DEAD UNTIL DARK
Dead Until Dark
Charlaine Harris Books
Sookie Stackhouse is one of Charlaine Harris ’ heroines. She was introduced in the first book, Dead Until Dark which was published in 2001.
Sookie is a waitress at Merlotte’s, a local bar in small-town Bon Temps, Louisiana. On the outside she looks normal. Blonde, blue-eyed, tanned and always with a smile on her pretty face. But even with her sunny and friendly look, people are wary of her. They see her as weird, a person with a very questionable state of mind.
People tend to shy away from her. What the people of Bon Temps don’t know is that Sookie is not just a regular barmaid. She has telepathic powers. Yup, she can read minds.
Sookie had this ability since she was a kid. The voices just keep entering her head (unintentionally of course). Sookie practiced for years on how to control her ability so that she could tune out some “voices”. She stays out of the head of those close to her, as a way of giving them privacy to their own thoughts
In this world created by Charlaine Harris, vampires have come out into the open. They are no longer myths but actual creatures who roam freely out in the open. They even have vampire rights! Yes, you read that right.
It seems that the existence of such creatures have been acknowledged by the government therefore laws are made to protect them. They are recognized as legally dead people with rights! I really am interested in learning what these laws are. So far in the first book, I’ve read that vampires have a right to exist, own properties and stuff.
You may wonder how vampires get their sustenance now that they have come out. That means no more hunting on human prey, right? Well, traditional vampires still do hunt. They still manage to get some human victims by using their “glamour”. But in this world, they also get people to give them blood by paying them.
The other vampires make do with a synthetic blood beverage developed by Japanese scientists. Aptly named Tru Blood. It even comes in different flavours like A negative and O positive.
With the emergence of vampires into the human world, it’s inevitable that they meet and try to co-exist with humans. Although they still cannot go out during daytime, because they would “fry”, they still manage to socialize during the night. They even have a bar named Fangtasia where vampires and humans can get together.
In came Bill Compton. He walked in one night at Merlotte’s where Sookie was working her shift. Sookie was instantly attracted to the newcomer. A newcomer who happens to be a vampire! She was able to save him from a nasty couple who was draining him of his blood. It seems that vampire blood can temporarily relieve illness and increase sexual potency and there was a large black market for vampire blood.
Bill in return saved Sookie when the same couple returned one night and almost killed Sookie with a beating. Bill gave some of his blood to Sookie to help heal her. This started the relationship between her and Bill.
Of course eyebrows were raised when word spread that Sookie’s new lover was in fact a vampire. Her boss, Sam Merlotte voiced his objection the loudest. Hmmm… a love triangle in the making?
Dating Bill was hard. People in Bon Temps still don’t understand and are very somewhat closed minded when it comes to the vampire Bill. But Sookie was adamant in her choice and bravely faced all.
If things were that hard, it was bound to get even harder for Sookie. Women who have been linked to having relations with vampires are turning up dead. A killer on the loose! And of course it was Bill that the people first thought of as the likely suspect.
When tragedy struck so close to home – Sookie found her grandmother on the kitchen floor murdered – she must use her abilities to help solve the mystery and clear Bill of any implications in the murders.
This book is a must-read! Aside from the vampire-human love story, it has the trademark mystery that is Charlaine Harris. Vampires with legal rights, synthetic blood, killers on the loose and a barmaid with telepathic powers is one hefty combination that would surely keep you on your toes waiting to read the next book.
After I read the book, I was hooked in the lives of the people and vampires of Bon Temps, Louisiana. I want to get answers to a lot of burning questions. Like what I mentioned earlier – the vampire rights. Would Sookie become a vampire? How did she get her telepathic ability?
Imagine yourself with the ability to hear the thoughts of everyone around you. To hear every secret, every fantasy, every bad thought people have against others and maybe against you. Would you consider this as a gift or as a curse? Would you even think yourself a superhero in league with the X-Men, Superman or Spiderman?
To be honest, I might freak out if I have this ability. I mean, how on earth will I live a normal life if I could hear thoughts that are not intended to be voiced out, let alone be heard by a person like me? Is there an on/off button somewhere that I could use to shut out the voices in my head?
I felt pity for Sookie in parts where she says that she wishes she could do just that.
Maybe some would glory in their “super powers”, some might enjoy playing mind games with others and some might even resent it all together. As Peter Parker’s uncle said in the Spiderman movie, “With great power comes great responsibility.” How does one start to take responsibility for it anyway? And how can one deal with a “gift” like this?
The Sookie Stackhouse Novels are starting to get world-wide recognition. HBO has even made a series based on this. True Blood just finished its first season in the US and is aimed to begin production for the second season early this year.
Sookie is played by Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer portrays the vampire Bill. Pave the road for The Southern Vampire Mysteries! It’s not just in books but now also on TV. Be warned though, lots of adult content here. Hehe!
How will Sookie’s story go? I am starting the next book right after I finish writing this article. I suggest you grab the first book, on second thoughts get the entire series while you’re at it. You don’t want to be left behind now, do you?!
Dead Until Dark
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