A guest post by Red Rocker!
If Edward Cullen could dream, he’d dream of being Eric Northman. Or so they say on the Internet.
Started reading Charlaine Harris’ Southern Vampire books in July because I needed some light reading for the cottage. Up to #7 now, and I’m hooked. Hooked on the parallel world Harris has created, the pantheon of supernatural creatures, the uneasy interface between our world and the world of the “supes” and Sookie Stackhouse herself – one of the most winning fictional heroines to come along since Eliza Bennett. And like any other lover of books, it’s not enough for me to enjoy the books: I want to share them with others. So what better time than Hallowe’en month for me to tell you a bit about the story of Sookie Stackhouse and the Confederate soldier Bill Compton, the weretiger Quinn, and yes, the 1,000 year old Viking warrior Eric Northman.
Sookie works as a waitress at a bar in a small town in northern Louisiana, called Bon Temps. She avoids people – especially men – because of her gift – or curse: she can read minds. Turns out telepathy isn’t an unmixed blessing when you always know what people want from you. Into Sookie’s world comes Bill Compton. Bill’s a vampire. In Sookie’s world the vampires outed themselves to the human world about six years ago. This followed the Japanese discovery of a synthetic blood substitute, True Blood, which means that vampires no longer have to prey on humans to survive. Nowadays they can pick up a case of True Blood at the local Wal-Mart, pop a bottle of O positive in the microwave, and they’re set. So vampires walk amongst us now: they own businesses, they pay taxes, they go to bars, they’ve joined the police force. Bill is the first vampire Sookie’s ever met, and to her delight she realizes that she can’t read his mind. She falls for him hard, starts meeting other vampires, and eventually they start making love and are a couple. Most stories would end there. Sookie’s story has barely started.
What you find most interesting about the books probably depends on your own interests. Students of human nature will be intrigued by how different humans adapt themselves to the vampires who’ve joined our world. There are the tourists who go to vampire bars so they can look at and talk with a real vampire. There are the “fangbangers” who long to be used and abused by vampires. There are the “drainers” who want vampire blood because of its extraordinary healing abilities. And then there are the members of the Fellowship of the Sun who believe vampires are an abomination and should be destroyed.
If you’re into parallel worlds with their own set of both natural and legislated rules, then you’ll be intrigued by how Harris has set up her world. On the one hand, these vampires are pretty orthodox: they sleep during the day, the sun will destroy them, as will being staked; they drink blood and they make other vampires by exsanguinating and then resanguinating the candidate. On the other hand, these vampires exist in a tightly regulated hierarchy which functions like a cross between the ancient Roman Empire and the modern day Mafia – with a touch of the court of Louis the XIII thrown in.
If you like a universe peopled by mythological creatures who have been reimagined in a modern idiom, then you’ll enjoy the weres, and the shifters, and the witches, goblins, demons and fairies. And of course, the maenad. Each of these races comes with its own natural history: did you know that fairies evolve into angels if they do enough good deeds? that the body of a demon will never decay because nothing – nothing – will eat it? that werewolves have an affinity for motorcycles and look down on other shapeshifters? They’re all fearsome in their way, although the fairies are in a class of their own: think large piranhas.
And then there’s Sookie. She’s drawn to supes, and they to her. But she doesn’t believe that a man – no matter how strong and sexy and charismatic – is the answer to her problems. She is immune to the vampires’ Glamour and fiercely resists the bond that happens after blood exchange. She doesn’t think that sex – even gourmet sex – equals love and isn’t prepared to give up her day job just because some super hunky vampire – a beautiful piece of dead meat – offers her a free ride. And she doesn’t long for immortality.
Which brings us to Eric Northman. He is the Darcy to Sookie’s Elizabeth. The first nine books are a dance of attraction and wariness between them. She knows he’s way too much into power and politics to place her first in his life; he can’t understand why he is drawn to her the way he is. Sounds like a chick flick, no? Well, yes, except that Sookie is handy with stake, shotgun and lemon juice squirter (don’t ask!) and Eric likes nothing better than to go mano-a-mano (with the occasional lobbed head) with his enemies. These are books that don’t easily fit into one niche. Not serious literature – not even trying to be – but with a postmodern awareness that sometimes lifts them right out of the genre fiction category.
Enjoy.
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{ 27 comments… read them below or add one }
Okay, this is one of the best descriptions I’ve ever read:
“some super hunky vampire – a beautiful piece of dead meat”
That is superb. Now, you’ve made me want to read another book series. Thanks, Red Rocker! Like I have time to read another book series…
Can’t take credit for the line; that’s what Callisto calls Eric on her way to crashing the orgy. The full line is:
“Lovely,” she said, “just lovely. But not for me, you beautiful piece of dead meat.”
“that’s what Callisto calls Eric on her way to crashing the orgy.”
In any case, I’m pretty sure this line has never passed through THH’s servers before…
My exposure to this series began when I picked up a copy of All Together Dead at the library. It begins with Sookie working with Pam and Eric at Fangtasia, their vampire bar. Well, with an intro like that, I was hooked, especially when Eric was described as a “Vampire Sheriff,” no less! Of course, by starting later in the series, I knew little about Sookie’s previous encounters with the “undead,” including what Bill had done to Sookie to cause their breakup. So I began to work my way backwards through the series. I have not read any of the Twilight books thus far, but I have a hard time believing that Edward Cullen could be anywhere as mesmerizing as Eric Northman. (Although I personally have hopes for Sookie and Sam, her boss at Bon Temps). Nice job on the summary/intro there, Red Rocker.
Just commenting so I can get the comments to my inbox. Highly unlikely I will ever read any of the Sookie books. My wife, who is an inveterate paranormal romance/vampire/werewolf reader, hasn’t even read them yet.
But it was still a very good, thorough description of the series, Red Rocker.
revgeorge, it’s always tricky to buy books for other people, especially those with clearly defined tastes, but Christmas is coming up and there is a boxed set of the first six or seven books. Unless you’ve already opted for the more conservative but more certain-to-please choice of diamonds.
Ugh, I’m going to read these books. We’ll see if I like them. I really don’t like women protags who are always attached to men. Just my own taste. But I can’t argue about them if I don’t read them.
Right off the bat – I don’t appreciate reading about women as victims or women who define themselves by the men they sleep with.
But I already made a fool of myself about this series – so I will read them. If not to like them (which I think I won’t) but at least to argue intellectually.
No offense to you Red Rocker. I’m sure you appreciate them more than myself.
Actually, my wife would get upset if I gave her diamonds as a gift. She’d say, “Why didn’t you spend that money on books?!”
Although we usually buy more ebooks nowadays than physical books. And I think my wife isn’t interested in reading the Sookie books because she doesn’t want to get sucked into a series that’s up to 14 or 15 volumes so far with no end in sight. She said Mercedes Lackey burned her on that sort of thing once, & she’s not falling for it again.
Fricka, I could so easily get into a debate about which supe Sookie will choose. At this point, I don’t think she knows her own mind; I don’t think she really loves any of them.
Although Quinn tells him that he’s not even on the list anymore, I think that Bill remains the dark horse. He has been very faithful to Sookie – for the most part. He has rescued her from death about as many times as she’s rescued him. And there is no doubt that he loves her.
Eric is the only one Sookie dreams of having a life with. But her dreams involve them walking together in the sun. Which just isn’t going to happen. Plus, he’s been totally manipulative almost every step of the way – except for the one memorable occasion – taking advantage of every life-threatening opportunity to try to bind Sookie closer to him. His only moral act has been his promise that he wouldn’t make her immortal. And by definition she’s going to have to die to see if he’s going to keep his word.
Then there’s Quinn. I think that her dismissal of him was a little cruel and inconsistent with her own values. He is the only one she can have a semi-normal life with (breakfast and babies and such) and that seems to be important to her. I have nothing against Quinn – and whenever I read his description I’m convinced Harris based him on Vin Diesel – but I do find him a little on the bland side – time spent fighting in the vampire pits notwithstanding.
I don’t think Sam is really on the list – he’s just too light-weight compared to the competition.
Red Rocker, I can’t say enough about how great the Sookie books are, and you expressed it all really well already. But I wanted to add that to me Charlaine’s treatment of vampires really rang true. In fact, I wrote my book “How to Catch and Keep a Vampire” before reading the books or seeing “True Blood” and it’s uncanny how similar her “rules” are to mine. I love to picture Sookie sitting on her porch some hot summer night with a copy of my book, nodding and saying, “Lord, if only I’d read this before I first met Bill.” LOL!
–Diana Laurence (www.howtocatchandkeepavampire.com)
Thanks Red Rocker for the great review – now I’m going to have to go and read the books! As a fan of the series, how do you feel that the HBO show True Blood measures up? I’m a big fan of the show, but until I read your review I hadn’t really had a desire to read the series. For some reason, (no insult intended!) I was under the impression that the books are lighter in tone (and message) than the show – more ‘fluffy’. However, I’ve been swayed by your review and am now willing to give them a go!
Glad to hear of the interest in the Stackhouse stories.
Joivre, reading so I can join the debate hasn’t worked too well for me. Outside of work, I read for pleasure; if a book doesn’t please me, then I can’t read it. I never got past the first Twilight book . I feel at an eternal disadvantage when discussing those books, but it’s something I’m going to have to live with.
aerisflowers, I’ve got the first season of True Blood on DVD. But I haven’t gotten around to watching it, so I can’t answer your question about how the books stack up to the show. I can tell you however that the books get darker in tone as they progress. Sookie herself changes, from a sad but delightfully perky innocent to a battle weary warrior who broods about the deaths she’s witnessed and caused. The tone at the end of the last book Dead and Gone is pretty grim. The mood is summed up by the line:
Then there was a long silence. There was no one left to kill.
Great summary/analysis, Red Rocker! I have gotten hooked on this series as well. A group of us at work read them and affectionately refer to them as “brain candy for smart people.” I’m also a fan of the TV series, True Blood; I really appreciate Alan Ball’s adaptation. He manages to stay faithful to the characters, themes and general plot while keeping avid series readers constantly guessing. Brilliant!
Thanks Hermione Luna for the comments. I’m even more intrigued by the books now
.
Well, to be honest, I might read it for knowledge ammunition to debate – or just because you mentioned Mr. Darcy and Miss Bennett.
Diana, I’ll keep an eye out for How to catch and keep a vampire when it’s released.
Diana, I think I saw your book in Barnes & Noble today when I was in there. Sorry I didn’t buy it, though. I don’t really want to catch a vampire.
Red Rocker, Diana’s book is out now. The release date, at least listed on Amazon, was August 28.
Almost bought a werewolf book, though, since when I flipped it open the first page it landed on had a picture of David Thewlis as Lupin.
Revgeorge, to each his own paranormal creature!
Red Rocker, the book is in stores all over North America now, definitely in Barnes, Borders, Chapters, Books-a-Million. Thanks for your interest!
I just got done reading your review and i can honestly say that you were dead on it what you stated about the books. i have read all 9- SS books(and her short stories about Sookieverse) and have seen both seasons of TB and enjoy both. Sometimes it is a bit upsetting on TB when things are different from the books but that is why i enjoy it so much, Alan Ball keeps you guessing on how close they will be. As for the books i got hooked right after Christmas last year and read the first 7 books in 3 weeks, these books are defiently adult rated. As for Sookie latching onto anyone that never really happens and to try and explain it would be difficult, it is something you definety hvae to read about. Give the books a try and read them for yourself, some are faster reads than others but i think you may become hooked like everyone else has. Just an FYI from what i have read on the TB blog sites Charlaine Harris is in for 3 more SS books and then she says she is going to end it right, she also stated that she knows already who Sookie will end up with, so only time will tell.
Three more books and then it’s over?
Say it ain’t so!
I would never in a million, billion years have predicted that I’d be so engrossed in a series that’s going to go to 12 books that I would regret its end in advance.
So Harris knows who Sookie’s going to end up with. I think I can narrow it down to two. There’s a line in Dead and Gone which suggests that it’s not going to be Eric. But beyond that, I’d say 50-50.
I enjoyed the novels, but Hermione Luna is right about the show. Alan Ball is doing some extraordinary things with it and taking it deeper than I have seen discussed anywhere. The whole show is based on Greek mythology, not just the maenad plot line.
Ooh, I’m intrigued! Red Rocker, your first sentence alone makes me want to give the first volume a try.
Does anyone out there have an opinion on how “adult” the series content is?
Sorry, just saw Kristie’s post. Adult, then. Keep out of reach of teenage daughter. Thank you!
Melody, there’s sex and violence.
The sex is consenting sex between two adults, in the context of a loving relationship – but not marriage. I’d describe it as pretty graphic, but not pornographic. These people care for and respect one another. There is a depiction of an orgy in one of the books but it’s not voyeuristic: the author is not advocating casual sex. There are same-sex relationships, although the camera doesn’t follow them into the bedroom. There’s also a sexual experiment (tantalizingly never described) between a witch and a warlock that goes terribly, terribly wrong and results in one of the characters being transformed into a cat.
The violence is pretty violent. Vampires, werewolves and werepanthers inflict quite a lot of damage on one another when they fight. When vampires are exposed to sunlight bad things happen. The fairies hurt people badly. The maenad does some really bad things.
I did not mind the violence because it did not seem gratuitous to me – I didn’t get the feeling that the author was sadistically torturing the characters just for the sake of it.
This might be an odd place to mention it, but Sookie has a sense of humour. She doesn’t take things any more seriously than they need to be. So although Eric rivals Edward Cullen in terms of physical perfection and sheer charisma, Sookie keeps a sense of perspective over it. Sex with a gorgeous vampire is good, but it’s not the end-all and be-all of her life.
How is it that a man who loves this Sookie stuff also might love Tallis? You are an enigma to me Red Rocker. You are a seriously weird dude. I don’t understand you. Yet I always appreciate your comments.
Uh-oh. I am officially eating my words. And my straw hat. And the kitchen sink.
UPS delivered my Dead Until Dark on my doorstep this morning at 8. I just finished reading it. I couldn’t put it down. Good thing I don’t have to be into work until noon. It’s a seriously funny and clever book. It didn’t gross me out in the least. I actually loved it. RR is a seriously wise and awesome dude.
I angry at myself for not ordering the whole set.
Now where are my Tums?
Glad you enjoyed Dead Until Dark, Joivre. The series only gets better as it goes on. My favorite is probably Dead to the World because a) it gives Sookie and Eric a honeymoon of sorts and b) shows a side of Eric we never get to see again. Think Random Harvest.
As for my diverse tastes: a man (or even a woman) may love Sookie and Tallis, Pink Floyd and Mozart, and Quentin Tarrantino and Ang Lee. You probably do so yourself.
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