GtPGKogPYT4p61R1biicqBXsUzo" /> Google+ A, not really, review of Dead Reckoning | I Smell Sheep

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

A, not really, review of Dead Reckoning

Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris
Blurb:
With her knack for being in trouble's way, Sookie witnesses the firebombing of Merlotte's, the bar where she works. Since Sam Merlotte is now known to be two-natured, suspicion falls immediately on the anti-shifters in the area. But Sookie suspects otherwise and she and Sam work together to uncover the culprit - and the twisted motive for the attack. But her attention is divided. Though she can't 'read' vampires, Sookie knows her lover Eric Northman and his 'child' Pam well - and she realises that they are plotting to kill the vampire who is now their master. Gradually, she is drawn into the plot -which is much more complicated than she knows. Caught up in the politics of the vampire world, Sookie will learn that she is as much of a pawn as any ordinary human - and that there is a new Queen on the board . .
There is no point in actually reviewing a book that is #11 in such a big series. If you have read the first 10 then you are going to read this one, no matter what anyone says about it. If you haven’t read the Sookie Stackhouse books yet, you really can't start the series with Dead Reckoning. I highly suggest you start at the beginning and work your way through the series. Instead I am going to tell you why this series rocks and why you should try it. I will add that I loved Dead Reckoning as I love all the Sookie Stackhouse books, it has been a year since I got to submerse myself in Harris’s world of sexy, unapologetic vampires, shifters and fae, and I am already foaming at the mouth for the next one!
What is it about this series that has everyone so excited (other than the extremely hot supernatural men)? A lot of buzz about the books has being generated by the TV show True Blood which is loosely based on the series. Now, I have only seen season one and while I liked it, it doesn’t really follow the books. So don’t judge whether you will like the books or not based on your reaction to the T.V. show. This series of books is one of the reasons I became a reader and blogger of the UF/PNR genre.
It is written from the POV of the heroine, Sookie, and I love living in her head. Maybe it is because I am a southern girl too, but I like her attitude. Bad stuff keeps coming at her but she buckles down and overcomes the challenges without too much complaining. I also like the easy-going and humorous writing style of Harris. I can totally see myself having the same inner dialogue Sookie does as she goes through her day.
“When I thought of Eric with someone else, I wanted to rip out all his beautiful blond hair. By the roots. In clumps.” –Sookie from Dead Reckoning
Or when Sookie is scared, naked and hiding, while some bad guys look for her.
“My heart sank, though I would have sworn it was already down to my toes. My bare toes. I was glad I’d painted my toenails recently. Irrelevant!”
I also like the fact that the supernatural beings in the story don’t change the way they behave. They don’t experience a sudden epiphany and change their evil ways. You know how in most UF and PNR stories the vampire/shifter/fae tries to change for their significant other? Not in this world . They don’t think like humans (cause, duh! They aren’t) or love like humans do, and they are self-serving and feel no need to apologize for this fact. It is how Sookie handles dealing with these characters that draws me to her. Someone must bend and it is usually her. Harris isn’t very nice to Sookie, for the most part the girl is being manipulated by everyone in her life. She does manage to find a silver lining most of the time, that is part of her charm, but her character is the one that struggles and changes throughout the series. I just find myself rooting for her. Sadly, there are only 2 or 3 books left in the series according to Harris. I will be reading and hoping for Sookie to find her HEA.
The series gets 5 Sheep for 200, Alex!



SS (heavily edited by BAK)

6 comments:

  1. 5 Sheep?! Dang I need to start this series, I just feel I am so far behind that it would take forever to catch up. Does it count that I watch the show? lol

    Great review Sharon! :)

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  2. I'm still angry over how Sookie treated Quinn so still don't feel like continuing this series past book 8

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  3. I love this series and will read it to the last line and then read it again. Thanks for sharing today.

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  4. This was really encouraging. I'm a couple books behind, for one thing. And I've been hearing that this book wasn't up to the quality of the rest of the series, that Harris had extended the series past its natural expiration date, etc. Good to know I have more good stuff to look forward to. Thanks for the blog!

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  5. This seems to be a love it or hate it series. I love it, obviously .

    @McPig- Quinn was a blip on the radar for me. I don't know who Sookie will end up with. I am hoping for Bill, since that is how the book started and he truly loves her for no reason other than he does :)

    @Dani- some people aren't happy unless there is a lot of action and the plot moves forward a lot. I enjoy reading Harris' words, she could be telling me how to make a cake and I would love it.

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