In "Dead Reckoning," Sookie Stackhouse finds herself in yet another dangerous situation, this time suspecting an old enemy's return and dealing with threats from various angles. The plot focuses on solving some of Sookie's ongoing problems, such as the impact of the vampire Victor on her relationship with Eric, revelations about her grandmother Adele, and the source of Sookie's telepathy. The writing style captures the essence of the Southern Vampire series, blending humor, violence, steamy moments, and tormenting situations that keep readers hooked from start to finish.
From The Publisher:
Caught up in the politics of the vampire world, psychic Sookie Stackhouse learns that she is as much of a pawn as any ordinary human in this novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling series -the inspiration for the HBO® original series True Blood .
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. Sookie suspects otherwise, but her attention is divided when she realizes that her lover, Eric Northman, and his "child" Pam are plotting to kill the vampire who is now their master. Gradually, Sookie is drawn into the plot-which is much more complicated than she knows...
Ratings (21)
Incredible (1) | |
Loved It (7) | |
Liked It (7) | |
It Was OK (5) | |
Did Not Like (1) |
Reader Stats (29):
Read It (27) | |
Want To Read (2) |
2 comment(s)
I just read that Charlaine is planning to end this series with Book 13, and I have to say it's a good idea. Sookie is one of my favorite heroines, but I must confess that the books are starting to lose their spark.
I liked this book OK- but I honestly haven't enjoyed the series as much since the TV show True Blood came on the air. Here are my beefs:
*I now visualize the characters as their TV counterparts. In some cases (Eric), that's great...in others, not so much.
* The plot has been influenced by the TV show, instead of the other way around. This book referenced vampire blood as a highly addictive drug. I don't remember that in any of the other 10 books (but I will admit that I don't have the greatest memory for that sort of thing.)
*I kind of liked it when Sookie was just a regular girl who banged vampires and had psychic abilities. This fairy stuff is crap!
Tough to rate this one. I definitely liked it better than book 10. Mostly because there was an actual plot to this one - there was a through-line that held together for the whole book.
But I still feel boggled by where this series is at right now, and I wonder where it is going. First and foremost,
there is a distinct shortage of decent people in Sookie's life. I don't even know that I would put Eric on that list. I love him, sure (though I love him less lately... speaking of
essential sparks, a lot of what I considered essential Eric seems to be missing from his character in these last few books. He's gotten pretty 2-dimensional). But there is no trust in their relationship, and even they don't seem to believe there is much of a future. Everything about this relationship feels like a placeholder by the end of this book.
Maybe it's just me, but I feel like it is going to be Sookie and Sam in the end. And I will give Sam that much: he is one of the few decent people in this series. Sure, he can be pushy, but he is always genuinely interested in what is best for Sookie, so I find it to be largely forgivable.
Let's talk Fae for a minute. Despite a half-dozen books with the Fae (and despite them being one of the major elements in the last 3 books), I still feel like I know fuck-all about them. Their motivations are shady, their culture is shady ... when I stop and think about it, I am shocked at how little we know about them. Pretty much all we do know is, like vampires, you are probably safe to assume they are all assholes. *sigh*
Which brings me to the thing that has become my chief disappointment with the series as it stands now: there are way too many assholes. I don't know who I am supposed to be rooting for anymore. I like Sookie (though she strays into TSTL-land on occasion, and I am also tired of the wishy-washy... "I've got a plan to kill the Big Bad" *next day* "Boohoo, we've killed the Big Bad, how can you all be okay with that?!"). The vamps, the shifters, the fae... they are all so manipulative and two-faced, I really can't root for them, or even feel sad when shit explodes in their faces. I like Pam. I like Sam. I mostly like Eric (though that feeling has become a wilted flower... please let Eric do something, soon, that makes me like him again). Everyone else can pretty much go die in a fire, honestly.
I don't really feel emotionally invested anymore. I don't know what needs to change for me to get that back. *shrug*
***3.5***
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