Definitely Dead - Charlaine Harris

...the author created. This is definitely a must for Charlaine Harris fans but not as good as the first novel in the series.


Pages: 324
Price: £6.39
Publisher: Orion Books
ISBN: 978-0-575-07891-8
Year: 2006
About the author: www.charlaineharris.com


Thanks for reading my review.This review is also posted on Dooyoo under my name.


@CPTDANIELS January ... more

Background:

My book this week was a present from a friend. I recently baby sat her two children and instead of payment she asked me which authors I liked as she knew I love reading. I told her I liked Charlaine Harris and luckily she picked one of the ones I hadn't already read. A very kind gesture I thought.

About the author:

Charlaine Harris was born in Mississippi in 1951. She has been writing for the last 25 years. Her main series are the acclaimed Lily Bard Mysteries and the Sookie Stackhouse series. The latter of which she has already written eight novels with a new one planned for the early part of 2009. The book I am reviewing was written in 2006.

Synopsis of the book:

Sookie Stackhouse is a lady in her mid twenties, living in a small town called Bon Temps. She has a special talent, she is telepathic. This can be an advantage but it can also land her in trouble. Her cousin Hadley one of Sookie's few relatives and a vampire has been finally killed. So Sookie must go to New Orleans to sort out her belongings and pack up her flat.

Hadley had become a favourite of the Vampire Queen Sophie-Anne, who is devastated by her death. Before she died Hadley took an expensive and valuable bracelet belonging to her former lover the Queen. This was a gift from the King and must be returned before he discovers it is missing.

Meanwhile Sookie is still coming to terms with killing Debbie Pelt and her family are pursuing her to try and find out what happened to her. As Sookie killed her, defending both herself and another Vampire Eric from her attack. She now fears trouble entering the Queen's domain and senses something is not quite right. But where is the danger coming from and more importantly why?

My thoughts on the book:

Overall my view of this novel was it was an enjoyable and good read. There were more things that I enjoyed, but there were a few things that disappointed and frustrated me too about this book.

This is the third novel in the Sookie Stackhouse series that I have read. The first of which I completely loved while the second I was very disappointed in. This one seemed half way between these two extremes.

Being on my third book, I no longer struggle with the concept and the author's ideas on Vampires as this novel has plenty of them. I do however struggle with her other non-human creatures, which have been brought in since the first book. I get confused between the Weres (Werewolves) and the Shape Shifters (Any animal) and who is what, not to mention what each can and can't do.

I believe the author original concept of a telepathic barmaid becoming involved in the world of Vampires was an excellent (book 1). However since then she has brought in the other non-humans and to my mind they subtract from this wonderful original concept. As for me these others seem to lack creditability and I find it hard to relate to.

From previous experience, Harris's books usually go straight into the main theme of the story. But this one did not. What it did do was provide a very good grounding in the life of Sookie Stackhouse. By doing this the author cleverly brought in a few events that played an important role later in the book. And by laying the ground work the story came to life and made more sense later on.

Even though it took ages for this real story to develop, it was always fascinating to learn more about the life of Sookie Stackhouse. It is so different from most people's and always full of danger, the unexpected and full of excitement. And unlike most novels you really have no idea what will happen next to her.

If I had never read a novel by this author I think I may well have struggled and wondered where on earth this story was going and what the point was. Once the story began in earnest at Hadley's flat it was action packed and full of mystery and suspense. Yes sometimes it was a little far fetched but it was always well written and I was never sure the good guys from the bad ones.

The story had a very exciting conclusion and what I particularly liked is the way the author tied up all the loose ends at this point including answering a few from previous books that had been brought up again. It was never the most dynamic storyline but it did manage to capture my imagination and keep it till the very end.

Sookie for me makes the book instantly readable as she is a superb character. She is so different from most lead characters in both personality and persona. I feel I can relate to her and I like the way she often doubts herself and she lacks self confidence. I feel the author writes for her in an imaginative and creative way that allows the reader to understand the telepaths thoughts and actions instinctively that she feels.

What I like about Harris's characters are not only they tend to be rich in detail so it is east to visualise them but they are interesting with conflicting personalities. Some appear in all the books so it is like seeing a familiar face again. I particularly like the Vampires, they always seem so fascinating, I actually think they could be on their own with Sookie and it would make for me far more interesting read.

The character in this book I struggled with was Quinn who was Sookie's new boy friend. He is a Shape Shifter but I much preferred it when she was dating a Vampire. I find his character dull and the interaction between the two annoying. I hope the author will kill him off in one of the later books as I see him as a poor character, lacking depth.

A feature that I do enjoy is the humour the author employs throughout the book. They are usually one liners and quite often in very serious or dramatic situations. I like the way the humour and sometimes sarcasm can be lost on some of the characters, notably the Vampires. It just adds a different and fun dimension to the novel.

The author's standard of writing his very good, but I do find her descriptions of the places Sookie visits a little lacking and disappointing. She has many opportunities to describe these exciting places but for me they are often dull and looking imagination.

The books length was about right for the story, with frequent chapter's signposting a change of scene. The writing style is easy to read and in general with sufficient detail to interest the reader without blowing their mind.

Conclusion:

For me this was a good and exciting novel. I enjoyed the story and the majority of the characters the author created. This is definitely a must for Charlaine Harris fans but not as good as the first novel in the series.

Pages: 324
Price: £6.39
Publisher: Orion Books
ISBN: 978-0-575-07891-8
Year: 2006
About the author: www.charlaineharris.com

Thanks for reading my review.This review is also posted on Dooyoo under my name.

@CPTDANIELS January 2009 

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