"Ahhh, Sookie" --Alan Ball got that one right. This series, from the fertile imagination of Charlene Harris is amazing. Though the covers suck (sorry, Charlene) what is between the covers is a great adventure both endearing and amazing, wandering through supernaturals and humans.
Sookie Stackhouse is the main character, a hard working bar waitress in backwater Louisiana, she is a happy waitress, except she can hear other people's thoughts.
The world she is in met Vampires 3 years prior to starting the series, in the "Great Reveal" vampires all came out as it were to society. This has proven a great vehicle to speak about public relations, group consciousness and of course, human intolerance. One of the many things that draw you to Charlene's story is the fullness of Sookie herself. She is a strong southern girl, raised with manners, and beauty, and now thrust into a dark whorl of politics and greed. This causes her to grow from her humble beginnings and actually start getting some respect in the supernatural world.
The first book is really almost the prologue to the long and involved journey our main character must take.
In this first book, we discover her "problem" as well as that it does not work on vampires. When a certain vampire, Bill Compton makes her acquaintance, she falls for his southern seduction faster than you can say "Craw-Dad diner". She finds herself protecting him from blood drainers, who sell the vampire blood as a drug.
Since I mentioned Alan Ball at the top, I feel I should provide a disclaimer -- I like Alan's True Blood series a lot. I have a problem watching it sometimes though as he takes many liberties with the story spine of Charlene's. Not to say that it is bad but I just have a hard time reconciling his story with her story. It's not so far off to be un-enjoyable but enough that it jars me a bit out of the telling. I find Pam's character on the TV show great and Alex Skarsgaard def is a great choice for Eric. Joe Manganiello is amazing (he's pretty in real life too). My jury is out on Anna.
While I am not providing a huge plot here, as so many people have gotten into the story, you already know how the first book comes out, Sookie saving the day but in peril for her life.
Get started with the books, even if you were only into the TV show -- they're worth it.
Dead Until Dark (Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood)
By: Charlene Harris
Published: 2001, Ace Books
ISBN: 0441008534
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