Because the HBO series, True Blood, was so incredibly popular with my readers and since the first season is based on Dead Until Dark, Charlaine Harris’ first fantasy book in the Southern Vampire Mysteries series, I think it makes sense to review that book so you can compare it to the series.

In Dead Until Dark we’re first introduced to Sookie Stackhouse, the plucky, sometimes outspoken waitress from Bon Temps, Louisiana. We learn early on that Sookie has a gift: she can read the minds of others. Although this might sound like a cool thing to do we discover that it’s sometimes more of a curse than a blessing. Imagine being able to hear the thoughts of several people at once. It’s a gift that could turn someone mad if not properly controlled. Thus, Sookie works hard to block out the thoughts of others and only occasionally looks into someone’s mind.

Enter Bill Compton.

A few years prior, vampires came out of the closet to the world and announced their existence. Since then they’ve worked hard to convince humans that they can exist without resorting to violence. A Japanese company even developed a synthetic blood product called True Blood which “mainstreaming” vampires (those that choose to co-exist with humans) consume in order to maintain their strength. Being a small town, Bon Temps had never experienced vampires. Until now. You see, Bill Compton is a vampire.

What draws Sookie to Bill is that she can’t read his mind. Yup, when she’s around him she hears nothing but silence. To someone like Sookie this is fantastic. She can let down her mental guard and just be herself. The attraction soon leads to a more serious relationship which allows Charlaine Harris to provide social commentary on prejudice, racism, and intolerance for cultural differences.

The supporting characters in the book help flesh out the story and provide insight into the Bon Temps community:

First up is Sam Merlotte, Sookie’s boss and the owner of Merlotte’s, the bar where Sookie works. Sam is a great guy who happens to have a crush on Sookie. Sam has a secret that, during the course of the book, Sookie discovers. I won’t reveal it here for those that haven’t read the book or watched True Blood. Suffice it to say, it illustrates to Sookie that her world is inhabited by more supernatural creatures than just vampires.

Sookie’s brother, Jason Stackhouse, is a fun-loving womanizer who doesn’t really spend much time with his sister. Jason’s conquests are primarily spoken of, not shown, unlike what we see in the True Blood series.

Eric Northman is Bill’s boss and the vampire owner of a bar called Fangtasis, located in Shreveport. Here’s Charlaine Harris’ description of Eric from the book:

“the vampire was handsome, in fact he was radiant. Blond and blue-eyed, tall and broad shouldered.”

In Dead Until Dark, Eric asks Sookie to use her mind reading talent to determine the identity of the person that’s stealing from him at Fangtasia. Sookie agrees and is successful in identifying the thief, but is almost killed in the process. Note: Eric is my favorite character in the series.

Other characters with more minor roles are Lafayette Reynolds, the gay, wise-cracking African American cook at Merlotte’s; Arlene Fowler, a waitress at Merlotte’s who makes unwise choices when it comes to men; Rene Lenier, Arlene’s latest boyfriend and fiance; Terry Bellefluer, another cook at Merlotte’s who’s been mentally damaged by the war; Andy Bellefluer, Terry’s cousin who’s also the local detective; and Pam, a female vampire who helps Eric run Fangtasia.

This urban fantasy book primarily focuses on Sookie and Bill’s developing relationship but the backdrop to their story involves a recent string of murders in which several local women are being brutally killed. These women have two things in common: they’re former “fangbangers” who had intimate relations with vampires and they’re former girlfriends of Jason. Because of the latter, Jason eventually moves from being a “person of interest” status to being the prime suspect. When he gets arrested Sookie takes it upon herself to prove his innocence by reading the minds of the people that frequent Merlotte’s.

During the course of the book we learn that Bill is a kind and caring individual who, unlike many other vampires, hasn’t totally lost his humanity. He and Sookie make a great couple because both of them have strong southern manners and treat one another with respect. Charlaine Harris does a great job developing the central characters in this book and therefore, Sookie and Bill’s relationship is entirely believable.

This book is well written and highly recommended by me. The dialogue has a natural flow to it, the story moves along at a steady pace, the suspense leading up to the climax (which reveals the identity of the killer)

After reading a book there are several questions I ask myself when determining whether a fantasy book is worth recommending:

Character Development: are the characters and their relationships believable? Do I care about the outcome of the main characters?
World Building: can I envision the environment in which the story takes place? Even though this is a fantasy book, is the setting believable?
Pacing: are there arcs within the story that keep the book interesting?
Climax: was I surprised at the solution to the main mystery in the book? Was it suspenseful?
Overall: do I want to read more about the characters in future books?

If most of my answers are Yes the book is usually worth reading. I’m happy to report that I answered Yes to all of the questions above. Folks, I read a LOT of vampire and fantasy books; most of them never get a written review from me because their execution of many of the elements outlined above is poor. However this fantasy book excels in all areas. When I first read this book I immediately purchased the next book in the series. I’ve since purchased all of Charlaine Harris’ fantasy books and eagerly await the 9th book, Dead and Gone, which will be released in May 2009. Dead Until Dark gets two thumbs up from me.

Note: the entire first season of True Blood (based on Dead Until Dark) will be released on DVD on May 12, 2009.  Until then you can watch True Blood online for free at different websites.


See also:

Sookie Stackhouse Books: A Quick Summary