Wednesday 3 February 2010

URBAN FANTASY REVIEW: Charlaine Harris Day

BOOK BLURB:

When she was 15, Harper Connelly was struck by a bolt of lightning, which left her with a spiderweb of red over her body, headaches, and episodes of weakness. Sometimes her right hand shakes. And she can find dead people. It's taken a while, but at last Harper's pretty happy with her life: she's making a living, using her unique talent to help people, and she's got a lover - her stepbrother Tolliver. That creeps some people out, but though they grew up together, and got each other through the real bad times - their parents' drug-use, the abuse, the disappearance of Harper's elder sister Cameron - they're not blood relatives. Then Tolliver's dad arrives on the scene, seeking forgiveness for the sins of their youth, and the police get a tip-off that after all these years, Cameron's been spotted in a mall. With all this going on Harper realises life is getting a little complicated, but she doesn't expect those complications to include Tolliver getting shot, or watching a cop die taking a bullet for her. Harper can find dead people, but now it's clear someone wants her dead . . .


REVIEW:

Charlaine really has something novel with this series and it has been one that I’ve really enjoyed since its first release. So it’s with a great shame that we bid it farewell (or at least for now) but get the answer to a mystery that’s haunted us from its very beginning. As usual with Charlaine you get great characterisation, top notch story arc and beautifully interwoven with mystery alongside suspense as you’re gripped by her telling to each page. A great story and one that I truly loved. I really do hope that this isn’t the end for it and that Charlaine will continue to enthuse the readers with further adventures.



BOOK BLURB:

Sookie Stackhouse enjoys her job as a cocktail waitress in Merlotte's, a small-town bar in small-town Bon Temps, deep in Louisiana. She's funny and pretty and, thanks to her grandmother, she's very well-mannered - but since not many people truly appreciate her ability to read their minds, the guys haven't exactly been beating down her door . . . And then along came Bill, tall, dark and handsome - and Sookie couldn't 'hear' a word he was thinking. He was exactly the type of guy she'd been waiting all her life for. Of course, Bill had a disability of his own: fussy about his food, not into suntans, bit of a night person: yep, Bill was a vampire. But at least now Sookie nows there *are* guys she can date who won't worry about her catching them thinking about other women . . . And that's going to make Sookie's life really interesting!


REVIEW:

So you’ve watched the TV series, devoured the other books in the series and demanding as well as salivating whilst you await the next novel. What are you going to do? Well if you want something special then this selection of short stories has been compiled in one single volume for the first time. It’s a cracking set and develops the world to which ol Sookie lives as well as giving the reader something a bit different to the usual adventures. A great addition for any reader of the Urban Fantasy genre and something that the Sookie fan in your life may not yet have read. Add to the mix a forward by Charlaine as to how each one ties into the series to date and it will make an ideal Christmas present for that Fangbanger in your life.



BOOK BLURB:

Sookie Stackhouse works as a cocktail waitress in Merlotte's, a little bar in Bon Temps, a small town deep in Louisiana. She's funny and pretty and well-mannered, but she doesn't have that many close friends - mind you, that's not so surprising when you consider how few people can appreciate her abilities as a mind-reader. It's not a quality that has the guys beating down her door - well, unless they're vampires or werewolves or the like . . . but they're not just supernatural freaks, some of them are friends, even family . . . And then along comes Bill: he's tall, he's dark and he's handsome - and Sookie can't 'hear' a word he's thinking. He's exactly the type of guy she's been waiting all her life for. But Bill has a disability of his own: he's fussy about his food, he doesn't like suntans and he's never around during the day . . . Yep, Bill's a vampire. Worse than that, he hangs with a seriously creepy crowd, with a reputation for trouble - of the murderous kind. TRUE BLOOD contains the full text of the first three Sookie Stackhouse novels: DEAD UNTIL DARK, LIVING DEAD IN DALLAS and CLUB DEAD.


REVIEW:

As the song for the series goes, as you came in the air went out. And what an offering was had within this omnibus as I enjoyed it from the first page to the last. Having caught the first episode of True Blood I was a bit put off with the sheer amount of sex within which to be honest when you read the novel, was more of a distraction and time filler for the series than actually appeared within the novel. It was a good bit of fun and to enjoy the first three novels back to back made this a great offering from Gollancz that will not only appeal to established fans but also help bring new ones to Charlaines writing. Great stuff at a price that will be hard to beat.

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