Living Dead in Dallas

Most people who have read this series, at the very least, like portions of it.

They like the first 3 or 4 installments, but then they get bored, or after the 3rd or 4th book, the series really started picking up for them.

Im weird, I guess. I pretty much liked the entire series right up until the end. Sure, how much I liked each book variedfor example, except for the last book, this one is my LEAST favorite, but thats not uncommon, what with this being book 2 and all. It definitely has its good moments (like when Eric gets shot and that thing happens that is hilarious and awesome), but overall . . . MEH.

Living Dead in Dallas begins with Sookie finding a dead Lafayette in Andy Bellefleurs car in the parking lot of Merlottes one morning. What do you mean, a dead Lafayette?! you ask. Lafayette cant be DEAD, hes still going strong in season 6 of True Blood!

Let me introduce you to a little game I like to play called Same and NOT the Same.

SO. Andys been drinking, cause you know, being a cop is hard, and Sookie has to call Portia (his sister) to come and pick him up.

Leaving his car at the bar.

For persons unknown to leave a dead body in.

But why would someone want to kill Lafayette? Hes so much fun!

Yeah, well, hes also got a BIG mouth. A BIG mouth that hes apparently been running about a house hed been going to, where there were all kinds of sex hi-jinks going on, and someone didnt like that. Someone didnt like that a lot.

So poor Sooks stressed out about that.

Then when she gets home from work that night, Bill tells her that shes been summoned by Eric.

Better and better.

The next evening they drive to Shreveport, where Eric informs her that shes been LOANED out to vampires in Dallas who could use some assistance of the telepathic variety. AND while Sookies understandably upset about Erics high-handedness, theres really not much she can do about itshe did, after all, agree to help him any time he wanted, in exchange for turning over human culprits to human authorities, rather than taking matters into their vampire hands. I suppose its her own fault for not specifying she wouldnt stand for being loaned out. You live and you learn, I guess.

Freakin vampires.

And that is how Bill and Sookie wind up on an airplane bound for Dallas.

Ive already said that this is probably my least favorite book in the series until you get to end, and that is b/c . . . while I dont have a problem with kink, I do have a problem with gross, middle-aged, pervy kink. And this group is just . . . blech.

I also have a problem with centuries-old, pedophile vampires. Actually, I have a problem with ALL types of pedophiles, so even contemplating one that has been doing what they do FOR SO FREAKING LONG<well, clearly, its upsetting.

AND all of the Bill and Sookie relationship angst from book 1 grows and flourishes in book 2 (and relationship angst is not something you want growing and flourishing). This is also the book where you get your first glimpse of how self-absorbed Bill can be.

This book is also where you get your first glimpse of how attentive someone-not-Bill can be.

*winks*

And thats really the only sell point for this installment. Well, that, and its necessary to read this one to get to the good ones. BOTTOMLINEtoo much perv for one book. Read it b/c you cant move forward without it, but go into it knowing that there is some seriously disturbing stuff going on. That is all.

Book two of the The True Blood novels by Charlaine Harris is just as good as the first book! I was having a tough time putting it down.

Now that Eric the head vampire of Area 5 knows of Sookies disabilities, he plans to put them to good use, for himself of course. After a shocking incident involving the unusually drunk Officer Andy Bellefleur and the flashy Lafayette, I wont’ give any spoilers here folks so that’s all I can say on that matter, Sookie is whisked away to tend to vamp matters, in Texas!
Of course our southern belle Sookie cannot take a step these days without finding herself in mortal peril. Before she even leaves Bon Temps a Maenad finds Sookie and leaves a not so friendly message for her to relay to Eric. She wants tribute, but it isn’t always that simple now is it folks?

The matters in Texas however becomes more and more problematic for our gal. A vampire has been taken from his nest, and his family wants answers, and their deaths. She has to infiltrate a fanatic religious group of sun worshipers who may or may not have kidnapped their vampire.
All Sookie wants to do is go to work, she can’t stop thinking about her drive way and how it needs to be re graveled and how she is going to afford it having to take so many days off from work. Damn Bill, he wants to treat Sookie as a kept woman but he isn’t doing such a good job where she really needs it. I am so Eric’s corner, his sweetly seductive bad boy self, and his brief moments with Sookie, I’m rooting for him.

[…]

4.5 Stars. Living Dead in Dallas, like Dead until Dark is a fast paced story with an action packed plot. New supernatural creatures and elements are introduced in this book, many of them much scarier than vampires. However, like the first book, what makes this story special is its characters who are each unique and well written. Even some of the bad guys have you rooting for them at one point or another.

As with the first book I love Sookies personality. Shes quirky and a little strange, but her oddities are endearing. Bill continues to have his secrets, but his relationship with Sookie grows in this book and despite the fact that he keeps things from her I enjoy seeing them together.

As for Sam however, I find I like him less and less as this series continues. Hes constantly pushing himself on Sookie, and it feels like he doesnt respect her boundaries at all. However, there were some interesting developments in his storyline in this book that relate to his love life and I think it will be fun to see how that develops. The supernatural world Sookie was introduced to in the first book in this series is growing for everyone in Sookie’s life, particularly Sam.

Eric continues to make his way deeper into Sookies life as well, but I dont find his methods as disrespectful as Sams. He and Sookie have developed an interesting friendship, and I do enjoy watching them interact. However, sometimes I think Sookie lets him get closer to her than she should knowing that he has feelings for her. At a few different points in this book both she and Bill make you question just what exactly counts as cheating in their relationship.

Overall I enjoyed this book, and will probably continue with the series.

The story follows telepathic barmaid, Sookie Stackhouse, and her possessive, rather annoying, vampire boyfriend, Bill Compton, as they travel to Dallas, to assist the now out-and-proud vampire community of Texas locate one of their own. Thus begins an adventure with religious cults, thousand year old vampires and a lot of brooding.

Aside from my getting so caught up in the TV series, Id plumb forgotten that the books might be wildly different (see: reader error), the story is very much what one might expect. There are a good number of laughs, some gore and some great one-liners, including:

I am not having this conversation. Then I proceeded to have it. Eric’
Page 248, Living Dead In Dallas by Charlaine Harris

Theres no need to over-intellectualise it though. This is a fun, but not exactly substantial read. Its a very jolly book, and theres nothing wrong with that.

eurgh..ok YA writing..a protagonist that continues to be treated badly without enough anger at it, meh…shame..the atmosphere and premise are actually brilliant..thrilling, exciting, interesting and easy reading though..finished in a day. i feel people should not write about this as a fun teen novel, it goes too far when there is a certain scene..all the rest happens from the bad guys which is fine..and yes good guys are not prefect..but this is just romanticizing abuse..like twilight..and for that i dislike it and have stopped reading them. he goes from loving to aloof to downright dump level. and in modern day culture, with people actually romanticizing these scenarios we make women more prey to physical and emotional harm..and normalize and “make sexy” something not cool at all. maybe i am being unfair but i feel it is aimed at young teens to older teens and see things as damaging that others may not think so – they do not teach classes of how to avoid abuse and so many women(and men) end up destroyed by it..esp emotional..

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