Dead and Gone (Sookie Stackhouse, Book 9)
by Charlaine Harris
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Book Reviews of Dead and Gone (Sookie Stackhouse, Book 9)
Book Review: Fae's & Supes & Vamps.... OH MY!!! (Major Spoilers!!! Be careful)
Summary: 5 Stars
THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!
I'm truly baffled as to why there are quite a few readers who did NOT enjoy this book. I started reading the books a few weeks ago and just finished "Dead and Gone" yesterday and I can truly say it has been one of the most wild rides since the Harry Potter series. I have enjoyed "growing up" with Sookie all the way... from first love and current ex-boyfriend (thought not permanently ex I'm sure...) Bill Compton to current "Husband" Eric. One reviewer stated they did not like how Eric had changed. I totally disagree. I am LOVING where Eric is headed in his thought process. It says a lot about that character that he is willing to open up to Sookie (in his own bar) about his past. He clearly is a man who has spent over 1000 years trying to survive and adapt to so much change that he has had to become a "hard-ass" and has developed a dispassionate view of everyone who is not him. His confusion about is feelings for Sookie make him even more attractive to me. Telling Sookie that being with her (when he had lost his memory) was the "Happiest he'd been in centuries" was very major. I had to read that paragraph several times because I couldn't believe it. I did not like Eric in the beginning. His cold-hearted, self-centered behavior made Bill that much more attractive. When Eric forces Bill's hand in telling her he was originally sent to woo her by his queen, I like Sookie, became angry, hurt, confused and wishing she could run to Eric and have him take care of her... knowing that would be a bad decision. And isn't that soooo like life? Did Eric do it because he loves Sookie? Is it for his own gains? My view is that it's all of the above. If I can't get my 74 year old mother to change her ways, I can't imagine getting a 1000 year old to change ANYTHING. the fact that he is very conflicted is fascinating I think. The way he gets Sookie to "Marry" him is underhanded, high handed and loving all at once. Every character must change. That's just life. No one can NOT change.... even shutting oneself in ones home changes one in the end... Even a 1000 year old Viking must change or die. Pam has changed: from hating humans to liking Sookie. Bill has changed: though his changes are forced from outside vamps. Quinn has changed: all business to in love and conflicted about his family. Sookie has changed: naive to "hard". Jason: self serving jerk to... wait. He's still a jerk... though internally he knows what he's done though has yet to admit it to himself much less others.
The fact that the story has moved into the "Supe/Shifter" world adds so many more possible story lines, the thought of it makes me giddy like a schoolgirl. I think I might have become bored JUST reading about vampires with a touch of the "Supe" world. The "Supe/Shifter" community outing themselves guarantees at least a few more books... I could read this series forever. I would love it to continue on until Sookie is either old and gray or is "turned" The introduction of Sookie's Great-Grandfather, the Fairy Prince Niall and involvement with the Fae world adds yet another facet to this already complex character. Though he does say he will probably never see her again because he is closing the portal between the fairy world and the human world, I think we will see him again before too long. One reviewer stated they thought Ms. Harris jammed too many characters into one book and did not enough spend time on any of them I see that as Ms. Harris setting us up for some books specifically about one or two characters... It took her NINE books to get to Eric's background... come on! Ms. Harris, for me personally, has the ability to make us feel confused and pissed off at characters we thought were so constant. As in life: we NEVER truly know someone... including ourselves many times. I was shattered when Sookie broke up with Quinn and had to take a minute to calm down @ her decision. Then I thought... "It's a BOOK!! These people are not REAL!!" How wonderful it is when an author can move people that way: to create a dialogue and debates about characters who only exist on paper.
I truly enjoyed this book. I can't wait till the next one.... Is it May yet?
Book Review: Where oh where has Sookie gone???
Summary: 2 Stars
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 of my complaints. So, I'll just leave it at this with a sigh and, again, hope that book #10 gives Sookie some happy time and that the Bon Temps community, supes and otherwise get back on track.
Book Review: Where's the rest of it?
Summary: 3 Stars
BEWARE - SPOILERS!!!!
Sorry, I can't properly talk about this book without giving some things away - stop reading now if you don't want to spoil the surprise.
I have to agree with the majority of reviewers that this book was a letdown. I still give it three stars because it moved the plot forward an inch or two, and I like the series so much I'm happy for any scrap Charlaine Harris will toss me.
The last book had a lot going on. In this one, I felt like, with the exception of the Crystal matter, Harris just opened a lot of boxes and left some bad guys flying around to be dealt with at a later date. What's up with the FBI agents trying to recruit Sookie? What will Arlene's fate be? Will the other guys walk? Where is Dermot? What will happen with the fairies? Will Bill survive? There could have been more to this book. It just felt so much shorter than the others.
I echo the complaints of others regarding the TWO pregnant women who were killed and the torture. Also, I thought it was weird that Sookie is suddenly feeling like forgiving Bill, even though the blood bond with Eric is in effect. And what is up with Quinn showing up for five minutes? And Niall - um, too little too late. Why can't he send a Fairy to guard Sookie or something? His warning also seemed a little tardy. Okay, but those are all issues with the plot that the author made, and I have to live with that.
Complaints that have less to do with the author's prerogative:
Mel. As soon as he showed up on the scene, I knew he was going to be the one who did it, even though I didn't yet know what IT was. Harris has laxed into a formula whereby every other book she introduces a new, mysterious person (the cook who was killing weres, the vampire/pirate assassin, Tanya the waitress) who is out to do no good. It's gotten a little predictable.
References to popular music: All of a sudden, Sookie is listening to a ton of Top 40 music in the car. This is just a personal thing, but I can't stand it when an author makes too many references to popular culture. Don't they realize that they're dating their books? That if they want people to read this stuff in twenty years the Mariah Carey references will be stale? The KDED stuff has a purpose, but the rest - Cut it out! Bring back the Word a Day calendar instead!
Also, I felt like half of the book was backstory. I know Harris wants people to be able to pick up any book and enjoy it without having to read them all in order, but these books are just too dense for that to really work, and we, the faithful, who read all nine books in order, cover to cover, have to sludge through tedious recapping every time she mentions a character for the first time in that book. This was okay in the 3rd and 4th books, but Sookie has quite a long history with these people now. I am not a skimmer, and I skimmed quite a lot in this book.
Oh, and why did Sookie need to look outside for Amelia's car to see if she was home when she could have sent out a quick feeler for brain activity?
Finally, why was Sookie so accepting of things? Why did she never actually ask Eric what the exact significance of the knife exchange was? Are they really "married?" What does that mean? Can they undo it? Why didn't she ask for backup when her protectors were all out of commission? Why did Niall reveal himself and put her in danger? He obviously saw that coming. Why the heck didn't she wait until Bill got there before getting out of her car?
I still like the series, and I will continue to read it. I hope that the next book is a little better and that Sookie's love life moves forward a little. I also hope that the situation with some of the bad guys that are out to get her now gets resolved before we're given new things to stress about!
Book Review: Not horrible, but a disappointment for fans?
Summary: 3 Stars
I'm not going to rehash and pick apart this plot, as so many reviewers have adequately explored the flaws to my satisfaction, but I have to add my concern to where this series is leading. We're presented with the Sookie-Bill-Eric love triangle on the cover, which has been the underlying main plot theme throughout this series. However, we're again left with an emotionally unsatisfying read. Has the author lost interest in this world and these characters? Eric is there - but devoid of any passion or intensity. Sookie seems only barely interested, and that's mostly in Eric's physical attributes, which also makes her seem emotionally shallow. Meanwhile, Bill, who was written in the beginning with such emotion, depth and character, has been reduced to a pathetic Sookie-groupie, whom you could tell, the author would love to have just killed-off in this book with the finality of a minor bit-player. The treatment of Bill - who was presented to us in the beginning as a major, major secondary character - violates every tried-and-true formula known for satisfying fiction resolution.
WORD TO AUTHOR: you MUST give us a better resolution - or at least character continuity for Bill. Its like breaking a bond of trust with your reader when you introduce characters, make us care (whether its love or hate - we did care for Bill), build up so much in the beginning, then reduce them to a bit-part. If you've lost interest, please do a final treatment and move on. Sookie, Bill, Eric, etc are truly fiction icons now and deserve so much better than the mediocre plots churned out to milk fans for another $25 each May. Go back and research your original plot. Even if you have to take a year off - give us some satisfying resolution for these truly unique and wonderful characters. FYI: this is not something hired "researchers" can do for you. You're either still connected with this storyline and these characters, or you're not.
(SPOILER ALERT)Example of disappointing plot resolution in this installment: Maybe its just small in the scheme of things, but after tormenting us and Sookie with Bill's relationship with this Selah Pumphries, we get no emotional satisfaction at all from Bill's sudden announcement that Selah's just decided to up and move to Arkansas. Really? After several scenes in the last few books where she confronts Sookie, makes her feel bad, even kind-of-sort-of threatens her to stay away from Bill at the Summit? What was the point if not to have some type of final confrontation that the reader would find emotionally satisfying? I know this may not have been a big deal to some readers, but its a perfect illustration of my point about reader-dissatisfaction with the series. I can't imagine that I'm the only reader who wished the smarmy, catty Selah would get her comeuppance.
My advise, just like we learned in writing class - all characters, plot devises and incidents should further the story. If you're not willing to follow-up, don't write it to begin with.
Better yet - go back to the very beginning - remember as a writer what captivated and drove you to capture this particular story with these particular characters. As a fellow writer, I know, you, as the creator, must be totally in love with the characters, setting and plot to write great fiction. When you lose that love, its time to move on. So, find a satisfactory resolution for these characters and give us a big-bang ending that's as worthy and unforgettable as the original characters and plot, or rediscover your love for your original cast and what made them so compelling for us to follow. These wonderful characters you've created deserve this. We, as your loyal readers, deserve an ending that will satisfy, or at least a reason to read the next installment and know we won't be disappointed with our emotional (and monetary) investment.
Book Review: Doesn't Measure Up
Summary: 3 Stars
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!