Harris, Charlaine: Dead Until Dark
Dead Until Dark
Writer: Charlaine Harris
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 292
I've pretty much avoided this series, despite the praise I've heard, because I didn't like the covers. Granted, the covers are unique, especially for the genre, and when you consider this series is also known as the Southern Vampire novels (or something along those lines), the covers fit. I've just never liked the art.
What changed was HBO adapting these novels for their series True Blood. I don't have HBO, so I can't watch it, but I really want too. But since I have no interest in adding HBO to my DirecTV package and the show isn't yet available on iTunes, I decided to settle for the first book to see how I liked it. And, contrary that I am, I made a point to get a copy with the original cover art rather than the shiney HBO-related cover art (seen behind the cut). Why? Because if I liked the first book and wanted the rest, none of the rest would have the same HBO-related cover art.
Makes sense to me. :)
The premise: Sookie Stackhouse is a cocktail waitress in a small town in Louisiana. She's a little crazy by the town's standards, but what's really wrong is what she considers her disability to read minds. When she meets Bill, a vampire, she can't hear a word he's thinking, and of course, that makes him all the more attractive. But dating a vampire isn't easy, and unfortunately, Bill hangs around a bad crowd, all of whom are suspected of murder. It isn't long before Sookie starts fearing for her own life, especially when one of her co-workers is found dead.
Spoilers ahead.
This was an interesting reading experience for me. This book debuted in 2001, but I've read books that have debuted since that owe a lot (whether they realize it or not) to Harris's work in this book alone. Quite a bit reminded me of Jeaniene Frost's Cat Crawfield series, which I love, and I can see why Twilight fans (who clearly don't know any better if Meyer's series is their only experience in the urban fantasy genre) are saying there's nothing different about this series (though, to my knowledge, these remarks have been directed at the television show, not the books). I can't remember whether Bella's got mind-reading abilities or not, but Edward can't read her, and oh yeah, there's a third party competing for Bella's affections who's also a werewolf.
But let's get off of the similarities, because Harris came first. Even for readers who may prefer Frost's or Meyer's work over Harris's, they should certainly give credit where credit is due.
The book started off in a rather dizzy fashion. I'm from the south, I know the dialect, but I was thrown a bit by Sookie's narrative voice. Also thrown a bit by the opening chapter, where Sookie meets the vampire Bill, saves his life from a couple of lowlifes who want to use his blood to sell on the black market, and in turn gets targeted by said lowlifes and is nearly killed until Bill (and we find out later, Sam) comes to save her. That's all in the first chapter, a whopping 35 pages! Fortunately, if there's one thing you don't notice in this book, it's chapter length. Good thing.
But once the book got rolling and we met the principle characters and got the basic gift of a plot, the book rolled much smoother. I have to admit, I really admired the murder mystery, because Harris kept me guessing the entire book, and I never once guessed who the killer was. I had weird feelings about the guy at first, but never enough to link him as the murderer. That was well done. Particularly well done was the climax when Rene goes after Sookie, and she has to save herself. VERY well done, because I was worried she'd be a damsel in distress the whole book (she even refers to the differences between her and Bill at some point, how he always manages to be there, and why not if he's got the strength and ability to do so?). Sookie is able to do what Meyer never does with Bella in Twilight, and that's fight back and win. Admittedly, Sookie's kind of pumped up after three doses of vampire blood, which is maker her stronger and faster, but she still saves herself, and that was a very welcome ending to the book. Bill being out of town did feel awkward though, especially when we learned what for, but I'll forgive it for the fact it kept him out of the picture.
I'm not sure how I feel about Sookie and Bill as a couple. There's a certain possessiveness to him I don't like (that extends beyond the "She's mine," phrase that's used over and over--that's more protection from other vamps than anything, even though I'm sure he means it otherwise), and the scene where he heals her after her first time by soaking his finger in his own blood and then sticking it inside? That deserves a big, fat EWWWWW! But what I really think turns me off the idea of Sookie/Bill is Sookie herself and how she flip-flops between falling for Bill and pushing him away. Admittedly, she's got a good reason to worry given that she's human and he's not, and I'll admit I think I like Sam better. I had him pegged as a werewolf right away and I was pretty darn close, but I will say it bugs me that once Sookie learned of his secret that she didn't link it with the dog that helped save her life that night when the Rats attacked. But I also don't like Sookie's disgust/jealousy with Bill feeding on other people. It never comes out and says it, but in my mind, Bill doesn't have to be in a sexual context to feed, though that's more enjoyable. Sookie acts like he's having sex every time he feeds on someone else. That bugs me. If he is, then it's a double-standard because the sex isn't necessary and he's always telling her not to go out with others. If he isn't, then her reaction/insecurity is just plain annoying. I want her to be more practical about the whole thing, but maybe that's not fair of me.
I cracked up when we learned that Elvis is a vampire, but a completely demented one at that. I also liked the grandmother quite a bit--the relationship she had with Sookie was nice, and it was touching when Sookie revealed how it was her grandmother who was the only one who believed her about her uncle (yet another urban fantasy heroine with rape and/molestation in her past; this is becoming a disturbing trend in the genre). I like how vampire blood made Sookie stronger and more confident and made it easier to use her ability, but I never really believed that she'd get over the initial gag-reflex of drinking blood willingly, which she did twice. At least in Frost's work, Cat is half-vampire and there's a natural craving there for it; Sookie's human and doesn't have the excuse, and while I've never tried it, I don't believe Sookie could bite Bill's neck and manage to snag an artery the first try. That doesn't seem realistic, but then again, I've never tried. :)
Not sure what to make of Eric and that little subplot. I'm curious to see where it goes and why, and right now, I'm having trouble getting the vampire politics straight, and it seems like Eric is trying to find a loophole in every rule in the book just to get his hands on Sookie, which might work if I were more familiar with Harris's vampire politics, but I'm not, so it's confusing. And yet again we have a case of the heroine (who at least admits she's pretty and isn't ashamed of it, good for her!) who seems to attract all the guys around her, and aside from Bill (who really exhibited some dislike towards her at the beginning, so I'm not sure what changed his mind), the only one I'll forgive is Sam, because Harris addresses his attraction in the book rather directly.
So we'll see. I like this book enough to keep reading the series, and when True Blood is available on iTunes, I'll definitely give the first episode a shot. Can't ask for much more than that, can I?
My Rating
Worth the Cash: fans of vampire fiction should enjoy this, but a warning to fans of Jeaniene Frost and Stephenie Meyer who may not be well-read in the urban fantasy genre: you'll like this book, but anytime you notice a comparison to Meyer or Frost, remember: HARRIS CAME FIRST. I'm not going to say that either author stole from Harris, but Harris was definitely an influence, if not for Meyer (I think she's said before that she doesn't read vampire fiction, so any coincidences are just part of the creative collective conscious), then more likely for Frost. And that's not a bad thing. This book was enjoyable and didn't diminish my love for Frost's work, and both series are different enough that there's certainly room for both on the urban fantasy fan's bookshelf. It's a good, solid read with equal dose mystery and romance. I liked this enough to try the next book in the series, and whenever True Blood is available on iTunes, you can bet I'll give the show a shot.
Next up:
Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron
AND
Probability Moon by Nancy Kress