Living Dead in Dallas (Southern Vampire Mysteries, Book 2) by Charlaine Harris Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Living Dead in Dallas (Southern Vampire Mysteries, Book 2)
Book Review: So-so
Summary: 2 Stars
Better than the first, but still nothing exceptional. At best, Harris seems to be a developing author in this book. At worst, she's just badBook Review: Maenads and Vampires and Fanatics, oh my!
Summary: 4 Stars
Okay, not as good as the first book in the series, I admit. Still, a pretty good story. Plenty of action, and the romance was toned down a bit, so it didn't so much distract from the main storyline. I know, I know, plenty of people like those bits, but I like my supernatural stories to be just that, I suppose. Some tension, maybe (I do like the interaction between Sookie and Sam!) but not the nitty-gritty details in all their glory. There are other genres of books for that!
My main problem with this book is that there seemed to be far too much going on for so short a story. There were two main storylines, and the Bon Temps murder took a back-seat to the Dallas Fellowship storyline, plus there was the whole Maenad bit tossed in, as well. This would have been fine if the book was long enough to fully develop all of them, but while the Fellowship story arc was given enough time to properly develop and 'mature', as it were, I though the Bon Temps murder was rushed and hurried, and wrapped up far too quickly, and the Maenad bit seemed, in the end, to be just a convenient plot device. The classic two-minute sitcom ending where everything just comes together. In reality, there was enough material to fill two books of this size. Okay, at least one and a half, depending on how many twists and turns you wanted to put into the murder.
Still, the characters (especially the development of Eric as a character) and the dialogue nudge the rating up to four, since I'd give them a five but the storyline a three. It's enough to keep me eagerly reading the series, so that's about the best an author can hope for! I'd recommend this series to any vampire aficionado, as long as they can tolerate the rather liberal application of romance.
Book Review: I'd like my time (and money) back, please.
Summary: 2 Stars
After hearing much praise being heaped on the author and this series, and being a fan of the earlier Anita Blake novels, I decided to give this book a try. Bad mistake on my part.
I'm not sure what other reviewers have seen in this book, but I found it poorly written, utterly unimpressive and Charlaine's prose a little ... odd. (Perhaps a too-charitable word for dialogue like ... "I don't have enough experience with the different characteristics of the many strains of Asians to tell you where he came from originally." Like, wow. Strains of viruses, sure. But Asians?)
Book Review: A Slow Southern Simmering Boil
Summary: 4 Stars
(4.5 stars) A girlfriend turned me onto these books and I absolutely loved the first! The idea of vampires going "mainstream" and seeking a publicly acknowledged place in the world seemed so unique, and it's all told through the eyes of a sassy little Louisiana waitress named Sookie, who happens to have the gift of reading other people's minds. It's a wonderfully fun concept and Charlaine Harris does a great job of storytelling.
I had a little trouble getting into "Living Dead in Dallas" because one of my favorite supporting characters was found murdered in the first few pages. But once I decided to take the ride, I buckled up with Sookie and went on the hunt for the murderer.
The story veers mightily from that first mystery since Sookie gets swept up in vampire politics, not to mention having her life threatened by a mystical creature in the woods. Once she hits Dallas, though, the story zooms! I was so caught up in the suspense that I expected the book to end mid-way through, but then I remembered that she had to go back to Bon Temps, Louisiana to solve the first mystery that had started the whole thing! Once back home, Sookie asks the head vampire Eric to help her do some under-cover work to find her coworker's murderer. Well, let me tell you, read carefully through here because I almost missed who did it! But boy, what a BIG FINISH! A bit gory and shellshocky, but it is a novel of both "horror and humor" after all. Can't wait to read the next one!
Book Review: gave it a second chance
Summary: 3 Stars
I read the first book of this popular series several years ago, but was underwhelmed. But so many people who usually share my reading tastes love this series, that I thought I'd give the series a second chance.
Sookie Stackhouse is a telepathic cocktail waitress. There's a lot going on in this book. Her friend and coworker is murdered; she's sent to Dallas to help solve the disappearance of a vampire (by telepathically reading the human witnesses); she's attacked by a maenad with a message for the local vampire boss; she's imprisoned by a group of anti-vampire fanatics; befriends some shapeshifters; and attends a kinky sex party.
The politics of the various preternatural communities was interesting, and I enjoyed the intrigue and solving the mysteries, but there was just too much unrelated stuff going on. I'd have liked it better if the various threads connected more, or if a couple of them were saved for the next book.
More than that, though, is that I wasn't really involved in the story--it was interesting, from a distance. That's it: I was as interested in the book itself as I would have been if someone had simply related the plot to me. In other words, I didn't connect with the characters.
Some of that is because of the character of Sookie herself. I don't like her. She seems kind of dumb, and proud of being dumb, and in addition to that, she's self-pitying. On top of that, she's opinionated and bossy.
But at least I gave the series another shot. I won't be looking for the next book--I've got too much in the TBR pile and on the must-buy list as it is.