Fri 3 Sep 2010
Reviewed by LJ Roberts: CHARLAINE HARRIS – Dead in the Family.
Posted by Steve under Reviews[7] Comments
Reviews by L. J. Roberts
CHARLAINE HARRIS – Dead in the Family. Ace Books, hardcover, May 2010. Reprint paperback: March 2011.
Genre: Paranormal suspense. Leading character: Sookie Stackhouse; 10th in series. Setting: Louisiana.
First Sentence: “I feel bad that I’m leaving you like this,” Amelia said.
The Fae War is over and Sookie is recovering from her injuries. In spite of the door to the Fae World being closed, it seems not all the faeries have left. Her cousin, Claude, has decided to move in with her, she suspects her great-uncle Dermot may still be around and, perhaps, one other.
Sookie’s vampire lover, Eric, is also still recovering. Although he is pleased when his “maker” appears, Sookie isn’t happy particularly with the vampire child of Russian nobility who is with him.
As if that’s not enough, Sookie tries to help a human child who shares her telepathic abilities, is asked to act as Shaman for the Weres, and everyone is concerned about a government bill which would require all Weres and Shifters to register as such.
It is interesting that, while many people didn’t like this book, I felt it was one of the better books in the series. The consistent thread was families, all types of families, and the relationships within them. For that reason, I felt there was more depth to this book than some.
At the same time, it is not easy to take vampires, wares, faeries and humans and make the paranormal seem normal, realistic and logical. Harris does it with style, aplomb and humour. The book deals more with characters and less with edge-of-the-seat action. Most of the gang is here but there is just enough detail provided about each character for new readers.
Harris makes you believe in these characters. More than that, she makes you cheer for the “good” characters and when Sookie says she wants one of the “bad” characters to die; so, too, do you.
Harris’s descriptions provide such a strong sense of place that when she talks about Sookie sitting on the front porch, you can smell the coffee and hear the birds. Unfortunately, that also works for the less-than-pleasant descriptions as well so it is not a book for the easily queasy. To me, it’s that contrast that makes it work. This wasn’t as much of a graphic action or sex plot as some, although certainly enough to satisfy.
This was a more introspective book for Sookie with the emotions conveyed being tangible. It also felt a transition book for Ms. Harris — the series growing up, if you will, and relationships developing.
I know Ms. Harris has planned out where the series is going. There is no question but that I shall be going along with her.
Rating: Very Good.
September 3rd, 2010 at 8:58 pm
Maybe I’m remembering it incorrectly, but I’m sure that when the Sookie Stackhouse books first came out, they were found in the mystery section of the chain bookstores, but they’re in the SF-Fantasy section now, am I right?
Is there still a crime and/or mystery element to the books, or are they as LJ says, (paranormal) suspense novels only?
I watched a portion of one episode on HBO, but I didn’t see anything that would compel me to watch another. Of course there was no attempt to explain who was who and why, and that didn’t help.
I’ve read that the book series and the TV series are based on the same characters, but they’ve long ago decided to go their separate ways. Is this true?
September 4th, 2010 at 6:04 am
Yes. We quit watching after series two. There have been some big changes from the books to the HBO series; though some of the basic characters are the same others have been changed greatly.
I haven’t read all the books so can’t say whether the newer ones are strictly paranormal.
I prefer her Lily Bard (“Shakespeare”) series, which is much harder edged and more realistic. I also liked the Harper Connelly books until the last one, which went right off the cliff and ended the series on a serious downer.
September 4th, 2010 at 6:48 am
I’m just about completely burned out on the whole vampire/living dead/zombie genre. I watched the first season on HBO of True Blood and enjoyed it but when I started watching the second season I found I had completely lost my interest. Just more of the same blood sucking vampire stuff.
September 4th, 2010 at 10:01 pm
Walker
Let’s just say we are both bitten and twice shy of vampires — could be worse, could be zombies, but not much worse.
Remember back when Leslie Whitten’s PROGENY OF THE ADDER seemed like such a breath of fresh (relative) air?
I still like Laurel Hamilton’s tougher Anita Blake series, but even though Sookie is built like a brick Stackhouse I have had all the small Southern town vampires, werewolves, and related creations I can take.
I just can’t figure out why no one has done one about an antique collecting vampire who runs a small bookstore/diner/bar with her psychic cat and solves murders while knitting quilts and working part time as a pathologist in a small Southern town overrun with witches, zombies, and werewolves …
And I sincerely hope I haven’t given anyone any ideas.
September 5th, 2010 at 9:02 am
I think there is a “cozy gay vampire” series, David.
My wife finally gave up on Hamilton’s Anita Blake. I think it was mostly Anita giving up vampire killing (her original purpose) for sex with up to a half dozen different vamps and shifters per book, often several at once.
September 6th, 2010 at 11:15 pm
I couldn’t agree with you more, Jeff.
I am embarrassed by the number of people I enthused to about the earlier books–until through BLUE MOON, say–before the series turned into B & D porn…lousy B & D porn…
September 7th, 2010 at 8:38 pm
[…] Comments: L. J. Roberts reviewed Dead in the Family, the 10th in the series, here on this blog earlier this month. (Dead to the World is the […]