Charlaine Harris' Thrilling Vampire Mystery, "Dead Until Dark"

Loves Fiction: Ok, again, I am late to the party. Everyone knows about Sookie Stackhouse. I am just reading this for the first time and yes, it was a great read!

United States on Sep 02, 2023

Amazon Customer: Good book and good flowing story.

United Kingdom on Jul 20, 2023

Lauren VS: Fast paced book, pretty harsh in some spots, Sookie takes quite a few beatings throughout. Pretty good for a first book in a series.

Australia on May 18, 2023

Jessica@RabidReads: I basically had two separate lives growing up. My main life involved my nurse mother, my pharmacist (legal) father, and two of my three sisters, all living a suburban life just outside of Charlotte, NC. My secondary life involved my biological father and his entire family which was (they’ve since departed) headquartered in Bon Aqua (pronounced “ACK-qua”), TN. Bon Aqua, thusly named for the water that locals lineup in their pickup-trucks to collect, with their empty milk jugs, flowing out of a rusted pipe in the ground. True story.

I think that’s one of the reasons I like Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse series so much—b/c I can relate. I grew up hearing people say things like, “Sure enough, some sumbitch, scuse me, was sneaking around the house,” which is what Bubba (and by “Bubba” I mean ELVIS) said after he scared away the creeper from Sookie’s house. And I am intimately acquainted with the small-minded prejudices that seem to thrive in small towns. My family, for the most part, isn’t like that, but you can’t grow up in that kind of place without hearing some very politically incorrect terms and phrases tossed around. The kind of place where...

United States on Mar 25, 2014

Wendy: I attempted reading Dead Until Dark (Sookie Stackhouse #1) on vacation last summer, but I began feeling nauseous after the first 10 pages. And it wasn't because of airplane turbulence. Sookie just seemed so in love with herself and, after reading about how attractive the bar owner, Sam, was and how irresistible her brother, Jason, was to women, I almost needed a barf bag. I tossed the book aside, figuring I'd rather listen to someone clipping their fingernails than read another page.

But I've really been into fun chick mystery novels lately and I saw, over and over again, people recommending Sookie, and I needed a vampire book for January's paranormal reading challenge. Not being a huge fan of vampires and not wanting a serious book, I figured this would be an opportunity to see what I was (or was not) missing.

I'm not sure if it's the fact that I went into it thinking reading this book was going to be about as enjoyable as snowshoeing through the Alaskan tundra without chapstick, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. In fact, I'd say it really tried to be good. Except there was one thing sort of major thing holding it back: the writing.

I try not to...

United States on Jan 15, 2013

AnetteF: How do you judge a book? If it is by how well it is written, then 'Dead until Dark' would probably get about two stars at the most. On the other hand, if you are looking for easy reading material and are happy to let your imagination fill in some of the gaps and ignore some of the shortcomings, then as many others have done, you might even rate it five star.

'Dead until Dark' is the first in a series of books that revolve around Sookie Stackhouse, described as a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. Though she is pretty, she has not exactly been dating a great deal as there is just one small problem... Sookie can read minds. Something that can be more than distracting when you're out on a date and he is pondering, at best, if you have dyed your hair.

She has been hoping to meet one - Vampires have 'come out' since the discovery of synthetic blood, but even though Bill is trying to fit into 'mainstream' living, having fangs is not a recommendation when women are found murdered showing bite-marks. Sookie soon finds out that being involved with him makes life more than just a trifle complicated.

I bought the book after seeing it recommended and...

United Kingdom on Dec 06, 2009

Fel: Dead until Dark is the first book in the Sookie Stackhouse/Southern Vampire series by Charlaine Harris. It is also the novel which the popular TV series True Blood is based on. In this first installment, Charlaine created this alternative reality where supernatural creatures live among humans and off course one of the best known creatures is vampire. The story is told from the perspective of Sookie Stackhouse, a barmaid with telepath ability from the imaginary town of Bon Temps in Louisiana. She lives with her grandmother Adele and Jason.

A Japanese pharmaceutical company has created synthetic blood which makes it possible for vampires to live legally in the human society without feeding on humans. Being a telepath has always been difficult for Sookie in interacting with other people, including finding the love of her life. However, when she meets Bill Compton, she knows he is the one!! Bill is a vampire from the civil war period, who just comes back to Bon Temps, his hometown before he was turned. And technically being "dead" with no brainwaves, Sookie cannot read his minds which gives her a lot of peace when she is around him. Bill, a tortured soul, also finds her...

United Kingdom on Oct 22, 2009

Annette: Well, this book is definitivly something differnt!! Fantasy, criminal story and a little romance. ;-D

Sookie Stackhouse is a cocktail waitress in a small town in Lousianna. She is a nice looking girl, but cause of her "disability" - she can read other peoples mind - likes to stay by herself and people think she is a little bit crazy. One day she meets Bill, a tall, dark and handsome VAMPIRE. The best thing about him is, that Sookie can`t read his mind, thats why she feels VERY comfortable with him. Vampires are living since several years among humans. In many bars you can get already synthetical blood :-)!! After Sookie saved Bills life one night from a couple of "Vampire-blooddrainers" and he in return saved hers a few days later, they get more and more attracted to another, which is not welcomed by the rest of the townpeople. When one day Sookies coworker is killed, and has some bitemarks on her, everybody suspects Bill...

What I liked about this book is, that Vampires are living openly between humans, not always accepted, but still kind of tolerated. That was something new. What I also liked very much is this funny, cynicaltype of writing. I had to smile so often,...

Germany on Jul 23, 2006