Book #41

All Together Dead
by Charlaine Harris

Continuing with the Saga of Sookie, this one goes deep into the world of vampires, and also shows why that isn't a good thing. This is an excellent book in this series, because this book makes us think about a number of things: the relationship between the vamps and the humans, the relationship between vamps and Sookie, between Sookie and Quinn, Sookie and Bill, Sookie and Eric -- and even gives us another view of telepathy, in Barry the Bellboy. It's almost like Charlaine Harris took a step back and looked at the big picture of the whole series, and asked herself, "Okay -- what are the questions that need answering here? What are the false impressions that need correcting?" And then she went ahead and answered those questions, and corrected those misconceptions, both for Sookie and for us. Toni's write-up of the next book, the new one, says that Sookie has matured and grown a tetch more cynical; I'd say that's probably because she sees so much nastiness in this one.

So she's already learned that her love is never a true love (And I've only just started the next book as I write this, and I just gotta say: not again! Not again, Quinn, you rotten sucker!) because Bill is a liar and Eric had to be not himself. Now she learns that the gratitude of vampires simply doesn't exist, because as she becomes more useful to Sophie-Anne, Andre immediately takes steps to turn her into a possession rather than an ally, because that's how vampires work. I like that from the author, though of course it makes Andre loathsome. She also learns that the prejudice of humans can go so far as to organize a large scale terrorist attack on the vampire hotel, and that it extends into her own backyard, through Arlene and the Fellowship of the Sun. I also like how Sookie has to make a crappy choice, when she exposes her power to humans in order to help in the crisis; we saw the same thing in the last book when she helps out Andy Bellefleur with Holly's missing son, but at least he was local. Now she and Barry both have a fire chief that knows they can save lives when nobody else can. I had to think about that: does that ability require you to give up your own time and freedom to help people? Of course not all of your time and freedom -- but how would you say no? Let's say she registers as an emergency trapped-person finder; which desperate phone calls could she turn down?

Anyway, I don't like Barry Bellboy but I appreciate seeing a telepath who milks his gift for money, as that shows us why it's better that Sookie doesn't. And I love Quinn's history, though I would think there'd be more bad blood between him and other shifters, since he not only killed so many shifters, but he also worked for the vamps in the killing. But I suppose that only serves as an example of how enamored we are of bloodsports and gladiators. Because, y'know, we suck.