers guessing about who Sookie will snuggle up to, but the intervening causes--Eric is subject to control from forces beyond the border of Louisiana, etc., are weak. The early magic, where the characters were like the folks next door, but they hung around with, and sometimes bedded, vampires and werewolves has lost its luster. Perhaps the unique world that Harris so skillfully crafted in her early books has become mundane and therefore less interesting, or perhaps Harris,like a lot of authors, having become rich and madly successful is less inspired to work her imagination as hard. Cannot blame her for that I suppose.

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.

Im convinced that this wasnt written by Charlaine Harris, but by someone else and Charlaine signed off on it. Its simple things like phrases that dont fit the characters and the fact that the ending felt like it was left hanging compared to all of the other books in the series so far. Not to give away spoilers, but there is a phrase Bill uses in talking to Sookie that is COMPLETELY out of character for him, despite the fact hes still in love with her. Charlaine has never been one to worry about having crystal clean language, but this was...not Bill talking but maybe something more like a fan talking in his place. On top of that, throughout the book the character have seemed to lose their southern charm, accent, and sass...especially Sookie herself. She doesnt sound southern anymore. Shes almost the northern Ohio non-accent I knew as a kid now. Its really sad because its what keeps me engrossed in the book. Now it almost feels like someone else is talking instead of the person that was talking for the first 8 or 9 books. The worst part of it is that this book in particular felt like absolutely nothing happened. The issues with Victor were solved from the previous book, but everything else was just inched along a bit with no resolution. For example, the entire story line behind the CD (dont want to spoil anything) was left completely hanging. The object was introduced, talked about, warned about...and there was no struggle there at all! Charlaine always had added SOMETHING to give it a reason for existence in the current book in the past and this one just failed in giving that entire story line a reason to exist. Im sincerely hoping that Charlaine gets back on the wagon with the next novel in the series. This was sort of a dud compared to the others in the series and I hope its not a sign that shes bored with it. Maybe its all setup for a blockbuster in the next book?

Well, For starters I generally dont do book reviews, I think Im mostly doing this because Ive been reading some of the reviews and I think they may scare readers away. For starters some of what Ive read here is correct there were some back story issues, continuity errors, and some out of character moments. Thats all true. some of these I can let go of because I know when a series gets this long things are going to be forgotten. The out of character moments were probably a bigger issue for me. Im totally team Eric/Sookie and I actually like when I see the softer side of Eric it reminds me of DTTW Eric. And I didnt expect him to be his funny happy go lucky self in this book with all that was bearing down on him but at moments the way he was with Sookie, particularly that bite at the end was very troubling for me because through 10 books hes never harmed her so this bothered me alot and I hope its not CH trying to turn readers against him after such a build up of his and Sookies romance. That being said Im not as convinced as some that this is the end of Eric and Sookie, At least I hope not I feel like their story has been build up for the last 8 books. I hope Sookie fights for her vamp and doesnt just let Oklahoma have him. I think in this book Sookie realizes shes not nor is she ever going to be the good christian she believes she needs to be. Sookie at times has an issue with trying to fit the mold of normal, as if anyone really knows of normal? The faeries are going to be a problem in one or both of the last books. Dermot and Claude are up to something but we dont know what. Sookie is now in the possession of a fairy token (CD) that grants her a wish, alot of people seem to think shell use it to go back in time and never have met Bill......That still presents problems however, Sophie anne would still have known about Sookie, Niall would still be her GGF and The Bombing in Rhodes would not have been prevented in which case Eric, Bill, Pam and alot of other vampires and humans would have lost their life. I cant see Sookie letting that be. Nor do I think that would make her safe. Alot of people see Sam being maneuvered into position for the HEA....Funny this was the one book I saw him more in a BFF role than ever. Course I dont have a clue where CH is going with things She may haul him in at the last minute as the HEA.....Hope Not, that goes against what Ive been reading thus far. All and All I liked this book just a few things to nit pick about but I will continue the series and hope it ends the way Id like :)

I have to admit to being a little disappointed in this book. The short story in Deaths Excellent Vacation was more exciting. Parts of it were good and interesting, but it felt more like a piece of a book than a real book. I was exactly 50% through the book before anything grabbed my interest and made me think this is why Im reading this book! At that point my interest was peaked, but I kept feeling like I wanted something more from the book. I love vampire politics and was so looking forward to that in this story, and instead it felt too flat, too straight-forward. I miss the Sophie Anne days. Perhaps part of the problem was that there was no real mystery in this book, which most of the previous Sookie books have had. Also there were large and small continuity problems, which made me wonder if Harris even remembers what she wrote at this point. What bothered me the most perhaps is that the characterization seemed so off to me. Characters were acting in ways that did not ring true to me, almost as if the author decided she needed the character to do something whether the character actually would or not. It really irritated me. The ending also felt very unresolved. Flat is really the only word I can use to describe it. I was waiting for the something big to happen, perhaps a cliff hanger as I got closer to the end, but that big thing never happened. I unfortunately feel that this book suffers from the author trying to set up too much for future books and not giving the reader enough to enjoy in this book. I will say it was better than the last book because at least we did get to see the action first hand, but the book still left me wanting after reading it, which is not a good thing. So why give it four stars after so many negative comments? It is still a Sookie Stackhouse book, and I do still love the world these books are written in. It inspires my imagination. And despite all the flaws, I could not put the book down.

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.

Kudos to the many reviewers that have already stated many of the problems that we all seem to agree upon: continuity, character changes, unbelievability, etc. I will try not to go into detail on those problems that have already been discussed. This series started out with an abundance of promise and quickly became a favorite of this genre of readers. However, as is with many series of this length, CH seemed to simply lose steam, or interest, in actually keeping the quality of this series at the level it began. And then came this last book.... Obvioulsy, as I stated above, many reviewers have pointed out continuity problems. CH begins to introduce some explanations that just couldnt possibly be true, based upon the previous 10 books. If you want to know specifics, just read a few other reviews. Also, she seems to be trying to change characters personalities, motives, and demeanor to be totally contradictory to what we have read so far, which is confusing, frustrating, and generally unwelcome. ***SPOILERS*** It took how many books to finally get Eric and Sookie together? How many more books to keep them together? But it takes only one book to throw all that we have accepted and embraced about Eric and Sookie to the wolves. Up until this book, Sookie has come to understand and accept Erics shortcomings more and more, while Eric has learned to better express his feelings for Sookie and generally not be quite as big of an egotistical jerk. (I said not quite as big, but still very Eric). Suddenly, in this book, Sookie finds herself resenting Eric for the changes in her life and brooding on the things that have been present the whole relationship, things that she has accepted, and she doesnt really begin this until 1/3 way through the book. Also, Eric begins to have a total personality shift, even going so far as to attack Sookie, in a totally unbelievable and disappointing reaction to her dislike of the murder they just committed. Ridiculous. In the last few books, Sookie seems to be morphing into a whiny, indecisive, hypocritical, selfish, and impatient woman, which is really contradictory to how she was developed in the first half of these books. Personally, Im happy if Sooks happy, when it comes to her love life, but I think its about time to leave the girl alone. I liked Bill, and then we learned that he cheated on her and later that he had an ulterior motive the whole time. I liked Alcide, and then we learned that he also had ulterior motives, yet still Sookie lets him continue to use her while he fluctuates on deciding if he really wants and likes her or not. I liked Quinn, and then we learned that he picked an ungrateful family over Sookie and subsequently betrayed her. I liked Eric, a la memory loss, until he regained his memory. Then, they finally have a decently stable relationship, until this book undermines what we have learned. Bill is now the man who obviously loves her best, Alcide is still a toss-up though not a front-runner, Eric is obviously on the way out, and I can only imagine the close, bonding relationship developing between Sam and Sookie is now going to be the newest love triangle. Please. Im not really that excited about the prospect. Next thing you know, Sookie will be considering a relationship with her new fairy uncle.....ew[...] Seriously, I wouldnt put that past CH, since she already took the opportunity to introduce that idea through the mouth of Sam while he and Sookie talked about all things fairy in the truck. Also, enough with the constant impending doom. Its not enough to have one major plot twist and mystery to be solved in the story, now we have to have 4 and 5 in one book. Its exhausting. IMO, after the Vampire Summitt twist, the books just got to be too much. I dont need to be totally immersed in constant upheaval, betrayal, mystery, and deceit to enjoy a book. I hope CH really takes some time to THINK about past books and what has happened and actually get back to the writing we all initially loved before the very near end of the series.

I found the writing in Book 11 of the series as compelling as always although the storyline was convoluted with logic-less complications & earlier-book character cameos that added nothing. I was annoyed that the redundant explanations regarding Bubba werent edited out. Ditto the cameo character explanations - perhaps theyre acting as word/page-filler? Im not surprised that Ms. Harris is once again killing off her heroines love-interests; in every series shes written, the heroines are chronically unhappy, mildly embittered & constantly betrayed by their love-interests (or quickly & tragically lose the love-interest who they find out had betrayed them in some form before they died/left). I imagine its Ms.Harris way of ensuring her writing is never categorized as Romance of any kind or she just hates happy endings... If youre new to the series - buy any of the first few - dont start with this one. The overall tone of the book is Unhappy, the paranormal qualities are minimal, the action scenes lackluster. If money is tight &/or you have plenty of other books of interest to read - wait for the paperback to be released & hit the used book store. I did not find the book to be a wall-banger while I was reading most of it; Charlaine Harris is an exceptional writer. It was as I finished it that I found the build-up so unsatisfactorily concluded, the redundancy annoying, with the overall feeling that Id been conned into investing my time, imagination & money in a stupid story.

I finally had the opportunity to read the Sookie Stackhouse novel Dead Reckoning which was panned by Entertainment Weekly. I am a fan of the series, have been since I discovered the series when only the first two books were published. It pains me to say the last several books havent been all that fantastic. I had mentally prepared myself for an unsatisfying new read. I can know say that Dead Reckoning wasnt bad. It was no where bad enough for all the criticism that I have read regarding it. However, it also was not near the best books in the series. The problem I think boils down to a mishmash of plots. There are so many plots that none of them get the full attention they deserve. It made me wonder if the author realized how many plots she had left to be resolved with only a couple more books left to complete the series. I do NOT feel like, as others suggested, that she `phoned this one in. We have the Sandra Pelt plotline (Debbies equally crazy sister)...resolved far too quickly for such a `threat. We see some more of little Hunters life as he prepares to start school. If Hunter is never brought up again, the readers can believe he is in a decent place. I for one HOPE he is brought up again, he really adds something nice to Sookies life. We see Erics political situation take a sharp change. I actually really liked this bit of the story including the fact that we get a nice visit from Bubba who helps resolve this plotline. The action sequences are also top-notch in this book, by the way. Fans have been told for awhile that Ms. Harris has always known Sookies fate. She has always intended for her to have a Happily Ever After. We have two books now to get her to that place. She is with Eric in this book. They arent in a happy place but they are definitely together. She could end up with Eric, but I just dont think so. If she does, it is probably due to fan pressure. I love Eric, he is one of my favorites but I just dont think things will work out between them. I also feel like the `twist in Dead Reckoning, Erics big secret, may be what Harris uses to separate them. This really felt contrived to me, but we will see how it plays out. I thought maybe she would end up with Alcide; I really liked him when they dated, but this book seems to sniff that possibility as well. Bill? He is certainly portrayed in a more positive light in Dead Reckoning. My bet is on Sam. I think that I would be happy to have them together, they are best friends. I think book Sam is a great guy. (FYI, True Blood Sam freaks me out). Oh yeah...I forgot the fairies. I blame the downward trend in the Sookie storytelling (and most plot inconsistencies) on the fairies. Their world is too erratic...the rules are muddy and flexible. I just dont like the addition of fairies in this world. I feel like the item Sookie finds passed down from the fairies is really going to end up being a big part to the end of the series. That is fine and good, but I just havent found a fairy that I care about. You never really know if you should trust them. Even the `good ones can turn on you in a second. So overall, I read this book very quickly. It was never dull in my opinion. I loved visiting with all these characters again. The action was excellent except for maybe the all too brief conclusion of the Pelt storyline. I just wish the book was tied together better. Too many plots equal too many weaknesses in those threads. I do remain hopefully to a happy ending for not only Sookie, but her fans as well.

First I will get it out of the way and say I agree with the continuity issues that others have written about. I was reading and thinking - that is not the way I remember it!! I was excited to get this book and read it. However it was not as good as I hoped it would be. I am getting tired of Sookie waffling about the men in her life. Pick someone already!! Or just be alone for a while. It seemed like it was going to be Eric for the last couple books and that was fine with me. Now there is a problem with that relationship. Yes, this is a book about the supernatural, so I guess the relationships wont be the same as regular ones, but come on. Also, why was Alcide even in this book if it was going to be just a couple pages? What a waste of time. What is with Sookies cry baby attitude after the big fight at Erics bar? She was the one who brought up killing Victor in book 10, and now that it finally happened she is acting like she has never seen a vamp fight etc. One last thing, can we please not have to read about how big and fabulous her breasts are? That is getting old.