| | |  | Amazon Kindle | Home » » » Dead and Gone: A Sookie Stackhouse Novel | | | | | | | Description: | | When the weres and shifters finally come out, the residents of Bon Temps, Louisiana, must deal with the violent aftermath. But a far greater danger threatens. A race of unhuman beings-older, more powerful, and more secretive than vampires or werewolves-is preparing for war. And Sookie will find herself an all-too human pawn in their battle...
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482 of 530 found the following review helpful:
 Beyond Disappointing...I feel so let down, I think I'm depressedMay 07, 2009
By C. Wilson
"apricot32"
I wanted to give the book atleast three stars bc i love the series so much, but I have to agree with the majority of the negative reviews on this one and say,"what happened?". The last book, from dead to worse, was so detailed and long, it was wonderful! I felt like I was reading a short hand version, or an extremely edited down piece that had to fit into a certain number of words. If CH had kept the same story line for this book and just given us the plot detail and character depth evidenced in the last book, this book would have been simply phenomenal! As a fan, I find that not only disappointing, but extremely frustrating.
ARGH!***BEWARE***THERE BE SPOILERS HERE**********************************
OK, so the two stars were basically for giving us atleast SOME progression with the whole Eric/Sookie relationship, although it still basically went NOWHERE. So he tricks her into what is basically a vampire form of marriage and she barely reacts - she had more of a hissy fit when he yelled at her for dancing with barry bellhop in rhodes! She blames her lack of anger on her blood bond, but she also states that she hasn't seen him for months and that should lessen a little over time...it just seemed weird. And as neat as that story line is, it wasn't even addressed or reacted to by anyone (except sam, but barely). I mean, come on! I don't know why it matters though, bc I figure in the next book she will find something to be mad at him for and he will be on the outs like bill, quinn, and everyone else she get's involved with - I just feel like the whole Eric thing has been building up over so many books that there should be more time devoted to finally developing that before it get's ruined for further plot development - we've been "teased" enough. Give us something more than a few scenes!
Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of this book, for me, was sookie's lack of initiative in seeking supe support and protection for herself! Especially after the last book ended recapping her strong favor with the vamps and weres! It was ridiculous that she knew she was being targeted to be killed (or worse), actually ends up killing a fairy sent to kill her, and she takes days to ask for any real assistance or call in her supe markers with the vamps or Alcide. When she finally does ask for help, it's lame coverage that falls through and she doesn't ask for back up? The coverage doesn't tell their bosses that they have left her unprotected? She doesn't want to worry her friends, who could help her, or at the very least be warned that being around sookie can be dangerous,so she doesn't tell them? She doesn't tell her brother that he is also a potential target, until after that fairies approach him?!
And why does Eric leave her bed, knowing the issue of her safety is unresolved? Yeah, he suggested maybe she stay at his place, but the whole issue of her safey is sidetracked by "what are you looking for in this relationship", vs. "hey, killer fairies are out to get my lover whom i've just officially claimed in the supe community, even tried to murder her today, and I'm out the door with a 'see ya soon'?" That doesn't seem at all like Eric. Mister, possessive vampire guy who always sends Bubba over the moment he has ANY concerns?! I mean really he had Pam DATE Sookie's roommate Amelia, just to get Pam even closer to protect Sookie, but he leaves her completely unprotected after knowing a fairy tried to KILL her?? Why would he leave w/o having her safety arranged for? Why the heck hasn't Niall arranged safety for her from the beginning, or even after the first attempt on her life? Why doesn't Claudine, who shows up when sookie falls asleep at the wheel of a car, show up when faries are trying to kill her? What the heck? And why, in God's name, would you be out running errands when you need a body gaurd bc killer fairies are out to assassinate you - do you really need to go to the post office that badly? Come on!
Also, the violence. Torture? Killing pregnant women? That added nothing to the story and was simply disturbing and unecessary. The characters she killed off - why? And more detail was given to sookie's reaction to octavia leaving than to the second pregnant woman's murder, which was just completely a waste - what a loss of a great character under such horrible circumstances.
And then, to top it all off, the whole amazing world of fae is just closed down in the end anyway, after all that - what a waste of plot and characters. I'm hoping that's not the case, and more will be done with it in the next book? Honestly, I would have loved it if Sookie had called in her marks almost immediately and all her supe friends & fairy family took the threat serioulsy, but were simply smacked down by how ruthless the fairies were, resulting in Eric becomming uber protective and rallying all the supes to work and fight together against the faires as a common threat to their common bond, our gal sookie! Yeah!! Atleast there would have been more action and the character deaths would have felt justified!
Quinn is in one scene and then is gone for the rest of the book - why bother? Heck, how bout if he had found out that Sookie was in trouble and insisted on staying to gaurd her regardless of Eric - the guy's a weretiger and a pit fighter trying to prove himself! That would have been kinda cool, and interesting from a love triangle point of view too!
We were told Hunter was in this book - what, one mention in a phone call? And then sookie just assumes the kid's not a target bc she THINKS Niall doesn't know about him? Give the kid's dad a warning, something, "get the kid away for awhile, be careful, look out for bad guys, stock up on lemon juice" - something!
Ok, obviously I found this book frustrating and I think my review has turned into more of a cathartic threapeutic venting session than a commentary. I'm not giving up on sookie, just hoping this is an anomaly, and hoping for more of CH's great writing in the future (please). Although, if the book continues to average 4 out of 5 stars (geez, are we reading the same book here people?), I can't believe that would give the author any incentive to give us better in the future! Why put more work into something when the readers are 4/5 happy with less?
This is such a wonderful series, I'd hate for it to deterioate!
689 of 771 found the following review helpful:
A disappointing outing for Sookie fans, and what is with the continuity errors?May 08, 2009
By MG
Charlaine Harris's Southern Vampire Mysteries was such a fun and creatively written series for a while. But the humor and wit that characterized the first four or five books seems to have completely run out by this ninth book, leaving with the reader a disconnected palette of characters, and a hectic pace in which the author seems to have been determined to get in every minor character at the expense of any clarity or reflection by the major characters.
The characters, including Sookie herself, seem to be in a fog in this book, and to be speaking out of character. Even big scary vampire Eric, always one of the most fun to read, just seems off. (Spoiler: he is willing to discuss his painful personal history out in the open in a public place, his bar???) Tossed off personal revelations are never absorbed by the characters and never revisited. The pace of the book is such that it is actually counterproductive in terms of feeling any empathy for the central characters.
Readers should be forewarned about the tremendous violence in the book. (Spoiler: Are the multiple deaths of pregnant women just a heavy-handed device signaling lost promise or hope? Maybe they are the stunted hopes for this book?)
The dragging issue of suitor resolution and the lack of development, if not regression, of Sookie's character on the issue of relationships is disappointing. As a reader who has followed the series for some time, I'm virtually at the point where I no longer care who she ends up with. Not a good place for an author to be finding herself with her readers. Does she really intend to make her readers NOT care about her heroine or give the impression that her heroine is incapable of evolving?
The number of continuity errors for a book with this sales base is truly astonishing. From the fact that Eric no longer remembers that Sookie was never paid for her work in book 7, to the fact that Sookie doesn't remember her grandfather and great-uncle were twins, to the fact that Claude and Claudine's deceased sister was Claudia and not Claudette, to the fact that Chow and not Clancy killed Hallow the witch's representative back in book 4, to the fact that Eric says he `remembers' but seems to have forgotten what he remembers at a rather delicate moment. The writing, continuity wise, or even factwise, seems not to have been proofread at all!
The book reads like a rough draft and has a sense of disconnectedness that is disheartening in comparison to others in the series. Was the goal just to get this one knocked out before the new season of True Blood? Did the publisher and editor think the series fans wouldn't notice? It reads, frankly, like a sellout. And as a reader of the series, I'm seriously hoping this isn't the next Anita Blake series in terms of steady deterioration of quality and content. This book makes me wonder. The editor seems to have done Ms. Harris a great injustice by letting it go out in such disconnected form and with so many continuity errors.
Let's hope that Book 10 gets Sookie Stackhouse back on course.
71 of 76 found the following review helpful:
Where oh where has Sookie gone???May 12, 2009
By J. Copeland
"book lover"
I was so looking forward to this book! I love the entire series. I watch True Blood and enjoy it for what it is even though it has diverged so much from the books. I will also admit I like Bill better in on the tube than in the books and like Eric better in the books than on the tube.
Having said that, I am just at a loss for this latest book. What is going on? Or not. Sookie is just not Sookie. Not to mention, she is getting a potty mouth that is just so not her. Octavia's leaving was overblown and redundent. The love scene with Eric was so by the numbers. It had no magic or even real affection. Just a 'do-it-to-me'ness about it. ACK.
And then when Eric tells Sookie his backstory.... uh - okay, here it is. Let me read it off the teleprompter...
And killing pregnant women? What is going on here?
I've read a number of reviews where folks didn't like Dead to Worse because it seemed to be transitional. Which is sort of was. However, I was 3/4 of the way through the book before I realized that CH was tying up a bunch of loose ends and introducing G-Grampa Niall. But you know, I didn't really care, because everyone was IN CHARACTER and it was so well written. Sookie was her sassy sweet self. There was humor and pathos. We didn't have a lot of pod people & pod vamps masquerading as Sookie, Bill, Eric and Pam running around.
I just have to get this off my chest. Continuity has been an issue with this series from the beginning. I've read them all multiple times, and have all the audio books and have listened to them multiple times. In Dead Until Dark Bill tells Sookie he was made vampire when he was 30 years old and had 5 living children. We get to book three, and looking at the famiy Bible he was not quite 28 when the was turned and has only three living children. In book two, I believe that he was 29 years old when he was bitten. Come on!! An editor/copy editor/Ms. Harris should have a spread sheet SOMEWWHERE that has all pertinent major character info, and they need to REFER to said spread sheet.
But I've also forgiven all that continuity stuff (one time Eric slides into a booth and then pushes his chair back...HUH????) because I love these books so much. Sookie is intelligent, smart, sassy and Southern. Eric is such a hoot, and even tho I liked the HBO Bill better (he's more of a tragic hero) I still miss him. Quinn I just never could stand (from his first decription I always thought of him as looking like a tanned Mr. Clean - sooo not sexy - and all that 'babe' nonsense) so was glad when he got the boot.
So that's my .02 worth. I'll still get book 10, but hope that Ms. Harris gets back on track, otherwise I'll just have to stake books 9 & 10 and leave them out in the sun...
ADDED 5.19.09 - CAUTION - EVEN MORE SPOILERS!!
Jeeze, how could I have forgotten Ms. H killing off Tray who was one of my favorite strong secondary characters! Sookie's world is classed as Urban Fantasy which means mostly darker stuff. BUT, having said that, I still can't believe CH killed off Tray! OY! Did she not watch Star Trek? Kirk, McCoy and Spock beam down with a landing party to the planet. They may get bent, spindled and mutilated some, but do any of them get killed? Ah - that would be a big NO! Ensign No-Name-From-Central-Casting gets his clocked cleaned. Not the regular folks!
And poor Bill! Granted I liked HBO Bill better, becuase I think he's more of a noble-tragic-hero. But he's proven numerous times in these last books in that he's willing to sacrifice himself to keep Sookie safe. But now he's on the verge of a second death and we're just left there. Some cliff hangers just ain't right and this is one of them.
I could go on even more, but you'd get bored, doze off or need to drink something stronger than iced tea to get you through the rest of my complaints. So, I'll just leave it at this with a sigh and, again, hope that book #10 gives Sookie some happy time and that the Bon Temps community, supes and otherwise get back on track.
203 of 227 found the following review helpful:
 Doesn't Measure UpMay 06, 2009
By M. Phelps
I really, really fell in love with this series, and I had read each of the preceding books four or five times in the past 10 months. There were great books and some just "good" books, but I have to say, in my opinion, the quality of the writing and the plot and story of "Dead and Gone" fell way below that of the previous books in the Sookie series.
To be specific, like many of the other reviewers I do think the appearance and disappearance of characters was rushed, and Harris didn't adequately give Sookie time to make emotional sense of the many different events. It felt as if Harris was writing in shorthand - and while that may be okay for the introductory descriptions of characters and places at the beginning of each book, it does the reader a disservice for the substantive action. (SPOILER) Just one example was the moving out of Octavia - it was so stunted and never referred to again, an obvious device to get the room across from Sookie's empty again so Sookie could have more "intimate moments" shall we say...
I also thought Harris fell completely short in expanding the mythology of the series. In each of the previous novels we've found out something new about the structure of the supernatural world. There was nothing new in this book, and worse, Harris neglected the dangling issues from previous books entirely: e.g. the complication of Eric finding out that Sookie can read his mind intermittently (or of Sookie at least examining or enhancing that skill in some way or figuring out the origin of the ability - beyond the fairy blood), the expansion and increase of Sookie's telepathic powers (as we saw in previous books that she has tried to not just read minds but actually DIRECT them or speak to them) and greater telepathic powers that were hinted at in All Together Dead and other books, the greater mystery of pure shapeshifters (who can turn into anything) and the magic behind that, and, of course whether Eric and Sookie have an emotional connection beyond the blood bond or whether that can be broken, etc. Even that promised Eric backstory was just a little encapsulated drop into the book - no further development of Sookie even wondering, let alone discussing, more about Eric's sire and whether he's still around, etc, whether he ever tracked down his descendants, etc. It is also an amazingly short book compared to most of the others - like she reached 300 pages this time and simply said "Done"!
I think I'm being generous giving the book 3 stars, but I'm still committed to the series - now. After reading and re-reading all of the Sookie books and Harris' "Grave Sight" books I moved on to the Anita Blake series (by Laurel Hamilton, NOT Harris, but often recommended as similar genre reading) only to get more and more disgusted by the inconsistencies and poorer and poorer writing after the first book that I eventually didn't care anymore what happened to Ms. Blake and completely stopped reading after #12. Harris has a long way to go before anyone should give up on her - the books were getting BETTER from the first book with just a few dips along the way. That's why this one is such a disappointment for me. I'll be here for the next few books for sure, because I'm a glutton for punishment and Sookie hasn't been pushed off the rails yet. And yes, I would still recommend this to anyone reading the series just to bide their time until the next one (or the Harper Connelly coming out in the fall). I am just HOPING that the next books bring back the storytelling and plot structure we've come to expect from Charlaine Harris.
Also, A+ to Amazon for shipping - I pre-ordered in November with 2-day shipping and was expecting the book on Thursday, May 7 but it arrived on Tuesday, May 5!
53 of 56 found the following review helpful:
 Dismal Outing For SookieMay 07, 2009
By luv2read
I re-edited my original review for this book. Initially I gave this book a 2-star rating, but I've just finished a re-read of it today, 4/30/10, and I really had to change my rating to 1-star. I really hate this book; I've kept some of my original review and added new parts.
Spoilers may be present:
The book starts with the weres and shifters revealing themselves publicly, but then this revelation is mostly dropped. It's a prop to temporarily remove Sam, set up the first murder, and throw a red herring in later in the book. The murder victim dies in a truly grotesque manner; this person is also related to someone who the police chronically suspect of other crimes throughout the series. Been there. Done that.
The Were theme is basically dropped, and it's on to the fairy war. The fairies are divided between those who like contact with humans and those who want to close off the fairy world. In addition, the separatists want to eliminate anyone who is not purely fae. Of course, this means trouble for Sookie.
It's really difficult to care about this war. In DTTW, it was easy to emotionally vest in the witch war; you were on the side of the vampires/shifters since you had gotten to know them over several books. You also got to see the bad witches in a couple of scenes before the actual war so you knew who you were rooting against.
Niall and the fairy world haven't been developed enough. Enemy faeries are named and briefly appear, but who cares, there is no sense of identity. Even the "good" ones we know: Niall, Claudine, and Claude are wooden props. It's as if the author says "cue faerie" and *poof* Niall appears to explain another part of their boring war. Even a reveal about Sookie's parent's death feels forced. And it doesn't help that most of the war takes place off page.
Sookie always suffers some type of physical injury in these books, but what happens in this one is over-the-top brutal. Don't worry it isn't described in blatant detail although the aftermath of some of her injuries are; it's just the idea of it. Why? Why? Why? Some people will say that this event will make Sookie "grow." Sorry if the only way to make your characters grow is to cause them physical suffering, then it's time to wrap it up.
Equally disturbing is that Sookie commits her first murder in this one. She turns a person who is partially involved in the death at the start of the book over to people who exact their form of justice. Yet it is revealed, and she believes, that this person wasn't really the killer. Instead this person's worse crime appears to be assault, and yet Sookie doesn't stop the violence that follows, and this person dies. Plus she gives no thought or care to what has just happened. Yet several pages before, we have to read through how she blames herself for people who die in a bloody shootout when she is not remotely responsible.
The total logic breakdowns are annoying. For example, Dermott, one of the bad fairies, looks like Jason, Sookie's brother. Dermott approaches Amelia and Tray, Sookie's friends, to have them arrange a date with Sookie. Now really if I had a friend, and a guy who looked like her brother wanted to date her, I'd have to say sorry, that's not going to happen. The psychological implications of dating someone who looks like your brother are astounding. Amelia tries twice to get Sookie to agree, and then throws out the resemblance issue. You can almost hear the dat-dat-dah music playing as Sookie realizes a) scary fairy alert and b) maybe she should start warning people - particularly people who live with her - that she is in danger.
Even worse logic: virtually everyone - Niall, Claude, Claudine, Diantha (on behalf of Mr C.) - warns Sookie that the fairies are loose, and she is in danger. Sookie kills a fairy assassin in her garden. Does anyone in her fae family provide Sookie with a bodyguard? No. Eric learns that she's in danger and has killed the fairy. Does he send anyone? No, not until Sookie asks. Really? Eric who sends Pam or Bubba at the least threat or hint of threat to Sookie has to wait until he's asked?
Sookie gets werewolf protection in the form of Tray as part of her friend of the pack status. Poor Tray gets poisoned and Sookie sends him home. Then she decides she can't ask for anymore Were help since Tray got hurt in her defense. Um, really?! Maybe this is an indication of how severe the situation is? Maybe Alcide and his pack would like to know of the danger or take care of Tray and/or avenge him?
Sookie agrees to meet Amelia at Tray's to check on his condition. She's delayed and when she arrives almost an hour later, Amelia isn't there. She gets Bill to come (who btw can enter Tray's house without invite; I'm not sure if I've missed something.) Amelia calls in the meantime; she's at Sookie's house taking a shower and assumed Sookie forgot or was delayed and assumed Tray went to a doctor. Really? She just assumes her POISONED boyfriend went to a doctor and isn't lying dead in his house? She assumes her friend and roomate who is being hunted by killer fairies didn't show up for innocent reasons?
Want more? Sookie doesn't bother to warn Jason that he too could be the target of killer fairies until Dermott the Jason look-a-like comes to Jason's house. Jason is part fairy too, and while not GGP Niall's favorite, he falls into the hate category that the separatists are trying to destroy i.e. part-fairy human. Maybe a head's up would have been in order.
Sookie losing Bill at the traffic light, Sookie carelessly running up to her house unarmed by her fairy-killing weapons, Sookie hopping out of the car to get the mail when killer fairies are on the loose are all examples of additional illogic. The fact that Sookie feels compelled to explain her idiocy to the reader is a sure sign that the author hadn't worked out this plot. The FBI disappears halfway through the book (yes, the FBI), and we never learn why. I'm hoping we find out that Eric had them glamoured away or something because I don't think they normally go away that easily.
The suitors: in my original review, I said I felt Eric was not himself. I still think so to some degree. He's very open about discussing his turning with Sookie and discussing his maker. Since the maker is showing up in the next book, I guess that's why it was brought up here. It's just very heavy-handed foreshadowing. Additionally the best protection Eric provides Sookie is Bubba. Why in these books is Bubba the go to vampire? Certainly killer fairies merit a Pam or a Thalia for protection.
Also Sookie allows Eric to manipulate her without a fight. For example, his day person has Sookie bring a velvet wrapped package to Fangtasia. She never opens it or questions why she has to return it to Eric, and of course, returning it is significant. Has he glamored her? Sookie always challenged Eric. I liked when these two argued or flirted. Where's the spark? (Btw she does tell us readers that maybe she should have questioned things.)
She's even very accepting about some blood exchanges where the old Sookie would have worried and questioned how it was changing her. She might as well hook a straw up to Eric's vein with as much concern as she shows in this one. A wish for the next book - make the blood bond go away! If I have to read another passage where Sookie can't figure out if her feelings for Eric are real or magically-induced, I'm going to scream. Certainly when Eric's not around or asleep during the day, she can take a few minutes and figure it out.
Quinn shows up for a nanosecond and is gone. Not sure why.
Bill - the Ashley Wilkes stalker of this saga - appears to redeem himself by the end since Sookie says she "loves" him again. You know a man willing to die for you is just so sexy. Let's not forget that Eric was fighting right along with him and had also given Sookie his blood to help her heal, but she does not have this thought about Eric.
I actually liked Bill better when you could argue his motives. Does he love Sookie? Is he still lying to her? How well does he know the Nevada vamps? Potentially deceptive Bill fascinates me more than noble Bill especially in contrast to Eric's manipulative but straightforward manner. The stalking thing has become so old now that I just keep hoping Bill is going to do something in one of these books.
Also the suitor thing really needs to be resolved. Yes, a little romantic tension can be fun in a story, but it is just plain wearisome now. My eyes rolled into the back of my head (again) when Sookie questioned which vampire GGP Niall referred to in his comment at the end of the book. That was the moment I no longer cared who Sookie ends up with. Maybe she should see if Catfish is still available?
Favorite characters die in this one so be prepared. One particular favorite dies off page, and it is treated so cavalierly that I can't imagine what the author was thinking. Just so and so's gone. Really?! Oh well! It's not the idea that characters die; I resent good characters being sacrificed for such a lame plot and not being given an appropriate sendoff.
The writing in this one is so heavyhanded. Beyond the above mentioned suitor issue, I felt manipulated when some of the death's were intensified. For example, "How can I make this death more emotional? I know I'll make so and so pregnant then when I kill her (off page to boot), it will be that much worse." "Or I'll reveal something about Sookie's parents that will make certain bad guys' deaths that more satisfying." "Will Bill live or die?" By the end of the book, I just didn't care. I don't think the author did either because the book ends abruptly.
The humor is non-existent; I usually laugh out loud at some of the lines and some of the scenes from these books, but not this one.
And where the heck is Pam? We could have used a little Dear Abby to make it through this one.
I hope book 10 recaptures the charm of this series, but I can't imagine how. There is so much physical and emotional trauma for Sookie to overcome that I'm afraid the next one will be Sookie's sojourn into therapy, and I really can't see spending cold hard cash for that. I've learned a lesson though - the library is your friend; pre-read before you buy.
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