Sookie Stackhouse novels?

[knowthyself.livejournal.com]

This seemed like the group on my LJ that would know the answer to this one best, as its of the supernatural-modern day world-female protagonist genre. A copy of "From Dead to Worse" by Charlaine Harris has made its into my hands. Now I've not read any of these before, but I'm getting the impression that won't matter a whole lot, and it does look entertaining. Anyone read these, can you confirm my assumption? Or refute it? Or warn me away, or vice versa?

Thanks ahead of time.

Comments

[tooimpurenangel.livejournal.com]

That's not the one I would start with. I mean you could probably get the story by reading it, but I'm such a fan of the series, I'd start from the beginning.
They're great fun.

Definitely

[narmowen.livejournal.com]

Definitely start at the beginning. It makes more sense. The later books aren't as good, but the beginning ones are wonderful.

I prefer MaryJanice Davidson's Queen Betsy series over the Southern Vampires, though.

Re: Definitely

[brightlotusmoon.livejournal.com]

Heh, I'm the opposite: I prefer the Southern Vampires over Queen Betsy. But both series are good.

I would never start a series with the most recent book or a middle book. The Sookie Stackhouse series really must be read from the very first book, otherwise a lot of things will make no sense, and other things will be like major spoilers.

Re: Definitely

[gillywoo.livejournal.com]

Me too. I hated the Queen Betsy novels - only managed one,

I'd start from the very beginning- a very good place to start :)

Re: Definitely

[snipervalentine.livejournal.com]

Great. Now I'm humming the entire soundtrack from The Sound of Music.

Thanks. :-)

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

I think you can pick them up anywhere in the series and not be too confused. They're so much better-written than LKH.

[moonbeamdancer.livejournal.com]

Very much better written the LKH and yes, are fun to read. Start with the first book "Dead Until Dark".

[parafan.livejournal.com]

The novels are really good fun. I agree that they should be read in order to appreciate them best. Sookie is a strong character who takes responsibility for herself and her actions. She is not a kick-ass take no prisoners LKH type character and is very refreshing. Let's hope that this fall's HBO TV series is as good as the books.

[booster-blue.livejournal.com]

Well from the leaked partial pilot that hit the web, it's a fair adaptation. My only gripes are the token sassy black friend, and some of the accents are a bit off.

[parafan.livejournal.com]

Sad to say I was not at all happy with the leaked pilot. Hopefully it was leaked deliberately to get some feedback in order too fine tune it. Wouldn't know about the accents but I guess if you have an ear for that sort of thing it matters. Something a voice coach should be able to manage if the production people care enough. I am more concerned that the cast of small-town minor characters Harris has wonderfully created in her books will come off as small-minded yahoos in the series.

[dan-lian.livejournal.com]

One of the folks (not sure whom) in the pilot has been re-cast. I know it's not Anna Paquin, but it's someone else whose accent was evidently abhorrent.

[bleedtoblue.livejournal.com]

I find these very entertaining. Charlaine Harris is also an entertaining mystery writer. I think that, like most series, these are much better read from the beginning of the series. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.

[phyrra.livejournal.com]

I really enjoy the series, and I'm excited because there will be a Showtime tv show based on the series. The tv show starts Sept. 7. Sookie is funny, and has flaws. They're fast reads, but they have plot and they're enjoyable.

[batswing.livejournal.com]

Sooooo very much better than the Anita Blake books! I have such a crush n Eric! But yes, read them from the beginning. It really is worth it.

[coffeehouse.livejournal.com]

Start at the beginning.

I LOVE this series.

[gwynethfar.livejournal.com]

I concur with the "start at the beginning" recommendations. It's a very difficult series to jump right in at the middle.

[tsubaki-ny.livejournal.com]

I jumped in in the middle. Don't remember the title. I liked what I read, possibly because the setup ticked my fancy: in the first chapter, the requisite incredibly powerful, scary, and arrogant in-charge vampire guy is struck with amnesia, utterly terrified and disoriented, and winds up treating the tiny little heroine like his mom and savior. She had to save him from the highway before daylight, hide him in her apartment, and fill him in on his backstory. All his arrogance, completely gone and replaced with little-boy-lost. I had no idea who these people were (therefore had never experienced his former obnoxious character), but I still loved it. He was cute when brought low. "Can I sleep in your bed?" *dies* And then she goes to solve the mystery of what happened to him and who was responsible.

I never sought out the rest of the series, though.

[kira-snugz.livejournal.com]

i started with that one too! but then i had to hunt down the rest of the series to see his assholeness and find out what happened next

[disdainful-soul.livejournal.com]

That would be "Dead To The World". :)

[x--shameless.livejournal.com]

Definitely start from the beginning, it's totally worth it :]

[kira-snugz.livejournal.com]

i started mid series, so i don't see why you can't

they are really good and you don't need to know much bout what happened before, because usually the story gives you a few references. if you like that one, get the whole lot. theres like 6 or 7 now i think.

[frabjously.livejournal.com]

Read the first book and I personally found it mediocre. But a lot of people here seem to like it, so hopefully you will.

[triss-neya.livejournal.com]

Yeah, after the first book I didn't really want to check the rest out but after a couple of months in a moment of desperation (I had nothing else to read) I got the second one and then the series sucked me in and I got the third etc. Imho they got better after the first one and I like the ones in the middle the best.

[gillywoo.livejournal.com]

I like the Harper Connelly stuff but have yet to read "An Ice-cold Grave". I was very disappointed with "real murders" [Aurora Teagarden], so I won't be reading anymore of those. I love the Southern Vampire novels though.

[sap-girl.livejournal.com]

Have you tried her Shakespeare series? Good stuff, in a similar vein to the Harper books.

[triss-neya.livejournal.com]

I am not a fan of Bill either, completely didn't see his appeal, I pretty much loathed him in the first book ;) (and later on and still do), so it took me awhile to read the second book but it really got better after that with more and more interesting characters. So I second the recommendation.

[door.livejournal.com]

I just read that book two days ago. ;o) I agree with everyone who says to start from the first book. The series is lots of fun!

[alex-lebeau.livejournal.com]

I have to say I agree. I've read other work by the same author that wasn't bad, but her Sookie Stackhouse books suck. Any more filler descriptions about her blonde ponytail or her breasts, or whatever else, and I was going to lose it. I took my book to Half-Price post haste.

[othellia.livejournal.com]

Only she's not: in one book, I spotted at least two vampires with the hots for her, one weresomeshit, one vampire who said he'd adore her if he weren't gay, and I'm sure there's a shitload more introduced in the rest of this delightful parade of kitsch.

Out of curiosity, have you happened to find any urban fantasy with a female lead that goes against this trope? Or maybe one where the heroine looks at all the guys surrounding her and goes, "You know? Screw this, I'm gay." Because I'm really tired of the lovers-lined-up-from-L.A.-to-Paris thing that seems to be extremely popular in the genre nowadays.

[othellia.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's just that I'd like to try and find something good before I condemn a whole genre, if you know what I mean... I'm sure it's been done well somewhere, but then again I've forever an optimist. *goes back to reading Frederick Douglass*

WONDERFUL series of books - BUT, read it from the beginning!

[cherose.livejournal.com]

Hi!

Start with DEAD BEFORE DARK, and read the books in order, because otherwise, you won't understand ANYTHING about Mrs. Harris's worlds. SHe is (unfortunately, and I JUST found *THIS* out) a mod on one of the lkh boards - but DO NOT hold that against her.

Charlaine Harris has created a wonderful world with the SOUTHERN VAMPIRE series, and, while it does have its dark moments, overall it is a very readable, fun series. You've got a little bit of everything in it, including absolutely ruthless vampires, weres that aren't real sure HOW to fit into where they are, shapeshifters that are neither lycanthropes nor therianthropes, and well-written, well thought out plots. ALSO, and this is MOST important to me, Mrs. Harris, UNLIKE lkh, does NOT have a "NO EDIT" clause in her contract, which means that her grammer and spelling are actually VERY good.

As I said, KEEP the book you were given, and go and get the other ones, starting with DEAD BEFORE DARK. The Science Fiction book club has set the earlier books up as triples, which makes is a LOT easier. I finally broked down, when her books came out in hardback, and bought ALL of them. Our poor paperbacks, ALAS, had been read so many times that they were falling apart!

Blessings,

Wilma